Black and White

Black and white spread in the little watercolor paper art journal.
Right-hand page shown above, which includes an additional 'flap'
on the right-hand side

Left-hand side of spread shown above. All images and writing sketched in pencil, then inked with Sharpie or other marker...a limited attempt to explore the 'idea of beauty' in different cultures. I am sure whole books have been written about the subject! I want to believe that our 'inner beauty' is more important, but ... it sure seems as though the world worships at the altar of youth and physical attractiveness...

Art Deco in the Art Journal

The woman's face was inspired by an
Art Deco painting (1925) by Tamara de Lempicka,
called Self Portrait (Tamara in the Green Bugatti)Quotes are from the book
The Great Gatsby

The spread started from the stylized flowers
and grew from there...
sketched first in pencil,
inked with Sharpie xfine point marker,
color added with colored pencils.

Arch Swap

A Gothic Arch made for a swap in the Altered Book Club Yahoo Group. Watercolor paper, fabric or handmade paper, scrap of text, notebook paper with chalk pastels, stamped and hand-written words, stamped 'swirls,' and a copper accent at the top of the arch.The background is done with two shades of green watercolor, then a glitter watercolor in copper color was sponged on the edges. Lots of layers, but felt it was worth the effort in the end.

Comment Moderation

Comment Spam seems to be on the rise, and I feel it necessary to begin Moderating the comments left by my readers. I have been resisting this change, but will see how it goes. Your comments are very appreciated, so please continue to let me know what you are thinking!

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Color as Subject

Painting and collage.
Tempera, acrylic, magazine clippings,
black permanent marker.
This was done several years ago
when I was getting back into
art - making.
Perhaps I should revisit
the subject of color
without recognizable objects.

Progress in the Art Journal

Our concept of beauty is greatly influenced by the society we are immersed in...and how expressive just the eyes alone can be! How pervasive the western ideal of 'painfully thin' models can be... and how necessary it is to resist the stereotypes; find your own beauty within yourself.

A Beginning

The beginning of a new spread in my little watercolor art journal... this background was intentionally left plain white for a black and white composition. I don't know where this is going yet, maybe a quote about 'beauty.' This doesn't show quite the whole space as it wouldn't fit on the scanner, and the right hand page also has a folded flap that is about 5 inches wide. It will be quite a lot of space to fill. Waiting for additional inspiration...
and a block of time to work!

Art Journal

New page in the watercolor journal. Watercolor background, scraps of painted paper, fabric, Sharpie drawings and colored marker. The face, hands and tree are drawn in crayon, then tempera paint applied over them, creating a 'resist,' then torn from the original paper and collaged onto this page. Can you meet yourself coming and going?!

Scrumptious Squares

"Scrumptious Squares", each measuring
an inch and a half by an inch and a half,
on recycled cardboard.
I created these
using scraps of painted papers, stamped papers,
vintage postage stamps, collage images and
numbers. They were inspired by the book shown below,
Mixed Mania by Debbi Crane & Cheryl Prater,
from Interweave Books.

This book inspires you
in a non-threatening way,
to create art.
It's humorous and 'sassy,'
encouraging you to doodle, create
paper dolls, and
approach the process with
your own sense of fun!

"Kid Tags" (above) were created with
scrapbook paper, and drawings
inspired by my grandchildren. The
drawings were done on watercolor paper
with inexpensive watercolors and
Sharpie extra-fine permanent marker.

Altered Vogue ad (for a designer watch)
doodles and paper dolls added,
along with an eye & lips on the
"face" of the watch.

As Debbi described her love for paper dolls in the book, I too remember sitting at my desk by the hour making my own paper dolls and clothes for them. (Of course there was Rock'n Roll on the radio!) The paper dolls here were drawn by me, but there is a template provided in the book so you can enlarge it and just start designing clothes!

Paper doll on watercolor paper, using inexpensive Prang watercolors and Sharpie extra-fine marker.
Fibers and beads added as a "scarf" around the neck.

This book is project-oriented, with "recipes" for creating each project, but enough additional ideas to inspire more of your own projects down the road.
I especially liked the brief explanation of 'The Elements of Art' and 'Principles of Design' which I think many books do not address, even though the information is very important. A "gallery" is included in the last chapter that highlights a variety of styles from various mixed media artists. Basic enough for beginners, complex and inspiring enough for the experienced artist. I am looking forward to making an art doll and quilted clutch!

French Fashion Exhaustion

Doodle/drawing from an old sketchbook, 2007. (For a larger view, click on the image.) Phrases were lifted from a Vogue magazine, and sketches drawn from the same magazine.
Includes ball point pen, purple permanent marker and watercolors. This sketchbook is square, so I wasn't able to get all of the image on the scanner. You can't see all of "intense
colors express who you are" and the phrase "Extremely Cultured." You can see that some of the women's heads were drawn on lined notebook paper, then torn out and collaged into my sketchbook. Not exactly "high art" but it still makes me smile for some reason! Hope you enjoy it...