Practice

I stumbled across this quote recently and thought it to be so true.

If you want to achieve anything; be it in art, in sport, at work, the only way to improve is to practice. Then practice some more.

I find that if I haven’t painted for a couple of weeks, once I pick up a brush again, it takes a little while to get comfortable with it again. Do you ever find that?

So I made myself a little reminder….

If you like it, feel free to click on it for a larger version. then right click and save.

Frame(edited) and bird are from The Graphics Fairy.

Have a great weekend!!

Update : Imagine the Impossibilities

If anyone is wondering what’s happened to my “Imagine the Possibilities” challenge for January - well …. 

My studio hasn’t got much further than moving a few things around and loads of planning. (I could have guessed that much!!) Shannon always says all I ever do is move the mess around.

My gallery wall – I bought a letter “H” for it yesterday which I am going to treat to some sort of paint or mixed media and I’ll add it to the wall. I also plan on putting my new ink portrait of Shannon on the wall and my next ink painting will be the same size, but of Reece this time, so I’ll have two new ‘family’ portraits for the gallery (Or as I fondly call it “The Hall of Horrors”).

Exercise - What did you say? Okay well, um… I actually started last week full of good intentions – I walked with my ipod & the sweet sounds of Adele  in my ears. I enjoyed it. I actually did. Amazingly! Then I had art class, rushing with kids, then followed by 3 days of a migraine. Monday I started feeling fluey (is that a word?). Friday. Still done nothing more as I have razor blades in my throat, a head cold on the way, which is very slow, but it’s obviously been on it’s way all week – bet it’ll properly arrive this weekend –ugh! I know- excuses! But I can't really do anything when I’m feeling yuck. So hopefully next week will improve. I have to!

So I guess in order to achieve my challenge, I have loads of work to do by Tuesday!! Eek – where did January go?

But you know, it’s okay. After listening to a few of Jeanne Oliver’s inspiring chats, I realise it is quite okay if you don’t manage everything and if everything isn’t perfect. It’s okay.

I have been practising my photography too by the way- here’s a couple of photos I took recently that I love! They are all straight out the camera and taken in our garden- no editing!!

The dandelions & windmill were taken on our pavement.

What I’ve been up to…

Not blogging- that’s for sure!! Yip, I have neglected my poor blog of late. BUT, I have been doing so many other things that I guess that kind of makes up for it.

So here’s what I’ve done…

I been scrapping (don’t fall off your chair!). Okay, not paper scrapping, but digi: I kicked my butt into gear by doing a couple of challenges over at The Digichick :

Template Challenge:

Colour challenge:

One Little Word challenge:

For this challenge you have to choose a word to use for the whole year. A word that you can apply everyday and occasionally incorporate in your scrapbooking.

All 3 of these layouts were done with one kit- the January collab from The Digichick called “The Daily Details”. A really versatile kit!

My art classes (Tues & Wed mornings) also started up again and I completed a charcoal drawing of a Baobab that I started over December.

Then I started with a new medium : Indian Ink. Can you say AWESOME? I love it. Never played around with ink before, but it’s going well. I started off with a portrait of my daughter. It takes some getting used to as, although it is a little like watercolour, it has a stronger pigment. So the colour is strong and once dry, it’s permanent, you can’t soften lines with a bit of water like you can with watercolours.  (Unless it’s cause I’m painting on fine canvas – correct me if I’m wrong – I’m new at this). It’s fun and I can see myself playing around with ink for a little while still…

On top of all this, I have also started an amazing mixed-media class online. What fun! I have always wanted to play around with more mixed media and this has really taught me to be more adventurous. The class is called Creatively Made by Jeanne Oliver. She’s lovely.

The course is over 4 weeks and each week includes a few motivational videos to get you creating as well as art projects that she leads you through with loads of inspiration and tips. She gives alternatives to the media she uses too which is great as often I can’t get everything here in SA. In fact you would be able to create artworks without buying anything as you can actually use what you have lying around. But of course, I have a {teeny} addiction to art supplies- so yesterday I popped off to Jimnettes for my fix. If it wasn’t that I had to run off to fetch kids at school I would have spent over an hour there, but alas, I had to restrict myself to 40 minutes.

I digress.

There’s also a private facebook group where you can upload your artwork to share with others taking the class. This is really great as it’s fun to see the different styles.

I was desperate to start so I grabbed a journal I use for making notes for my art classes. The front cover even had linseed oil spilt on it and had a tear. Now it looks like this :

I first applied gesso to prime the cover, then layered vintage papers on and then got going with some paint, watercolour pencils and charcoal. Fun! And I didn’t buy a thing beforehand! I chose this image as I love Artemisia Gentileschi. I copied this painting 2 years ago for a Baroque assignment we did for art classes where we had to paint in the style of the old masters. Obviously the fact that she is painting is also appropriate for a journal for art class notes. I loved the loose casual style of the mixed media – not precise and perfect.

So guess what I’m doing today? Oh I am so going to do another piece this morning… This time on canvas.

Chat soon,

Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge

 

I recently stumbled across a blog called the space between.

Karah & a few blogging friends are running a fabulous challenge for January which I think I am going to challenge myself to do. Here’s the story…

Doug Larson once said “Some of the greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible”.

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Uhhhh, are you talkin’ to me?  Like directly at me, with a harsh glare and aggressive pointy finger?

That’s ok, I’m not in denial.  I know I’m not the brightest bulb in this chandelier of life.  But I sure do try hard.

So, when I got an email from Karianne at Thistlewood Farm and Kelly from Eclectically Vintage (yes, the same Kelly who featured my personalized map dresser - Thanks again Kelly!) telling me about their great idea I was all in!  Picture me sliding my whole stack o’ chips to black. 

I didn’t even know about this Doug Larson guy quote until Karianne mentioned it, but man, is it true or what?  When she came across it she got to thinking, what was her impossible?  What did she truly believe she couldn’t do?  Then, what did some of her blog friends feel was impossible?  THEN, what if we all decided we were wrong?

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“Imagine the Impossibilities”.

 

As soon as I read the idea I got to thinkin’, what, if I were smart enough to know better, would be impossible?

A gallery wall with only one screw hole in the wall?  WHAT?!?  That’s totally impossible.  Isn’t it?

Well, we’re about to find out.

How many screws do you think went into these walls?

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See, Karianne and Kelly came up with this awesome idea to challenge ourselves to a little Imagine the Impossible project.  They invited a few of their best blogger buddies and we invite all of YOU to take the challenge.  The Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge.

What would you try if you had no boundries?  What ideas do you have floating around that you (or others) think are just nuts?  What do you really just want to try even though a big part of you thinks it’s just not going to work?  (Uhhh, can you say gallery wall with one screw hole in the wall?)

It could be anything people!  Skydiving, mountain climbing, creative writing, closet organizing, gourmet cooking (or homemade bread making as Karianne will be trying).  Is it lamp painting, table decorating, long distance running, kayaking?  Your impossible is just that, YOURS!  There’s no too big or small, right or wrong.  What limitations have you set for yourself that you might, just maybe, be able to talk yourself out of?

Oh, just Imagine the Impossibilities!

In addition to myself, here is the cast of characters.  Just click on their blog name to jump over to their site and check out some of the awesome stuff they have done already and learn more about their impossibles.

• Kari – Thistlewood Farm.  Cooking is not her thing, but homemade bread is her challenge.

• Kelly – Eclectically Vintage.  For all of you with basements that become black holes filled who knows what, she is going to be purging and organizing 16 years stuff.  We might need to send her husband down if she doesn’t resurface before the end of the month.

• Linda – It All Started With Paint.  Painting a vaulted ceiling definitely sounds impossible to me.  Yikes!

• Stacey – A Sort of Fairy Tale.  For someone who has hovered at the pillow case stage of sewing she will be attempting to sew a purse.  I didn’t even know people do that.

• Andrea – The Cottage Market.  She is going to be organizing her craft room.  I wonder if she could use any tips from here.  Oh, wait, she said craft room, not craft bookcase.  My bad. 

Our self imposed deadline is January 31st and we will all be posting weekly updates between now and then so check back often to follow the “I Might Be Screwed (Just Once), A Gallery Wall Experiement”.

All of our efforts, AND YOURS, will culminate in 6 separate link parties on January 31st, one on each of our blogs.  I personally, cannot wait to check out all of the links and pick a few fav’s to feature!

Here’s how to join!

1. Comment here with your personal impossible
   
2. Grab our cool button (Thanks Andrea!) and get your best bloggy buddies involved.
   
3. Check back in on our progress, my update posts will be on Mondays (Jan 16, 23, 30) and I’d love comments about your progress along the way.
   
4. Join our Link Party on January 31st.  We will all post the outcome of our impossible and I can’t wait to see yours!

Let’s do this!  Tackle the demons.  Dream the big dreams.  Move mountains.

What is your Impossible?

So let’s join in!

I will also post my progress every Monday : 16; 23 and 30 January) & will be linking up on 31st January. This will be fun, challenging & I’m gonna kick my butt into gear!

I plan on tackling not only one, but 3 challenges!

 

Will I manage to do all three? Well I certainly am going to give it my best!!

I’m going to start today!! – Are you?

Vxx

A New Year, new projects, new ideas

Are you also enthusiastic for the New Year? Every New Year, I get a warm ‘n fuzzy feeling inside, I feel rejuvenated and ready to take on NEW things.

This year I want to reNEW, change and create!

Here are the plans:

• Move into our long-anticipated bush-lodge holiday home - After extensive renovations which have taken about 8 months so far. We’re hoping to be all settled in with (new!) furniture and all by the end of February. (Will soon show you some “before & after” pics.)
• Re-do all the upstairs bedrooms at home from top to toe – including the floors. Yippee- can’t wait for this!
• Tidy up & revamp my studio (again!) – an ongoing project! –‘nough said!
• Exercise till it makes a difference – & then keep it up!!
• Start sewing my own clothes again! I really need to do this - I used to really enjoy it!
• Paint a whole lot more!

So, that being said, here’s to 2012!

I’d also like to share a painting with you that I completed in November 2011. I loved this gorgeous vintage postcard from The Graphics Fairy so much that I printed a copy and kept it for ages before I got around to painting it.

I love how it turned out. I had modge-podged scrapbook ‘script’ printed paper onto a canvas and decided to do a slightly mixed-media painting by painting the angels on top. I kept the edges of the painting quite expressive and undetailed and even scratched into the paint here and there.

The faces of the angels were just to beautiful not to do in more detail, so they got given a more realistic approach but again, I changed it here & there as copying the original ‘to the last brushstroke’ is not my thing.

Hope you all have a peaceful, happy & creative 2012!

Vxx

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