have my heart. The dots didn’t come out as I expected. These petals are even better. I want my pictures to not come out so washed out. The color is much more vibrant. And it will be when I scan it.
The stem was practice for another flower I’ll be painting next week. It’s this aweome flower I captured on one of my nature walks. I’m building a collection on pinterest! What a week. I painted everything I wanted to paint, finished a workshop and still need to work on the course, oh and the butterfly.
What a week. What really helped is make and I will never forget Ms. Gorman’s words. Never.
You don’t need a $20 tube of the right pink. You don’t need a $ 5o brush. All you need is you.
I painted these flowers with my index finger, minus the petals and the stems. I have painted many beautiful flowers with my thumb and palm. I’m reminded of this artist who paints patterns with just the right turns of his wheelchair wheels. In my fear and doubts I have forgotten. Ms. Gorman’s words, there is light if you are brave enough to see it…brave enough to believe make me feel with every breath of my being.
I’ve been painting all day. Finished the brown blanket, an apothecary bottle and three flowers. Feels like I should have painted more. Let’s see, I painted with walnut ink, did some lettering and mixed up a beautiful vanilla yellow ochre. The India ink surprised me the most!
I hoped the alcohol dots would give me a beautiful texture. The results are weird. Weird is good.
India Ink dries quick. It leaves interesting texture. I’ll remember that when I paint leaves. Outlining the petals in blue…I like it! There’s no right way to paint a flower.
Ok so I did some good exploring. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.
I’m not much of a hand letterer, but I love drawing letters. I like doodling ideas. The best ideas happen when you’re not working on anything specific. You just show up because you want to. That last part sums up my creative life.
Free your mind is a note to self.
Free your mind is a love note for us.
Free your mind is a reminder to focus on the breeze or a bird’s song.
Watching the moon phases every night is wonderful too.
Free your mind is a voice more powerful than the darkness.
There is nothing like your beautiful mind. Take care of it. Take care of you.
Ok time to paint flowers. Time to get working on that huge list.
I’ve made a decision. I will contiune to work on 100 ways to flower with power? There’s no right way to paint a flower? Yes, I like this title much better.
Maybe every Friday or a couple of days a week I’ll paint culture ideas. I’m just not sure where I want to go with the culture project. My plan is to build a collection of textures, homes, ceramics…the Lantern Festival is coming up! In March I could display all of my work and let the story emerge. Sounds good.
That means I have 2-3 months to write, edit and paint more flowers! I could work on the flower book for 3 days a week. The other two days will be for painting small projects and work for the shop.
I keep thinking about the other day when I opened my folder of over 100 flowers and the lessons I’ve learned. This observation made me want more. This year rather than set goals that become elusive I am contiuning to learn new skills, exploring and most importatnly sharpening my mind.
The strongest strength is that of the mind.
Ok this week I’m working on more flowers, an apothecary bottle, a butterfly, a freedon idea and …. so excited! I painted a brown Peruvian rug and writing for the book. There’s a lot of digitizing to be done but that will come at another time.
Let’s make a creative week! I would love to see your paintings and see what you create.
My word of the year is MAKE. I want to make more. do more. I want more of the making that happens when I let curiosity take over. I want more of the making that leads to painting with markers. Even the markers that didn’t blend with water worked. Scribble on a ceramic plate. Dip your brush in water, mix the two and you have watercolor.
I usually draw letters on the page and paint around them. That works ok but why not try something different!. That’s the other make I want more of.
If it didn’t work before, then change it up.
Here goes. Cut out the letters and lightly tape them down. Then paint, splatter, stamp and draw. If you make a mistake cover it up with a stamp or more watercolor. Keep on making until you’re done. Do what you are going to do but do it with you!
And that’s the other make. Work through the misktakes because it’s part of growing and getting better. Who says it’s a mistake anyway. Just let yourself go and keep on making. Eventually you’ll get to the good stuff.
…I am realizing that my phone doesn’t take good photos. Or is it me? And there’s the blanket sketch that looks nothing like the blanket I posted yesterday. Yesterday I sat at the kitchen table and went through every flower I’ve painted and just like that my book came together.
There is no right way to Paint a flower
Should this be my title? Yes! I had a beautiufl pink and sketch. Seriously there’s no right way to paint a flower. Use a circle, your thumb, your hand or dip the brush in watercolor and make shapes. The choice is yours. That is the brilliance of you! We all have different ideas.
The funny part is I focused on my sketch thinking I had to paint like my sketch or the flower would be wrong? I painted the petals, no pencil just paint.
The only wrong way to paint a flower is to believe there is a wrong way.
By the way, the actual florals don’t have floral petals. I chose to paint hearts because the florals are colorful. I couldn’t help but feel love.
This is going to be great book.
See you tomorrow when I paint my word of the year with markers. Yes tested my waterproof markers and I’m ready!
My lines are getting better. There’s a few happy mistakes. There’s areas that needed digital fixing. This was one of those times where you intend to paint a few details and an hour later you’re done. Maybe I overthought the details…I wanted to keep going until it felt like a blanket. Looks good for practice and a post. At some point it did but I kept on adding lines.
Some artists talk about doing pages of lines, shapes, transparencies…to build skills. I prefer painting blankets. Projects are a good way to focus on the details and keep going long after the mistakes. In the making you discover how awesome White ink is. More importantly, you discover that you can draw. Still working on the drawing part, ha. I’m not used to painting fine lines which is what compelled me to kepp on painting them.
Ok this is my accountability/review blanket. In a couple of weeks I’ll do a side by side comparison. Keep practicing and the details will come together.
Next time I want to do shades of Brown. I have a new appreciation for watercolor.
Monotones of Pink with a little Blue. I should paint Blue Monotones with a little pink. Brown monotones? Yes. Not sure why the color looks washed out yet vibrant on my phone. Not to worry because I will add more details before I digitize. I was enjoying the flow of water across the page. Then a sudden, I have to finish showed up. Patience is important in painting. Patience in moving the page around. Patience in applying the paint. Patience in allowing the drying to work its magic. Patience in quieting your mind and simply painting.
Back to the idea that inspired Peruvian blankets. Made my one. Warmth for all. Speaking of lettering. I wrote in watercolor today.
