December Art / #17 put to bed

 Ate a lot of fruit...

 

 Tried to win the $638 million lottery.  Didn't win anything at the company Christmas party either.

 

 Treated Mom to spa as her Christmas present.  My friend, Kathy, invited us to dinner at her church function.

 

 OMG!  I finished another sketchbook.  (Wondering what number this is.)  The end view on the scanner just looked interesting.  I had stuff on the cover too.

Okay, I think Smash #1 was "sketchbook" #16 so this would be sketchbook #17.

November art

 I finished all my work at work and felt like drawing stuff on my desk, I felt so rusty. It triggered a creative flood...couldn't wait to get home.  These are in the Altered Journal.

October art

 The fern was a happy, successful experiment in the "crispy crunchy mom-made" sketchbook.  So I was ready to follow my idea.  Unfortunately, after that my paint clogged and I couldn't make it work anymore.

Yay more inspiration

This is a repost from last week.

 

It's a good weekend.

 

Altered Journal - a modified spiral notebook.

Creative weekend

I altered a spiral notebook.  Most altered notebooks I looked at only show the cover.  Why?  I keep my stuff inside the notebook.

 

New favorite wine

Acrylic & ink in Smash #2.  I haven't been to Olive Garden for over a year.  Our table was given a complimentary taste of wine.  This was the first time I've ever had a wine tasting that I would actually buy. I've only had one favorite since 1991 (yes I remember exactly when I discovered it.)  Now I can add two more to my Favorites List.

Last page of SMASH#1

Damn, I never intended to buy another SMASH book again because I made a couple of my own mixed media books by recycling a couple of my half-used wirebound notebooks.  But I was at Michaels yesterday looking for something small to buy so I can get a 40% off coupon for a larger purchase.  There in the bargain racks was another SMASH book of the same size for $5, wow!  There is no plastic cover or pen--so what?  New one has photo pockets. 

Inspired

I've been busy with lots of work, wanted to do something loose.  I found inspiration at Ross (store).  Acrylics in the Smash journal.

Still trying to convince myself...

Nothing has to make sense!!!  I'm too logical.  I need to have a story. Trying to break out of my comfort zone.

I'm supposed to be working for a new custormer.  Nothing makes me want to do art more than having a monkey on my back.  Damn.

I caught a cold

I've been trying to think where the time is flying to.  Yea, I caught the crud that's going around.  I have a remnent cough left.  The iPAD is taking up my time, still hunting for apps.  I ran out and got a $15 iTunes card because I still don't trust the internet with my credit card.  Then I remembered my credit card points can pay for a gift card.  Cool beans, it's arrived!

It's been too cold down at my computer to work/surf into the night so I've been cuddled up in my bed with the iPAD.  Not alot to sketch up in my room, but I had an idea I've been developing in my head based on crash test dummies, LOL!  Okay, I still don't get how illustrators manage the same proportions over and over again.  I can make an image I like but I can't repeat it.

Playing with Barbie again

Acrylic in the SMASH

WDE ACEOs

Double page spread in the SMASH journal. I got the Smash journal because it had ready to go backgrounds.  I'm not liking collage (media) because of all the stuff you have to accumulate.  I've got the skills to paint little icons & sticker-sized graphics. However, you can't do watercolor or gouache or inktense directly on the page.  It just beads up.  For the acrylic, I thought about painting squares of gesso but then I can't use the other media if I feel like it.  So I cut up some ATC size blank watercolor paper.  No, I won't be trading these, they're already glued (Mod Podge) to the pages.

That's another thing, not all glue is good.  I had rubber cement, but it was over 4 years old and had reduced to a tough rubber snot-like substance.  I had stick glue.  It had dried up, too.  The SMASH glue is stick glue--it'll probably fall off in a couple years.  Mod Podge is the way to go!  Ooo, I just saw my hot glue gun hanging from my art table.  That'll be good for heavier attachments.

Eco-friendly drink cup

A page out of my Fabriano Artist's Journal. I've restarted it (again) for the Watermedia's art journal thread. It doesn't lay flat on the scanner though but I love the paper.

I got this cold drink tumbler that looks like the clear drink cups from the coffee houses. First chance I've had to use it. I also got a hot drink tumbler that looks like a white coffee cup. Cool little novelties for fun.

My latest passion

Oil pastel & acrylic in the 9x12 inch sketchbook.

Coffee from MOKA pots. It's not an addiction, not an obsession, a PASSION. I write this word more for my memory because I've been thinking about the right description.


I've had times in my life where I had no passion for anything. Unless it affected me or my life directly, I was pretty apathetic about everything. I understand this now, and only lately I understand why. But I was always searching for something to interest me, something to fire me up. I was never one of those fickle girlies who had a new boy crush or celebrity crush every week. I've always listened more to my head than my heart, so it's been a lifelong process to give myself permission to let my heart soar if it wants to.

Visual journal #2

I had a dream last night.
I was traveling in Scandinavia.
Airport was a nightmare -- nothing new.
The tram got lost getting to the plane.
Somehow the tram turned into a city
tour of Stockholm.
The driver spoke no English.
I kept trying to tell her we were late.

Anyone interpret dreams?

A new thing: Visual Journal

Oh no! Not another new thing? Well, kind of. Just a different style of expression I'll be exploring in the same old sketchbooks.

I had reached my limit of the Siamese Twin on Monday and went for a 3-mile walk to run away from her. Went a bit too fast and got a blister and shin splints for it. She had jury duty Wednesday. I had to stay close but it was almost a whole day of "me" time which I chose to spend at Barnes & Noble. Helped immensely! Glanced through a couple Creativity books and found my inspiration which has been floundering since I got laid off.

The original words in the clouds have been digitally edited because they are more personal to me. This is my first "success" after four pages in my large moleskine. Two more pages to use and I can put Sketchbook #10 to rest.