Flower Angel

 I decided to draw a face while watching a movie and had a really neat face drawn in watersoluble pencil. I'm sorry I didn't take a photo of that now because as just a face on the watercolor paper, I was really happy. However when I took a small brush with just a little water to the lines, they suddenly got very black. ugh!  I was not happy that I had fooled around with her face. Two days later I added wings and some water color to her eyes and lips. And, still I was not happy. Grrr. It's amazing what changing a line does to a drawing! I should have left it alone! grrr! Feeling like I could rip it out anyway, I just added hair with water color and left her alone till morning.

 Somewhere along the line, maybe while dreaming, I decided to draw some flowers in ink and color them in to add to her hair, TO COVER IT UP. An improvement, but I long for her graphite only face. No hair, no wings, just white space all around her fair face. sigh.

Done. Sprayed with fixative. Destined to live in my watercolor journal. But she is growing on me. A face from my imagination who led me into choices filled with resistance.

More i-phone fun

 Yesterday I got an order from photojojo. Lenses for my i-phone! What fun! These lenses attach to the phone with a magnetic ring that glues around the i-phone camera lens.  Today I took advantage of the sunshine and snapped a bunch of photos using the wide angle lens. At first I couldn't see what the lens does, but on closer inspection of the images, I see how the lines bend on this photo of my front door. OK. Interesting.

 This is the same lens and the Hipstamatic app with the X grizzled film which makes the border ragged, and the Bettie XL lens which is like a leaky plastic camera. It adds warm colored light streaks which show up in a random manner and makes the film look over exposed.

 This is the next shot and is noticeably different than the one above. Cool! No way to know what is going to happen next. I love that!

 This brass plaque is next to our front door and looks very nice in these soft colors.

 However, this is the photo that showed me how that wide angle lens works. This is a "gallery" of left handed drawings I've done that are on the wall at my desk. The line on the left is curved. That is my window and it shows me that this lens is bringing more stuff into view by bending the angle of the view.

This is the same photo without the lens and there is a little less of the wall to see here. Interesting.

paper bag lady

This weekend I found a few heavy duty paper bags from the Whole Foods Market and decided to make a journal. I found really good instructions for a paper bag journal from a November 2, 2007 blog page by Judy Wise .

 I added white gesso to each page. That took a couple of days to dry. I didn't put any kind of cover on this collection of paper. It's nice to have a really undemanding format to work in. These pages are not smooth and pretty and do not scare me one bit!

 This is my attempt at an oriental face. I find the eyes so intriguing! The lid line is so much fun to do because the skin folds over the crease in such an interesting way.

I used a #8 graphite pencil so I could smear some grays and carve out shadows. Once satisfied with the overall look, I took some CarbOthello pastel pencils to add just a bit of color. Because the paper is so textured, I have to accept the imperfections where they arise and I really like that! This photo was taken with my i-phone 3G using the camera that is provided and really does a nice job. The page was lit only by my desk Ottlite and no flash.

This face just begs to be touched. It's like drawing on a granite mountain or tree bark.

Even the crater in her cheek doesn't bother me. When I was adding shadow and color, my eye did not even register it as a problem. All I wanted to do was make her face just a little more colorful. Rosy cheeks denote joy in life, and I felt joy-ful as I watched her emerge.

Now this photo was taken with the Hipstamatic app using the Jane Lense and Kodak X grizzled film. The colors are yellowed and the edge of the photo are ragged. I like that effect.

If you have an i-phone you get to play with an amazing array of tools. I would never have been able to access so many different kinds of lenses and films even if I was a professional photographer. This is so much fun!

i-phone fun

It's raining too heavily to go for my morning walk, so I'll post a few photos taken with my i-phone 3. I have a few photo apps (OK - 37) that are very amusing. In fact, hours can go by without my noticing at all. Now I know why I see people staring a these things. They really are fun toys. Since I never call anybody, I now  think of this as my favorite camera.

 It was 96 degrees and I was sitting on our porch which faces west so I got some good contrast in the photos I took. This effect is from Camera Art Fx, a free app that changes a photo into a drawing or a cartoon.

 The i-phone lets you turn the camera lense face you so you can just snap away. Click. Click. Click.

 I wish I had the patience to draw like this. Look at those lines! The shading. The cross hatching. Wow!

 When I was absolutely too over heated to sit outside in the low slanting rays of the sun, I came inside and sat on the sofa with the verticales closed behind me. A softer light and an interesting background effect.

 Once you have taken a photo and saved it to your camera roll, you can open it up and play some more. This is now a polaroid!  I think I used Lo-Mob, an app that looks like a polaroid on steroids with about 42 different effects.

 Me with the ceiling fan. I got some cool pix of it spinning, too. No, wait. That was an i-phone movie.

OK, a little color and an interesting frame. This photo was taken through three different apps, but I didn't take notes, so I can't remember how I got here. But it is a cool rendition, don't you think?

Playing at faces

 

Sometimes just having a page of text with gesso on it begs to be used. And, a number 6B pencil smudges so nicely, it takes me a long time to decide to add color to a face. I really like drawing a simple line and running my finger over it to sculpt the shadows. This drawing sat around for several weeks, just being itself. Not asking for anything more. Floating from pile to pile until one day I glued it into a journal. Big mistake. I was sorry it stopped floating the minute I saw her surrounded by all that white space. 

A tin of Stabilo chalk pencils arrived last week and this is what happened. OK, so she is more colorful, but is she happy about it?

One more Whimsical Painting

This is the third painting I have fooled around with in the Whimsical Style taught by Mechelle Harrison at Creative Workshops.

I really enjoy using a piece of chalk to make the outlines for the forms. I don't feel as if I am doing anything serious because it's just chalk and can be erased with some spit. Cool!

But often times, when I am nearing the finish, I begin to feel sad because I like, really like, the way the chalk looks.

I mean, look at this moon! The chalk adds so much to the etherial beauty of this shape. Oh! And the texture under the black paint shows up under each stroke of the chalk.

And, here the white contrasts with the red in such a nice way.

It looks all skewudgelly. This is a new term. I just made it up. It's how it feels to be white chalk on black paint, surrounded by red and purple. Say it out loud. Ske...wud...gel..ly. See?  A very feeling term.

This window! Oh, this is the kind of window that needs to be looked out of. It turns an entire landscape into a frosted fairy wonderland and makes everyone smile for the rest of the day.

This is today's moon, it is a waxing cresent of 3% in the sign of Libra . We can't see all of it because the Earth is still somewhat in the way, but it is there alright. I know it because I painted it. If you wait a day or so, you will see it outside your window, too.
Or, if you ask nicely, it will follow you into your dreams tonight to light your way in a rainbow kind of way. You can ask it for a wish. Ask for something dear to your heart. And, if you say, "Thank you" everyday for 30 days, your dream will come true.

A fun workshop.

 One of the fun things I did during my year of contemplation was a workshop over at Creative Workshops  given by Mechelle Harrison called Whimsical Landscape Painting. Several nice videos shows her process and it was a lot of fun. Starting from a textured surface painted a dark color, I chose black, we then drew a simple landscape with chalk.

 From there it was a matter of painting color in layers to bring the landscape to life. I live in South Florida and am surrounded by beautiful palms , so I made my landscape painting of those lovely trees. Mechelle paints delightful, happy and colorful artwork that just makes me smile every time. I hope you go over to see about this workshop and have fun creating with bright colors and simple shapes.

Back after a long break...

Really did need time off to evaluate stuff. If you like to play around with numerology, as I surely do like to do, I finally realized I was in the middle of a seven year. It's a time to rest and reconsider what you are doing in your life that you would like to change or stay the same. It's a time to think about all the good things you have, are, wish to be and intend to do. The year started out with a lot of personal chaos, dipped into an abyss of self pity and then headed into a tunnel with a sparkling, tiny, but sparking light drawing me onward. The light is now all around me and I am in bliss. The bliss of being comfortable being me. The bliss that feels so hopeful. I feel the bliss of life newly born and I am grateful.

Bosch Mixer - Wow!

For the past 8 months or more I have been saving for this new mixer. It has a large capacity and has an exceptionally powerful motor. The bowl is large enough for 18 to 20 Cups of flour! Yikes! That's enough to make 6 large 1 1/2 pound loaves of bread all at one time. Finally! An easy way to whip up a batch that is big enough to eat now, freeze some and give the rest to friends and family.  Now all I have to do is double, triple or quadruple my favorite recipes and Saturday morning baking is one very productive 4 hour deal. Yum!  By the way, it is a Bosch Universal Plus. I got it on-line from Pleasant Hill Grain for
$429.99. A lifetime investment perfect for me.

Sometimes a moving picture is more fun than a pogo print!

Here's the recipe - adapted from "Bread Machine Magic" by Linda Rehberg & Lois Conway -

However, do not try to stuff these ingredients into a bread machine, this is for two large loaves. I put almost everything into a mixer, but knead the last cup or two of flour by hand. Measure out everything before you start, just so you won't miss anything -

Wholewheat - Wheatgerm- Sunflower Bread
1 C rolled oats
3 C whole wheat flour
3 to 4 C plus unbleached bread flour- there is a lot of wiggle room here. A lot depends on the brand of flour, the temperature and humidity in the room, and one's mood.... to get a dough that "feels good."
2 TBSP Gluten
3 TBSP wheatgerm
1 TBSP salt
4 TBSP brown sugar
2/3 C sunflower seeds
10 TBSP Buttermilk powder
2 1/4 C warm water
2 eggs
3 TBSP canola oil
2 TBSP active dry yeast
Mix yeast with 1C water and some of the brown sugar. Let sit 10 minutes to activate. I like to do this in a 2 C glass measuring cup because it's fun to see the yeast bubble and rise to life!
Pour into your warmed mixer bowl (I warm the bowl by rinsing it with warm water just so the yeast won't be shocked on entry into the bowl) and gradually add all the wet and then the dry ingredients, mixing slowly.
When the motor starts to growl, transfer the mass of dough onto your kneading board or counter and work in the last of the flour. Add more flour if dough is really wet, but this dough just tends to be sticky. Because it is a whole grain mixture, you really do not have to knead it for long.
Transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel to keep the dough moist and let it rise. In my kitchen which tends to be 76 degrees or more, this dough rises within 60 to 90 minutes to more than doubled in size.
Prepare two 9 x 5 inch bread pans with crisco and flour to prevent sticking.
GENTLY deflate the dough, (remember it is a living thing) and cut into two equal parts. Flatten it somewhat into a rectangle and roll it into a loaf shape.  Place in pans to rise again, covered with that wrap or towel. This takes another hour or so.
15 minutes prior to baking, move the wire rack to the bottom third of your oven and heat to 350 degrees. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a baking thermometer registers 190 degrees at the center of the loaf.
If the crust is getting browner than you like, tent the pans with some aluminum foil. When done, remove the bread from the pans immediately and let cool on wire racks or until you absolutely cannot wait to cut a slice to try it out. mmmmmm. good.

Ft. Lauderdale

Sometimes the best thing about taking pictures is changing them.

I have a few different programs that allow this.

The hardest part is deciding which effect I like best.

Make it look a few years old.

Make it look dreamy.

Make it look like a drawing.

Every single one is pretty to me.

Bag lady

Saturday, while baking more bread, I put some gesso on a couple of used brown lunch bags and did this drawing.
It's a pretty face from a magazine done using my left hand and a # 6B graphite pencil.
I sure do like to use my finger to smudge the graphite to shade the angles of the planes of the face.

Last night, while watching a movie, I added color using pastel pencils.
What fun they are! Good control for adding color in small places. I added more pencil work and used my eraser to make the highlights whiter.


 Working from a photo really does teach me more about drawing a portrait. And, I gotta say that this left hand of mine is learning ...fast.

More Left Handed Art

This is Suki. I'm trying to understand the shape and shadow of oriental eyes. And working left handed sure makes you slow down. But, she is pretty, I think. This is graphite pencil, oil pastels and some watercolor for her hair.

This is Portia. I used PanPastels for the face and was sorry that even after several layers of workable fixative and more pastel, I didn't get the opacity I wanted for highlights on her skin. The rest is graphite pencil and black watercolor for her hair.

And, finally, we have Rina. Another trial for oriental eyes. These look a little off, but oh I do love the green shadowed with purple.

Glad it's the weekend. I've painted some brown paper bags with white gesso and will see how loose I can get on such a humble surface. I just can't justify using really good paper ... yet.