Art Journal format change

I changed the format of my art journal.  Daily art journaling has become a part of my life and I found that making boxes for the elements I included on every page was no longer necessary.  Now I put the date somewhere on the page and begin with the intent to include some journaling, a sketch, and word play.  The page is wide open and the next thing to do is start.

Encapsulating this with a MOO -

My journaling has become journaling patterns:

I also create doodles.  This one had its origins in a class I took from Diane Culhane a few years ago called "Doings of a Doodle" where Diane had the class do an exercise taken from Paul Klee's quote, "Drawing is taking a line for a walk".

My line taking a walk :-)

And that day, the drink next to my drawing board was a little cup of green tea:

I highly recommend daily art journaling :-)

More painting, a reworking, and word art

I started this painting early last year just after completing Diane Culhane's online class,  "Paint Your Garden".  I used the frottage and blown blots techniques from the class and then I stopped.  I wasn't sure what to do next.

I pulled the painting out of my "in process" stash a couple of weeks ago thinking that the next step would come to me given time and perspective.  Patience is a virtue (so true) and I completed this painting a few days ago.

"Morning In the Garden"

And now to the "reworking".  I posted this rough photo of "We Gather Together As Friends" on Friday:

I thought I was done with it but, no, I kept going back and looking at it while waiting for it to dry completely.  Hm-m-m.  Out came the brushes and paints and now I am happy with the results:

I make word art (all the time, oy) and it has become a regular subject on my blog :-)  This one is of the moment and decidedly not close to my heart but, unfortunately, it is close to my head:

I've been painting :-)

I have started a series called "Trees of Life".  It was inspired by an online class that I took late last year - Diane Culhane's "For the Love of a Tree".

I posted a couple of paintings from this class on this blog post.

This first painting of the series is titled "A Perfect Day":

And in the landscape with beings theme, this is ready for its first isolation coat.  I've titled it "We Gather Together As Friends":

Two tree paintings

I love trees; they are so varied and beautiful.  Late last year Carla Sonheim offered Diane Culhane's online class, "For the Love of a Tree".  I signed up immediately :-)

One of Diane's assignments was to create two small 5" x 5" paintings focusing on value. 

The first painting began with a warm base color to which was added its complementary color:

Blue-violet overlaying Yellow-orange

After much layering of opaque and transparent colors, the finished painting:

The second painting began with a cool color which was overlaid by its complementary color:

Vat orange overlaid with cobalt blue.

Final painting:

I enjoy the spontaneity of this approach.  I have to suspend judgment and to go along with what happens, respond to the previous mark or color, allow for accidents - very liberating :-)

Something for me :-)

I am a fan of Diane Culhane's whimsical art.  I acquired another small works painting, "They Spoke With Birds" earlier this month.  Want to see?

"They Spoke With Birds" by Diane Culhane

The colors are so beautiful and vibrant.  Color me happy :-)

Doodling on the grid

Since taking Diane Culhane's class, "Doings of a Doodle", I have become more aware of the subject matter of my doodles.  I tend to draw critters and flora, favorite objects, and lots of patterns.

I have always doodled on bit of paper and on paper pads, Post-It® notes, etc., but rarely kept them.  But now, I also make an effort to use watercolor or bristol paper (better quality paper) or I grab a sketchbook (my doodles are conveniently collected for easy perusal).

A technique that I have adopted from Diane's class is doodling on a grid.  I am not sure why I find grids so appealing - perhaps because they become patterns, too.

Today my doodling led to this:

Working on a grid is satisfying :-)

I like that this is full of color.

Doodles... seriously :-)

A while ago I took Diane Culhane's online class, "Doings of A Doodle" which I enjoyed tremendously.

One major benefit of the class is that I now take my doodles more seriously as sources of inspiration.

This dog doodle -

inspired a sketch that I made into this rubber stamp:

My how you've grown :-)

The final lesson from Diane Culhane's "Doings of A Doodle" online class - growing your doodle!

Mark a grid on a larger canvas and then doodle away:

16" x 20" canvas

I used a fairly limited color palette to finish the doodles.

Introducing the grid

Painting assignment, Lesson 5*:

Line and circle doodling on a grid

I enjoyed painting this so much I did another one :-)

"Signal"

*Diane Culhane's online class, "Doings of A Doodle"

Painted Doodle

The progression continues in the World of Doodle to the happy addition of paint (yay!)

For Lesson 4*, one could choose a existing doodle or create a new one.  I doodled a new one which grew into something more like a tableau:

Rice paper on wood panel  - acrylic paint and Sharpie marker

The rice paper was really fun to draw on with the Sharpie and it enabled me to be very specific in my imagery.  Also adding paint gave "mass" to my doodled scene.

* "Doings of A Doodle" online class by Diane Culhane

The Doodle Grows and Remy and the Rain

More from Diane Culhane's online class, "Doings of A Doodle".

Continuing with the emphasis on a single doodle, Lesson 3 was about "growing" the doodle.

Here is my sheep in a mushroom forest in small, medium and large in grey colors, ocean colors and sunshine colors, respectively:

Doodling a different perspective

The weather has been chilly and grey with thunderstorms.  Remy really doesn't like the sound of thunder and he pretty much shuts down when he hears it.  I am pretty certain that he would rather have sunshine and blue skies return...

O, he does love the sunshine :-)

Little Doodle Book

Diane Culhane's online class, "Doings of A Doodle" has emphasized that one's own doodles are a source of inspiration - they are tiny treasures.

Lesson 2 prep - making an eminently portable doodle book so that one has a nice surface to use whenever the opportunity arises:

Watercolor on gessoed 140# watercolor papers

Slip a folded sheet inside another folded sheet to make an unintimidating book of just eight pages.

My first doodle book:

Sides 1 and 2

Sides 3 and 4

Sides 5 and 6

Sides 7 and 8

Doodles In Isolation

Another exercise from Diane Culhane's online class, "Doings of A Doodle". 

From my sketch books, choose some favorite doodles.  Isolate them and place each one on watercolor paper.

Instead of being lost in a mass of doodling, each selected doodle is spotlighted:

I doodle birds often.

A rare cat doodle

I love dogs.

A sheep in a mushroom forest.

Doodle

Diane Culhane's online class, "Doings of A Doodle" is just finishing up.  The class has been a fascinating exploration of the doodles that begin (somewhere) in the brain and move to the hand and then to paper.

Doodling from left to right:

At the edge of the page I just kept going :-)

A really interesting exercise that I had never done before was to doodle while reading (no peeking at the paper - a "blind doodle"):

Blind doodle while reading a mystery.

Glazing is amazing :-)

I enjoy using a couple of techniques (a lot) - glazing and sgrafitto.  My focus on these techniques came straight from "Table Top: Drawing and Painting", an online class taught by Diane Culhane.

A few days ago I completed a Table Top-inspired still life.  It began like this:

From "Transparent Layering" blog post

(transparent layering blog post http://darlenecranna.blogspot.com/2015/01/layering-transparent-colors.html )


The next phase is about adding color - layering glazes:

At this point I was unsure of how I would develop this painting differently from previous ones; time to put this aside for a while.

Some days later I came back to it. Next steps:

• Add more glazing. 
• Add definition with opaque layers.
• Sgrafitto for revealing earlier layers and to add texture.

And the finished piece:

"Three Vases with Flowers"

For more about Diane's class, here's a short video http://vimeo.com/77735037

Layering transparent colors

New still life where I used layers and layers of transparent paint.  I have always loved transparency even way, way back when I used an air brush to create colored screens and glass-like panels in imaginary landscapes.

This time I incorporated the techniques of glazing, sgraffito and painting negative shapes that Diane Culhane demonstrated in her online class, Table Top: Drawing and Painting.  For more about Diane Culhane, visit her website http://www.dianeculhaneart.com/

For my still life I chose vases; here is the beginning phase:

Basic line work

An interim phase:

Glazing.

An the finished painting:

"Five Vases" :-)

Bunnies

Another critter I love - the bunny.  Even more fun... more bunnies!  Here they are:

"Secret Society", mixed media painting

 
To create the background layers of this painting I used some techniques (glazing, sgraffito and masking) that Diane Culhane demonstrated in her class, "Paint Your Garden" - the class that keeps on giving.

I have several canvases with backgrounds done in much the same way.  I set them aside; later on I will return and continue painting :-)

Serendipity!  Carla Sonheim is offering Diane's class again later this month.  I highly recommend "Paint Your Garden".

Links:
Paint Your Garden class - http://www.carlasonheim.com/paint-your-garden-with-diane-culhane/
Diane Culhane's website - http://www.dianeculhaneart.com/

joy Joy JOY

A Christmas present to me from me :-)

"Dog On Board" painting by Diane Culhane

I was able to acquire this absoultely delightful "small works" painting by Diane Culhane.  I have taken several of her online classes and she is one of my favorite artists.

As you can guess, I am so pleased and happy to have this cheerful, colorful work on my shelf; it just makes me smile.

You can see more of her paintings here, http://www.dianeculhaneart.com/.

It's Still Life :-)

A bit tardy, the final painting for Table Top: Drawing and Painting is finished.  Class was so enjoyable and I explored still life painting, a subject that never caught my fancy before.

Here's the still life:

"The Oval Table"

This is how it began:

Whoa, something is different...

The table changed, the flowers changed and some of the veggies became fruit.  How did that happen?  As I think back, I was focused on the paint and I let go of the power of the "line"; the application of paint and the colors indicated the direction of the painting.

As odd as it sounds, relinquishing control is empowering :-)

Table Top Paintings

More still life work from Diane Culhane's online class, Table Top: Drawing and Painting.  I am finishing up the painting assignment.

The emphasis again is on laying down transparent layers and then building more layers, both transparent and opaque, on top.  I became so involved with the technique, I let my improvising slide (see this post).  I figure I will get better with practice :-)

Beginning with a graphite drawing (on a birch panel), transparent layers of primary colors are quickly applied, a nice way to get the paint brush moving and paint on the panel:

Initially two green peppers and a pear...

However, after laying down more and more paint, I decided that apples were calling me more than peppers, hence:

"Pear of Apples"