Mandala beginning and end

I thought I'd share the beginning and ending of this particular mandala.  I don't always start with a skeleton, but sometimes I just don't stop making lines.

I don't always work in colour either - but I'm loving this paper in this mixed media journal.  It takes the sharpie really well - although I'll have to paint the backsides because the sharpies do bleed through.

Here's another printer's tray I put together.  It took quite a number of weeks before I finally decided what was going to go into each section.  I had fun doing it though.

Create something everyday.

Joan

The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has. 

Michelangelo

Doodling...

I was at an event a week ago and I brought along one of my doodling books that I can carry in my (big) purse.  Over the course of the evening I worked on this mandala…I don't usually make them so intricate, but I like how this one turned out.

I'm trying my best to work with zentangles that are not "contained", but rather flow around the page…..and to use colour rather than just black sharpie.  This particular book is bound with Mixed Media paper by Canson - boy what a difference paper makes.  I'm usually doing my doodles in my found paper books, which are fantastic, and work perfectly.  But the flow of the sharpie on this paper is wonderful. Now - what would happen if I changed to a "good" pen.

Create something everyday.

Joan

The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person. Abraham Lincoln

May Mandalas

Thought I'd share some of the mandalas I created during the latter part of May - some big, some small, some ready for sale, some in journals.  The above vibrant orange one is on a square piece of cardboard - I'm not sure what I'm doing with them yet, but it will come to me eventually.

Another done on a square piece of cardboard - 12x12.  It's actually the support piece of cardboard for our Stampin'Up! Designer paper - I don't throw anything out!

I had this background painted on a square canvas and decided to draw a mandala on it.  I like the final set of triangles and the 3-D look I gave them.  I'll be selling this one at the farmer's market this month; so I added a quote to it.  It's put on with molding past so it adds some texture to the whole piece.

There are those times when I'm out for dinner with friends and they're used to me having a doodle book in my purse.  I can't say I'm entirely pleased with the way this one turned out - but it is interesting and you're not going to produce art that you love every single day - that would just be crazy!

I'm pretty sure this is on a 12x12 piece of cardboard again, but I used some spraying through a stencil before doing the design.

This is a favourite journal spread. I like the open-ness of it and the colours that I added.  I have this mindset that zentangles and mandalas are done in black - but I know that is not true - AT ALL - and I do like when I've added colour to the mandala, not just drawn it on a coloured background.

This one is a bit different what I've done before because it's turned out square.

Finally, another done on a piece of support cardboard.  I couldn't continue the mandala into the one corner because of the writing - I wanted it to be clean.

Create something everyday - practise practise!

Joan

No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist. 

Oscar Wilde

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been doing a number of pages or projects in the past little while and apologize for not having posted them in a timely fashion!

On the above piece I painted the background with  a variety of different colours.  After the paint was dry I drew circles all over the pages and then took Payne's Grey to cover the background except where the circles were drawn.  Because the background was drawn beforehand, I could choose where I wanted the circles to be based on how the paint looked; thus choosing my favourite spots to highlight.

               

I'm really not sure how I feel about this one - I like the process, just now how my bird turned out.  I created the background with yellows, pinks and greens.  The bird was created using a stencil, but only colouring in the sections that would create the birds wings and body.  You wouldn't be able to do this with a stamp - getting the reverse image for the two wings.  I then drew around the stencil to get the image of the bird, highlighting it with more paint.  The words were added with molding paste and a stencil.  A stencil was used for the white squares in the background, and I used the edge of an old gift card for the blue stripes.

These are the pages I did for my last "Inspiration Wednesday" with Donna Downey.  There is always a little "page" included in each spread which makes it interesting when building the spread. I used spray paint for the random numbers on the page - that was a first and sort of fun because you get the "faded" look to some of them.

This is not a page I'm completely pleased with.  I attached the little tags onto the pages a long time ago, then  I covered them with blue paint after highlighting some words on the adjacent page….which  then covered lightly with orange.  Finally I decided to do a zentangle in each of the tags and multi-crossthatching in the background.

Prompt 59 was mail ephemera so I covered the background with corners of envelopes I ended up with after soaking off stamps. I then covered the page with old postage stamps and added a bit of colour around each on in the end.

Prompt 56 - Fortune or Horoscope - well, I guess I actually opted out for using Zodiac since I'm an Aquarian.  I had fun using inks and alcohol inks on the left page  to create the different waves/drips of blue to write the characteristics of an Aquarian.

Prompt 60 was simply - Scribble.  Children scribble all the time as they learn to hold writing/drawing tools and before they learn to control the tool to create a straight line.  I think once we've learned to control the tools, it then becomes a bit difficult to let loose with the tools and just scribble.  It took me a while .  I kept doing "repeated designs" until I just let go and scribbled.  The circles were done on purpose with the different pen colours.

This is a mandala I did in a new little book.  It's a bit different than then other mandalas I've done because I alternated designs within a "round".  I like the way it turned out - except if I was to do it again, I would not add the swirls around the edge…..sort of took away the effect of the rest of the mandala.   Try and learn.

Well, back to work….

Create something everyday.

Joan

Old Mandalas

Here are a couple of mandalas I did during the summer in a couple of my altered books - of course the above one is from Canada Day this year.  My maple leaves in the middle aren't perfect - but none of my mandalas ever are.

Have a great day -

Create something everyday.

Index cards 41-47

I loved the bridges that we saw through the countryside in Scotland - we didn't see the actual 'Harry Potter"bridge, but a few came close.  I sketched this out using a photograph I had taken.

Great way to use up some of the sticky letters I have.

I pulled the definition of doodle out of the dictionary - so that must have been the prompt for this card.

Focus or Blur

I love doing these sorts of designs - but it can be hard to keep things straight!

A Mandala on this spacey sort of background that was done on a gelli plate.

I can't remember what this prompt was, It might have been plaid or dancing.  I found a little package of kleenex that had these highland dancers on them.  I added blue tissue paper around the outside and let it hand over the edge.

Hope you're enjoying your fall day.

Create something everyday.

Joan

Mixed Media Canvases

Yesterday I attended a workshop at the Alberta Orff Chapter as part of my professional learning for my music classes.  However, I also had the honour of being able to display and sell some of my Mixed Media canvases which I created just for this workshop….they're all music themed.

I'm excited about the idea of doing more for their boutique and for creating others to sell.

Hope your weekend has gone well,

Create something everyday.

Student requests

I found one of my student's art journals on top of the lost and found, and before giving it back to her I decided to draw a mandala in it for her.  She was very pleased, and her mother even wrote me a note of thanks.

Last week, another students asked if I would draw in her journal.  I realize I didn't add any colour to this one - but that's okay.

Create something everyday - even if it's for someone else.

Joan

More Doodled Quotes….

Another group of quotes I worked on over a weekend….

The tulips on this one are from a paper napkin.

More Mandalas

While I was working at the trade fair I worked on a number of canvases that I had pre-painted….it was calming to relax during "down" times and draw the mandalas….and to have people stop and watch what I was doing.  Gotta try out the Fort Sask. Farmers Market to sell them.

  

Have a great day -

Create something that calms you,

Joan

Dragonfly sketches and mandalas

Prompt #31 was to sketch a diagram of something.  I had no idea what to do - but then I thought I'd do a dragonfly because I just love dragonflies.  I copied a stamp that we used to have at Stampin'Up!, and then googled the different parts.  There was a wide piece of washi tape already on this page (part of hinging my garden gate) so I just tore where I needed space to draw and reattached the "scraps" to the page.

I've been painting some canvases and then drawing mandalas on them - in hopes of being able to sell them.  I took them to the Trade Fair I was at recently, but had no luck.  I'll have to try another venue.

Another mandala I had ready to sell.

Hope your day is going well,

Create something everyday,

Joan

Zentangles and Swirls

Thought it was time I tried a few new zentangles …..there are so many to choose from!  The background for this page was leftover paint from another project.

Bit by bit my little 6x6 zentangle book is filling up.  I added a bit of extra stuff to this basic tangle….that's what so fun about them - you can start out with something basic and flourish it for yourself.

I did this while sitting in a waiting room.  I quite like the movement the lines create!

Create something everyday - and add some of your own flare.