Tag: creative journal

Expressive Flowers, Roses Project

Roses-Oh Let It Be

Mireya

I’ve been watching artists create beautiful art with random tools. I used to paint like this! Used to? I wrote There’s No Right Way to Paint a Flower. Seems I’ve forgetten the delight of having the time to listen to the voice. The voice is always here. All we need to do is let the moment be. I posted about this on someone’s instagram post. Beautiful art is about putting you in your art. It’s the way you hold the brush or not use a brush. Art is about your weirdness. Art is the the way you dance, the rhythm you carry. I want to paint all the time because I want to. Art just is for me. It’s my breath of fresh air.

I was deleting old work photos on my phone. I found my paper roll flowers! There’s a thrill in not knowing what the flower will look like until you’ve finished.

Three paper roll blooms
learning to paint flowers with fun tools

Back to these roses

Here’s a breakdown of what I used:

  • sponge brush to blend paint
  • watercolor paint
  • watercolor pencils
  • stamp (Stamping with paint is awesome! Make sure you have your art rag nearby so you can wipe the sponge clean when you’re done stamping)
  • brush pen
  • white acrylic pen
  • flat brush
  • round brush
  • mixed media paper

I think that’s all for the supplies. I created a step-by-step idea pin here. I selected a tool. An idea came with it! I painted! I added a little magenta to the green and then a little yellow. I love this shade of green! I use my art rag to dap the wet paint off the paper so I could repaint it. I was all, let me fix this instead of just letting it be. I love the advice someone recently gave me. There’s no good or bad.

What’s your favorite tool? A few days ago, I roamed the isles of a Dollar Tree. I’m browsing Amazon and Blick for flat brushes and an art journal. Have any ideas? Thanks and if you enjoyed this post then subscribe to this blog. Tell a friend.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Expressive Flowers, Roses Project

Roses-Painting Tips

Mireya
pink and orange paint on a ceramic plate

I’ve been painting! Don’t I always? Of course. I’ve been referencing photos, loosely. Then I get to work. When I want to throw it away, the real work begins! Here are my notes.

Tips to Paint Beautiful Roses

  • complementary colors create beautiful palettes (mix a little pink into your green and you’ll see what I mean)
  • soft strokes and crescent moon shapes (keep layering)
  • quiet time makes a difference
  • Ok random shapes and lighter petals blooming outward BUT there’s no right way to paint a flower

My best tip is, to begin. As you paint, you entertain your curiosity. Soon you discover there’s no right way to paint a flower. I forgot about that book. Do you have a tip for painting roses? Comment below. As always thanks for reading.

Siempre,

Mireya

Expressive Flowers, Roses Project

Roses-Keep Working

Mireya

Let me begin with how fun and motivational my paper collage wildflowers are! I’ve been creating and collecting them in a folder. I took out the folder and began reading them not knowing what to expect. My wildflower thoughts made me laugh and smile. I now have an introduction letter for the book. And just like that, my wildflowers collage book is coming together! I love when this happens. That brings me to the white vase flower arrangement I painted. Like my wildflowers, this arrangement is fun inte,resting and I painted it! How about a little poem?

7 pink roses in a white vase

Differences

Let go of all that is no good.

By the almighty, you are understood

The trees

the breeze

with every dance

they love your stance

Pick up the brush

make a mess

don’t settle for anything less

Have fun!

You’ve only just begun.

The YOUs that make you interesting

That’s the biggest bling

Never hide your face

Because you are the difference that makes this word a wonderful place!

…just a quick poem. Sometimes I realize, I’m good at poetry. Would you like to see more poetry? Let me know in the comments below. This poem and this painting will go into the book. What a beautiful start!

Quick notes for these roses

  • pink is my hero
  • Reuse old art. Save it. Fix it.
  • Working with three colors is best.
  • Hopeless moments are the defining moments
  • Layers

Oh, if you’re curious I will be creating a video of all of my wildflowers. I’ll let you know when I post it on Pinterest.

Siempre,

Mireya

Expressive Flowers, Roses Project

Roses-Ornament Peach Roses

Mireya

…because a field of peach roses will make you feel peachy. Surrounded by peach roses. I stand in the middle of it all, like the missing puzzle piece. Everything and anything is possible. I extend my arms. I’m ready to fly. A breeze and warmth of the sun lingers on my hat and my hair.

There is an idea pin tutorial for these roses on Pinterest.

…and my rose project folder begins.

Here’s a list of what I did but check out the video for step by step photos.

  • Begin with white,green, yellow, red and turquoise
  • Mix various shades of orange ( red and orange)
  • Unify palette by mixing a dot of turquoise to warm up oranges
  • Use a paint brush to paint the bottom of an ornament
  • In a circular motion stamp onto paper
  • Mix white with leftover paint
  • Paint around the stamped circle shapes with a brush
  • Mix blue, green and a little turquoise for the stems and leaves
  • Watch the roses bloom before your eyes

Definitely adding this idea to the book. Roses: a friendship book for the spirit here we come!

Siempre,

Mireya

Expressive Flowers

Pink Sunflower

Mireya
Pink paper collage flower

Writing allows me to freely express myself. Writing helps me reflect. With a book you can go anywhere in the world you want to go. Writing is a doorway to the spirit. I blog because I’m not confident being on camera for a YouTube channel. Yes I know, and that’s why it’ll be good to film my course. I’ve been filming idea pins for Pinterest.

Siempre,

Mireya

Expressive Flowers

Earliest Painting Memory

Mireya

My earliest memory is finger painting and making a mess! I’ve loved art every day of my life.

I still like to make a mess!

Here I am stamping with an eraser. It’s Corita Kent, James Victore, EttaVee, Shantell Martin…who opened my spirit to an art that has me understanding, this has always be me. I am an artist!

I’ve been going through all of my art and penciling in projects. Beginning next week I will start using these prompts to share my roses project. Is it next week?

Siempre,

Mireya

Expressive Flowers

Artist Tips of the Year

Mireya

Practice for Flow Not Perfection

Blue Flowers in a Blue Vase

Practice isn’t about getting good or great. Practice is about letting go. At some point, there’s this voice and you realize it’s there, always has been. I have sat and sat for hours trying to paint something. Nothing happened. On this occasion, I had one color, one damaged brush, and five minutes.

Paper Collage is a Great Way to Learn About Color

Collage pink flowers and lettering the words free soul in Spanish

I’m putting together a creative exploration course with a paper collage. Sometimes I go into the process knowing that I’ll be creating flowers but it’s nice to just use random tools to stamp and blend colors. Then I’ll get an idea and start cutting and arranging. The idea blooms right before my eyes. That’s what happened with the letters M and L.

Social Media needs my attention and consistency

Various papers painted with vibrant orange and pink tones

I like to experiment and paint. I occasionally post on Pinterest. When I do the results are awesome. At one point I had 80k monthly views. I had no plan but to share my work. It worked. I am still learning about SEO. I have ideas. Here’s to more traffic.

Focus on the Moment

I know I’m the artist and I get attached to my work but I shouldn’t. I should only be that spiritual connection that comes as I create. I’m not the end result of my work. Nor am I entitled to the fruits of my labor. My best ideas come when I focus on the moment. For example, I many times have the opportunity to paint with my students. I set up the paint and brushes and wonder what will come of the dried-up dollar store palettes and beyond-bent shapeless brushes. These thoughts have nothing to do with me, my spirit. What is me is curiosity? I’m always curious about what everyone will paint? And every time before my eyes, the children mix up interesting colors, and awesome textures and they are artists. No one gives them permission. They just pick up the brush and go for it.

Expressive Flowers

Textures of 2022

Mireya

One of my techniques is texture. I love the surprise of trying a random tool to see what happens. These are the ideas that satisfy my curiosity.

Stamping with a candle lid is one of the best texture ideas I’ve ever had. I don’t want to say best because there are many more textures to come.

The textures that come from stamping with a paper roll are random and beautiful. Oh, this makes me think of the ceramic pitcher at Anthropologie. I’ve got to work more with this kind of texture.

Creating writing paper by stamping with ribbon? What an idea!

pink flower pattern on textured paper.

Stamping with a facial sponge creates a rough vintage texture. It’s fun to do this and then paint over it.

This was absolutely random. I used a semi-dry flat brush. I love it!

There are many textures that I painted for paper collage purposes.

Expressive Flowers

Painting is my breeze

Mireya

What gives me a breeze? Painting is my breeze. Life is a breeze when I paint. I can walk among the trees, be cold in thought and suddenly the warmth of the sun makes my spirit dance. In that moment I am complete. I am free. Then there’s the times when I see the petals of a rose breezing in the sun. It’s these little details that make life a breeze, a breathe of fresh air.

This is the rhythm that reminds you that we are truly one.

Siempre,

Mireya

Expressive Flowers

Pink Roses

Mireya

I wrote this post a week ago and somehow it stayed in draft. Finally here we are.

It’s the holiday season. We are about to begin winter. I can’t wait for spring. Last week I wrote about my obsession with roses. Have these lovely shades of pink always been there? Have they? I could be walking along in thought and suddenly I stop. Pink and peach roses catch my eye.

My next project should be pink roses? I could work on creating pink tones. Ettavee wrote this wonderful post on how to use fluorescent pink. I have been working on painting roses. I have! I am working on the layout and working on flower arrangements. Yes, I can use my art journal for this exploration. Pink Roses is a good book title? Ok there we have it. Pink Roses it is!

I love the pinks in these blooms.

Yellow mug with pink flowers done in collage

Siempre,

Mireya