More Girlies and a new class!

The first girl is called "Lovestruck" she was painted on 6X12 wood and finished with hot beeswax (I still need to smooth out some of the areas with a quilting iron). The second painting is done on 12X12 canvas and the girlie is painted on watercolor paper. Then I popped her up on the canvas with pop dots. The wings are chipboard and I finished off the girl and wings with hot beeswax.

The last painting is another online class I am taking with Wyanne. The class is called "Art Play" and she is teaching us different techniques. It is a lot of fun playing with different materials that I have never used before.

Homework and Commission Piece

I added some more elements to the "Busy Bee" and finished it with hot beeswax. With "Stargazer" I added some gold leaf and will probably finish it with hot beeswax as well. The new piece is a watercolor sketch I posted earlier, but I painted it on 12X24 wood. A friend of mine wanted to know if I could paint her some mermaids, so I made them in the likeness of her two daughters. She wanted very pale pinks and blues, so I tried to keep it within that color scheme. I am almost finished with it unless my client wants me to add something else. All of the pieces will have holes drilled into them and a ribbon attached for hanging. I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Vicki Update and new paintings!

I am very happy to announce that Vicki's surgery went well and she is now at home recovering; thanks to all of your well wishes. She is a very sweet person and I am extremely happy she is doing well.


Here are some more paintings in progress from my Suzi class...

I am probably going to add some gold leaf to this, beeswax it and call it a day. I have about 15 layers on it. I couldn't decide what was wrong with it and then the talented Paulette Insall suggested that I highlight the moon and stars to make them stand out a little more. She was totally right; as soon as I did that I felt like the painting was more cohesive. Thanks Paulette!

Oh, Bee Girl...she was a difficult one! I put layers of bronze and gold metallic paint and I totally hated it; everything was too dark and looked muddy. I added tissue, stamps, and stencils and it just looked like a mess, so I put a top coat of cream paint and then wiped some of it off with a damp paper towel. I like it so much better now. I think I am done with it and will beeswax it (how fitting), but who knows; I might add a little stencil of sequin waste to give a honeycomb feel. Stay tuned...

This little sweetie is just starting to come alive. I know she is in love for the first time and so the name of this one will be "Lovestruck." I will start adding layers tonight.

A candle for VIcki!!

A beautiful and wonderful blog friend of mine is going through a major surgery on September 11, 2008 (Aussie time). In honor of her bravery and strength, I am lighting a candle on my blog. Vicki, you are such and inspiration of strength! You are in my thoughts and prayers!!! XOXOXO

Completed Painting "Flowergirl"

I woodburned this little painting last night and then painted it and finished the layers today. I was going to add more layers, but the painting is so small that I decided that I like it the way it is.

Two more...

Here are two more paintings in progress. The moon one is done on wood and the mermaid sisters are done on watercolor paper. Both are waiting for backgrounds...

"DREAM" on Watercolor paper

I really enjoyed the process on this one. It is done on hot press watercolor paper and I finished the piece with Twinkling H2O (Buttercup) to give it a shine. You probably can't see that in the photo though.

Bee Girl on Wood (Work in Progress)

This is another Suzi Blu assignment. My girlie is painted on wood and then I wood burned the outline of her body and the bees. In my next lesson I will learn how to add more layers. I am having such a great time in this class and now I am totally addicted to wood burning. I was so nervous about it at first, but then I relaxed and had fun with it. I will post another picture of her when she is completely finished.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT "FREEDOM"

Here is a completed homework assignment from the class I am taking with Suzi Blu. We had to draw a girlie on watercolor paper and practice the shading techniques she taught us. Then she showed us how to add a paper doll dress and layers to the piece. The watercolor paper is 10 1/2 X 14 1/2. I also used stamps, stencils, masks and a little jewel piece for her dress. This was so fun. I really like water coloring in this way and I finally found some watercolor paper that I like. The pack I bought is from Strathmore and it is a paper sampler, so it has 2 pages of several different grades of watercolor paper. This one is called Gemini 140lb Cold press. It is just enough roughness to add some texture, but not too much that it is hard to shade. I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I did making it.

"IMAGINE" completed commission!!

My client had me add a necklace with an "S" on it, so now it is complete. I had a great time working on this. She was very specific on what she wanted and I like that. She told me when she was a little girl she dreamed that she lived with gnomes in a mushroom house. She also loves frogs and collects dolls, so shes wanted me to incorporate that into the painting. I love working with other people's imaginations and mixing it with mine. A wonderful collaberation of sorts.