10 Minute Warm Up

Today I am trying to work on some illustrations for a story I wrote about a girl called Lucy who wants to fly.  My normal children illustration style is quite detailed.  I have done a couple in my usual style but something tells me it is not right for the story.  So, I thought I would try a more childlike style in Painter.

Here is one of the illustrations in my usual style.  The story is a picture book for 3 - 5 year olds. An age group which is out of my comfort zone!

What do you think; the childlike style would be quicker as the story needs 17 – 20 pictures. Lol.

Linking to Diana Evan’s 10 Minute Warm Up

Silver Fern

For  Diana's 10 Minute Warm Up I have painted a Silver Fern.  In fact it is yesterday's entry as well as it has taken two days to do.  I find greens quite a challenge; they can look quite harsh sometimes.  But I think I succeeded in getting a softer look.  I used gouache it seems to be softer, I think because it is opaque.

Silver Fern

I love silver Ferns, they are our national tree and the leaf is our national emblem (see my welcome badge on sidebar), not the Kiwi.  In certain light, the underneath of the fronds are silver, and that use to fascinate me as a child.  My Dad’s bush farm had hundreds of them and some were giants and pushed through the canopy of the bush, creating a wonderful texture.  There are not that many in the region that I am living in, here in the Wairarapa, it is mostly cabbage trees!  Yes cabbage trees, they are like giant dracaenas.  Perhaps I will paint one next week as there is one across the road.

Linking to 

The Lace Curtain

Finally!  I have finished this journal page.  I posted about it on Monday/Tuesday for Earth Day at Diana Evans 10 Minute Warm Up.  It started off as purely watercolour but as I went on, I more or less, used whatever I could lay my hands on.  I will also link it to Julie Balzer's Art JournaL Every Day.

I have been doing a lot of digital work this week due to my shoulder (thanks for the kind comments last week).  I had a scan this week and apparently the tendons have come away from the rotor cuff, the upshot is that I need an operation to fix it.  Meanwhile I am to restrict the use of my arm.  Computer work is good because I don’t have to move it much.  I can manage to do small works in my journal, so all is good.  The creative juices won’t be stopped!

For a while now I have been working on a series of digital work for a joint exhibition with a photographer friend.  I have been neglecting it a bit so now I have no excuse to forge ahead.  So I got started in earnest on Monday using MOM to get me going.  I finally worked out my theme – Behind the Lace Curtain

The lace curtain because I cannot help thinking how we woman tend to hide behind things, we reveal but don’t reveal.  I have been getting into vintage photographs a lot lately, maybe because of the book project I am doing for my family.  I was going to use family photographs, but when my friend Shelly said her family would get upset if she used her family photos, it made me stop and think.  So I will use vintage free copyright photos from the net, however I have changed them so drastically that they might not be recognizable from the original.  I will try and use one of my grandmother’s from when she was 17.  But, I will ask around the family first.

I am not too sure about this one, may be add a quote, but the fullness of time will reveal.  I like the pose as you can image a story behind, her first dance, honeymoon?

This one talks to me of a young woman waiting for her beau, peeping out from behind the curtain with anticipation.

This last one has a cast of sadness, a child peeping through from the outside, envious of what she sees inside.  It is a bit biographical for me, as a child I was always the outsider, looking at other families wishing I had a family like theirs.

For the images I used Photoshop and had layers of photos, original art work for textures and of course the paintbrush tool to create colour etc. etc. 

For a bit of fun I created this from some vintage art from Freubelsl Freebies. The sea I painted in Painter with some embellishments from some free brushes I down loaded from Annika von Holdt.  I feel it needs a quote and all I could think of is “Who is the monster!”  That could be because I have become so use to having words on my journal pages.  What do you think does it need words?

Have a happy Paint Party Friday and a creative week.

Linked to

10 Minute Warm Up

Art Journal Every Day

Paint Party Friday