giddy inner-grid-girl

the book "Local Color" by Mimi Robinson was recently featured
on my "Amazon recommends" list,  and i must admit that
the cover spoke to my inner-grid-girl so loudly
 that i was pressing the "purchase" button before i knew it!
 but the cover is just a sampling of what's to come inside, because
sprinkled amongst the pages are beautiful watercolor blocks
that Mimi uses in her art journal to celebrate and document her travels.

 after swooning over every page,

 i was really inspired to get in on the watercolor-grid-fun and

  i decided to focus on the trip my family and i took to Brussels a year ago.

this photo of my favorite hot chocolate was taken when

we first arrived in Belgium….after a long plane ride,

it tasted fantastic!  :))

 to help break down the colors in the photo easier,

i created this color palette using the eye dropper in Photoshop Elements.

{Mimi prefers to work from nature and 

does not mention creating a computer palette as part of her process,

but i found it helpful to get started!}

once i had my computerized palette,  i decided to get busy in my
art journal.  i printed my photo and palette, and then i started mixing
watercolor and i tried to match the colors as closely as possible.
the nice thing about this process is "getting close" is good enough….
whatever looks right to your eye is perfect!

once i had my watercolor palette mixed,  i painted blocks.
my inner-grid-girl was absolutely giddy…..

especially when i finished it with some lettering!

and while painting the watercolor blocks is great fun,
i couldn't wait to give my new palette a test-run
by creating some micro-doodles…..

and when inspiration strikes again,  i've got lots of room left on the page
for more micro-doodles and grid-girl block painting!
but for now,  i think it may be time for a cup of hot chocolate….. xox


you can find more photo/color palettes here on my pinterest board!

{supplies:   strathmore visual journal for mixed media 9"x12",
sennelier watercolor,  .3 mechanical pencil,  Photoshop Elements}

for more information about "Local Color" and a peek inside, click here

more winter comfort

while the winter temperatures continue to drop outside,

 me and my doodle pencil have been oh-so-happy inside 

channeling lots of goodies on my comfort list.   

for example, a personalized set of "elvie gloves" 

to keep my hands warm….

heading outside wearing

a pair of super cute boots, a beanie, and

 a polka-dot scarf….

wrapping up in a toasty blanket 

while enjoying a bowl of tomato soup and grilled cheese sammie….

wearing a pair of argyle socks and bunny slippers 

while swooning over the intoxicating aroma of 

chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven….

and always, always having a mug of hot chocolate nearby.

(actually, the cookies and hot chocolate goes for any time of the year…!)

it's winter and it's crazy cold outside,

but i'm super happy with so many things that truly warm my heart!

xox

{note:  the only thing i would change about this artwork is the paper.  

this project began as a simple doodle on a piece of textwove paper 

that i randomly pulled out of my drawer.  as i continued to work along,

i really struggled against the softness of the paper and it didn't take

well to erasing at all.  next time i'll definitely grab my favorite

fabriano artistico 140 lb. hot press paper!}

{supplies:  this artwork was created using derwent watercolor and

 inktense pencils and a .3 mechanical pencil on arches textwove paper}

winter comfort

happy new year!
 after experiencing one of the longest creative-dry-spells ever,
i welcome 2016 with my arms stretched up to the sky
and much joy in my voice!
 woo hoo!

but while i've been busy wrestling with a creative-dry-spell,

Mother Nature has been hard at work 

creating a super cold-spell….yikes!

so, me and my doodle-pencil have been hibernating….

and taking full advantage of all the comforts that winter brings!
xox



{this is a work in progress, lots of blank spaces to be filled…stay tuned!}
supplies:  derwent watercolor and Inktense pencils, .3 mechanical pencil}

a jar of jars

 i had SO much fun drawing and painting my little micro-jars,

but once i cut the page apart, i had a nice pile of micro-goodness... 

and all those illustrations were going to be hard to keep track of!

just like my chair collection, they needed a home.

so i grabbed two pieces of vellum and drew a jar on the top sheet…..

and then i sewed a tag on the front, 

along with some "lid lines" at the top.

then i clipped the two sheets together to keep them from moving around,

and sewed them together around the side and bottom edges.

once it was sewn, i trimmed the edges and filled my jar 

with all of those sweet little micro-jars!

these are my absolute favorite kind of projects…..

super easy, super functional, and super cute!

{supplies:  vellum paper, micron, scrapbook paper, 

colored pencils, pigment ink pad, 6B pencil, sewing machine}

from chairs to jars

just when i thought i was completely focused….

and totally immersed in one art fixation….like chairs, for example….

i turned around to discover lots of tiny little jars

had completely taken over my art journal!

happy-distractions can turn into lots of happy-fun!

{these jars were inspired by one of the lessons in danielle donaldson's

"storybook and studious girls" online class. 

supplies:  stillman & birn beta series journal, watercolor, .3 pencil}