Last week I wrote about using what you have to paint beautiful flowers. One of the barriers that we place on being an artist is not having the right tools. The other barrier is the bravery to be ourselves. In this post, I’ll start out with a mindful artist quote. Then share a few creative exploration ideas.
You can’t sit around and wait for somebody to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it.
FAITH RINGGOLD
Sitting around and waiting for someone to define who you are is awful. You will live with peace and calmness when you give the world freely who you are. Pick up the paintbrush and paint!
How about drawing wildflowers? The following words are from my About page. The flowers I paint are wildflowers. The hills of blooms, the gardens, the countryside, the color, the breeze, the sun… it’s all beautiful. We are too. What would the world be without colorful pink roses, yellow tulips, orange poppies, white chrysanthemums, and you? The world needs all of us!
Here are painting ideas for your creative spirit! Paint on what on whatever your canvas may be! Be Bold. Be You.
Paint wildflowers
Paint wildflowers. Paint wildflowers in your favorite colors. Paint wildflowers in a color you don’t usually use. You can’t go wrong with wildflowers. Anything goes. Paint from the soul. I’ll be doing that this week.
Read Just Ask!
This is a great book! It always reminds me that there is room for all of us, especially in art! There is! You and I are part of a magical garden. I have been an artist my whole life. I enjoy painting but sometimes I need nurturing to keep embracing my ideas. This book is in my toolbox.
How are you bold with your art? Comment below and share your art? Why do you do what you do!
Every day we are blooming and growing in abundance! Ahh…I should end all of my posts with these words.
Are you looking for project ideas? Not sure what to paint? Here is a list of my favorite projects and the inspiration behind them!
#1 Be Bold, Be You Yellow Vase Flowers
I like the bright yellow vase paired with orange and pink flowers. These colors can’t be missed, as if to say be bold be you. I saw a lot of orange dresses and blouses during my walk-through in Anthropologie. The orange roses of UCLA last spring are still on my mind and spirit!
#2 Lovely Orange Red Tulips & Pink Dots
The title is bright and bold too! My goal was to minimize the gap between thought and action. The blending in the leaves and tulips works lovely with pastel pink dots! I blended color on the page instead of a palette. The breezy air is moving through the flowers.
#3 Paper Collage Bella Vida
Bella Vida means beautiful life in Spanish. I forget how much I love word art. My sun is yellow and pink. These are the colors that express how nature makes me feel. I wanted this to be a print or a poster. It was one of those projects that unfortunately lost beauty when scanned.
#4 Abundance Anytime Bouquet
Can you paint beautiful flowers with a Crayola Watercolor set? Of course, you can! Can you paint flowers on thin poster paper? Yes! I painted these flowers in the last 5-10 minutes of a lunch break.
#5 Flower Doodles
Flower doodles are the best. There is no agenda. I start drawing and magic happens. Doodling always reveals your style and simply who you are as an artist. If you have seen children’s drawings, they are always interesting. The way they draw people and flowers, for example, sparks my curiosity. There is no right or wrong? They just draw. Drawing like this is where the best work comes from.
#6 Pink and Blue Roses
I like the sound of blue roses. Paint how you feel and what you want. Surrender to the process. Have faith in it all! I did all the above with these pink and blue roses. This painitng is my favorite. You can purchase this design on a variety of products here.
I look back at these colorful flower paintings and I want more of this joyful exploration. In these paintings I wasn’t happy or sad. I simply was. The following quote is a good way to end the post.
“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live only as you can.” –
Niel Gailman
I’m curious as to what art you create? Comment below and let me know. That way I can check out your blog or website.
This week I wrote a post on creative inexpensive art supplies. I have been drawing outside, making beautiful art with oil pastels and a green pen. I started a new book project! I am challenging myself to paint beautiful flowers with my fingers and hands.
What’s my painting with a cup of tea lesson for this week? Work with what you have! We are always quick to place barriers using words like I can’t but of course, we can! The dream is never as planned because of a deviation. Those deviations can be obstacles that test how much you are willing to stand proud against the noise. I wrote, There’s No Right Way to Paint a Flower for those who say, “I can’t draw”. With finger painting, you use your fingers. That’s literally using what you have. I’m thinking of the mouth ninja who is a quadriplegic. He draws holding a pen with his mouth-beautifully! Moreover, he encourages others to never give up on their dreams.
The tools, and skill level doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you have a glorious idea! Use what you have and create.
You can get a free ebook of my book. Let me know if you want me to publish a paperback copy.
If you want an easy way to paint flowers, finger painting is a great idea! You can make a mess. What better way to ignite your curiosity and creativity than the feel of paint on your fingers. It reminds me that there are no rules. Remember the days of finger painting? In this post, I’ll share the start of a new flower finger-painting project, supply ideas, and tips.
Supplies
All you need is:
acrylic paint (tempera paint works too and I’ll be testing gouache paint and posting about it)
scratch paper (a few sheets of copy paper)
a brush or palette knife for mixing colors ( try using your fingers)
watercolor or mixed media paper ( I’ll be getting a journal from Dollar Tree)
The list above is my list. Feel free to use what you have.
Creative Exploration
I put together a book on creative ways to paint flowers. I included a section on finger painting. Finger painting led to hand painting. You can get the book here. The idea of finger painting really came from Learning By Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit. That book is filled with ideas to let loose and discover your best ideas through play. Grab a few sheets of copy paper and your favorite tube of acrylic paint. Dip your finger in the paint and see what you can create.
Finger Painting Ideas
These flower shapes were painted by stamping with a closed hand. You can use a brush to paint the bottom of your closed hand. Then stamp your hand on the paper. The texture you get is much more interesting than if you painted with a brush.
This flower was painted with my thumb.
Using various fingers and painting with the tip of your fingers works great too!
I forgot how fun and free it is to paint with your hands. I have this crazy idea to challenge myself to fill a journal with beautiful finger-painted flowers. The book cover will be a butterfly. Yes, I can hand paint that too. Ettavee does finger painting butterflies. I can include word art of the lessons I’ve learned as an artist. How about a personal empowerment go-flutter with your love and ideas book? I love it!
If you want more finger-painting flowers then subscribe to my blog. I have a Pinterest board filled with ideas and once a week, I’ll keep you posted on my new finger painting project.
You may be curious about everything. Maybe it’s a habit that makes you weird to everyone else. I think back to my high school days and even elementary and say oh! That is why I always asked why! I am an artist. I’ve always loved nature and been a free spirit. That’s because I’m an artist! In high school, I had a chance to write a chapter book. Loved it! I also took ceramics. I loved the idea of molding the pottery with my fingers to any shape I wanted. My coiled pot made it in the library glass case and the yearbook. Sure that was fun but I think back to those times and realize I have always been an artist. Creativity is a thrill! I was born an artist.
Looking for fun inexpensive tools to add to your art supply toolbox? In this post, I’ll be sharing six ways that you can get creative and save on your art supplies. It is wonderful having a box filled with trinkets and treasures, including your favorite colors and interesting tools to create texture. I love opening my box and choosing colors for my painting projects. Art supplies can be expensive, especially if you’re beginning to build your toolbox. If you’re like me, you feel like a kid in a candy every time you go into an art store. It can be hard to choose.
Let’s get on to the list!
#1 Shop at the Dollar Store
My local dollar store is Dollar Tree. I find lots of art supplies for $1.25. I recently purchased a set of three brushes and they are good!
You can buy sponges, brushes, paint, palette paper, colored pencils, stemcils sand random goodies that work for creating beautiful texture. Wait, buying paint at the dollar store? How good can dollar store paint be? Well, I used a watercolor set to paint the above flowers. It was good practice! All you have to do is paint or create
By the way, I am still looking for the newly added palette paper. I am using parchment and wax paper. Yes, I found these at the dollar store too, and they work fine! Oh here’s another good one. Dollar stores often carry mason jars or mugs. Jars and mugs are great for holding your brushes and for water cups. While you’re shopping for supplies, pick up a few snacks. What’s in your toolbox? Do you enjoy walking the aisles and seeing what grabs your curiosity? Leave your ideas in the comment section. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
#2 Coupons
Always look for sales. Crafts stores will have coupons from 40-60%. I love going to Jo-Ann Stores with coupons. I bought a Winsor & Newton Watercolor 12-tube travel set for $17. I believe the regular price was $50. Sign up for a rewards program. You’ll get coupons in your mailbox. Craft stores usually have a clearance section. There may be a 50% off on Neocolors that are a little used but work great!
#3 Make a list and check it twice before you shop online.
If you don’t have access to stores that you can shop in, you can always shop online. Blick always has sales. There is back to school sales, and a Spring sale I like going to. If you teach art you can get an extra 10% off. You can stock up on sale items like paper and titanium white. It’s nice to wander in an art store and occasionally buy a new medium to explore.
#4 Treat Yourself Once a Month
Once a month or every quarter, I’ll treat myself to a new supply. It may be that opera rose or quinacridone magenta gouache I want but are pricey. I try to plan for when these items may be on sale. I just purchased two tubes of gouache that were 50% off!
#5 Stick with Primaries
Here’s a great tip I wish I had learned at the beginning of my art adventures. If you’re like me you can wander for hours in an art store admiring and contemplating what tubes will go home with you. I wanted all of the colors. With three primary paint colors, you can mix almost all of the colors. My favorite primaries are turquoise, yellow and, quinacridone magenta. You will need a titanium white and a bright pink. Imagine all the fun you will have, mixing awesome colors with three tubes of color!
#6 Paint Boxes
This is fun! I was thinking of this list and taking notes. Right before me was a tissue box. Why not paint on it? You can paint over it and do a nice floral pattern! See what your designs look like on different surfaces. You can do cereal boxes. Pick up a crate from the dollar store.
I hope that at least one of these ideas inspires you. I just thought of buying a bucket of chalk at the dollar store to draw outdoors! Please comment below with your ideas!
I have been seeing lots of big flower patterns. I bought a yellow skirt with a white flower pattern. Anthropologie has summer dresses with flower patterns. There have been random cold thunderstorm days but the birds are singing, the breeze is dancing and spring is in the air!
Georgia O’Keeffe was all about expression and taking time to appreciate the little things. This week I was inspired to paint big and bright flowers. To me, it’s the little things like a bird’s song, a strawberry tart, tacos, butterflies, and walking in the sun that are the best. Oh and painting! These little things are the biggest treasures. Right?
Here’s a quick video on Georgia O’Keeffe.
Here’s the project I did with a class. I showed them a few techniques and let them paint. It was beautiful! We should do the same always.
How about painting outdoors! I’ll be starting a lunchtime routine this week.
This morning I found this lovely post. It was bright and joyful. This mural with all its flowers motivated me to recall the projects I’ve worked on with my students. Children have no preconceived notions of being an artist. They simply do!
Oh my, I forgot about the Faith Ringgold project and the Sparkly Butterflies. It just so happens that I got paid to guide children through these projects. It is one of the times where I say wow I get paid for this, really! I am truly grateful!
Do you have a project to share? Please comment below.
As you paint and work on a project you will hear a voice that says good idea but work on the color scheme. Pull out the color swatches book you made. Paint with the colors you like. How about painting three paintings simultaneously? You discover that the painting you like the most is from a project you forgot about a month ago.
“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
We artists need our quiet time. We need time to sit and listen to the voice within our spirit that goes from idea to idea. We always have ideas. The problem is we get busy. We get caught up in what art should look like. We listen to the negative thought.
Make time to nurture your ideas. Keep painting. That is what I plan to do. Oh! I watched the end of the iHeart Radio Music Awards. Cher received the Icon Award. She ended her acceptance speech by saying: “I know from my own experience that if you have a dream and you stick with it you will have a wonderful life and it will probably come true.”
My work this week has been about nurturing your art. Nurture what lights you up. Don’t do it for the money. Of course, it’s nice when that happens. It’s great! But nurture what you love to do for the peace and calmness it brings you.
What did I work on this week? I took my notebook journal to work and added color to old designs, doodled mushroom art inspired by Yayoi Kusama, and doodled flower arrangements inspired by Anthropologie. Through my journal, I learned how important it is to give my ideas the love they deserve. Even if an idea starts out just okay, my idea can become interesting, creative and, where I truly see ME.
Inside my journal, I have two in process colorful flower paintings. One of the paintings has a lovely yellow background, while the other is just a sketch. The color tones for the sketch flower arrangement will be lavender, magenta, and yellow! This color palette reminds me of spring and makes me happy!
These projects have helped me embrace my art and myself even more! Interestingly I watched a webinar on investing for women. The same principles I work on and have been good within my art also apply to investing habits. These habits are making mistakes, normalizing risk, setting goals and winners never quit.
We often want to throw away our art, thinking we made a mistake. Instead, we should keep painting and make that so-called mistake part of the painting. As for winners never quit, that is the abundance mindset.
Alright, it was a good week. I’ll share more of the two paintings and a fun fingerprinting flower project this week. Yes, that flower book is lingering. I should give it my attention.
What are you working on? It is always nice to hear about new projects and to see an artist working on those projects. It always grabs my curiosity. Thank you for your feedback and lovely comments.
Abstract Flower Painting 