Release and Receive

So, I said to myself... no more for a while.  You need a rest.  Stop journaling and do some other kind of art.  Today, you are just gonna rest from it all. Back off! Let art go.  Give yourself a break. Release your self to other efforts.  

And wouldn't you know, as soon as I said that, this idea for these journal prompts popped up!  So, off to my art room I dashed and this is what came of it.  Based on the Serenity Prayer, changed for this prompt.  We do have to let go and learn to receive gifts.

Power Images

A journal prompt is to do a page with our "power images."  Images we use in our art a lot.  Here you see doodling, eyes, and my best friend and favorite model, Bubba.

Pages Again

New pages today include Yellow, Life, and Hidden Messages

Journal Pages by Prompt

Earlier, I started a two page layout which was going to be Lost and Found.  I "found" however that I had lost a lot of things over my life time, so the two page layout became all Lost.  So, I started a new page for Found and finally am getting around to posting it here.  Another prompt Trust the Journey.  I used a page from inside a book to start this.  I liked the looks of the hilly parts and think it will be fun to fill with writing eventually.  Most recently, I started working on color pages and here is pink and blue.  More colors coming up, and then on to doing some embellishment prompts.  You can google mistymawn to see these prompts, (I think).  

Occupation

I visited Barb's blog, she leaves me comments and I am glad for her support and input.  I thought it would be nice to leave a comment on her blog.  But, being computer challenged, and I might add mostly friendless, I did not want to risk losing a friend by giving out an URL in order to leave her a comment.  On her profile her occupation is stated as goddess.  My immediate reaction was... I want that job!  One thing lead to another and I discovered there are something like 245 ladies with the occupation of goddess.  So, since I consider myself a one of the kind variety, I will not become a goddess.  But, it is sooo fun to have a person who is be my friend.  Thanks Barb!

Back to Soul Journaling

This "armor" prompt was from way back but I never quite got around to it until now.

Zetti Pages

More Zetti

Teesha Moore started zetti style art journaling.  Now, lots of artists are inspired by her work.  These are pages left over from a zetti zine swap in Artella Land, so I thought I could post them without giving too much away.  I based my pages on my favorite model, Bubba.   I had sooo much fun doing these.

Wrap Up

This is an ink discharge technique.  I made the page to decorate my Vein of Gold journal. 

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I have been involved in quite a few art projects since the first of the year.  I have been playing with CCS in a couple of groups, including Vein of Gold discussions.  I have played in Miliande's creativity group.  I have played in 14 Secrets group where I got involved in a Resiliency and Art group, I have played in Artella Land.  I have played in Soul Journal group.  I joined a Taking Flight group but it is not quite up and running yet.  I played in AARP art group, and once in a while I end up in Facebook.  I have taken on a couple of challenges from some fiber arts magazines.   I have also been down in bed with a cold/flu thingy with sore throat and cough.  Today, thank goodness, I have felt well enough to try to wrap up a couple of swaps.  I have my bird ATC's in the envelope ready to go for 14 Secrets.  I almost have my zetti zine pages ready to go for Artella Land, just have to add the address to the envelope.  I am today finishing up a wall quilt.  And now, I am wondering... what will be my next art project.  Hmmmmmm 

Journal Prompts Catch-Up

A couple of journal prompts from soul journals is Weaving your Dreams for 2009 and Finding Your Defining Words for 2009.  

Cabbage Roses

Here is my new and very improved art journal cover, thanks again to milliande and her lovely directions.  I loved making the little foam stamp for the hair roses, and making the the textured roses on the bottom.  Thanks milliande!

Another Inspiration

These two scans are a two page lay out I made after viewing Milliande's portraits prompts.  She uses a computer.  I am not patient enough to do that.  I just printed out a profile, then deciding on a deer, printed that out, put them together, traced their out lines on lay out paper, then used the graphite paper to transfer onto the pages that I had pasted random pictures that spoke to me, from last fall.  I think I like these.  I tried to get the first one to turn right but no luck, sorry.

Postcards

I decided to try making some postcards using scraps.  I have lots of scraps, I have all kinds of bonding stuff in rolls and yardage that I have picked up at yard sales so I don't know about this stuff too much.  So, I bond a background piece of material to the bonding material.  I bond a couple of things on to the front of that.  Then, when I tried to sew around the edges of the smaller elements, guess what??? My thread kept breaking.  I go hmmmmmm!  Then when I try to re thread the sewing machine needle the hole is plugged with glue and there is a gob of gluey thread stuff on the shaft of the needle.  After I started on the fourth needle I said to heck with this.  So, I ended up sewing much by hand.  Then, I discovered that I could sew if I use a straight stitch with much less breakage.  All this time I am praying the innards of my machine is NOT being glued together to become forever useless!  With each postcard I learned.  The last one SWEET, I put all the elements together before I added the base with bonding.  Worked much better and did not take me two days to do it! LOL

Ideas

I have found lots of inspirational artists on the net.  I have started several pieces of art using the ideas from these artists.  I am right now decorating my journal, working on a Weaving Your Dreams page, a promt from soul Kathryn over at Soul Journals group, working on a many faces pages as taught by the talented Milliande videos on Youtube, some fabric postcards as shown in the Fiber Arts magazine, did some paper doll puppets for my soul journal My House pages,  started a portrait again from Milliande videos influence, and took some fun photos.  So, the beginning of 2009 is starting out well for me as I am happiest when I have new art projects.  I will be posting pictures as soon as they get to a point that I feel like I can show them.

Photos

I don't usually post photos but the birds I took through my studio window and the cat, well she is just darn cute.  I have never seen her on the bird houses before!

Old Portrait

Here is the unfinished portrait... a work in progress, LOL

Head

The beginnings here.  One of the things I think an artist needs to do is to pull the hair back and get an idea of the shape of the "oval".  You see on this one that the oval is rather squarish on top and the bottom is rather pointed.  So, I started with a square, added a triangle at the bottom then overlay the oval for the face shape.  There are standard measurements for heads, I am sure posted on the net.  You have to adjust these to fit the real measurements.  On this head, the eyes are emphasized because that is the best feature.  Also, I am still trying to work on getting age right.  The portraits I do always look younger than they should.  I will next be adding some collage elements around the head.  

Self Portraits

I made a self portrait several years back.  It is foam core parts mounted on some sort of base with bits of collage added.  It was never really completed, but I hung it on my sun porch/studio area so it would not get hammered while it waits for me to finish it.  Some day.  I think every once in a while, I ought to add this or that, but just have not done anything to it.  So maybe it is actually completed???   I have been reading a bit here and there about this activity.  I know that you can attend a class on this at some of the better known artist retreats.  I think there is a current book out right now on doing self portraits.  I am up for trying this again.  So, If you know of a site that gives some basics, please let me know!

Another thing I am working on is some small paper doll representatives of my DH, myself, and the dog and two cats.  LOL .  I kinda enjoyed this activity, which surprises me.  However, I chose the wrong base material, so now I am going to try again, using a base material that I hope will not break as easily as the fiber board I used for the first set.  Some day soon I will post pics of the new and the old.