online journal class - week three

remember my pollyanna's garden series?  it's been a while since i drew and watercolored those quirky little flowers...and it's been a while since i put "make a book using pollyanna's garden illustrations" on my to-do list.  so, this week i decided to combine two projects into one.  

my sue bleiweiss online fabric journal class is in its third week now, and my project was this simple hinge book.  the covers are made from some of my favorite polka dot fabric and the illustration was printed onto a piece of canvas and then sewn to the front.  inside, each one of my illustrations is printed onto italian velata paper and separated by a piece of moss green canson paper.  

here are some extra photos...i hope you like it!  for a larger slideshow, click above on "view all images" 

card party

it looks like all of the gals in pollyanna's garden got together for a little party!  well, sometimes i do wonder what goes on in my studio when i'm not there...but, actually, these are just some notecards that i made recently using my flower images.  setting up the template in photoshop was the most time consuming part, but, in the end, i'm happy with the result.  they look great printed on linen card stock and i placed a piece of speckled bond paper inside to make a smooth writing surface.   

kindred spirits

i still have some "pollyanna's garden" ideas floating around in my head, and i've been wondering what these little gals would look like in a grouping, so i had to satisfy my curiosity.  it looks like check-mate and swirly girly have been friends for a while...and pollyanna couldn't be gladder about it.

love grows here

here is another ACEO (art cards, editions and originals) that i worked on this afternoon.  i'm still enjoying working on these happy pollyanna flowers, but i've noticed the past few days that i've had a nasty little itch to get back to bookmaking, which has been a passion of mine for a long time.  if you have some time to browse on etsy, there are some beautiful handmade books offered by talented artisans at a very reasonable price.  anyway, i think that pollyanna likes to read, so maybe i can come up with a way incorporate her garden with my books!  i'll have to think on that...

oh happy day

after all of this moving and getting settled in, it felt good to hold a watercolor pencil in my hand and do something creative.  today i decided to do a small original, an ACEO (art cards, editions and originals).  these pieces measure 2.5" x 3.5" and are highly collectible by many artists. i've certainly done better lettering in the past, so it just goes to show how important daily practice is!  of course, this piece is meant to be whimsical and a little off-beat, so i guess it turned out just the way it was supposed to turn out.  so, good ol' pollyanna strikes again, just when i needed her...makes me kinda glad, you know?

swirly girly

pollyanna's garden continues to grow....here is flower number six in the series.  with all of this horrible weather from tropical storm fay over the past couple of days, it was wonderful to be able to hide in my studio for a while and paint something happy and colorful.  i can still hear the wind howling outside, and the rain continues to beat on the windows, but this swirly girly reminds me that better days are ahead.

harley-kin

i didn't realize that pollyanna had such a green thumb!  harley-kin is the fifth in my pollyanna's garden series, and if i had to choose favorites, she would be towards the top of my list.  i really love her quirky nature, and i've always been partial to blue-purple flowers in the garden.  and, i'm still having fun painting these little darlins...

heart-2-heart

finally, here is the first flower in my pollyanna's garden series. you may have seen this flower in a previous blog post, titled "joie de vivre".  that original watercolor was actually created for walther's sweet aunt nellie, who recently turned 85 years old.  i enjoyed working on her gift so much that i decided to paint another one...and, well, the seeds for pollyanna's garden were planted!  thank you for indulging me in posting all of these happy little paintings...they put a smile on my face, and i'm hoping that the same is true for you!

rosey o'dottle

all of the rain that we've had recently has been good for pollyanna's garden! rosey o'dottle is a cheerful, colorful flower, which makes her a perfect pick for this happy flower series (plus, i'm having fun naming them, too!).  my challenge in painting this was that i wanted to use lots of bright color...and when i did, it looked awful. i finally realized that the design of the flower is too complicated with the swirl and dots, so i had to keep the color somewhat monochromatic. in the end, i like the results and i think that rosey will be happy in the garden!

crazy daisy

here is part three in my "pollyanna's garden" series. not too wild or too crazy for our standards, but perfect for this little garden bed.  my time in the studio has been somewhat sporadic lately, so when i catch a moment of creative time, i like to do something fun, colorful and not too serious. have i hit the mark? 

check mate

this is part two in a series that i'm calling "pollyanna's garden". i just love this little flower and i am also loving these colors together. in my pollyanna world, i can just imagine several rows of these check mates lining the flower beds, ready to invite new friends (mates) to come and join them. i absolutely love doing this type of artwork...it's happy, colorful and very feel-good. life has been a little complicated lately, so this garden is a perfect place for me to be.