My Book Pile

I've been busy still trying to declutter the art room in order to make more room for different clutter! I am making headway, just slowly. On a small shelf next to my chair was a stack of books and so I took the pile down to see what all was there. It was a stack that I spent last Winter with and many days out on the deck last Summer.

I had a horrid case of Cellulitis in my leg (actually both legs) and ended up from late Fall until late Spring in bed or doing couch duty, staying off the legs. So I ordered these books and along with these were also numerous Cloth Paper Scissors, Somerset Studio's, other various how-to art books and sketch books, pens and pencils and last but not least always a novel or 2 to read and a book for Found Words! There was barely room for myself and tiny doggy to get in that bed and I always had to unload it each night! The pages of these books are all marked and dog-earred although I can't say I did DO any art to show from them. I think it was a matter of too much all at one time. My mind flowed from one idea to the next and couldn't settle on any one thing for very long. About the time I thought I decided what to try, a new book would come and I'd start all over again. So, in one of the books I found this scrap of paper as a bookmark along with many other scraps starting supply lists! In one of the books I had come across a exercise of drawing with your LEFT hand. Right! Hard enough to learn with the right, let alone the left. So, in still trying to be brave and showing the bad, I scanned this scrap and thought I'd show it. Using my left hand is hard enough but trying it while sitting in bed surrounded by piles of books and a dog is another thing!

Give it a try sometime! It's so hard but fun.

The main books by my side were: COLLAGE JOURNEYS (a practical guide to creating personal artwork) by Jane Davies, TAKING FLIGHT (Inspiration and Techniques to give your Creative Spirit Wings) by Kelly Rae Roberts, MIXED MEDIA SELF-PORTRAITS (Inspiration and Techniques) by Cate Coulacos Prato, COMPLETE GUIDE TO ALTERED IMAGERY (mixed-media techniques for collage, altered books, artist journals, and more) and right at the end came Somerset APPRENTICE! Of course, there's still other books waiting in my Amazon Wish list but I'd say if you want any books to get started, these I listed are just awesome and I can't really pick a favorite.

Part of decluttering in the art room is having to get rid of years of painting publications (how-to & patterns). I have toted these magazines with me from state to state and town to town. I sat last night going through 5 containers, leafing through each magazine. Each one, all the way back into the early 80's brought memories of where I was and my life at the time, good and bad, happy and sad. I even lamented the books and supplies I had to leave behind a time or two! It took all evening but I do have a bare spot on the media shelves and a huge box is filling to be given away because I just cannot throw these items away.

Even if I don't use my books or supplies every day, just sitting and being surrounded by them make me happy and give a sense of well being. Do these things do this for you?

Charcoal & Stuff....

Once again I haven't had anything much to show and I've been busy with the clutter and getting ready for those much anticipated classes that I dearly need; I'll even show proof of that!
I did get signed up for the Shades of Grey and finally got signed up for the Faces class with Sharon/Norah'S; I still have the Fantasy Folded Altered Book class going and my book is feeling very very neglected and I also have a class at the Junk Art Queen's Society (also on Ning) for painting a Rooster which is still waiting in the wings. I just wanted to get my art spaces cleared and in some sort of order before I start. Otherwise I'll end up trying to work on everything at once in one place and really get myself into a bind. I just still have a problem going into the art room to work on clutter cleaning and not sitting down and playing with something! It's a horrid habit and I can't stop it! I did make some headway, however, and when I find my camera I might show a picture. I wonder if someone 'borrowed' my camera and it's out in the shop? H'mmmm.
The other day, Emelie from here http://emeliesartandsuch.blogspot.com/ talked about trying her hand at charcoal for the first time and was brave enough to post a picture (which wasn't bad at all). So I got out the NEW charcoal pencils I just got and some of the pencils I've had here and never touched except for some outlining, one of my small practice sketch books and had them ready. As it always happened, I was watching my Thursday night must-see TV shows and my hand reached for the nearest things which was the charcoal and book. So I played, giving the TV and sketch book half attention each. Not that full attention to charcoal would've done any good! Anyway, I started to sketch 2 different faces and they weren't really too awful for a first ever try. BUT, then I decided to try and fix them and they got worse and then even worse! You know what happens if you try to mess with eyes or lips after they're already drawn and have a touch of ink also? On top of that, I had never worked with anything using eraser for highlights etc., either. That's a new trick! And I was getting the charcoal smudged all over the place! Again, I was going to just toss these and not let anyone see but what the heck, if Emelie can do it, I can, too. It did dawn on me that it's only in my mind ( a scary place) that I can hear people laughing and making rude comments. Might as well show them and then I have a beginning shown to compare when I post pictures of improvements!! Right? So here goes:

See those eyes, well, you can't miss them can you? The more I tried to fix them the bigger and worse they got! She looks like she belongs on the Edward Gorey site  http://goreydetails.net/home.php for sure! We won't mention the ears, her see-through shirt neck or anything else, either. Right?

Now,  she's not as bad as the first but again, she didn't start out as bad but when I tried to make corrections to the eyes and other things it just kept getting worse so I quit. I can see that me, charcoal and eyes will be having a battle! I better learn better pencil and paint first and leave the charcoal for outlining and such.

I'm off to search for that camera.....

Classes

I decided that this year I would finally take some on-line classes and try to learn a thing or 2 or 3. Funds are way short so I have to be choosy even though I'd like to take a whole bunch.
I signed up already on Ning for one painting class which I haven't done yet for lack of the right supplies, I just ordered supplies and will sign up for the Shades of Grey with Pam Carriker as soon as my package arrives. And then this Friday will sign up to take the new class with Sharon of All Norah'S Art. Yes, the much anticipated class is about to unfold and in her honor for all her diligent hard work answering our pleas for a class, I've even changed my music to go along with her blog post announcing the class!! Wanna-be face painters are dancing in their seats in anticipation!!! The gang's all here......roll out the barrel!!
Go here:  http://allnorahsart.blogspot.com/
Go here:  http://www.pamcarriker.com/

A Fantastical Give Away

No, I'm not doing a Give Away but I know who is and let me tell you that this is one of the greatest most divine Give Aways ever! I mean to say that it's so awesome that I did hesitate to tell you to go take a look because the LESS folks that comment on his blog means a better chance for ME to win! I want this real bad, I tell you!! It's like a artist's dream package of goodies.....makes your heart race and you'll have to wipe the drool from your lips!
So go here  http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com/  and take a look. If by any chance you haven't been to Tristan's blog you're going to love it! You can also find him on my sidebar in the blog list also..."Enchanted Revelry" and trust me again, it is a aptly named blog!
Hurry over and remember, IF you dare to win you can always send the package on to ME!!

Another Altered page

I decided not to show this and then changed my mind and remembered that my word is DO and DOing meant learning and showing what or how I learned. This a page torn from a poetry book; I liked the paper and the poem, too. I knew the poem would be lost but I like that it's there. The poem is "The Woman I Am". I've played with my watercolor pencils but never did too much with them yet and I've never done a watercolor, pen & ink except for one teeny picture a while back. So what I'm saying is that this is basically my first real try. I do have pattern books and instructions but I decided to really play and see what I could do without tracing a pattern and just go off on my own, but still looking at a picture. I did get lost in a few places and I see mistakes but I guess for a first try it's not a disaster. The poor little bird was growing plumper the more I tried to get him right so I just quit. Hopefully next time it will get better! Now I don't know what to do with this piece of paper, either. Don't know what I was thinking starting it on just a page of a book! It was way too thin for doing any watercolors! I'll have to mount it onto something else eventually, if I keep it. I suppose I have to keep it to use as a reference and to see if I get any better.
Today I also finally finished that art supply list and sent it off! I could have had it all here now if I hadn't procrastinated so long! I better not find anything else I need for a while! Although I sure was ogling a Bind It All machine!
So with that, here's tonight's picture. This is watercolor pencil with pen and ink (micron pen).

The Woman I Am

                By Glen Allen

The woman I am

Hides deep in me

Beneath the woman

I seem to be.

She hides away

From the stranger’s eye—

She is not known

To the passers-by.

She goes her way,

The woman I seem,

But the woman I am

Withdraws to the dream!

The woman I seem

Goes carelessly—

When love goes by

Does not seem to see.

But the woman I am

Knows sudden fear…

And hides more deeply

When love draws near!

For love might look closely

Perhaps… and see

Her beneath the woman

I seem to be!

Found word page and Clean table!

I didn't post anything for several days; just didn't have too much different to say and I really was doing some un-cluttering. Didn't have much choice as I was out of work space and so had to start the clearing. It's a good thing, really. Each time I say never again will I allow my work spaces to get over run with piles....we'll see. There's always hope!
I did finish the book mark by adding the fibers and dangly stuff but I never did do the mail art. I think it'll have to go with just a tiny bit of art. Again....we'll see.
I did a Found words page last night while watching TV. I was thinking I'd stick to the black marker only and show it on Campbell Jane's Altered Pages. But, it takes me a while to get directions right, even simple directions. I forgot it needed to have more than 1 found word on the page. So, I went ahead and added a tad of color to it and I'll show it here, just so I have something to show. It's just simple but these are just so calming and usually easy to do without much thought given to what you're doing. I like browsing for words and if one page isn't giving up any words, you just roam to the next. And then I took a page from a book of poetry and started a sketch to try and do a watercolor on it. I might work on that tonight while watching Thursday night TV.
Then, I just finished cleaning this table where I have the computer and also do art.
I forgot to take a before photo but take my word for it, it was bad! When I was going through other things in the art room last week, I came across a large old, as in inherited old, drawing pad. I did put it in the trash and then I couldn't stand it and took it back. I laid it over the desk top calendar so I'd doodle and make notes on it, rather than fill the calendar like I usually do. I pulled it off today and moved it over when I put down clean new table covering! I did take a picture but I sort of hate to show it. it's mindless doodles and notes but it never fails that it's how whatever pad I have in front of the computer looks. So pictures are of the cleaned up table, waiting for me to do something worthwhile art wise.
And, I'm still contemplating my order from Dick Blick. I really do need to finish and get it ordered, I need some of the items like last month! But I'm trying to make one order and get everything I need! That means finding all those lists I have jotted in ten different places and putting them together into one! Of course, I totaled it the other day and knew I was going to have to whittle that list down considerably! I do wish that art supplies, especially paint and brushes, canvas and papers were so much cheaper! It has to be finalized soon because I can't take a class I want without the pens I need. Well, I could.....but you know how it is?

Hopefully you can read the word by clicking on the photo, but if not it says: 'enduring'

Drawing pad in front of computer....doodles, notes and doodles gone bad!

Back to normal! Notice the date on the bottom of the calendar? I redid all the dates so they do match up with Jan. 2010 not Oct. '09! I do need to use this as a calendar and not just a note pad!

Clean area next to computer! I can find what I'm looking for!

And the rest of the table all neat and clean, even a hasty put together shelf from scrap wood I begged Rocket to hurry and build for me! I moved the storage containers holding images back into the art room. I have boxes and lids I'll use for images for this area.

And lastly, a new pencil holder and matching pen! Isn't it just scrumptious? It's all sparkly and bright. This was part of a Christmas gift from a dear fairy!!! One can never have too many pencil cups or brush holders!! The teddy bear mug in the background holding markers was also a gift from a friend.

Collage Piece?

I went into the art room last night with intentions of starting the mail art. Before I could start it I needed to clear away the mess from from the last couple things  and that led to : Oh hey, look at this scrap, I like this, I should try DOing what others have said and just slap some paper bits and paint on a page and see what happens, ya, I really like this scrap and here's a couple more that might work with it....h'mmm, maybe I'll sift through this pile and see what else I have, oh ya, I really like this but don't know what to do with it so maybe I'll just glue it on this scrap I like....what else do I have here....
So much for the mail art, the envelope is still laying right where I laid it, waiting. But I did this piece of collage. This is done on a page from the small note book where I started doing the pages and then had the fit and tore the pages out. So this does have a sort of journal page done on the back side also, leaving me to wonder what the heck to do with this, if anything. As I started to play and put down pieces it wasn't long before I was thinking, oh carp, I don't like this at all, this is going to end up garbage and I'll have to paint over the whole thing. But I kept on adding more and more and right to nearly the very end and I was about to quit, I added one more scrap and then I had a tiny feeling crop up that said, hey! maybe I like this, it has possibilities. So I finished it. I have no idea what it is, just a collage; I think a lady laying on a star studded beach basking in the sun, talking to the birds. ME! I must say this is totally weird how it happened because it simply started with a small blue circle sticker from a piece of junk mail and the scrap of star wrapping paper. The background color was already on my page to begin with.
I wasn't going to show it and thought what the heck, I might as well show everything I do, good or bad, it's good for me to learn not to hide everything thinking someone will laugh. Besides, I suppose I do need feedback and thoughts, good or bad or how will I learn what's a good piece of art or not so much? What do I do with it now? At the end, it was fun and it was very weird how it turned out something representing myself.
So here's a picture for today:

This is 3 small notebook pages glued together, some paint, then different paper scraps from wrapping paper, a music sheet, spiral cut from junk mail, a circle sticker from junk mail, flowers cut from different wrapping papers, a bird image printed when the printer was running low on ink, a sculpture image from a book, and then touch ups with more paint and markers.

With that, I better go get busy. There's a big PACKER game this afternoon! I'm making crock pot Apple Crisp from here: http://artatthespeedoflife.blogspot.com/

and Buffalo Chicken Dip with tortilla chips from here: http://wanderinglily.blogspot.com/ (The Bee Hive) and maybe my own split pea soup. Then tomorrow there will be no need to do any cooking as there should be plenty of left-overs for Rocket to eat while I DO start the diet, again.