Playing in My Studio

Wow! My summer vacation is almost over. We fabulous teachers report back to school on August 6th. It will be two weeks before the kiddos come back. There is much to be done and learned before that happens. I am excited and looking forward to another group of wonderful second graders. Yay!

I have had an interesting and most productive vacation. First, I managed to take and pass the Praxis II test which allowed me to apply and receive my Level 2 teaching license. Thank goodness that is over.

Second, I started exercising again. I see a tiny bit of improvement. What I figure is if I do the exercises every day then sooner or later something will happen. That is it on that.

Another bit I did was go on some mini vacations. One to a resort town and the other camping. Both were fun.

Finally, maybe not finally because there were other activities that I did, but I just want to get to the art. I started a fun project using 3x5 index cards. The plan is to draw, paint, collage, etc., on one card daily. At first, it was difficult for me to figure out what to create on them. Those beginning cards are not so great, but hey they do show my progress. I have used a lot of my pens and paints so far on these little cards. Yes, the paper is horrible for some techniques, but still exciting to see what happens. I also write what material was used in the creating of the art piece on the back of the card. That way when I come back to them and wonder what was used to create it the information will be on the back of the card. The project was started on June 18th and as of today, there are 44 cards. Some of the cards I have used in my art journal that was also started this summer. That journal is fun and unique, but that is for another post. Probably when I get more done in it.

Another art project I did was to create in an art journal that I have had for a couple years now. It is a journal that I play in, so it does not matter if there are mistakes. There is no such thing as a mistake if you learn from it and yes, I learned from the mess-ups.

To help jump-start my art heart I watched some artists on YouTube. One such artist is James Burke. He creates wonderful non-realistic drawings of women (mostly). One of his videos shows what he does when he gets new art materials such as paint and markers. He makes swatch dolls or buildings. I loved the idea and because my studio contains so many markers, paints and various types of pens, I decided to create swatch dolls and buildings. Wow! What fun it has been and very freeing. I have discovered fun pens that have been hiding in my stash. Creating these swatches has helped me so much. I can feel the artist child in me screaming with a joyful noise.

The ladies in the picture above were created one day just for fun similar to Mr. Burke. I added my own twist. They are done with artist markers and other pens in the above-mentioned art journal. The journal is filling up with some fun and very colorful drawings. Yay!

Okay, these are just some of the activities I have done during my vacation. It is so nice having a studio again. I have missed it and my artist child is extremely happy.

Be well, Be happy, my friends.

My First Inktober

Yay! I managed to fulfill a drawing challenge. Okay, I did not do the challenge as prescribed by the originator, Mr. Jake Parker. Was not able to even do the prompts. Why? Well, I am a very busy person. My job as a teacher of twenty-six wonderful energetic second graders keeps me very busy. I also have other wonderful people who desire my attention. Anyway, it all does not leave me much time to draw. So I made the challenge fit my life.
I decided to create a two-page layout in my teacher bullet journal to draw 31 tiny ink pictures (32 because day 13 I did twice;-) By having in my teacher bullet journal I knew that it would be easier for me to create a drawing quickly. My goal was to take 5 minutes or less to draw something. As you can tell from some of the drawings my time to draw was less. It was more like 2 minutes. I only used a black Tombow marker because it was able to be in my teacher pen/pencil case. The header is some washi tape that has a pattern of art supplies on it. I used a Crink pen to write Inktober and the border. That is it. Pretty simple design and layout.
I really did enjoy taking those little bits of moments to draw/doodle something. The page is fun to look at, and because it is in my teacher bullet journal I can look at it as often as I like. I might even create another two-page layout in the same journal for the month of November: Noinkber, Inkember, the last one would work for December as well. I think that Noinkber is cool. Perhaps I can challenge myself to draw/doodle using some other medium, like crayon or colored pencil. Whatever the challenge is I better get going because it is already the 4 day of November. I will for sure share whatever creation I do for November. For now, I must go create. Be well, my friends.
Happy Creating!

Getting Ready for Vacation

I realize that many go shopping for clothes to wear on vacation. Well, not me! As soon as my husband and I decided to go to Oregon on vacation this summer I started thinking about what journal and art supplies should I take. Okay, I did think about clothes and if it was necessary for me to buy new ones. Maybe a new t-shirt or two and perhaps flip-flops to wear on the beach. Other than that I think that what I will wear is pretty much taken care of. Now back to what journal and art supplies should I take.
After searching Amazon.com and checking out the Michael's Arts and Craft store near me for journals I finally found one. I ordered the TreeLine List book from Amazon.com and it arrived a couple of days ago.

The company, Action Publishing has several styles to pick from. It took me a few days to decide on this one. These journals are very different from others that I was considering. The paper is cream colored with both lines and a grid layout. The left side page has the grid and the lines are on the right side. The covers are chipboard made from recycled material. There is much more about them and I will let you go and check it out.

The journal that I got measures 4.25 x 11 inches and has a tree theme. To help gauge the size of the journal I took a picture of it next to a piece of 8.5 x 11 inch cardstock. Why would I get such a strange size for a travel journal? Well, because it is different and will make me change the way I create in it. The size of postcards will be a challenge for me as will other bits of ephemera. I will manage somehow to get them in.
I also ordered film for my instant camera. Yes, instant as in the old fashion Polaroid type film, only these are small.
 The pictures are about 2 x 3 inches and just barely fit on the page of this journal. That is okay, because barely is better than not at all. If I turn the camera sideways then the photos will be printed in the portrait layout. In this layout they will fit on the page. I will take pictures both ways and all will be fine. I do not plan on taking my DSLR on this trip. I want to focus on little photos and most importantly drawing and writing about what I see. If I take my big camera then it is likely that it will be the main focus of my art. Another bit is that I want to have my photos in the journal within minutes of taking them, not when I get home and get around to having prints made. I do not have a lot of spare time at this point in my life to focus on making prints and putting them in my journal later. Most likely I will not get around to doing that. This is why I wish to use my instant camera and getting those photos glued down in my journal quickly. Honestly, the photos do come out quite nice. I am looking forward to adding more drawings in this journal and not as many photos.
Now to pair down or use a better way of transporting my drawing/painting materials. This has always been an issue for me. What should I take and if this pen or paint is left home what will I do if it is needed? I have a difficult time leaving a lot home, because I never know what my mood will be as far as which medium to use. So I take a lot. I do limit it to a small backpack, but still the way it is stored in the pack is annoying to me. I had been using various pencil cases, and although these are good at keeping the stuff safe it is not good for on the quick creations. I have to rummage around in the pack trying to find the bag that holds the medium that I am looking for. It just takes up too much time to do that. Doing a bit of research on Amazon.com I came across a solution. I found these roll-up pencil/pen cases. There are a lot of different styles and sizes to choose from, and yes it took me some time to choose a couple.

        I ended up buying these two. One holds 36 pencils/pens and the other 48. I got them with the intention of putting my Tombow markers in the 48 slotted one and my drawing pencils and pens in the 36 slotted purple one. The problem with this plan was that the Tombows did not fit very well in either one. They caused them to be very difficult to roll up. The Tombows also caused the purple case to come un-stitched, which I had to fix. So for now I have my Tombows in a pencil bag and I am still rearranging my drawing pencils and pens in the roll up cases. Not sure if I will be using both or just the one that holds 48. I have time to figure it out.
Before I wrap up this post I wanted to show the title page of the book. The page is not complete, but it is a least started. I will add more and perhaps take another photo of it when it is done. For now I think that this post is long enough. When we return from our trip I will post some photos and chat about how I did or did not like the journal.
Be well and be happy my friends. Ciao!

Helping Out My Artist Child

I had some of my art supplies sent over from the house that I was living in to my new apartment in Salt Lake City, Utah. Then I had to arrange my art supplies with my graduate school gear in an apartment that is not all that big, but big enough.
I love this place, but it was missing something. I also was missing something in my life. After doing the assignment with the hands for one of my graduate school classes, it dawned on me that I was missing a key element in my life. ART! My artist child was neglected for way too long.
Now that I have some of my art supplies, I can create art. Even if the creations are just doodling as I am taking notes in class, at least I am creating and satisfying that drive to create.
My next goal is to arrange my little basement so that I can bring over the rest of my art supplies. Then when I need some bits and pieces to go in or on an art project, I can simply go downstairs and gather what I need.
Now go create!

Drawings~36th World Wide SketchCrawl-July 14 and Creating Art with my Son-July 19

 Last weekend I participated in the 36th World Wide Sketch Crawl with other artists at SketchCrawl.com.  I had just finished my first semester in graduate school and needed to treat myself to something. Instead of food as a treat, I took myself on and Artist Date.
I posted a notice on the SketchCrawl.com forum inviting other artists in my area to meet me at a local library to draw and then travel on to another spot to create. That was the whole point of the activity. Gather some friends and go out and sketch together. At the end of the time agreed upon the group is to meet at a local coffee shop or whatever to share their thoughts and drawings.
I posted a time and place to meet and then waited to see if anyone wanted to get together. People read the post, but no one posted that they would meet me there. Well, I decided that I would still show up and hope that someone else would also.

1st drawing~Sugar beet sculpture

2nd drawing-Fireplace inside of library

3rd drawing~Emigration Creek

I arrived at the library a little after 9 am and started to draw the Sugar beet sculpture that sits in front of the library. No one showed up, but at that moment I realized that it did not matter to me if anyone would. What I wanted was to draw, to add art back into my life. Yes, it would have been nice to have an artist friend to share with, but it did not happen. However, I really was not alone, because all over the world there were artists sketching, painting and so forth at the same time that I was. They have shared their artwork on the forum and I will also. It was a great day and I enjoyed every minute of it.

4th drawing~Annie, my dog hanging out by the creek

 July 19, 2012~ Creating Art with my Son

My son and I created these drawings of a Purple Coneflower that was found near us.
We both created our works of art using Prismacolor drawing pencils and paper that my daughter makes. (Walk Through Water Creative Arts) 
Once again it had been a long time since I had used colored pencils, but the flower turned out great, but not as well as my son's drawing. I like his better. He had not done any creative work for a long time either. I really do not know why we ignored our Artist child for so long. We will not be letting that happen any longer. The Artist child in us needs to be given more opportunities to create. We will create and have a lot of fun doing our creations together. Here all along I thought that I did not have anyone to go out and about to draw with. My drawing companion was right there in my son and I should have had him go on the sketch crawl with me. Now I know better and we shall go and create.

Merry Day After Christmas!

I hope that you all had a fantastic and loved filled Christmas as I did. It was a low key event but fun all the same. Today, I am playing with new toys and getting caught up on some scanning a blogging.

I can now show you the ornaments that I made for my family and the Wichtel exchange. It took two different designs, because I could not find the Mints box I had used on the Wichtel ornament. I had to go with the Altoid Smalls container and that meant I had to redesign the front of the ornament. All in all they came out fantastic. It took a lot of work but the giving of them far out weighed the work. I also made two cute Domino Guy ornaments for my two younger sons (they are the bottom photo).

This photo (top) is of the outside of the tin, the little card I made and also the outside of the box I made, yes I made my own boxes.

The A. Smalls are a bit smaller than the Mints tin, which meant I had to make my elements smaller. I used small photos of a lady with child on the front and Santa on the inside and various other fun bits. I also used a small photo on the inside of the card with our Christmas wishes. The card and boxes were made from the same cardstock I used on the ornament.

I made patterns for the papers that I had to cut out. First, I made the angels which is a photo of the paperclip angels I found online. Not sure where the maker of these angels found those strange paper clips to make their angels. When I had gone to the store the week before I had bought some red wire not really knowing what I was going to make with it, that is until I saw the paperclip angels. All I did was make the photo the size I wanted the angels to be and then put small nails at turning points and bent the wire around them. Oh, I used the back of one of my mini cutting mats to nail onto. It turned out great, real easy to do.

After making the angels I realized that they needed a home to hang out in. Well, as a "junk" collector I searched my treasure boxes to find the right home and that is when I thought about using the Mints tin. A little black paint and then a bit of silver paint and a bunch of this and that and viola! a glorious home for an angel.

These two cute little guys are the ornaments I made for my two sons. I used small wooden Dominoes and Scrabble pieces plus some of my treasure bits. The dots on these little guys bodies are the ages of my two sons. The 'head' is their initials, L for Liam and E for Erick. I need to make a third guy for my 23 year old son, Darin, which I will do soon. Anyway, it was a blast creating these little domino guys. I was in my art studio laughing while I was making them, which I am sure my family thought that I had once again lost my mind, or maybe they just think that I am always a bit crazy;-)

Look What I Got in the Mail Today

On Milliande Art Community for Women under the sub-group The Lucky Ladies, some members joined in on a Wichtel Christmas tree ornament exchange. A Wichtel is a secret Santa type activity where names are exchange and that person is to send their person a gift, in this case a homemade ornament.  I got a beautiful lady in Henderson NV and made her a nice ornament. Though I would love to show you the ornament I made it is going to have to wait until after Christmas. This is because I made more and will be giving those to my daughters and they sometimes read my blog. I will post the photos of those ornaments after Christmas.
I got my Wichtel ornament today in the mail. It was a complete surprise because I had forgotten that I was to get one. My ornament came from Canada and I love it. It is the domino doll pictured here. I do not know how this wonderful lady who made this ornament knew that this beautiful piece of art would fit my style. It is perfectly me! I am not going to put it away after Christmas because it is way too cool for that. It will hang on the wall in my studio so that I can be reminded of how wonderful it is to have artist friends from all over the world.
If the Lucky Ladies do this again next year I am sure going to join in on the fun.
Happy Holidays to all!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

There are times of the year in which many people become over loaded with what needs to be done and this month holds the biggest event in most peoples lives, Christmas. I have tried over the years to not get bogged down in the "to dos" of the holiday season. For the most part I have succeeded. My children have learned only to ask for gifts or a gift that is around a hundred dollars, not counting stocking stuffers. I really only have two younger boys to buy for because my older children are adults and I try and make them something cool.

The other people I make things for are neighbors, only a select few, five to be exact. What is important is the act of making the gift with those whom you have in mind to give to. I enjoy the process of coming up with a nice thoughtful small gift for my neighbors who are there for me if and/or when I need them. Last year it was a cool Christmas card book made out of a paperback (you can see it on my Flickr page, the link is on the right side of blog). It took a bit of time to make and because of my Fibromyalgia I was in a lot of pain, but it was worth the effort because those special neighbors loved the card.

Today and the rest of the week I am working on this years gift for neighbors and children. I have my pain under control so there will be even more joy in the making. Once the season is over I will post photos of the gifts I made. I pray that your holiday season is full of fun, family and friends and that you can leave the stress out of it. Enjoy the season!

Now about these two photos. These are the work I did for my online Creative Lettering class. We were to pick a bit of a song to use over wavy lines that were to be left in the final piece. The top piece is part of the song Kodachrome by Simon and Garfunkel and the second piece is a couple of quotes that I like. I loved writing on black paper. Some time this year I am going to make an all black papered journal and use cool pens to draw and write in. I have a sort of black journal started now but it is a place I put my Haikus and poetry in. I want and all black journal to draw in. But that is going to have to be put on my "to do" list for next year, for now I am off to work on my Christmas gifts.

Have a great and very creative day!

Celebration! Happy 1st Birthday!

My blog is 1 year old today and I have finished my website, so I want to celebrate by giving away a gift. Please enter a comment in order to have your name put into a hat. I will have my son draw a name this Saturday, May 16. The winner will receive a 5x7 matted photo chosen from the photography section on my website. The winner will pick the photo. Good Luck to you all!

I cannot believe it has been a year already. My blog got off to a slow start, but after I joined a fantastic group of artists (Everyday Matters Yahoo group) my blog began to take on a shape that I am proud of. I have been working more at my art and that makes me happy.

I have not drawn much lately but I have been working on taking more photos. Another activity I have been working hard at is getting my website built and uploaded. It is finally done and online! I will tweak it and add more art work to it, but for now it is done. You can see it at:

http://www.thephilosopherartist.com/

Now I am off to work on more portraits, photography and writing. Oh, and I am back to schooling my boys. My 9 yo ds has just started year 4 and so that takes a bit of time, but well worth it.

Do not forget to leave a comment so you can be entered in the drawing.