Finished!!!

Oh My Word!  I just took a photo of my Goddess in daylight!  I am just so proud of her.  Having never painted a canvas any bigger than A4 AND I only really started painting seriously about 8 or 9 months ago (save for the stuff I did at secondary school) I am just amazed at myself!  Of course she isn't going to make it to the Tate or any other grand art museum or gallery, and she did have a few little 'accidents' along the way but to me she is perfect and I love her!  To be fair though I am fickle so probably the next one will be the love of my life too ha ha!

 

I finished the detail on the butterfly whilst watching Harry's Law last night!  I find it impossible to just sit at 'watch' TV these days, I have to be doing something else at the same time!  The butterfly is actually a sort of failed attempt at making a 3D butterfly in flight.  I cut some pretty colored paper from a glossy magazine and stuck it, face down, to  Habotai silk and then I thought I could dry it moulded over something curved.  This clearly wasn't going to work so I decided to dry it flat and then sew beads on it and build up the undersides with molding paste on the canvas.  Then I just chickened out altogether and applied it as it was to the canvas with Matte Gel Medium and detailed it with black ink, white gel pen and gold pen! 

Almost There

Late last night I noticed that the lovely Tam had posted this weeks video tutorials and of course I just had to watch them both before bed!  So today I have played...ALL DAY!  Well nearly, we had more snow so had to shovel the driveway, but apart from that...I played.  So here she is, almost there.  I still need to do the detail on the butterfly - gel medium takes a while to dry.  I also want to paint the sides of the gallery wrap in gold acrylic too.  I used a little rub on gold leaf which needs to be sealed so I will give it a light coat of acrylic matt varnish when I'm happy that I have it totally finished!  It isn't the best photo but the best I could do under electric lighting!

New Year, New Beginnings, New Art Class!

Ok so it's nearly new year!  I am just so excited!  I have a parcel en route from a new supplier I found - Thank You Tammie for sharing!  Some crackle medium, sparkly things, metallic acrylics, rubber stamps and some gold leaf! On 17th January we get to start our new on-line e-course, Magical, Mystical Makings with Tam.  I am totally hooked on whimsy style, and I love angels and unicorns so as you can imagine I am almost bursting with anticipation on this one!  

Of course it wouldn't be right to start a new year without some resolutions or, more aptly, some goals.  So this coming year I want to stretch a little.  I want to learn more.  I want to experiment more with mixed media,  I want to learn new techniques, use new mediums.  I want to have a go at things that scare me like abstract.  Perhaps scared is too stronger word, or even the wrong word.  Abstract bothers me, I find it difficult.  My little brain cannot cope with it, it doesn't make sense these random shapes and colors.  Having said that there are some abstract paintings that I find pleasing to look at like some recent paintings by Cathy Bueti, and others that I cannot remember the names of, but on the whole abstract doesn't sit well, doesn't feel 'right' or make sense.  However I feel that I should at least try it for myself if only to be able to say "I had a go"!  I also want to try simply experimenting with shapes and patterns.  My friend Lorrie has a particular and personal style which I admire, her work inspired my piece Sea Anenome, again this is something I want to develop.  Lastly, Oils!  Kelly recently experimented with this medium and took to it like a duck to water, and boy look at her now, in a gallery no less.  Well done Kelly here's to a great year for you!  I bought some oils recently, but like the abstract thing I keep making excuses not to try them!  Oh and the calendar...yes my lovelies there will be a calendar.  Hopefully as Christmas settles down my lovely brother will be able to get that template done. If you would like to join Kelly, Cathy, Lorrie, Jeanette, Marlene and myself in 'donating' a piece of art to be featured on a calendar to sell and raise money for Cancer Research please check out my post or e-mail me for details.

So, I actually have quite a lot to achieve this coming year don't I?  How about you?  What are your creative goals for 2011?