☆ Positive Life Connections [Life Book 2014]

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Week 10 - Positive Life Connections: Paint Over Collage with Tam

So after Jane Davenport's pop up positives lesson, where I found it incredibly hard to find some positive qualities, I have been in a more positive frame of mind lately.

I have stopped (for now anyway) taking on other peoples shit as my own.

I feel like I have slowly been sucked me dry.

So while I can't in some instances + don't want to in others, stop seeing these people, I have to realise that their shit is their own story + I don't have to read it.

So after these amazing insights, into why I am feeling a bit down lately, I started Tams awesome lesson, which I worked on my positive life connections.

Recognising these, has also helped in moving on beyond the negativity surrounding me.

This is what I started with, a face, a hand + some scraps out of my paper draw, covered in clear gesso, I then painted over it.

This is where it ended up. And I love it.

My positive connection statement is

"your light is shinning on these stars + they reflect your unconditional heart"

And I love that!

What positive life connections have you made + how do they affect your life? I would love to know.

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☆ When Family come to stay... I have little time to play [Friday Art]

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Week 14 2014

It's a catch 22.

I have crap loads of work to do, a weeks worth of posts to flesh out, a give away to draw, a newsletter to write, I need to get some painting in, cause my soul is crying out for it + lets decide last minute throw make a video for the launch of Listening to your Squeak.

But it's also my nan's 94th birthday, a birthday we weren't 100% sure she was going to make, and my fabulous cousin + her kids are coming to stay for the weekend + I haven't see her since last year + I am desperate to spend some quality time with her.

A catch 22.

This life is a juggling act at the best of times, but this weekend, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to fit it all in.

I rediscovered something about myself, that since leaving the work force to care for my babies, I had forgotten.

I work best under pressure.

I don't have time to check my emails, or Facebook, or read that book, or play that bloody addictive app on my iPad that has sucked away hours of my life.

Under pressure I sit down, concentrate + smash it. 

Instead of the day it can take to write the newsletter, it took me two hours. 

Instead of deciding I didn't have enough time in half hour to paint, I splashed some paint on the page + ended up with something I love.

So this weeks friday art is this cute little blue haired girl + her mane of feathers.

And although it too a little more that half hour to do (Mac ended up doing the school run that day so I squeezed in another half hour)

So my question to you is, how much time do you spend procrastinating? Now I think most of the time my procrastination is beneficial, but it certainly doesn't hurt to review how much time you DONT spend on the things that are most important to you. What do you think?

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☆ Top 20 at Home to use in your Art {Art at Home}

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I have been thinking of late, about how easy it is to create texture in my mixed media paintings, with out spending heaps of money.

Part of the initial blockage that I had when creating + playing was that I had no money, to buy the beautiful stamps + tape + stencils that I saw in other artists work.

But since exploring the mixed media world in more depth, I have found that you don't need to spend a heap of money to create beautiful art.

So I though I would share my top 20 at home art supplies that you probably have already....

1. Toilet roll; 2. Bubble Wrap; 3. Masking tape; 4. Shower curtain ring; 5. Corrugated Cardboard
6. Cotton ball; 7. Piece of MDF; 8. Eye Dropper; 9. Skewer; 10. Wine bottle lid
11. Steel Wool; 12. Straw; 13. Screw; 14. Lid from hair spray; 15. Corks
16. Pixar (teeth cleaning thingy); 17. Washer; 18. Out of ink pen; 19. Craft Glue (ova); 20. Material, 21. Button

I use toilet roll + wine bottle caps all the time in my work to make cool looking circles. I love the way they aren't fully formed, best thing is, you can just dunk them in the paint! I turned the toilet roll on the side, which also had an awesome effect.

The mdf I used by blue tacking on the button + used it as a stamp. Turning it over gave a different pattern. This is so cool, especial cause I have girls, with lots of girls clothing, with lots of cool buttons!

I have only just started using corrugated card, and I love the patterns that you can achieve by rubbing on some paint!

Masking tape is the poor woman's washi tape!! You can stick it down + decorate it any way you like!

PVA/ Craft Glue gives the coolest texture. It drys clear + you can make really intricate patterns with it. The cotton ball gives a lovely textured

Use your straw to blow the paint in to interesting patterns (ink works amazingly this way too) or dip the end in your paint and use for circles.

 Use eye droppers to drop paint/ ink or scribbly lines - I have hundreds of these from the kids medication

I was so surprised with the Steel wool. The first picture I scrapped it along the page + the second was dabbed on... I prefer the first one!

I used the pen to make marks on some of the wetter marks, but I also dipped it into the paint + wrote with it.

 The corks gave an interesting texture, but you can also carve a shape into them + use as a stamp

I loved the texture of the material. The remind me of flowers.

I wasn't all that impressed with the washer + pixar. The washer was messy to use (+ isn't that a statement when your a mixed media artist!!) + I thought the pixar would make very cool textures, but I think it was too small didn't work as I imagined.

 Also the screw on the side didn't work as I expected, however the top of the screw worked amazingly!

Most of you all probably know about bubble wrap, but I love the way it looks in my art!

And the skewer - I didn't realise how versatile it was + gave some amazing textures.

So this is my spread so far...

Next month I am going to share with you some cool ideas from around the home to replace expensive papers + other ways to build up textures.

Did I miss something? Do you have an AT HOME or DIY art supply that you can share with us? I would love to hear what you use in your art work.

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