The Artist's Play Room Does Christmas

The Artist's Play Room  is doing Christmas this week, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to add a Christmas card:

Stamp by Stampinback

Autumn Journal Page

Journal Page 8 1/2 x 11

Watercolour Crayon

Autumn has definitely arrived in the Rain Forest.  We're dodging rain and it is looking decidedly gray.  Thank goodness for the lovely fall leaves!

Journal Fodder Junkies

I have been following the Journal Fodder Junkies blog and reading Eric and Dave's book The Journal Junkies Workshop.  This is a page I did following their "recipe" for multiple layers.

Fun at WOOL and Meeting Suzanne from Quietfire Design

I'm back from Turkey (it's fabulous, do go if you get the chance), and thinking about blogging.  But what?  Then I saw a Facebook post from Suzanne at Quietfire Design and remember how much fun WOOL was.  WOOL?  WOOL stands for "Westcoast Odyssey of Letters", the Westcoast Calligraphy Society's bi-annual conference I attended just over a week ago.  I made this piece in my "Design and Layout" class.

I also had a chance to meet Suzanne from Quietfire Design.  Suzanne is a marvelous calligrapher and past-president of the Westcoast Calligraphy Society.  She came to WOOL to teach and to offer us an opportunity to buy some of those hard-to-find calligraphy supplies.  She's doing a blinkie swap right now and I recommend you check out her site.  It includes some fabulous "new to calligraphy" tips as well as her wonderful calligraphy rubber stamps.

There Are Always Flowers

Lupins always make me smile.  They're not in season in the garden, just in my journal.

5" x 8" Journal

Watercolour

Micron, Staedtler Pens

Adding Colour

I added a little watercolour to the little sketch I did earlier.   It looks so different with a little colour added!

Watercolour

5" x 8" Journal

Trying My Hand at Drawing

I've tried all kinds of visual arts and crafts, avoiding drawing because "I can't draw".  (Don't most of us say that?)  I'm determined to change this, so I'm trying to draw something most days.  This one is from a photo I took in Yellowstone Park.

More Love

I can do "love" any day, even if Joanne Sharp's Letter Love class originally fell on Valentine's Day. LOL

Watercolour and markers

Love

Another lesson in Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love class.

Watercolour and Micron pens

Inspire

Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love class has definitely got me inspired.

Journal

Watercolour and Micron Pens

Not a Washi Tape Card

This card was inspired by Nichole Heady's washi tape card, but I  wanted to use up patterned paper, rather than make washi tape, so I cut strips of coordinating paper.  I'll do this again for a quick card.

Greeting by Daisy Bucket Designs

Letter Lovin' the Olympics

I'm enjoying the Olympics tremendously!  Like any letter lover, I noticed the unique font used for the London 2012 logos and set out to apply it.  I downloaded the font and then used the letter shapes to combine with one of the assignments in the on-line lettering course I'm taking.

Journal Page

Watercolours

Micron Pen, markers

Letter Love

I'm still really enjoying taking the online class:  Letter Love with Joanne Sharpe.

Graphical Cards

 Inspired by Jennifer McGuire for Hero Arts, these two cards appeal to my love of graphcis:

Image by Rubbermoon

Greeting by Biblical Impressions

Image by Rare

Greeting by Biblical Impressions

Another Imagination Gone Wild

Artist Trading Card

Coloured with Prismacolor Pencil Crayons

Image by Rubbermoon

Joy is Like the Rain

Watercolour Crayons

Smile With Your Soul

5 1/2" x 4 1/4" Card

Prismacolors

Image by Magenta

Greeting by Daisy Bucket Designs

Thy Will Be Done

Micron Pens

Watercolour Crayons

Letter Love

Here's an alphabet of my own design - for Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love 101 Class.

Micron Pens

Leaf Squares

Artist Trading Card

Prismacolor Pencil Crayons

Micron Pen

Let's Try Painting a Picture

This is something new for me - drawing and painting a picture.

4" x 5"

Watercolour Pencils and Crayons

Playing with Funky Letters

This journal page uses Fill In, Fiesta Spirals, Cursive, Sketched, Type, Art Nouveau, and Akim Cursive letters.

Watercolour Crayons and Pencil Crayons

Micron Pens

Summer Squares

Artist Trading Card

Prismacolor Pencil Crayons

Micron Pen

Another Whimsy Grid

From Joanne Sharp's Letter Love 101

Pan Pastels

Micron Pens

Time Flies.....

We're half way through July already, and summer has finally arrived on the "wet coast".  My office/studio is unbearably hot after noon.  I've had a bit of time to take Joanne Sharpe's on-line Letter Love Class, and I'm lovin' it!

Micron Pen, Pan Pastels

Composition Journal

When Your Heart Speaks

Journal - 4 1/2" x 3"

Watercolour

Micron Pen

Do Not Worry about Tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about itself!

Prismacolor Pencil Crayons

Gel Pens

Stamped images by Maryse Carrier and Prima

Before I Put the Wax Crayons Away.....

I think they've done their job for now, but before I put the wax crayons away, here's another journal page:

Wax Crayons

An Abstract Vase in Pencil Crayons

Another in the series, this one an Artist Trading Card in pencil crayons:

Artist Trading Card

Prismacolor Pencil Crayons

A Doodle a Day?

Artist Trading Card

Micron Pen

Pencil Crayons

Even Better in Watercolour

Working in a series is soothing; it removes part of the creative block.  I liked the abstract flowers exercise from Art Projects for Kids so much I decided to try one with watercolour crayons:

Watercolour Crayons

More Crayons

Art Projects for Kids is a fabulous blog filled with, yeah, art projects for kids.  I'm just an old kid, so I like lots of them.  And as wax crayons seem to be a current craze of mine, I thought I'd try the one on an abstract flower vase.  Fun!

Wax Crayons

Crayons

Do you ever suffer creative block?  I not only suffer from it, but I'm fascinated by it.  A post about crayons on Heidiology resonated with me as a possible cure.  For me, the fear of the blank page is rooted partially in perfection and waste, so the idea of taking the cheapest supplies, crayons and scrap paper, and creating something with them made sense to me.  Heidi suggests if you can't think of what to create, make a scribble and colour in the spaces.  The absolute freedom from expectations it brings is wonderful.

Doodles and Inchies Shift

Usually I do my inchies done straight up.  Usually they are a separate layer attached with adhesive.  Today I felt like a shift, so I doodled them on the diagonal:

Artist Trading Card

Micron Pen

Tim Holtz Distress Inks

An Owl Appeared

This ATC started with a Zentangle "string".  I patterned the outside first, with one of Joanne Fink's patterns.  Then an owl appeared to me so I added some feathers and facial features and finished it off with some colour.

Artist Trading Card

Micron Pen and Prismacolors

Artist Trading Cards are a perfect size for me.  It is hard to get too intimidated by a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" rectangle LOL

Another Dangle

Artist Trading Card

Micron and Gel Pens

Dangles

I'm still doodling.  Joanne Fink calls these "Dangles".  They're fun, fast, and satisfy my "clean and graphic" style.

Artist Trading Card
Micron and Gel Pens

The Last Post....

in a series of bird Artist Trading Cards:

Stamped Image by I Brake for Stamps

Bird ATC No. 5

ATC

Stamped Images by I Brake for Stamps

No. 4 is a Rooster

No. 4 in a series of 6 Artist Trading Cards

Stamped Images by I Brake for Stamps

Bird Collage No.3

Artist Trading Card

Stamped images by I Brake for Stamps

Collaged Bird ATC

After my initial attempt, I decided to extend my bird collage into a series.  Here is #2:

Stamped images by I Brake for Stamps

Flower Doodles

ATC
Micron pen, coloured with Prismacolors

Inchies for a Birthday

Inspired by Outside the Box and Simplicity, these inchies are white embossed.

5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
Stamps by Hero Arts
Greeting by Biblical Impressions

Rylan is 3!

Birthday Card - 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"

Distress Inks

Hand lettering

"3" stamp from Making Memories

I Can't Stop.....

doodling and colouring.

ATC
Micron and Prismacolors

Happy Birthday

Image and greeting by Stamping Bella
Coloured with Prismacolor pencil crayons
Glitter Paper by My Mind's Eye

Artist Trading Card Doodles

Micron Pen

Prismacolor pencil crayons

Another Calligraphy Experiment

This is another interesting experiment from Peter Halliday's book, Calligraphy Art & Colour.

I mixed gouache with blue watercolour and used a Speedball C-2 nib. Starting in the middle of the page, I added more water each time I turned the journal to write the next line.  Fun, and practice at the same time!