Paperkicks

Art Journal Update: Tulip Study

2018-04-16T04:30:00.001-07:00

Tulip Study: Final Painting

Greetings Creatives! April has been a busy month, but I'm here today to start a series on floral studies. Sometimes I feel like I say the same thing over and over again, but there truly is no substitute for having a live flower in front of you while you paint. Being able to twist and turn the subject helps build depth and character. My journey is spelled out below.

Step 1: Buy some gorgeous tulips!

As I was preparing to have family over to celebrate Easter, I stopped by the floral department at the grocery store. There I found the most gorgeous bouquets of tulips, and I could not resist. Not only did they make a fantastic centerpiece...they served as inspiration for several days of sketching, painting, and study!

Step 2: Sketch

I started by sketching one of the flowers. It helped me see how the leaves were attached to the stem, how the petals folded over one another, the thickness of the stem, and all of the delicate contours. It also helped me focus on where and how the light was casting shadows.

Step 3: Sketch & Paint

Next, I did a quick sketch of the flowers, catching their drooping action as they soaked up the water and their petals became heavier and heavier. While I captured the details, the painting felt like I was simply coloring.

Step 4: Try that again, free hand

Next, I tried again using my brush as the sketching tool as well as the coloring tool. I used wet-in-wet bleeds to sharpen the edges of the petals and get some depth in the leaves and stems. But, I still wasn't satisfied.

Final Step: Study one flower up close and personal...again

Taking what I learned from steps 3 and 4, I decided to try again. I lightly sketched this gorgeous yellow tulip and carefully built up color and layers to achieve contrast. I worked in several wet-in-wet areas and other areas I used wet on dry to achieve depth. Patience and perseverance and the willingness to start over again is helping me greatly. I hope this encourages you to step back and start again!

As always, thanks for stopping by! And if you have a moment, please leave a comment...I'd love to know your artistic process!

#100 Days of Artistic Florals 2018

2018-04-03T05:05:00.002-07:00

Day 1/100 #100daysofartisticflorals @caboney1

Greetings Creatives! It's Day 1 of The100DayProject on Instagram. This is a unique global challenge that is open to anyone. The fun begins today, April 3rd, and runs through July 11th.

Official Website of #The100dayproject

The best part is you decide what your artistic goal will be, post your progress to Instagram along with a personalized hashtag, and watch your artistic abilities grow!! Below are a few posts from my first ten days last year. I hope you can see a little improvement from then until today!

While I would love to stay and chat, it's time for me to dash off to work! If you're on Instagram, I'd love it if you would either follow me @caboney1 or my hashtag #100daysofartisticflorals. Also, if you are joining the challenge, please let me know in the comment section below and leave your Insta name or 100-day hashtag, and I'll follow you back! Until the next update...paint your heart out!

Art Journal Update: Stretch to Grow

2018-03-30T05:51:00.001-07:00

Greetings Creatives! I have the day off, so I thought I would get caught up on a few blog posts. This post is dedicated to a challenge I follow on Instagram called Florals Your Way. Each month, they list different flowers that can be sketched, painted, lettered, etc. Challenges like these help stretch me because oftentimes I find that I can approach a complicated subject in a simple way and still learn something new. Below are the challenges I attempted for March.

Abutilon

The Abutilon is my favorite because I really challenged myself not to quit. Below was my first attempt along with my own self-admonishment that in order to get things right, it is necessary to fail. So many times giving up has been the easiest thing to do, but in this case, I'm so glad I tried again!

Abutilon: First attempt--#fail!
"It's important to see/review failures in order to succeed." --Cindy Boney

Below is a little plant that in real life, the florals look like small bells. Clearly, I simplified since there were so many of those cute flowers per stem.

Penstemon

So the next one is not a flower, but honestly, I didn't know what a Quince flower was. I searched the internet and came up with this lovely fruit, so, I went with it. It was a nice stretch for me because one thing I know I struggle with is shadows. The image I used as a reference had a distinct oval shadow with a stark white background. I started with that, but it didn't make sense for my interpretation, so I revised the shadow as best as I could. At least my mother said, "well, the fruit isn't floating." You have no idea how happy that made me!

Quince

Below is the entire page, including the study I did before painting the fruit.

Leaf study

Finally, the tricky little plant below is a Cyclamen. I happen to love these plants, and our markets are flooded with them during the wintertime. In order to paint this one, I decided to pick up a live plant. It helped, some...but I found the flower to be well beyond my skill level. I did learn quite a lot by painting the leaves, though.

Cyclamen

Thanks for taking the time to stop by, and if you have an extra moment, please let me know what challenges you as an artist!

Welcome Baby Cards: Papertrey MIM #316

2018-03-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

Welcoming Sweet Baby "E"

Greetings Creatives! March has been a busy and fun time. A couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed a relaxing and stress-free Spring Break, but on either side of that, school has been gearing up for the testing season, and that means tons of work for teachers. While they are busy with tests, I'm busy working toward starting school next year. Busy schedules aside, I have an opportunity to make a couple of cards to welcome two new sweet babies! One card is for a co-worker whose sweet baby "E" arrived yesterday, and the other will be for my niece who is due around the beginning of July. The inspiration for these cards comes from Papertrey's Make It Monday #316: Stenciled Edges.

For my niece and her new baby boy...

I usually make tags for baby shower gifts, so making a card was a little out of my element. There was so much more space to fill! I'm glad Lizzie Jones saved the day with her suggestion of adding some texture with the stenciled edges. It gave the focal point a place to rest. Now to see what everyone else came up with! Thanks for stopping by, and below are the supplies I used.

Card Recipe [all Papertrey Ink, unless noted]:

Paper: White, Pale Peony, and Enchanted Evening cardstocks
Stamps/Dies: Polkadot Parade #4 and Cutaway Tag, Spring
Inks: Pale Peony, Hibiscus Burst, Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain, Honey Nut, Green Parakeet, Bright Buttercup
Embellishments: Vellum and Recollections Craft It Twine.

Art Journal Update: Painting an Anemone

2018-03-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Painting an Anemone

Greetings Creatives! One of my favorite places for inspiration is on Instagram. And, one of my favorite artists is @herlie_tutentut. Herlie's style is whimsical yet stylish. Recently, Herlie posted a detailed photo of an Anemone. You can see the photo here: Herlie_Tutentut on Instagram. When I saw this gorgeous red flower, I knew I wanted to give it a try.

Sketch and first layers

The first step was to sketch the flower and add a background color of pale yellow. I used a wash of Quinacridone Gold for the background. The reds are a combination of Grumbacher Red and Windsor & Newton Permanent Rose. I worked methodically, starting with one petal and then skipping over to another one to add a light wash. I continued to do this until I worked my way around the flower. Next was to work back and forth until the layers had the depth of color I desired. I actually penciled off the highlights so I would resist painting over them. For the shadows, I only built up the layers, adding Ultra Marine Violet at the darkest parts of the flower.

Building layers, leaves, and adding contrast.

As the paper became saturated (I painted this flower in a Pentalic, wire-bound, 7x10 watercolor art journal), I moved on to other parts of the flower. Anemones have either a white ring or a faded ring near the center, so I kept dabbing and lifting near the center to achieve that effect. I also wanted to make sure the stamen around the center did not get lost in the red. The highlights I left on the petals to the right was too stark, so I used my rinse water to lightly wash over the area. This was a good time to pay attention to the stem and leaves. I used a flicking motion for the leaves, and after I started, I wish I had left some of the stem unpainted so that the leaves would wrap around the flower completely. Next time!!

Last came the stamen

With a fine #2 brush, I built up the center and painted the stamen. I used Ultramarine Violet and Payne's Gray to deepen the center...leaving just a little of the center as a highlight. Then I painted around the center drawing out the tallest stamen and then filling in until almost all of the red was covered. Naturally, there were some unintentional bleeds and mishaps, but overall this first go with this stunning species of a flower went well. Anemones come in so many colors and varieties, I cannot wait to try them all.

Thanks for stopping by, and if you have a moment, please let me know what your favorite flower is. I'd love to hear from you! Until next time, paint your heart out!

Art Journal Update: Using Prompts to Develop Style

2018-03-08T05:05:00.000-08:00

Loose florals, inspired by Jenna Rainey

Greetings Creatives! Today's theme is: Follow those prompts! If you explore my blog, you'll see that I love to follow challenges to make cards. I feel that helps jump-start my creative mojo. For watercolor, however, I feel that following someone else's painting doesn't really make it my own. It simply gives me practice in that style. The painting above was painted after I saw a quick video posted by Jenna Rainey on Instagram [@monvoir]. So yes, this is my own painting in her style, but it wasn't entirely my idea. Following prompts, on the other hand, push me out of my comfort zone to use what I've learned from others to develop my own style.

Florals Your Way prompt for March 1, 2018: Lilac

This painting was in response to an Instagram prompt by @floralsyourway: lilac. Since I don't have any lilacs in my yard, I had to search the internet to find a photo to help me. I used a similar reference photo like the one below for my painting. I like the close-up of this photo as I was able to see the details of the petals. Getting the variations of the purple hues was a challenge for me, but the exercise was well worth it. I consider my painting to be a study. In order to excel at painting lilacs, I'll need to try this one over and over again.

Photo credit: DigiPan

For the painting below, I used my own knowledge of liriope since we have liriope or Monkey grass all over our property.

World Watercolor Group prompt for February 28, 2018

I love the prompts at Doodlewash. Each month, Charlie O'Shields will create a list of art journal prompts to inspire or stretch skills. I usually approach these as an opportunity to paint something I'm comfortable painting. I'm hoping soon to just dive in and try them all.

World Watercolor Group prompt for February 27, 2018

My final, and perhaps favorite, is the piece above. I purchased some cotton rag paper from Fabulous Fancy Pants. The stack of 30 deckled-edged papers measures roughly 4 x 6. I purchased this from the Esty shop. Periodically, they'll run a special on sheets that are considered seconds. I thought this was perfect for me to play around with. I usually paint on manufactured watercolor paper using pulp. I understand that serious watercolorists use cotton rag watercolor paper as their first choice. There is definitely a difference between the two.

Below are the prompts for both February and March 2018. As you can see one is more literal and the other is interpretive. The links will take you to the challenge page where you can explore all of the prompts Charlie has posted. And, if you're not a member of Doodlewash yet, consider joining! Over there you will find artists of all skill levels and a welcoming community that supports one another.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and, if you could take a moment, please let me know where you find inspiration. I'd love hearing from you. Until next time, paint your heart out!

Papertrey Ink February Blog Hop Challenge

2018-02-25T16:42:00.002-08:00

Happy Easter: Papertrey Ink February Blog Hop Challenge

Greetings Creatives! Today I'm participating in Papertrey Ink's February Blog Hop Challenge. To be honest, I didn't think I would make an Easter Card, but the inspiration photo led me down that path, and I'm glad it did. I had fun creating this card, and the inspiration photo and card recipe are below. You still have a few hours to participate in all of the fun!!

Papertrey Ink February Blog Hop Challenge
Inspiration Photo

For my card, I loved the little delicate flowers in the blue tin cup vase. I decided to mimic that by using Papertrey's 2018 Anniversary Set: Mixed Bouquet. I chose the most delicate flower and stamped them repeatedly onto Lemon Tart cardstock. I then cut an oval frame to mimic the Easter eggs in the photo. To add texture, I sponged Saffron Spice onto white cardstock using Tim Holtz Burlap stencil. Because hindsight is perfect, I think I would have used Lemon Tart for the stenciling. But that's why I participate in challenges...to experiment and try again, right? The flowers were stamped using Green Parakeet, Berry Sorbet, and Bright Buttercup. The oval frame was cut using A2 Noted die set. And finally, the sentiment is from So Sweet stamp set.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I can hardly wait to hop along and see what everyone has created!

Art Journal Update: Practicing New Skills by Revising

2018-02-25T06:51:00.001-08:00

Revisiting pansies-2018

Greetings Creatives!! In looking over my art journals lately, I have found a lot of attempts at painting florals, leaves, and abstracts without success. In reviewing my work, I've been doing a lot of self-talk about not giving up on those pages, but rather go back and see what happens by painting over the original. The painting above isn't a revision, but rather another attempt at painting a pansy. It was about this time of year in 2016 that I wanted to learn how to watercolor, but I painted the pansy below, and....quit...for a full year!

My first attempt at a pansy-2016

I'm glad I found the courage to pick the brushes back up in 2017 because I have found with patience and practice, improvement does happen. So, with the success of revisiting pansies yesterday, I resolved to go back to those "ugh" pages I have in my journals and see what I can do with them now that I have a little more practice and knowledge to work with. Below are a series of before and after paintings.

Loose Florals--Before: August 2017

This was one of the first entries in my "Fall 2017" journal. The loose florals above were painted around August 2017 after about five months of painting. The revision below was done February 24, 2018...after almost a full year of painting.

Loose Florals--After: February 2018

There is a little bit of improvement by adding another shade of green leaves as well as strong lines for texture. I deepened the colors on the florals and added random dots of blues for contrast. While the painting really doesn't look a whole lot better, I felt unrestricted to try out new techniques without feeling like I'm going to 'ruin' anything I've started.

Leaves--Fall 2017

I can remember starting this series of leaves. We were approaching fall, and I was yearning for the leaves to turn the landscape from greens to vibrant shades of red and gold. Well, there is very little vibrancy going on in this attempt.

Nandina--February 25, 2018

For the revision, I decided to draw inspiration from some plants that grow wild around our home. Nandinas have that fall-like appearance year-round, and the fiery shades of red coupled with golds and greens make these bushes quite a sight. Thinking about a nandina made perfect sense given that I had used a strong green for the stems. Nandina stems tend to be either green or brown throughout the plant, so I carried that thought through to the leaves. This gave the piece a little more harmony. Still not anything to write home about, but improvement is improvement!

Abstraction--Before: Fall 2017

For my last revision, I had started an abstract of blue, aqua, and purple blocks and lines. Then I quickly stopped because the placement wasn't making any sense to me at the time. Before I started revising, I forgot to snap a photo, so you see that I'm adding leaves...which was my idea for revising this piece.

Abstraction--After: February 25, 2018

The idea to add leaves came from a documentary about nature taking over abandoned shopping malls and buildings in urban areas. Left alone, nature will reclaim what is hers. One thing I learned from this painting is that not all watercolors hold fast after drying. I believe the original was painted with QOR watercolors. I noticed that when I painted over the original, the purples reactivated and began bleeding just a little. Not a problem, really...just good to know, right?

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you are inspired to 'revise' some of your journal pages! Until next time, paint your heart out!!

Framing Sentiments & Images

2018-02-21T04:31:00.001-08:00

Framing Sentiments and Images

Greetings Creatives! Today's card was inspired by the technique shared by Laurie Schmidlin for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday #312. I am also playing along with Inspired By All the Little Things #80. In her tutorial, Laurie walked us through many different ways to create frames from various dies in our stash. I was drawn to this simple card of soft stone and white, accented with stamped flowers.

Laurie Schmidlin's Card

For my card, I wanted a little more texture in the background, so I used Soft Stone Bitty Big paper to add a little more white. My florals are from Beautiful Berries--Spring, and my frame is from A2 Noted. I used Papertrey Ink's Stormy Sea, Aqua Mist, Lovely Lady, and Berry Sorbet. The sentiment is from Graceful Gardens.

Aqua and pink are gorgeous together!

I drew my color inspiration from this photo on the Inspired By All the Little Things blog. Isn't this a gorgeous arrangement? Since I saw the frame in this photo, I knew this challenge would pair well with Make It Monday #312. The aqua and pink florals also caught my eye.

I was drawn to the "hello," beautiful pinks and aquas, and the frame

There is still plenty of time to play along with both challenges, so have fun creating!

Art Journal Update: Plants & Fungi

2018-02-19T04:10:00.001-08:00

#World Watercolor Group Prompt: Mushroom

Greetings Creatives! Today's update centers on plants and fungi. I had a hard time choosing which piece to lead with, but I decided to highlight the mushroom because this was something I created on my own, 100%. Most of my practice is generated from watching tutorials on Instagram or YouTube, following along with Everyday Watercolor, as seen below with the cactus, or mimicking what I see in the art world. I've often wondered, will I ever develop my own style? The answer to that is I will, in time. First, I know I have to imitate in order to learn. That's why the mushroom, while not perfect, represents everything I've learned so far in my journey.

Everyday Watercolor - Day 12

Another February prompt for World Watercolor Group was cactus. I'm technically on Day 11 with Everyday Watercolor by Jenna Rainey [click here to see my book review], but Day 12 helped me with the prompt on February 9th, so I went for it. Overall, I'm pleased with the look of my plant, I just wish I could get my lighting going the way it should. I tend to sprinkle shadows on a whim!

My favorite herbs

My last post for the week is a collage of herbs. All of these herbs have grown in our garden at one time or another. I love how fragrant they are and how they are always a fresh addition to my dishes. Thanks for stopping by, and until next time...create something wonderful!

Papertrey's 11th Anniversary-2018: Day 10

2018-02-18T16:53:00.003-08:00

Thank you gift for teachers

Greetings Creatives! This is my final post for Papertrey's 11th Anniversary Challenge, and I just made the deadline by the skin of my teeth! Day 10's challenge is to use stripes, and that was so perfect for some gifts I have planned for some of my teachers. Teachers work so hard, and they are so willing to do anything asked of them. The gifts I've prepared are for three teachers who will help me with an upcoming professional development, and I truly couldn't be more grateful for them.

Papertrey's 11th Anniversary

It's hard to believe PTI is celebrating 11 years, but here we are, and I am loving the Bitty Big line of paper they have produced over the past few months. For my tag, I used Pure Poppy Bitty Big for the stripes because our school district is known as Big Red! I've been learning a lot from Heather Nichols and her unique style, so I decided to use Kraft cardstock for the upper layer as well as the floral for the tag.

Thank You tag using 2016 Anniversary Stamps: Painted Petals

For the florals, I used the 2016 Limited Edition Stamp set, Painted Petals. I stamped the flower using Pure Poppy, Bright Buttercup, Summer Sunrise, Simply Chartreuse, and True Black. For the sentiment, I used Simon Says Stamp "You Matter" and embossed that onto Kraft cardstock as well. I finally joined the two tags, PTI's Made With Love, with black Hemp cord by Hemptique.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope to finally get a moment to browse all of the awesome projects for future inspiration! Until next time...keep creating!

Papertrey's 11th Anniversary-2018: Day 8

2018-02-16T04:51:00.001-08:00

Papertrey's 11th Anniversary-2018: Color Challenge

Greetings Creatives!! It's Friday, and I couldn't be happier because Saturday I need to clean my craft room. [Have I said this before?] Anyway, I'm playing along with Papertrey's 11th Anniversary festivities, and although I'm a little behind, there is still time today to play along with Day 8's challenge.

Keeway Tsao's Color Palette

I'm using Keeway Tsao's color palette for my card which is: Lovely Lady, Hibiscus Burst, Aqua Mist, Simply Chartreuse, and she used Lilac Grace for the lavender color. I don't have that one so I used Lavender Moon instead. I also used the Birch Background Basics stamp with Soft Stone to create a subtle texture on the card front.

Keeway Tsao for Papertrey Ink

I loved the circular element in Keeway's card, so I used Cutaway Tags Spring and incorporated all of the colors on Keeway's palette. I'm also playing along with Simon Says Stamp: Add a Die Cut. Along with the Cutaway Tag, I used Spellbinders circle die to cut out the top panel of my card. That way my focal point rests inside the card adding dimension.

Simon Says Stamp: Add a Die Cut

As always, thanks for stopping by--go out there and create something gorgeous!

Valentine's Day Card Post #4-2018: For My Sweetheart

2018-02-14T04:35:00.000-08:00

Valentine card for my sweetheart

Greetings creatives!! This is the last post of my Valentine's Day cards for 2018. I have had a blast creating Valentine's Day cards for my family. This card is for my dear husband who loves and takes good care of me!! I wanted to do something extra special, and I ran across a video by Kristina Werner demonstrating an easy watercolor card using metallic watercolors. I've experimented with them before, but she sold me when she said easy! To watch her demo, click here.

Sunday Stamps Challenge #172

The inspiration for the design comes from Sunday Stamps Challenge #172. I'm playing along with their challenge as well as Simon Says Stamp: It Must Be Love. I just barely made their deadline!! The die-cut heart is an SSS die called Heart of Roses. Thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy Valentine's Day!!

Papertrey's 11th Anniversary-2018: Day 5

2018-02-12T03:43:00.000-08:00

Garden Grace Stamp Set--Retiring in 2018

Greetings Creatives! I am participating in Papertrey's 11th Anniversary Celebration: Day 5.This is sort of a sad post because Papertrey will be retiring a lot of stamp sets in 2018. Garden Grace is among those sets, and it is one of my all-time favorites. Of all the cards I've made with this set, I must say I think this one is my favorite!

Watercolor Detail

The watercolor technique I used for this card was to use StazOn Jet Black ink for the floral and leaf outlines. That way, when the watercolor is applied, the ink will not reactivate and smear. I used a mix of Permanent Rose and Alizarin Crimson to paint the roses and Sap Green for the leaves. Then I mixed a lot of water with a little Payne's Gray and Cobalt Blue to surround the flowers. All of the watercolors are Windsor and Newton.

Some of the supplies used for this card

To finish the card, I embossed the sentiment with Recollections Snow onto a strip of vellum. I added some Hemp Cord by Hemptique and adhered that onto a panel of Kraft cardstock edged with Fresh Snow. Finally, all of that was placed on a top-folding, A2-sized white card base.

Day 5--Papertrey Ink Anniversary Celebration

I think this is one of the biggest celebrations yet for Papertrey! So many prizes will be awarded, so check out the blog for a chance to win. This challenge closes Wednesday, February 14th, so you still have some time to play along. Thanks so much for stopping by! Now I'm off to work on Day 4. [Yes, I'm always out of order!!]

Valentine's Day Card Post #3-2018

2018-02-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Card for My Nephew & Family

Greetings again, creatives!! This has been a wonderful day of creating card after card. Okay, I had planned to have all of my Valentines finished by January 30th...and that did not happen. In a way, it's been a good thing because I have been inspired by many fabulous cards and sketches. This card is inspired by Lizzie Jones with Papertrey Ink. I'm playing along with Papertrey's 11th Anniversary Day 1: Sketch Challenge. All of the sketches are wonderful, but Lizzie's caught my eye. Isn't her card beautiful?

Card by Lizzie Jones for Papertrey Ink

Since I wanted to make a Valentine, I decided to stamp the sentiment on the heart so all would fit on the card. For the banner, I decided to go old-school and use ribbon. Below is my list of supplies. Now all I have is one more card to make! Thanks for stopping by!!

Card Recipe [all Papertrey Ink, unless noted]:

Paper: Hibiscus Burst, white cardstock, and Canson watercolor paper

Ink: Hibiscus Burst & Dr. Ph. Martin's Hydrus Watercolors mix

Die: Coverplate Circles and You Have my Heart heart die

Stamps: You Have My Heart and You Are So Loved

Clear embossing powder from Ranger

Valentine's Day Card Post #2--2018

2018-02-11T12:29:00.003-08:00

Valentine's Day Card

Greetings creatives! This is my second post today, and this card was sooo much fun to make! I'm playing along with Freshly Made Sketches #323 and Simon Says Stamp Love Is In the Air. For my card, I dampened a panel of watercolor paper and dropped Dr. Ph. Martin's Hydrus watercolors all over the panel allowing it to mix at will. The colors I used were Quin. Magenta, Brilliant Cad. Red, and Deep Red Rose. I then added salt to add texture.

For the gray panels, I loaded a one-inch flat brush with a lot of water and some Payne's Gray. I also added some salt to add some texture. I cut the heart out of Luxe Silver cardstock using Simon Says Stamp Heart of Roses. This die was released last year, and it is a favorite! I finished the card with black cardstock accent and stamped sentiment. There's still some time to play along with both challenges! Thanks for stopping by!

Valentine’s Day Cards & Gifts: Post #1-2018

2018-02-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

Valentine Card #1

Greetings creatives and welcome to my first of several Valentine’s Day cards for 2018. Today, I’m playing along with Color Throwdown #479.

The colors for CTD this week are gray, red and pink. While I have a lot of gray and pink cardstock in my stash, I wanted something that had texture to it.

Watercolored heart and panel for sentiment

In the photo above, you can see the details of the watercolor techniques I used. For the heart, I mixed Windsor & Newton Permanent Rose and dabbed in Alizarin Crimson. To get the texture, I added salt and coffee grinds and set it aside to dry. For the gray panel, I did a wash of Windsor & Newton Payne's Gray in more of a dry brush style. You can see that I left some areas white and did not worry about a smooth transition. To me, this makes the panel look like concrete or steel. Next I spritzed water, let it soak for just a moment and then lifted the pigment off of the paper. Finally, I heat embossed the sentiment using Recollections "Snow." To finish the card, I used a panel of Papertrey Ink's Pure Poppy and die cut a white panel using Papertrey Ink's Coverplate Circles. The stamp and heart are Papertrey's "You Have My Heart" set. This card is on its way to my son and his fiancee in Florida!

Goodies for the Great Nieces and Nephews

But that's not all! This week, Papertrey is celebrating 11 years providing stamps, dies, inks and paper products to all of us card and scrapbook crafters. For the candy bar wrappers, I used the die from You Have My Heart and the sentiment and hearts are from the December freebie: You Are Loved. I used Heather Nichols' design tips to create my focal points for the hearts. She first stamped the sentiment using Momento Ink. Then stamped the heart using Versamark Ink and heat embossed that using clear embossing powder. My clear embossing powder is rather thick, so I didn't get quite the detail she did. I used Hibiscus Burst to sponge color and stamp the little hearts. I used watercolor paper for the focal heart and then simply cut another heart using Pure Poppy. The gray band is cut from Bitty Big Soft Stone. I don't know if you can tell or not, but I absolutely love this color combo!

Card by Heather Nichols-Pinefeather Press

I loved her card so much that I made my own version [almost exactly the same] for my mother and sister using the same stamps and dies I mentioned above.

My version of Heather's Card

The only difference with my card is that I added a few small hearts stamped with Pure Poppy to get the "red" into this card. I used a strip of Bitty Big Soft Stone for accents. The strip I cut to make the panel smaller was glued to the inside to finish the card.

Thank so much for stopping by today! Have fun on Valentine's Day!!

Art Journal Update: Food & Florals

2018-02-04T07:21:00.001-08:00

Day 10--Banana Leaves: Everyday Watercolor

Greetings creatives! This year seems to be going rather slowly. I hesitate to put that in print because I'm pretty sure I'll eat my words soon. One area of my creative life, organization and productivity, have been hit hard. The books I've purchased and videos I've watched and Instagram Artists I follow all have content I want to master...now! That has created in me a state of discombobulation, and I cannot seem to shake it. Not to mention that my studio is in dire need of an old-fashioned cleaning. Who wants to clean when practicing and creating needs to happen, too? Oh well, the good news is I've returned to the exercises in Everyday Watercolor by Jenna Rainey. To see my book review, click here.

Day 10--First Layers

For lesson 10, Jenna teaches us form, light, and layers. My leaves have more texture than her models mainly because I prefer it visually. But actually, I think that is what felt comfortable for me during this first attempt. After this painting, I have decided that I will likely start all over again when I get through the book. Because each lesson builds on the next, I'm thinking that approach will make the second pass more productive. By next week, I hope to put together a slideshow showing my progress and other projects included in this first journal which I completed yesterday.

Worldwatercolor Group Prompt for February: Food

For the painting above, I was experimenting a little more with light and texture from Day 10. This style was inspired by Ohn Mar Win, one of my favorite artists on Instagram.

Clematis

Here I was playing around with an all-over pattern. I'm starting to use this idea to create my own greeting cards. It's so much cheaper...and faster...to paint rather than stamp, in my opinion!

Pizza Pie

This was another journal prompt by World Watercolor Group. Pizza always makes me happy, and I enjoyed painting every slice! Please let me know which painting is your favorite in the comment section below. And as always...thanks for stopping by!

Building Backgrounds

2018-01-31T19:46:00.004-08:00

Birthday cards for February

Greetings creatives! Today, I'm playing along with Color Throwdown #478 and Simon Says: Anything Goes challenges. This quick and easy card will be sent to a co-worker on her birthday next month! Color Throwdown's palette is yellow, hot pink, lime green, and pale blue. I chose Papertrey Ink's Beautiful Blooms II for the flowers and Bright Buttercup, Raspberry Fizz, Green Parakeet, and Spring Rain for the colors.To build my background I chose a fun medium-sized daisy, a smaller accent flower, leaves and a center for the flowers. I used three of the colors for the flowers and centers and used the green for the leaves.

For the card base, I decided to use Lemon Tart and to add a little dimension, I thought it would be fun to die cut a frame using Avery Elle's Postage Stamp Die. I framed the focal point with a white frame and used the border from the focal point as an accent for the inside of the card. Finally, I topped it off with some scrap ribbon and birthday sentiment.

There is still plenty of time to play with both challenges! Thanks for stopping by, and stay warm and have fun creating!

Art Journal Update: Interpreting Critique

2018-01-28T06:32:00.002-08:00

Kites with Black Lines

Greetings creatives! I hope you have had a little time to create this week. One thing I learned this week at my photography class was the importance and purpose of critique. While critique can be helpful or harmful to an artist's self-esteem, I came across an interesting way to deal with all of the comments and suggestions of others. Our professor asked us to read a chapter from Brooks Jensen's Letting Go of the Camera titled "Quod Erat Faciendum or It Is Finished." In his chapter, Jensen talks about ways artists can think of managing projects. But the main lesson I wanted to share from his observations is the fact that what others say about our art can impact how we approach our art.

Adding Black & White Marker to Watercolor--Ohn Mar Win

For example, last year my sweet daughter-in-law said, "I don't care for black lines in art." This was in response to one of my journal entries shown on the left. But what I heard was, "I don't like this painting." It has taken me almost a year to realize that: 1) it doesn't matter what her tastes are, and 2) listen carefully to what was said! She merely stated her preference, and she is entitled to her tastes. But I cannot allow that to shape me as an artist! I have to search my own artistic soul to discover what do I like? How do I want to paint? How do I want to present myself to the world? Jensen said it well when he wrote, "Show your work to a hundred different people and you will get a hundred different opinions, none of them correct and all of them valid." So, yes, it's good to listen to what everyone has to say and weigh it carefully. Many times, what others see can help me improve my art. But the important thing for me to remember is, do not ever let it change who I am as an artist.

Seaweed: Blues & Greens with Black Lines

I painted the sketch above after reading Jensen's chapter. And it is freeing to experiment with what is most comfortable for me in my artistic journey. It may well be that in years to come, I will abandon the black lines completely, or I may become more sophisticated in using them, or I may go totally bold with the black lines. But if I deny myself the experience now, when I am most interested in this technique, I fear I will lose out on discovering my own style.

If you are at this point in the article, I do appreciate you taking the time to listen to my heart. Please feel free to leave your critique below. It will be so helpful to me, and I would also like to know your opinion of Jensen's take on critique. Until next time, have fun exploring your art!

Art Journal Update & Vincent & Theo

2018-01-22T04:42:00.001-08:00

Ode to Vincent Van Gogh

Greetings creatives! I'm starting this post with a painting that I had almost abandoned. While it isn't what I envisioned: I was inspired to try to paint wispy flowers on a muted background. But when I got to the flower part, what I wanted to paint and what came out of the brush were two different things!

I'm currently reading Vincent & Theo by Deborah Heiligman and Phil Fox. I'll be honest, growing up I thought art had to be realistic in order to be considered art, and the Impressionists were artists who didn't know how....well....how to paint, I guess. That is why I'm over the moon about this book. It is taking me through the Impressionist movement through the lens of a would-be great Master Artist, Vincent Van Gogh, and his brother, art-dealer/expert, Theo.

What a journey Vincent had on his way to becoming one of
the greatest artists known...

Not only am I learning about the time period and the struggles of all Impressionists to have a voice in their time, I'm learning that every artist goes on a personal journey to arrive at that place when they think of themselves as an artist. This is certainly the case with Van Gogh, and this is what I've learned so far:

His talent lay in the fact that he observed...it seems to me he had to learn to draw, learn to paint, teach himself new techniques. His Starry Night did not magically flow through his fingers...he coaxed it out over a long journey to discover himself as an artist.
He drew and painted constantly, denying himself of the basics most of the time, and to the detriment of his health...not advisable. But, that's how dedicated he was when he finally found his passion and calling in life.
He drew inspiration from what he thought was most important in life...the common man. People who worked day and night just to have a roof over their heads and food to eat, if lucky.
He played around with all media and, I would say wasn't afraid to mix ink and charcoal, but I wonder if, maybe, he simply went with what popped into his head to use at the moment. I know that I'm too tentative and listen too much to what others like or know, instead of pursuing what I like. And I like watercolor with black ink. :-)

Thanks for sticking with me through this process. It's important to me that I capture my thoughts and share them with you. It's a permanent place to return to in order to say, "Keep going, keep on going!" Below are a few excerpts from this week's journal journey and a few sketches.

Thanks so much for stopping by! And, please leave a comment below: I'd like to know who you admire as an artist or creative...it can be anyone from card makers to an artist master.

Following the style of Jenna Rainey, Everyday Watercolor

My Birthday Bouquet

Playing around with the petals of Carnations...my "birthday flowers"

And, here are a few drawings from the first session of Drawing 101 with Sandy Allnock:

Cylinders

Compound shapes

Art Journal Update-Learning from Day 9

2018-01-13T07:22:00.002-08:00

Following Jenna Rainey's Demo on Instagram: December 17, 2017

Hello everyone! Above is a cheery promise that spring will come again. It has been a chilly winter in Central Texas, but a much-needed one. Last year I think we only had a half-dozen days of freezing temperatures. This year, we have well-exceeded that! And while the temps have been colder than normal, it hasn't been so cold or icy that we are confined to quarters. Getting back into the swing of practicing art and creating has been a challenge because our days really been beautiful!

The return of Themis to the McLennan County Courthouse dome

Last weekend, my husband and I celebrated my birthday by heading to the Farmer's Market in downtown Waco. The day was stunning as you can see in the photo above. I had a glorious time walking around downtown...which was something I used to do regularly as a kid. Our downtown area is seeing a revitalization, and I am so excited to see the growth. While there, we were able to watch a crew settle our refurbished Themis on the dome of the courthouse. I don't think I've ever stopped to really appreciate the architecture of our courthouse. So glad to get this shot!

Day 9: Everyday Watercolor by Jenna Rainey

If you have been following my posts, you may be aware that I have been working through Everyday Watercolor by Jenna Rainey of Monvoir. I started the journey in earnest but quickly ran into a couple of roadblocks along the way. Instead of pressing onward, I reverted to my old habit of avoidance. When I picked up the book again, I came across this lesson and realized why I stopped [besides being Christmas]. I couldn't quite wrap my head around this exercise, honestly. But I gave myself a good talking-to and continued through the process. After I finished, I found a demo on Instagram that Jenna had posted on December 17th for her new book. I carefully followed her path, and the Larkspur painting above was born. Below are a few things that I learned from Day 9 and how I plan to continue that exercise as a warm up.

Other News:

Inspired by @mlomisc on Instagram

I so enjoy finding artists on Instagram, and the warm-up above was inspired by a monochromatic on Instagram by @mlomisc. This was painted before exploring Day 9, so it's easy to see that I was tentative about layering. I tend to try to fill the white spaces and I'm very concerned about creating layers that do not make sense. However, in order to learn placement, one must let go and experiment, right?

Conical Shapes

Finally, this is an update of my drawing class on-line with Sandy Allnock. I sketeched this on January 2nd, and due to getting back into the swing of work, my birthday, etc., I haven't completed the first lesson. But, that is on the schedule for this weekend!

I'd love to hear what your artistic goals are for the New Year. Please leave a comment below, so I can see what you've been up to!! Thanks for stopping by!

What I learned from Day 9:

Letting go during a warm-up exercise is essential.
Stop listening to the inner know-it-all, she doesn't know much at all.
Using complementary colors with your exercises helps you see how the layers work.
Loosening up with layering helps give confidence when tackling a new composition.
Layering helps you see the complexities of a subject.
It's fun!

Links to Previous Posts:

Everyday Watercolor: includes information about Jenna Rainey and her book.
Drawing 101 with Sandy Allnock: includes information about Allnock's online classes

Blending & Masking Success!

2018-01-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Appreciation Card for Local Charities

Hello everyone! I hope the New Year is treating you kindly. To be honest, it feels as though it should be January 10th and not January 4th. However, no sense in speeding through the year...it will pass quickly enough, right?

Today I'm playing along with two challenges: Papertrey Ink Make It Monday #308, 2017 A La Carte and Simon Says Stamp Monday: Something New. I will start with Papertrey's 2017 A la Carte. For the card above, I mimicked Betsy Veldman's tutorial for Make It Monday #290: Combining Stenciling and Masking. Below is her card. Since she used the stencil from Make It Market Herb Garden, I thought I would be a purist and use a stamp from the set, too! I chose parsley since my card is a Thank You card. The sentiment is from PTI's Gathered Garden, and the inks for the parsley are Simply Chartreuse and Spring Moss. The border die for the vellum is also PTI's latest border die set. To be honest, I admired Betsy's card so much, I bought the Herb Garden kit for the stencil alone!

Betsy Veldman's card for Make It Monday #290

For Simon Says Stamp, Something New, I chose to sponge Barely Blue premium dye ink over the background after masking for the parsley sprigs. I love the softness of the blue with this ink, and I think the sponging represents a lovely blue sky. I also used My Favorite Things Stitched Rectangle Die: Zig Zag to cut the focal panel down to size.

All-in-all this was a very simple card to make, so I made two cards! I will also make a third card out of the remaining parsley sprig die-cuts. I made these cards to be combined with a small donation to two deserving charities: Mission Waco and Caritas. Both of these organizations work tirelessly to help our homeless and citizens who need help with food and bills. For me, it's always a blessing to help out as much as I can. However, I got to thinking: How often do I actually thank them for the work they do? Why not create a card to accompany my gift and tell them how much their ministry means to the community? I cannot wait to send these off!

In the meantime, thanks so much for stopping by! I truly appreciate your support and feedback!

Best of 2017: Happy New Year!

2017-12-31T17:49:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! If you follow my blog, you may be wondering...what's up with this girl?? Well, one goal I had for 2017 was to have at least 200 blog posts. I fell short of that, so the next best thing? At least 100 blog posts for 2017 and then try again in 2018!! Quality over quantity, right?

For the last post of 2017, I thought I would do what several blogger friends are doing, and that is to recap some of the best of the best. Below are a few of the top posts of 2017. On the right, you'll see the top post for 2017 which was a card I created for a Papertrey Ink Blog Hop earlier this year.

Again, thank you so much for your support! It means the world to me, and I pray blessings for you and your family during 2018! See you next year!

Top posts of 2017--

Papertrey November Blog Hop--My favorite Christmas Card, ever!

Papertrey May Blog Hop--My first successful attempt at an all-over print--

A top post from Pinterest--For this painting, I followed Jay Lee Watercolor on YouTube

Here is my personal favorite. This is a watercolor I created for my sister and mother to commemorate Gene A. Davis, father to my sister and me, and loving husband to our mom--

Top nine likes from my fellow Instagrammers for 2017--

My best of Instagram 2017

If you are on Instagram, I'd appreciate a follow: caboney1. Also, I'd love it if you would consider following this blog. It truly makes my day to know that my content inspires or helps you through your creative process. Once again...Happy New Year, and blessings to you!! I'll see you in 2018!

Art Journal Update: Happy New Year!

2017-12-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

Sketch Exercise: Rectangles

Good evening everyone! This post is an update to what I've been doing artistically for the last few days of 2017. Shortly before Christmas, I realized that if I was going to progress with watercolor and paint more complex subjects, I probably need to learn the basics of drawing. Then, magically on Instagram, Sandy Allnock announced at new Drawing 101 course. I signed up, and I'm so glad I did. My plan was to be through the first course by New Year's Eve, but that is taking a little longer than expected. The sketches above are various objects that are rectangular and/or square. I have had a lot of fun with this course so far, and I've learned a lot not only about form but also about myself as an artist. These sketches are not museum quality by any means, but I truly didn't think I was able to draw anything other than simple shapes. If you're interested in her drawing course or her other courses, click here. If you would like to know more about Sandy Allnock, the artist, click here.

Wet-in-wet: Getting to know my palette again!

This post will also update you on the small amount of watercoloring I've done in the last 24 hours, literally! Because I was so behind with all of the things I needed to do for the Holidays, my paint brushes have had a long winter's nap. But, they're awake again, and many projects are floating around in my head.

Watercolor panels for greeting cards

Today, I managed to create a few cards with original artwork by yours truly! It's exciting to think that my original art might brighten someone's day. In fact, as I've been painting in my art journals, I've wondered if it would ever go anywhere. This leap of faith is confirmation that perhaps, just perhaps, the things I've been planning for a few months may actually take off! For more information about the inspiration for this card, click here.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Taking the time to read my posts warms my heart! I appreciate any and all feedback you have. Until next time...Happy New Year!!