I love “stuff.” Artsy stuff. Papers, bottle caps, box fillers, napkins, and paper towels I’ve used to clean my paint brushes. They look so splattered and delicious in their reckless painted manor. I use everything I can get my hands on when I’m doing mixed media art. I’ve used… Kleenex, wine corks, and foils from food packaging. I’ve stamped with bubble wrap, corks, bottle caps and more! I’ve smeared paint with credit cards, scraps of paper and of course… my fingers… Art supplies DON’T have to be expensive! I’ve melted crayons on my art and smeared it around with home found tools. You too can search your bathroom, kitchen, laundry room (ohh.. don’t you just love the texture of a used dryer sheet?) for a plethora of artistic goodies. What’s fun about this is it’s recycling what you already have. Keep your cereal boxes and use the cardboard for journal making or for a blotter to catch excess paint. These are all things that you are going to through out anyway so why not utilize what you can from them. I use Styrofoam meat trays for paint palettes. They was up fast and easily and can be replaced instantly with the one from last night’s dinner. If you are anything like this please share your “trash to treasure” ideas. I’d love to see what creative uses you have for “stuff.”
Postcards from Tammy’s Studio!This idea was suggested to me by my dear friend M at Hearts Desire4 Joy and I thought she was sheer genius for thinking of it. Not only does it allow people to buy homemade art and greetings at an affordable price, it also allows you to share it via mail and gifts! What a fun thing to be able to create… especially since my teen dream was to work for Hallmark. Now I can be my own “Hallmark” and do it from home in my PJ’s. Here’s the first one off the press today. I have some printer tweaking to do yet and some other minor adjustments but I should have a line of my greetings up on my Etsy shop by mid March. I’m really hoping you drop in and take a look around.
Yep.. I’m sitting with foot elevated today for a bit playing with art on the computer. It feels good to know I’ll be here without the stink from the two-month-old pink on me SOON! I now have four days left till the big “reveal” and I’m very much so looking forward to it. It’s gonna be an awesome Friday for me this week! Yippee!
I had a bit of down time on the couch last week and this is what developed from it. I worked on it a little each evening while relaxing to TV. I dug my Conte’ Pastel Pencils out from my supply closet and had fun using them in part of this journal entry. As with most of my drawings and paintings I don’t start out with an idea. I let the pencil tell the story. The pencil enters a magical world and guides me through it. It’s always an adventure to see what will unfold. I’ve had this journal for years and only used it to scribble in so I’m having fun resurfacing the pages and recycling my investment. I’ll post more from it this coming week. I’ll also have some more paintings finished! I’m working on a bride painting at them moment and she’s nearly finished. (She’ll be off honeymooning super soon!) Happy TGIF to you all and God Bless!
Something a bit different from my usual art. This was painted for my hubs for his birthday this year. Left 4 Dead is a game that we both enjoy to unwind. Zombie killing is always a great stress release and pretty much guilt free. I did this painting on a canvas board after “smearing” modeling paste over it for texture. I used more modeling texture for the lettering and the figures. It’s just a fun and basically simple painting where I got a chance to play with different mediums that are sometime restricted to what I’m normally painting on wood.
And now back to normal. I’ve got 4 different paintings on my desk now ranging from my loved pinks and greens to mermaids and ladybugs! I’ll have more to share later this week. I’ve been “attempting” to clean my space up so that I have my supplies closer at hand and cluttering the area less! Always a challenge to maximize your art space and minimize your clutter. That’s the challenge I’m facing this week!
Yes, I’m watching paint dry and ripping my supplies apart looking for a water soluable graphite pencil, which of course I don’t seem to have. So I looked online and the cost of the shipping far outways the cost of buying 10 of the pencils. Sigh. The subject of this painting will have to wait till I can get the pencil later this week. I did this background on a 9×12 canvas board, started with gesso and then “frosted” the canvas with texture paste using a palette knife. I used several different layers of acrylic paint washes blotting with a baby wipe as I went. I rubber stamped, collaged on some napkin pieces of flowers, layered on more acrylics and oil pastels and am ready for the focal point of the painting to begin…. and I’m dead in the water. Such is life, when handed lemons, make lemonade. I used to detest lemonade, but oddly now after having been forced to turn a sow’s ear into silk purse many times in my life I prefer lemonade over just about any juice out there. One of lifes ironic lessons no doubt. I have 3 other paintings on my desk that I “could” be working on but wanted to try this technique I read about in the current issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. Which is the only magazine I splurge on these days. It’s hot again today and we just didn’t want to live another summer having to suffer through the heat. SO! Yes, we took the plunge and ordered a portable air conditioner! I’m SO excited about sitting and painting with cool air blowing through my hair and scattering my papers all across my desk! =) And on that note, I’m outta here for something cold to drink… possibly some… lemonade!?
I’m home from my parents house and happy to report that I had a fabulous visit! I took art supplies and journals with me but it never left the bag. That’s a first for me. Instead of arting we played Scrabble! I LOVE, and I mean LOVE Scrabble. It’s my all-time favorite board game. I even have the travel version of Scrabble for our train trip to Michigan which is coming up very soon! We’ll be leaving sometime very soon after the 4th of June. My Mom took me shopping and bought me 3 new outfits. I had NO idea that she had this planned. We met my sister at Ross and from there we went to JC Penney and finished our shopping excursion. Afterwards we went to dinner and sat and chatted and laughed and laughed and laughed. Humor is a very large part of my life. It has been since day one! My family is fun and fun loving and my husband also is a riot. I did get to do some art shopping on the way to my parents. We stopped at a variety store that has aisle and aisle of crafts and arts and scrapbooking, and, and and! I bought some paints, some papers, some charms, and other little goodies that I know I’d use. Very FUN! As alway, as much fun as it was, it’s good to be home. I’m tired, but it’s a good tired. I got to spend time with my niece who’s 12 and we had a lot of laughs and played some “not so offical” Scrabble. Below is a picture of her cat named Zin. He’s a fun cat to watch. He has free roam of my brothers and parents yards and take advantage of living life in the country! One smart little cat! =)
I’ll have some art to share after the weekend! It’s good to be home and have my “toys” at hand. What’s on your easel!?
On the third day he rose again in fullfillment of the scriptures.
Happy Easter & God Bless!
Spring has been dragging it’s feet in making an appearance in the Pacific Northwest so I decided to coax it along and paint this spring painting. It actually worked! It’s been sunny for two days now. =) The little bees are rubberstamped on and then woodburned to give them dimension. The wings of Momma Bee are outlined with a dimensional glitter paint. There’s a touch of bubble wrap texture in white to add a beehive theme as well. This was a fun and fast piece as I was really into it and I think bees are very cute. There’s a lot of sparkle to this painting that doesn’t show up in the photo. It’s quite a happy little piece. =) Happy Spring to all of you and Happy Weekend too!
Finally the weather was dry enough for a walk around the lake. What a refreshing change from our very cold, wet, snowy, and windy winter! It was so good to see the ducks and other flying friends out foraging for food. I captured this photo while walking of some daffodils that someone kindly planted into some pilings just off a foot bridge and wanted to share the color of spring with you! It’s a rare sight here in the Pacific Northwest so far this spring. But now I have proof that spring is indeed promised to make it’s late arrival! Enjoy and Happy, Happy Weekend! Keep Kreating! =)
Netflix has been a Godsend for us here. I keep finding gems on Netflix as well as Hulu that help me unwind and escape. This past Sunday I spend the day enjoying some of the finds that I run across while doing my bi-weekly Netflix movie picking. I don’t often promote a movie but this one made me laugh, and cry and laugh, and laugh! Starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnon and seeing them burst into song was both heartwarming and hilarious. If you’re looking for a good love story with a twist Momma Mia is a must see!
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