Marlene's Musings

Happy Paint Party Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:23:00 +0000

Hi, just a quick post today. We are leaving to go to the Mountain and will not have internet until sometime on Monday. It wasn't working the last time we were there and they are suppose to come and fix it. I will get around to all your blogs when I have access.

I have decided that after this week I am going to do Sunday Sketches one week and then show the color progress on the sketch the following PPF. I just can't keep up with both in the same week. So that being said I'd like to show you a watercolor I did a while ago. It has been gray here and I wanted to see some bright color so I chose these Morning Glories:

A big thank you to Kristen and Eva. for hosting this fun event every week.
I am happy you stopped by and for your comments, I will be by to visit as soon as my internet is working. In the meantime stop by the Paint Party Friday blog and see what all the others have been up to.

Happy Paint Party Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000

I am back from running to and from the mountains and the beach and have been doing a little art work. Before I show you what I have been up to in the art arena I would like to thank everyone that comes to visit and the comments that you leave. I really do appreciate your visits, they mean a lot to me. I also appreciate our hostesses Kristen and Eva.

This Summer I bought a book, "Colored Pencil Painting Bible", by Alyona Nickelsen. In it she teaches her techniques for Achieving luminous color and realistic effects. I am enjoying this book very much. It is the first time I have really read all the information given before I jumped in and started the exercises. The first exercise was a pear and the second an apple. Below are my "paintings" done with Prismacolor and Polychromos color pencils:

To see what the other participants have been up to hop on over to Paint Party Friday!

I'm Back - And Ready to Blog (a little)

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:29:00 +0000

I am finally back and somewhat settled. We will still be traveling but I now have internet access where ever I go. We had a great time with friends and family and enjoyed some sunny skies and hot weather (finally). Dealt with a bout of Shingles (all better now) and a few computer and internet connection problems (hopefully fixed). I have missed you all and will try and keep/catch up.

I didn't get a whole lot of art done during my hiatus, but did manage a few things.

Here are a couple of ACEO's I did for a challenge in one of the groups I belong to. It is the 7 Card Draw Group on Etsy. The challenge was for Masks:

I also have been busy reading a new book on Color Pencil Painting, I bought supplies that were recommended and I am anxious to get started practicing the techniques I have been reading about.

I will be back Friday for the paint party and share these with you. Now to go and try and catch up a little. It will probably take me all week to get around to everyone. See you Friday.

Quick Check In

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Thank you to those of you that wished me a good time in the mountains.
I really did have a great time and got to visit with a lot of old friends.

From the mountain we came home and got some things in order there and now I am at the beach. Hubby has decided to take full advantage of the sunshine that we finally have. Between him wanting to go and company etc. I have had no time for art to speak of. I have done a couple of pictures that are gifts and will show those after the recipiants have received them.

I also have order two new art books, "The Color Pencil Painting Bible" and a book on drawing birds. I am anxious to receive them. I think I will probably be scarce as far as posting until the end of August, but will do my best to check in on all of you between now and then.

I hope you are all enjoying your Summer and I will catch up with you soon.

On Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:53:00 +0000

I will be out of the loop for the next 7-9 days. We are camping with friends in the Mountains Hope you all have a wonderful week and I will hopefully have a few new things to show when I return.

Paint Party Friday #20

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:19:00 +0000

Good Morning Everyone. Welcome to Paint Party Friday, hosted by Kristen and Eva.

This past week has been a busy one again, we finally had some Summer weather. We were at the beach this past week and before I show my artwork for the week I wanted to share a picture of a Fisherman and an Eagle. This Eagle looked as if he were waiting for the guy to provide him his breakfast of fish. We saw this same man and Eagle on two different mornings.

I don't know what to call my artwork this week, I suppose the closest I can come to a "what" is a fabric doodle. I embroidered, added a piece of fabric with a rose on it and did a little trapunto (not sure of the spelling)and finished it by adding some small seed beads. I am thinking about using this piece in the cover for a handmade journal.

Thanks for stopping by I love having you visit. Be sure to stop by over at Paint Party Friday to see what all the other participants have been up to this past week.

Sunday Sketches

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome to another fun Sunday Sketches, hosted by the lovely Sophia at Blue Chair Diary.

I am at the beach so haven't had a lot of time to sit at the computer or in the house drawing. It is finally great weather here with blue skys and sunshine. We had picnics on the beach today and yesterday and will probably do the same tomorrow. Daisy is loving all the sand and playing in the surf. She is doing much better and healing nicely.

I was watching the birds playing in the trees in our backyard and was inspired to do a couple of quick sketches of birds. The first one is a black capped chickadee and the second one is a figment of my imagination.

Thank you all for stopping by I really do appreciate your visits and comments. I will get around to all your blogs even if it takes me a day or two. I am still trying to visit everyone that posted on Paint Party Friday.

Don't forget to stop by Blue Chair Diary.

and visit the other participants at Sunday Sketches.

PAINT PARTY FRIDAY - WEEK 19

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 05:22:00 +0000

What a week, I have not had the chance to paint at all this week. Between my appointments and taking Daisy in for her 8 week check up it has been very busy. Daisy is doing really well and in the rehab stage. She can go for walks but no running or swimming for another month.

Thank you everyone that comes to visit and leave your comments. I really do appreciate your visits, they mean a lot to me. I also appreciate our hostesses Kristen and Eva

Since I did not get any painting done I would like to share a watercolor that I did a while ago. It is one of my larger ones, the next size up from a 12X10 (can't think of the size right now). This was one of my favorite paintings from my watercolor class:

To see some more amazing artwork hop on over to Paint Party Friday and check out what the other participants have been up to.

Sunday Sketches

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 03:09:00 +0000

It is another fun Sunday at Sunday Sketches hosted by Sophia at The Blue Chair Diary I hope you will join us and stop and visit with this weeks participants.

I managed to get a couple of things done, just experimenting with some new supplies I got. This first lady was sketched and then I used water soluble oil pastels and water soluble graphite to color her in. I just wanted to see how these two mediums worked. Much more experimenting is needed and she needs some more work also around her eyes and nose mostly.

This next one is an ACEO size (2.5X3.5 inches). I sketched the picture with water soluble color pencils and then added water, it too needs a little more work but I ran out of time. I had to get these finished tonight (Saturday) as we are having company out for a barbeque tomorrow.

I want to thank everyone for stopping by and visiting with me. I really do enjoy your visits and comments. I will try and get around to as many of your blogs as I can before my company arrives and will get to any I miss when they leave.

Remember to hop over to Blue Chair Diary and visit with the other participants. I wish you all a wonderful, relaxing, fun filled day.

Paint Party Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the Party! Come In, grab a cuppa and a doughnut and catch up on what everyone has been up to this week.

Last week I was in the mountains again and we had some friends join us there. I did my best to visit your blogs and I know I missed some of you. Promise to do better this week.

While I was away I did manage to find time to do one small (ACEO size 2.5X3.5 inch) color pencil drawing for a challenge in The ACEO Challenge Blog for "At The Beach"

I want to say Thanks to our lovely hosts: Kristin and Eva
Please hop over to Paint Party Friday and visit with the other participants. As always your visits and comments are appreciated.

Paint Party Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Good Morning and Welcome to Paint Party Friday! I am leaving for the mountain (again). but I am suppose to have HughesNet Installed Friday morning so will check in with all of you as soon as I am up and running.

For today I decided to show you a WIP that I did almost two years ago of the process I use for my needle felted pictures.

The First thing you need to do is gather up the materials that you will need, they are:

1) Wool Roving
2) Dense Foam in a size that will hold your project
3) Felting Needles in: Coarse, Medium, Fine, and finish, you can get other kinds like Star and a holder that holds up to 8 needles but they are not necessary.
4) Any embellishments you may need like beads for eyes, embroidry floss, yarn, etc.
5) A ruler for measuring the size of your piece.

The wool roving comes in large hanks that are braided or you can buy bags of small balls of wool that have been dyed many beautiful colors (perfect for little pictures)

The needles are very sharp so you need to use caution.

I have marked out a square that is 2.5"X3.5" on my foam as it is easier to felt the background to fit the frame than to keep measuring as I go.

The first step is to have an idea or a reference piece ready and select the colors that you will need to complete your project. For this WIP I am going to go through the steps I used in creating my Mama Hippo and Baby.

I chose the colors I thought would look good for the background which was sky and the ground was kind of swampy.

Spread out your wool fibers and place them on your foam slightly larger than you want your finished size, alternate directions up and down, side to side and build up 3 to 4 layers. Once you have the wool laid down start with your coarse needle and poke the wool all over straight up and down and in sideways on the edges. Be aggressive and poke into the foam. (the word poke is interchangeable with the word felt - they mean the same thing) After you have poked a while you will need to "pry" up the wool from the foam and turn it over and do the poking on the reverse side. I say pry up because the wool fibers go into the foam but come up easily with a little coaxing from your fingers.

After I have it compacted to this point I hold it up to the light and make sure it is a solid piece, if there are any noticably thin places I fill them in with more roving and poke some more with the needle.

At this point when I first started I had poked several of my fingers, some of them requiring a small bandaid. Now the part about being careful with the needles as they are extremely sharp is over lets continue:

Once you have your thin spots filled in switch to your medium size needle and poke a little on both sides. Remember to be aggressive and poke into the foam. Pick which side you want for the front and lay your wool face down on your foam centered on your size layout. Fold the edges over so that they fit your layout and felt them down, add roving to the center if needed. Turn over and felt with your medium needle on the front. Change to your fine or finish needle and poke the back and then the front, turning piece over and over until piece is well compacted, poke in from the sides to make sure they are compacted and fit your size layout. When the background is finished it should look like this:

Now to start the picture: I usually take a small amount of the color I need, in this case I chose the medium gray for the Mama hippo, with some dark gray to help with the shadowing. I lay the wool onto the background roughly shaping it into the form I want it to take, if needed I hold the shape in place with pins until I get the felting processes started.

After I have poked the gray wool into place I turn over the piece and where the gray has come through the back I gently this time poke that area, I do not go all the way into the foam at this point. I keep adding the colors I need according to my reference picture, using lighter and darker wool for highlights and shadows. If you want a 3D effect then you can vary how much and how far in you poke. If you want a deep crease then poke all the way into the foam and keep poking until it appears like the crease or fold you are after. When it is looking the way I want it to I sew on my embellishments. I used glass e-beads for the eyes on the hippos.

The finished piece is: "Sharing Dinner With Mom"

ACEO size "The Lion Laid Down with the Lamb"

I want to say Thanks to our lovely hosts: Kristin and Eva
Please hop over to Paint Party Friday and visit with the other participants.

Happy Independence Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:00:00 +0000

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Happy 4th of July!....

glitter-graphics.com

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE

FLAG,

OF THE UNITED

STATES OF AMERICA ,

AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR

WHICH IT STANDS,

ONE

NATION UNDER GOD,

INDIVISIBLE,

WITH LIBERTY

AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

For all of our other military personnel, where ever they may be.

Please

Support all of the troops defending our Country.

And God Bless our Military

who are protecting our Country for our Freedom

Thanks to them, and their sacrifices, we can celebrate the 4th of July.

We must never forget who gets the credit for the freedoms we have,

of which we should be eternally grateful.

I watched the flag pass by one day.

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Marine saluted it,

And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform;

so young, so tall, so proud.

With hair cut square and eyes alert,

he'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil;

how many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea?

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,

when everything was still.

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That Taps had meant 'Amen.'

When a flag had draped a coffin

of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

of the mothers and the wives,

of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea.

Of unmarked graves in Arlington .

No, freedom isn't free.

Enjoy Your Freedom

and

God Bless Our Troops.

Please stop for a moment

and say a prayer for our servicemen.

Of all the gifts you could give a U.S. Soldier, prayer is the very best one.

glitter-graphics.com

Sunday Sketches

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:08:00 +0000

Good Morning. I am back (as some of you already know) It is good to be back and I am trying to get back around to all of your blogs. Thank you Sophia for hosting us at Blue Chair Diary, It is always fun to visit.

I managed to get the graphite sketch of my granddaughter and her boyfriend finished. I just need to get it framed before I give it to her.

Ashley and Jeff:

Thank you for your visit and any comments, they are always appreciated. Now for more Sunday eye candy hop on over to Blue Chair Diary to see what other goodies are there for you to enjoy.

Paint Party Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 04:04:00 +0000

HI! I'm Back, refreshed and ready to dive in again. We had a wonderful time in the mountains and I even got a little bit of art completed. Daisy is doing really well since her surgery, three more weeks and she can start Rehab (although I don't think she will need much as she is getting around too well). I missed you all and I am glad to be back, I have been home for a little over a week but took the time to catch up with some much needed things here, sleep being one of them.

Before I show you one of the items I finished while I was gone I want to say Thanks to our lovely hosts: Kristin and Eva

This is a Needle Felted picture (I painted with wool) that I created for a challenge to depict a Nursery Rhyme. I chose:

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Have you any Wool?

Yes Sir, Yes Sir,

Three Bags Full.

One for my Master

and one for my Dame,

and one for the Little Boy

who lives down the lane.

Picture is available to purchase in my Etsy Shop

Thank you for stopping by and taking time to visit with me. Be sure and go to:
Paint Party Friday #16
to visit with the other participants and see what lovely eye candy they have for us this week.

Vacation Break

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:28:00 +0000

Good Morning -

Just want to let you all know that I am taking a little break. My DH and I are going to spend some time at our place in the mountains. I also am going to get some pictures hung and things done that have been waiting since we moved back in after the remodel.

If possible we will also be going to my Graduating Classes (class of 1968) Summer Party which for me will involve a little travel. The party is on July 1 so I may not be back until after the 4th.

I am fortunate that my sister lives next door and my son will be staying here when we are away, that way my humming birds will still get fed, along with all the other birds we feed.

Have a great time, I hope you are all enjoying your Summer and though I will miss you all this is a much needed break for me.

It's Sunday Sketches Time

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 04:49:00 +0000

Good Morning! For some reason the minute I typed the Title I thought of Howdy Doody.
I think I am losing it. I want to thank the lovely Sophia for hosting us at Blue Chair Diary, It is always fun to visit there.

Today I am going to show you a work in progress. The same Granddaughter, Ashley, that wanted the Eminem Sketch also wanted me to do a sketch of her and her boyfriend from a photo she has of them. Before I show you the sketch I will tell you she has not seen the sketch of Eminem yet, her sister is picking it up for her tomorrow so I will let you know if she likes it.

Below is the photo I am doing the sketch from and the beginnings of the sketch. Still have lots of work to do on it:

Sorry the sketch lines are so faint, I still haven't figured out how to get pencil to show up in a scan.

Thank you for visiting I appreciate your time and comments. If you want to see what the others have been up to this week hop on over to The Blue Chair Diary.

It's Paint Party Time (#13)

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:52:00 +0000

Happy Friday, are you all ready for some fun today? I know I am. Thanks to our lovely hosts: Kristin and Eva

Today I'd like to show you two that I am doing for a swap, we are to send in 5 ACEO's (size 2.5X3.5) and will receive 5 in return, I am sending them to England to the coordinator so they can go anywhere in the world and mine will come from anywhere. I think it will be fun to see where they come from. The first one is a mixed media where I painted a background then layered bits of the poem Trees and a picture of the author, then smudged paint over that and with artist ink pens put the trees on top. The second one I made a waterslide of a mosaic I did and put it in the corner of a fruit still-life that was done with color pencil.

Do you want to get in on a terrific giveaway for a One Of a Kind, Papier Mache Santa? Maggie over at Off My Rocker is going to put all of her first 100 followers in a drawing for this little guy:

You can read the rules and see more pictures of him by clicking here or on the button on the left side of my page that Says "My First Giveaway".

Thank you for stopping by and taking time to visit with me. Be sure and go to Paint Party Friday to visit with the other participants and see what lovely eye candy they have for us this week.

Sunday Sketches

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:03:00 +0000

Thank you Sophia for hosting us at Blue Chair Diary, It is always fun to visit here.

Last Sunday I showed you the beginning of a Sketch of Enimem that my granddaughter asked me to draw for her. I managed to get it finished and framed for her this past week:

It was fun to do this sketch and I hope she likes it. Thanks for stopping by, your visits and comments are appreciated. If you would please hop over to the Blue Chair Diary and see who else is sketching today.

Paint Party Friday #12

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:09:00 +0000

Happy Friday, are you all ready for some fun today? I know I am. Thanks to our lovely hosts: Kristin and Eva

Thank you everyone that visited me last week. I tried to get back around to all your blogs but blogger would not let me comment on some of them and I also was very busy keeping an eye on Daisy. She is a bad patient and thinks she is healed and it is quite a job keeping her quiet.

Today I am going to share a watercolor landscape that I did in class a while back as I did not get much paint time in this week. We had to do this without sketching first and it was my first attempt at just painting from my mind with just my brush and paints.

Thank you for stopping by and taking time to visit with me. Be sure and go to Paint Party Friday to visit with the other participants and see what lovely eye candy they have for us this week.

Sunday Sketches

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Sun, 29 May 2011 13:10:00 +0000

Thank you Sophia for hosting us at Blue Chair Diary, It is always fun to visit here.

I matted and framed two pictures for each of my daughters and my granddaughter decided she needed something also. She is 16 and has asked me to do a sketch of the Rapper, Eminem and one of her and her boyfriend. I have just started to do the one of Eminem and will show it to you again when it is completed. Here is the beginning:

I still have a lot of work to do on it but I am pretty happy with it so far.
If you would please hop over to the Blue Chair Diary and see who else is sketching today.

Paint Party Friday #11

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:04:00 +0000

Happy Friday, are you all ready for some fun today? I know I am. Thanks to our lovely hosts: Kristin and Eva

First I want to thank everyone who left comments with their thoughts, concern, and prayers for Daisy. It has been so hectic and she is wanting me by her most of the time that there is no way I will be able to get to you all individually for a while. I do hope to get around to see everyone's beautiful artwork today even if it takes all day.

Daisy is doing great considering. The swelling in her leg is going down, she is eating, drinking and wanting to walk around. I haven't had to give her the sedative yet but might have to today if she keeps trying to take off.

I did manage to get 3 ACEO's done while we were camping and they are what I am sharing today.

The first two are for a flower challenge and the last one is for a Your Favorite Movie Challenge.

Thank you for stopping by and taking time to visit with me. Be sure and go to Paint Party Friday to visit with the other participants.

Daisy's Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:26:00 +0000

Whew! Finally over. It was a long day yesterday but Daisy came through her surgery with flying colors. They Xrayed her right leg to see if there was any damage done to it by taking all the pressure and it is really good, no damage. They didn't have to fix any meniscus in her left leg as it was all in tact. The Surgeon was pleasantly surprised that considering how long she had been limping that there was very little arthritic damage so just had to do the repair to keep her knee from slipping.

With a little time (16 weeks total) she should be as good as new. She has to be almost completely down for 2 weeks, minimal activity for 8 weeks, then slow but steady rehabilitation for 8 weeks.

She slept well last night but is on pain meds, I have not had to give her a sedative yet. The more she comes around the more she will need the sedative. She is going out with the help of a sling to do her business and is eating just fine as long as it is "special" food. She turns her nose up at her dog food.

She was pretty mad at me and wouldn't look at me at first, finally this morning I got a puppy kiss from her so I guess I am forgiven. Here are pictures of her poor little leg, they really scalped her good.

Sorry I have not been around to visit this week, my hands have been just a little bit full. I did get some art done and will post for Paint Party Friday and Sunday Sketches if I get the chance to have more computer time. I will also be around to visit even if in bits and pieces.

Thanks for stopping by, your friendship and support means more to me than you know or than I can adequately express. I am so glad you are here.

TIME OFF

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Wed, 18 May 2011 12:59:00 +0000

I thought I would be back to participating in Paint Party Friday and Sunday Sketches this week, but it looks as though I will be gone.

Our Dog, Daisy, has a torn ligament in her leg and is scheduled for Surgery on the 25th. They will be cutting her leg bone in half and realigning it so her knee will not slip around and then securing it with a metal plate until the bone heals. The plate will be left in unless it bothers her and they will remove it after the bone is healed if it does.

Daisy will be very limited in her activity for four months after her surgery so my DH wants to take her camping for a few days before her surgery. We will be gone until Sunday or possibly Monday so I will check in then. I hope to get some art done while we are gone so I will have something to share when we return.

I will try to catch up with all of my followers and the other blogs I read when I return. Have a fun and creative week and see you when I return.

Saturday after the Blogout

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Sat, 14 May 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Good Morning, hope this finds everybody's blogs up and working. I hear there are still some issues with leaving comments at some of the blogs.

I at first was a little upset that Blogger was down, but quickly realized that the universe in it's infinite wisdom had done me a favor. I really needed a break as I was having trouble catching up or keeping caught up. I am still not caught up but feel a little less pressure.

A while back I blogged about some of the porcelain dolls I had made and asked for suggestions on a name for a small 6.5 inch Victorian doll. Well, one thing led to another and a lovely lady Linda said she would make me a dress for her as I don't sew. You can meet Linda at one of her blogs "Olde Baggs and Stuft Shirts" or "Ye Olde Crone's Gazette".

Here is Hannah (named by my granddaughter) in her new threads:

Thank you so much Linda, I love her new dress and you did a great job expecially since you didn't have the doll in hand and just my measurements. My granddaughter will be thrilled as well since she will be getting this doll.

Thanks for stopping by and I will see you tomorrow for Sunday Sketches.

Sunday Sketches - Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Marlene) — Sun, 08 May 2011 02:57:00 +0000

Thank you Sophia for hosting us at Blue Chair Diary, It is always fun to visit here.

In honor of Mother's Day I have opted to show a sketch I did of my mother just after she passed away. I miss her still - Happy Mother's Day Mom.

This is the reference picture I used, it was when she was a very young woman:

I wish every mother a very happy and wonderful day filled with love and special treats. If you would please hop over to the Blue Chair Diary and see what others are up to today.