ARTFIRe with Amy :D

Yep! Still singing the "Amy is Amazing!" song :D This year she has started a FB group where she emails us an inspirational video or 3, weeklyish, to help us make an art journal. The group is called ARTFIRe. You have to apply to join, but it is still free (cos Amy wants the world to be filled with beauteousness!)

The book I am using is a handmade book by "Her Gloriousness" herself, and sent to me as a gift. I have no idea what Amy used to colour the pages....feels waxy, but absorbs stuff as well :S
The 1st video showed us how to draw and work over a graphite portrait...
if your new to portraits or just nervous at trying, Amy has a template on her blog for you to use. I'm quite practised so I drew mine freehand.
When I was happy with the shading, I started to add watercolour paints(I know...freaked me out to...but give it a go) I also enjoyed working on a darker background paper.
Next I added more shading with Stabilo All pencils...
and more watercolour(in thin layers)
The Graphite under-drawing gives such depth to the portrait!!! This is Gurishna, one of my spirit guides. She is the one who comforts and bears witness to the sadness of the world. A very wise and kind spirit!

Then it was time to work "intuitively" on the background...
just doodling....
and colouring(with acrylic paints in thin washes)
more doodling....and the journalling reads " The path that leads to your dream may not always take the straightest"
I really enjoyed watching the videos and having ago....couldn't recommend more highly :D

Enjoy :D XXX

P.S. Was going to save this for tomorrow. It is the start of the 29 faces for Febraury Challenge with Ayala, but I guess I'll be doing something else instead now :D

Lots of layers mean lots of pics :D

Today's theme at The Butterfly Effect is "Making Layers" hosted by the awesomely talented Diane :D

I am also going to incorporate a few ideas I stole from watching Natasha White's live class yesterday on intuitive/tribal painting.

Lot's of pics for this one, so am going to do this post as a list :D

Layer #1 White gesso to key base page

Layer#2 spritzers and stencils
Layer#3 more spritzers with templates(forgot to rotate)
Layer#4 (forgot yo rotate this one too) acrylic paint through stencils
Layer#5 Pink acrylic scrubbed on and through stencil
Layer#6 highlight with Stabilo All pencil
Layer#7 (cheated by cutting out a previous portrait) glued on Portrait
Layer#8 Added hand print with white acrylic(one of Natasha's ideas)
Layer#9 (was going to do lino print but couldn't find lino :S) Scratched all seeing eye into wet paint using black acrylic and tip of brush handle(another one of Natasha's)
Layer#10 Built up pink layer around portrait
I'm not calling this page finished, as I just remembered I was going to add something lol....I get so bored waiting for stuff to dry I forget what I was doing (bad Gina)

Off now to research France for Darcy's Postcard challenge :D XXX

Lady Ophelia and the" beautiful creatures"

Darcy's Postcard Challenge for 2012/ week 4# CHINA

Spring of 1895 was a time that changed the world. The Qing Dynasty went to war with Japan over who was to control Korea. Japan was assisted as an emerging nation by the British Empire and Germany in the building and training of it's armed forces(British naval skills combined with the German regimental system, making a force to be reckoned with). The Chinese on the other-hand were still recovering from the Sino-French war and two Opium wars with the British. Eventually, in February 1895 the Qing Dynasty agreed to leave Korea to the Japanese, a defeat that the Chinese Empire never really recovered from.

"Dear Miss Lillian,

for the first time since leaving the safety of home, I would say I am a little afraid. Richard is taking great care of me, but being met mid-ocean by a Japanese Warship, in the middle of the night,was very unsettling.

We were treated with the utmost respect, and taken to a port on mainland China. I found this most baffling, but Richard seemed totally relaxed about the whole situation.

I was escorted to the Ladies quarters of a most palacious house, and didn't see Richard for two whole days.

The Ladies that kept me company were the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen, dressed in the finest silks, and moving with so much grace that I found them positively hypnotising.

yours affectionately

Effie XXX

p.s. Richard says if you send a man to the Embassy in London once a month, he can collect each plant that I have drawn for you x
(oops, took this pic before adding p.s.)

"My Darling Effie,

I barely know where to begin. What on earth does your husband think he is doing, putting you in such peril? I know that the Japanese have all but chased the Chinese out of Korea, but to take you to mainland China? When we have been of such assistance in training the Japanese Imperial Navy! Not to mention that it is not so long ago that we ourselves were at war with these people!

I feel positively faint with fear for your safety.

I am certain that the Ladies of the court were most attentive, as one could never fault the manners of the oriental nations, and for this reason I must chide you for your choice of phrase "beautiful creatures". Do not EVER refer to Ladies of any nation in this manner again. The word "creature" should be used only when referring to God's lesser creations.

your ever-loving(though slightly cross) Governess

Miss Lillian xxx

p.s. The house was "palatial" . I look forward to receiving this lovely tree peony. They are quite the thing amongst gardening enthusiasts, my neighbours will be terribly jealous.

:D XXX

My Goddess Smiled...:D

Quick edit :DSun came out again so I took another pic(couldn't bear the dingy one at the end of the post) lol

I wasn't going to do a new post today, but my Goddess had other ideas. In a rare moment of meditation, she appeared to me, surrounded by bubbles. She was smiling, and wanted curly hair :D

So who am I to argue with a Goddess?

First a simple line drawing(pencil, then ink)...
next, a bright cheerful sky behind her (water soluble wax crayon)...
Then colouring the Goddess herself, again with soluble wax crayon...
Now the bubbles, a little white paint for body then holgraphic embossing powder...
and pearls to decorate her dress...
a bit more shading around the eyes with NEW Stabilo All pencils (the one's Amy uses)
Unfortunately the sun went in as I took the last pic, but you can see how bright and cheerful the colours are in earlier pics. The word trail around the bubbles says "giggle...", while the journalling reads " let the Laughter Bubble up from your Soul..."

May your Deity smile sweetly on you today, and bring laughter into your life :D XXX

Final post for the Girl in the Blue scarf

I have really enjoyed making this story with so many talented and beautiful people, and am honoured to be the one to post the final episode, dedicated to the most beauteous one of all, Amy McDonald :D

Blue was so tired, but he didn't know how to tell Red that all he wanted was to go home, after all it was him that had run away in the first place.

They had been having such a marvellous adventure, but it takes a lot out of a little dog, all this transforming, running and transforming again....He just looked at Red with big soulful eyes, pleading with the universe to let things go back to the way they had been.

Red looked at Blue and felt a twinge of guilt.

Ever since he had left the safety of her blue scarf he seemed to be in a constant state of anxiety....

"Maybe we should think about going home Blue" she said quietly, "or even settling down right here?"

"It is beautiful by the beach, guarded from the outside world by the blue mountains and the blue ocean..." joined in Blue

"..and the BLUE sky!" giggled Red

"... like being wrapped in your Blue scarf, but with room to breathe and run around" said Blue excitedly.

"oow! oow! oow!" continued Blue, his tail swishing frantically, "CAN we stay HERE?" he leapt up and down now fit to burst.

"YES!" shouted Red, as she ran happily towards Blue, arms outstretched. "And Purple can come visit us when he gets lonely!" she smiled as she caught Blue up in her arms.

"Oooow.....oooooow....aooooow!" howled Blue, licking her smiling face.

You see, once the dream of adventure had been fulfilled, Blue had returned to his true form....the loveable, and truly loved little dog belonging to the Girl with the Blue scarf.

"Thank you Blue" sighed Red, "I was tired and bored with my life, but you have inspired me. With your help, I am going to paint fabulous pictures of our adventures together and share them with anyone else who feels sad,lonely or just plain bored, so that they can have adventure in their lives too!"

And with that, they began collecting "stuff". Any stuff they could find, to build a home and fill it with art for the whole world to share.

And they lived happily ever after......

THE END

I hope you've enjoyed this little story, started by Amy, cos she thought it would be fun.

It certainly has been for me :D XXX

If you missed the rest of this story you can read it all HERE

Dark or Light....the "eyes" have it.

This week at The Butterfly Effect, they are using my suggested theme of Opposites.

I wanted to keep my page really simple this week, so went for the most obvious of opposites...Dark vs Light, and have used only black and white paint(and a mixture of both).

I was going to do one side mostly black and the other mostly white...but decided instead to show how both are required to create depth of beauty in life.

I did break my b/w rule to add a hint of blue to the eyes....

for a world without contrasts would be a flat and tiresome place....
and the Light of Love could not shine without darkness.

(this is my new desktop pic, made hubby jump when I turned it on lol)

:D XXX