Week 4 - 5 - 6 of Life Book 2015

Hey my friends. Ive got a big post for you today, to post a few of my life book classes. Im not sure I will always post the assignments. For instance there's one bonus class I'm not posting as I just do not like my result and while the perfectionist in me says keep pushing and either work it to death or start over, that's not the point to Life Book I don't think. Plus, I don't want to post a big description on HOW each page is done as it's really the instructors techniques and concepts so it's really up to them to release their secrets. you really should join if you can....it's amazing!

Ok so week 4 was a fun little lesson by Patti Ballard where she shows us how to paint the cutest little ballerina on a tight rope. Her example was adorable but I was convinced I had to make her into a curvy girl and this young lady emerged. I'm really  happy with her.

The next week was with Rachael Rice and we were to make a dream catcher. And while I love the symbolism of a dream catcher.... I'm not a fan of the actual thing, I think it's because they traditionally are made of animal hides and I just can't take that.... I know, silly, but it's who I am. However! I have been following some amazing artists who paint the most amazing Mandala's and I've been wanting to give it a try, so I did and made that the center of the dream catcher instead. I wasn't really happy with how it turned out but I did like the rest. Of course my word for the year is HEAL but I've also been struggling with TRUST lately... trust in myself and others, I don't like that and need to work on that alot this year. so here is my dream catcher...

So, while the original instructions called for a collage, I just drew the whole thing. Most area's are painted with either acrylic or ink. I coloured the feathers and other dangly bits with pencil crayons. I need to use them more... they're an old favorite from childhood.

And last up is Week 6 and a super fun and inspiring class taught by our awesome leader herself, Miss Tamara Laporte. Im falling in love with this adorable lady and talented instructor and artist! She's just amazing. This awesome class is again and collage of layers and various mediums but my goodness... the result is fun and different than I thought I'd do. I even stuck to the plan this go around!!! haha!

My subject matter IS different than the original... but it is MY life book so... it needs cats and coffee in as many pages as I can get them into! 

Ok... so there you have it! the last few week classes. I am getting faster as I get more and more comfortable with my own abilities and it's not like giving birth anymore! haha as we all know, they more you create, the easier it becomes. :) So I am actualy getting time to do some other projects. So stay tuned as I'll have some more posts and mixed media fun to show you very soon!

Thank you SO much for stopping by!

Life Book ~ Art of Lettering with Joanne Sharpe

This was a super fun week for me! I love text, words, quotes, typography... all of it... maybe it's the graphic designer in me but it's always been a passion of mine. So I was so excited to find it the focus this week and the wonderful Joanne Sharpe was our teacher!! I loved what she taught us so much that I went a tad crazy... I found a quote that I love about art rather than use the exact one she gave us in the lesson and then I just got carried away doodling around the letters... haha! Its the combination of the constant inspiration I get from the Life Book community AND the fact that my new studio is so easy and accessible to me right now but I literally do not want to do ANYTHING else.. I just want to draw and paint and glue stuff together! ha! So... well I'll show ya what I mean.... here's my entry for the week!

OK... so see what I mean?? There is ALOT going on here. It was fun so that's really all that matters to me. :) I loved how easy the lettering was, I of course erased and re drew them a few times but not nearly as many as usual honest! and then... I wanted to add a cat somewhere cause I always want a cat involved somewhere and that's when the insanity kicked in and I just kept drawing and drawing and drawing... LOL on well. It's a fun piece. I used my watercolours, they really don't get used enough, they aren't a medium that comes really easy to me like acrylics do, I think it's cause you have to work quite quickly so that you don't let them dry that makes it hard for me as I over analyze every paint stroke, but it's good for me to have to work fast too so I pledge to use them more!!! Here's a couple close ups for you...
First the top part, doesn't the cat sitting top of the Worst word look like Lil'Bub? it was an accident but then I added the little tongue just to make it her. :)

 

 I plan to go back over the creativity again, the pink is abit splotchy but I was excited to post as well as I have a bunch of other projects I NEED to work on... I've just been having fun playing with Life Book and reorganizing the studio I'm falling behind on some other projects! Such a tough life problem eh?? lol

And then of course the bottom portion.. soooo many cats! haha! I wish I could have so many. However, I'd be divorced for sure! hehe

So, in case you're having a tough time figuring out what it says cause I have SOOO much going on in here. (which is exactly why I used my neon coloured acrylics on the lettering to make them stand out) the saying is...

"The Worst Enemy of Creativity is Self Doubt"

I loved this cause it really is so true, I have to remind myself this alot as well as others. In the Life Book Group itself there are alot that need to hear this as well! Ok... I must go paint something else now!!!

Happy creating peeps!!!

Life Book 2015 ~ Beacon of Light

OK.. sorry for the multiple posts in one day! I would have posted the two together but I really wanted to separate them or else the post would have been huge! This was our first official lesson/project/page for our life book. WOW! Is all I have to say... SO freaking glad I joined this, I can feel the creativity and inspiration swirling around in my heart and head (its really bad for the insomnia issues but GREAT for my emotional being)!! This lesson really surprised me... Tamara LaPorte taught us this concept, to create a *Beacon of Light* to guide us thru and light up our creative path this year. When I started to see all the other lifers *Beacons* I admired them but wasn't sure if it was my style...should I do exactly as she has? How much do I let my own style introduce itself? Will they get along... I really over think stuff!! Seriously! (that really comes into the story of this peace later.... ) I did decide pretty early on that I was not going to use the same colour scheme... I am just not a fan of yellow or gold so I knew I didn't want this creation to be golden, in my universe, *the light* is white or silvery. And then of course you all know my love of all things PINK! and Cats!!! I did follow the lesson pretty close with just changing the colour to my true self... and as I drew, everything just kind of came to me and flowed onto the paper without me hardly thinking. here she is and I'll talk about some of what she means to me below...

Ok... so there is so much in here that has significance for me. obviously the colour! plus my I truly beleive I always have an angel (my grandmother) as well as a spirit guide (a cat). The cat is really a special icon for me and I will almost always find a way to include a cat in my works. This cat friend I have drawn here also holds a pencil in his tail, an important part of who I am. And if you look closely, the arms are covered in Hearts... cause I wear my heart on my sleeve where everyone can see. In my other hand, I hold a coffee mug... I always want more coffee!!!!

The bubbles came to me in my meditation we did to kick start our creative process, they remind me of a nice hot bath, washing off the pain of the last few years so I'm starting off on a fresh, clean start!

OK... so the tiara is just to make me smile... of course I love all things sparkly... and my sweet boys treat me like a princess. I try to not behave like one TOO much. :) OK... That is prolly enough chatter for today. Thank you so much for visiting!!! I can't wait to see what tomorrows project will be!!
See you really soon!!

LIFE BOOK 2015 ~ Warm Up excersize

Ok!!! So I can not  wait to tell you about Life Book... or maybe most of you have heard about it and I'm just last one on the train as is usual in my world! haha! That's ok, at least I'm on the train! I have been searching for something like this to do this year but I was just really not sure what I was going to do, then on NEw Years Eve I stumbled on Life Book... I signed up before I could think about it too long and WOW! im so glad I did! Many of you will know from following me for a time that I've been battling with not only a bad chronic pain disorder (back surgery and Fibromyalgia) and brought along with that I have been struggling with clinical depression. It's been a really tough few years.... But I am determined to change my life this year and LB I can honestly say has opened the door for me! I was not only excited about the weekly journal courses but pleasantly surprised to discover the self care and inner self exploration (if that's the right term??) Funny how the universe works sometimes isn't it? (sorry for the long babbling post, bear with me) Before Christmas, at a girls luncheon a dear friend, who's been worried about my depression, gave me a very special gift. A gift of a book on meditation and a crystal... I've been trying to find an alternative way to deal with my pain and my depression rather than the host of Rx meds I take currently. and I was excited to give meditation a try. Well I was just so surprised when I discovered Tam (LB founder extrodinaire) does guided meditaion as a part of Lefe Book!!!  How freaking cool is that! OK... I'll try to say less and show more!! lol

FIRST lesson was to listen and follow a guided meditation (you do not NEED to do the meditation if it's not your thing!) and during the meditation see what comes to you... A word or feeling you want to express this year? An affirmation? What? And for me, in my meditation I saw a cherry tree in bloom, everything was pink and soft and pretty and there was a swing.... So when we had our warm up excersize which was mostly a mixed media collage... this is what I came up with.

I used gelatoes and stamps... alittle drawing... it was so fun and not really in my comfort zone...which is much stiffer and shall I say Anal? lol  My word for this year is HEAL...for obvious reasons.

But I don't just mean physically heal (altho that is taking it's sweet-ass time I might add!!)  but emotionally and mentally... I need to HEAL. I wrote a few affirmations down.... Many LBers put their afirmations in a little envelope, but mine are out in the open as I am always an open book. :)

There's a quote there that I love and it speaks to me... but it's hard to see in the picture so I'll write it here for you.
*Sometimes we stand in that place too long between giving up or seeing just how much we can take... Before you give up, Look How Far You've Come!*
I have come a long way from where I was, I have to remember that. My affirmations for the year are to:
~Breathe in the Future. Breathe out the Past
~You ARE strong enough!
~Be Healthy!!!!
~Take good care of myself

OK.. that's it for this first post of my Life Book journey! Maybe you want to join us???

Reverse Canvas ~ Family

Hello my crafty friends. It's the new year!! And it's going to be MY year! I am determined to let this be the most creative year of my life!! I hope you are ready to see EVERYTHING along the way too! I will have another post later today or tomorrow talking about the AWESOME Life Book 2015 I have signed up for but for now I have a project I finished quite some time ago last year that I had made for another member of my Fibromyalgia support Family, she FINALLY has it in her possession so I can show it to you now!
I had seen a couple *reverse canvas* projects and I was just dying to give one a try. I still have some great product from Southern Ridge Trading Co and so I wanted to highlight some of that great stuff!! (while I had to step down from the DT for a time as I was in a dark time, I'm hoping they'll have me back someday... soon?) So!! Here it is! I'll give some details below!

So, this is not the greatest picture (I'm going to have to work on my photography skills when it comes to my work), sorry bout that. I have used some metal tape, embosssed and then I used alcohol inks and black acrylic paint to distress it inside the frame, and then I've used some script design paper, with distress stain on the frame itself. That Butterfly corner piece, The Family title and the clock piece are all from Southern Ridge

I've covered them in some Glitter Ritz Purple glitter... sooo sparkly.... and then I just had fun adding STUFF that I knew my dear Traci would love. 

Okey Dokey friends! I'm gonna go back to the easle now and finish up the current painting so I can post it and tell you about the AWESOME Life Book!!!!

Thanks for looking!!!

Cheri

Fall Farm Painting

Ooooh! 2 blog posts in a week!!! I'm back friends! Today tho I'm sharing a painting I have been working on bit by bit this fall (oops and now winter? although it's looking like spring outside here right now). I am really feeling inspired lately, inspired to paint more! Actually I always have a bunch of plans and ideas running through my head, I just either don't feel up to it or busy or whatever other life excuse throws  in my path. But, I'm not gonna focus on that and just show you my colorful fun painting that may be my new favorite piece!

Here it is!!! The photos not great and sorry bout the watermark (so many horror stories of art being stolen online I'm a tad paranoid) but isn't it bright and cheerful?? Ussually after I work on something so long I come to hate it... I think that's fairly common in an artists world... but this one I have always loved. It took a while longer than I would have liked but hey, no worries... it's done now. :)

I think one of my favorite parts is of my handsome black cat (my own Monster kitten is sitting right by me as I type, he's always with me). he's cute right?

I also LOVE the barn and truck. When I started the painting I had in mind an old farm truck I used to ride around my Uncles farm with my dear Uncle Roy. That truck was OLD 20 years ago when I was in it, rusted out, springs sticking outta the seats, completely rusted... it was AWESOME! It's still there, on the farm, but sadly it doesn't go far these days. I was searching for a picture of it but can't seem to find it.... Anyhow, I had to brighten the colour up as the rusty brown colour was fading into the dirt. Love how it turned out.

I hope you like it as much as I do! Now... on to my next work!

Thanks for looking!

Art Journal Fun

Hi Everyone! Long Lost blogging Graphicat here! LOL I promise I have not fallen off the planet and quit being creative! I've actually working on a lot of different projects lately. Some are Christmas gifts that I don't want to show before they go to their new homes... and then I just have a hundred little and bigger projects on the go these days. I've been really focusing on the art side of things lately, drawing and painting. I especially am loving all the different art journals and sketch books I've been playing in. This post is about one of these journals I'm kinda pumped about.... I made it... the WHOLE thing! Cool hey?! I am working this one into a future course to go all year in 2015.

First! We will make this journal by hand using up scrap papers from your stash! Wrapped in canvas that we have gesso'd and painted, drawn on, glued on...whatever tickles your fancy. I drew this coffee mug as you all know that's one of my obsessions! Then we put together sleeves of various papers and bind them into the journal. Now I don't know why I didn't take a picture to show you the inside, I'll see if I can find one to show ya later!

Next we will work on different techniques and projects to fill up this journal. One of my many obsessions right now is Zentangles! LOVE these! I can sit in the living room with my boys and watch TV with them while almost mindlessly doodling these different patterns! So fun! I will cover lots of these different patterns in this class if you're interested, maybe even do a complete separate class just teaching the xentangle basics. If you're curious, check out my Zen Pinterest Board 

This first page below is my favorite design to doodle, it looks like basket weaving. Then I followed an idea I saw on pinterest and added designs to the ribbons on the weave AND then coloured them with Prisma Pencils and Gel pens! This page is 6"x12" kraft, one of the smaller size papers that are in this journal, I love having different sizes and patterns in here!

Another Zentangle doodle I loved doing is this heart flourish below! this one is really SO easy and looks so pretty I think, on kraft paper and coloured with fun gel pens!!

haha... OK... so apparantly I'm on a kraft paper kick! I just LOVE how prismacolours look on the kraft. Especially the white!!! OMG! in love!!! Another passion of mine is lettering and quotes and I'me having such fun drawing out these kinda DIY graphics!! Another fun class to teach in the art journaling club!

Below is another fun page I will just continue to add stuff to, little doodles of my favorite things! I wasn't really happy with how the colouring turns out on the patterned paper... but oh well... it's just for fun and trying out ideas! 

That's it for today! Just an example of some fun I'm having in this journal and planing out some classes to teach in 2015! I will be making youtube videos of the class as well so stay tuned!!!

So glad you stopped by!!