Toddler Dress Two….Watercolor Challenged

Had a little time before class the other night and I really wanted to just pitch these watercolors and do the rest of this drawing in colored pencil!  But….in all fairness I couldn’t say I tried if I gave up that easily.



So, I persevered with the help of my instructor.  Who gave me some really good tips to redo that ruffle that was giving me trouble.  I had to neglect the photo observation and just make the ruffle work in the way the pigment presented itself on the paper.  Much easier that way.  I was able to adjust the orangi-ness of the ruffle some too.



Yes…I am watercolor-challenged!  It’s a whole different way to draw.  The water can be applied to take away pigment or to add pigment.  It’s just one big puzzle….but there is a solution….I just have to play along and pay attention! 

Paisley Inspiration

Since I was travelling last week….I needed a small…portable project.  Stenciled and doodled up a page in my 5x8 watercolor moleskine for the trip.



After I colored that puppy in….I realized what I really want to do…is….make something like this on a grander scale…you know like “wallpaper scale”. So, I hit Dick Blick for their biggest moleskine (16.5 x 12) at their Black Friday sale.



Went to spoonflower.com to see if they stated the repeat dimensions for a roll of wallpaper.  What was I thinking???? No one has a standard repeat dimension that I could find all over google-land!  What is the big secret?  Well….as I thought about it…spoonflower gives me the dimensions for their rolls….and they give me an example dimension for the art to be placed and repeated on that roll.  But it’s totally up to me as to how I want to create/ repeat this pattern or any variation thereof.  Yikes!! Too much control!!  Just tell me what to do and I can do it….. i think!



So here’s page 1 (12” x 8”) the start of a wallpaper paisley pattern.  With me getting total free-reign!  Oh Boy!

Toddler Dress Two

Broke the image down into 3 workable parts….to assist my contour drawing at the start.  I learned this trick a few months ago….and I couldn’t be happier!



Well, had to change the colors from the original again.  The original had a grey background which I made red.



Now the fun begins!



Started on the foot because it was closest.



Messed up the ruffle….hopefully I can disguise it.

Toddler One….in Check

Finished the ballet slipper shoe….thought the flower motif on top would’ve been more difficult, just made it look realistic not exact.



Couldn’t resist adding my markers to the edges.  Just seems to work for me.



Wish that this dress wasn’t so neat and new…didn’t leave much room for imaginary folds.



This was a fun transition from colored pencils to watercolor….[ & watercolor pencils].  I’m still trying to figure out how much water is too much.  Because the tiniest bit of water can move that pigment fast.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Doodles on Display

Since I’ve been working on large…un-luggable projects, I was at a loss for what to do in my portable time slots.  Until, Tammy at Daisy yellow posted this.  I always fall in love with her doodles when she colors them in.



First I did the grid…then grabbed my stencils and rulers.  Just marked it all up.



Then I got to enjoy myself, in a "zoned out" kind of way.



Doodle grid work without extra enhancements.



Grabbed my sharpie poster paints because they work so well on top of the markers.



What fun!  Now I gotta go find another portable project.



Yikes!! Duty calls….maybe after I clean this mess.

Toddler One….in process

Since Black didn’t appeal to me for this dress, I replaced the color (ever so sloppily) with blue.  Ya gotta love photoshop!!  Image from KKDesigns, a site that sells handmade kids clothes.



Started in on the white shirt.  Since I paint with such a small brush…is this still considered painting?



Sharpened up that pink balloon as well.



Who would’ve thought coloring in folds on a white shirt would’ve been so fun?  I snuck in some pink and blue in those folds too.



Big Red Buttons!  So kid!  Looking at this now….I see I need to add more white to make that button shinier.

Toddler One….in Watercolor

I had to take a break from the figure series cuz I was a bit bored.  I wanted to continue with the same format and toddler’s in cute clothes fit the bill.



Painting in watercolors has helped speed up the application of color onto the canvas.  But after the blocking out has been done….the details are done in watercolor pencil.  So it’s really fifty/fifty…drawing-to-painting.



Started on the easy stuff first…cuz it was confidence building time.

The original dress had a black background….but I didn’t like it….so I changed it.  The style and appearance of the pattern in the dress leads itself toward a flatter image…..this should be easier to duplicate……I hope!

DIY….UpLevel your Phone Case

This past summer I stumbled upon a really cool idea on pinterest.  This teenager had drawn all over her iphone case with Sharpie’s and it worked.  Since I had just gotten my new white phone case….I wasn’t ready to embellish it yet. 



I thought I’d let the case get a little grungy before attempting this. (It resembled the grungy look of white crocs… Ugh!)



Then I just marked off some horizontal lines in pencil.  Grabbed all my favorite colors and proceeded to enhance.



Ta Da!  What a fun and inexpensive project.  Now, don’t ask me how I can erase this or bring it back to white, because I think what's done is done.

Watercolor Works….Fig1

Took a little excursion today, to our local University’s Art Museum yard sale.  I thought I’d find a rare “artsy” relic.  No luck, I was too late for the good stuff unless I wanted file cabinets, desks or chairs.



At least my outing inspired me to finish my watercolor piece. 



I have been having lots of problems when I use blue for my neutralizing shading.  But once I grabbed a lighter blue instead of the darker one I had been using.  It wasn’t as muddy. 



I really messed up this pocket….don’t know what I was thinking…It appears I’ve made two seams on the flap.   



I was introduced to an opaque white watercolor that helped me fix that flap.  I’m so glad there is a white-out of sorts for watercolor.  Who knew?



Hands… Didn’t try to show too much detail….just hinted at the contours.  I like the fingers better in the left one…but the upper hand better in the right one. Gotta fix that wrist!



Went back to my old-habit of sharpening my edges.  Grabbed my fine nibbed micron markers.  I wanted to see the punch!



Interesting to see the two image styles side by side.  I like the jean pocket better in the left one….and I think the richness of the watercolor adds a needed dimension to everything but the lower arm (very funky).  It unflattens it more.

Which one do you like better? 

Doodle Down

Dabbled in some doodling during a direct flight.  If you plan on proceeding this way…ya gotta have plenty of pockets!



Drafted my drawing the day before departure.



Grabbed my favorite markers.



Would’ve preferred going heartless here….but couldn’t think of anything else.



There’s something magical about using black and white together with primary colors.



Just fun!! Simple and fun....I forgot how much I enjoy this!

INSPIRATION IMAGE…here.

BONUS Interview….with iHanna

As much as I love to blog and frequent my own blog to see how my latest color-sketch dimensions are really playing out on a piece….I’ve become quite sick of me!!

To infuse this blog with some entertainment and creativity I’ve asked some artists from varying backgrounds to be interviewed throughout the month. I’m very excited about their work and their agreeing to be put on the spot here.



Today I’d like you to meet artist (creative instigator)…..Hanna Andersson from Sweden.  I found Hanna’s blog (ihanna) thru Tammy at Daisy Yellow a few years ago.  Hanna is the Queen of Productivity.  I don’t think there is a Craft or an Art that she has not tried.  She’s always pushing her technical capabilities as well.  She’s done video tutorials, digital newsletters, on-line classes and she’s a published writer.  She’s a whirlwind of inspiration. 

1. What words best describes your art/style?
Messy and colorful



2. What advice/quote do you respond best to?
I love quotes and often use them in the beginning of my blog posts to set the tone. My newest favorite is about feminism and by Caitlin Moran, posted here [http://www.ihanna.nu/blog/2012/10/feminism-and-pussy-girl-power/]. But when it comes to art (doodling, blogging and many other things in life) I'd like to quote Jude Hill of Spirit Cloth blog [http://spiritcloth.typepad.com]:

"When you do something all the time, even if you move too slowly for others to notice, the constant motion produces surprising volume and achievement."



3. How has your work evolved?
My work is being birthed as we speak, and it will look different tomorrow from how it looks today. It evolves with me and for this I feel grateful, though I sometimes wish I had "a set style". It seems life would be easier with just one recognizable style, but right now I go with the flow and create on a whim. All that is the same is the joy from day to day.



4. What interests do you have other than "art"?
I take a horrendous amount of photos, make photo books and dabble in textile art, embroidery, knitting, yoga, writing, quilting and book binding. I am a avid reader of books, love to go thrift shopping and visit inspirational art exhibitions.




5. What is your favorite blog post or piece of art that you'd like to share?
I recently published How to Make and Price a handbound Journal [http://www.ihanna.nu/blog/2012/10/making-pricing-handbound-journal/] and would love to get feedback on how others price their handmade things. But I couldn't pick just one favorite, so if people want to click around a bit visit the iHanna Blog Archive [http://www.ihanna.nu/archive/]. I read all comments and appreciate it a lot when older blog posts gets some TLC!

Just looking at Hanna's art and reading her words gives me inspiration!  She has a real gift for color combinations.  I always appreciate her honesty and sharing her personal journals with us.  That can be scary…not that hers are… but mine are!  Haha!!  If you have some time, I urge you to click over to her blog.  If all you do is look at her pictures, you will be motivated in no time! 

Thank you Hanna for sharing your work and your art with us today.  Please check out the links below which will lead you to more of Hanna’s work.

website: http://www.ihanna.nu
etsy: http://ihanna.etsy.com
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ihanna
flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ihanna/
pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ihanna/
instagram: ihannas [http://www.gramfeed.com/ihannas]