Watercolor Animals

 Hello creative friends.  I recently decided to draw a couple of animals and then use watercolors and color pencils to finish them.  I created videos showing how I colored these drawings.  They are:

I really liked the way these turned out. What do you think?  Thank you for stopping by and watching my videos.  Happy Creating.

Watercolor Animal Paintings

 Hello creative friends.  I hope everyone is doing well.  I've been doing good.  I have to say my 100 day project has fallen by the wayside.  I guess better luck next time.  I am still working on creating animal drawings, but not daily like I was hoping to.  This past weekend I joined an online class with Aaron Blaise on animal watercolor paintings and really enjoyed it.  I also signed up for several of his other classes which I am looking forward to working on.  And I decided to join the Sketchbook Revival that is going on right now.  So I am keeping myself creating and working on creative projects.  Here is a picture of the last 100 day project watercolor drawing I did:

And here are the two watercolor painting I creating in the class this weekend with Aaron Blaise.

I think you can see the improvement in my watercolor painting just from this one class.  The one I did for the 100 day project isn't bad, but I think the one's I did in the class this weekend were much better.  We used colors that I would not of thought to use on these animals, but they work and definitely add more depth to the painting.  What do you think?  Thank you for stopping by.  I hope everyone has a great week.  Until next time, Happy Creating.

Watercolor & Color Pencil Kudu Antelope and a White Tiger

 Hello creative friends.  I hope you are having a good week.  My week is going well.  This week I have a watercolor and color pencil drawing of a Kudu Antelope that I drew for my 100 day project.  And I did more work on the white tiger painting I started last year.  Here is a picture of the white tiger painting and the Kudu Antelope drawing.

And here is a video showing how I created the Kudu Antelope.

I think I am done with the white tiger.  When I originally painted it, I was ok with it but I didn't love it.  So I decided to do more to it and now I love it.  I am also happy with the Kudu Antelope and how it turned out.  My original idea was to use watercolors to paint it.  But I wasn't getting the details and depth that I wanted, so I went over top of it with color pencils and am much happier with it.  Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you have a great week.  Until next time, Happy Creating.

100 Day Project and a Watercolor Cheetah

Hello creative friends.  I hope you are having a great week.  My week has been going well.  This week I have s couple of more drawings/watercolor paintings I've done for the 100 day project and a video showing how I created the cheetah.  Here are the pictures:

And here is the video showing how I created the cheetah:

I really like the way the cheetah and the bear turned out, not as happy with the owl, but it's ok.  One of the things I realized in doing this 100 day project is that I don't have to complete a drawing/watercolor painting every day, I can draw the picture one day and then paint it the next day or two.  The idea is to interject more creativity into my life and not to put so much pressure on myself.  So if I don't feel like doing anything creative one day then I may try to do something simple and less stressful and if it gets my creative juices flowing then I can do more.  Thank you for stopping by and watching my video.  I hope you are planning to do something creative, no matter how small, most days as well.  Until next time, happy creating.

Watercolor Fox

 Hello creative friends.  I hope everyone had a good holiday.  Mine was good.  I want to try to get back on track with posting more regularly going forward and hopefully have stuff to post about.  I decided to try to do the 100 day project to help me get more consistent with my creating.  And my project is to do more animal drawings and animal art.  To kick it off I did this watercolor painting of a fox.

And I recorded the process in the video here:

Even though I am going to try to do a drawing/paining every day, I am only planning to record one of the paintings for the week and post it on YouTube.  However, I will post pictures of all of the drawings/paintings I do for the week here.  I'm not sure I am going to use watercolors for all of them, but thought I would start with that.  I hope you like the video.  Let me know if you are planning to do the 100 day project as well.  I would be interested in what you are doing.  Thank you for stopping by.  Until next time, Happy Creating.

5 Quick Watercolor Sketches

Hello creative friends.  I hope everyone is having a good week.  Mine is going well.  This week I have 5 quick watercolor sketches that I completed of a trip I took to Gatlinburg, TN.  I love to see the sketches that others do with their watercolors of trips and wanted to do some myself.  Here are pics of the watercolor sketches I completed.

 A sketch of the sky on our way to Gatlinburg, TN

 A sketch of the Atlantic city skyline

 A sketch of a file on our way to Gatlinburg, TN

 A sketch of the cabin we stayed in, in the mountains of Gatlinburg, TN

The tunnel between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge

And here is the video showing how I created these quick sketches:

I like the way they turned out, but need a lot more practices with these types of watercolor sketches.  I have other trips and pictures that I want to practice sketching and completing in watercolor.  I envy those who can complete watercolor sketches on location.  And I know if I practice, I will get better and maybe one day will be able to do the same.  Thank you for stopping by and watching my video.  Until next time, Happy Creating.

3 Tags and an Art Journal Page

Hello creative friends.  I hope everyone is having a great week.  My week is going well.  This week I have 3 tags and an art journal page I creating.  The art journal page I created while out with the Journey Daybook club.  The Journey Daybook club met at a park that has a farm once owned by a writer.  We took a tour of the house and then spend some time art journaling.  I drew a part of the house and then used watercolors to color it in.  Here is a picture of the art journal page that I created and some other pics from the outing.

 

And the tags I made using Dina Wakley stamps, a Dina Wakely Stencil and Recollections Watercolor brush pens I recently bought.  I also used my Prismacolor pencils, Artistrove watercolor set, Pentel markers and Basic modeling paste.  Here is a picture of the tags I made.

And here is a video showing how I created these tags.

I had a lot of fun with the Journey Daybook outing and creating the art journal page.  I also had a lot of fun creating these tags.  Not sure what I am going to do with them, but they were fun to make.  Thank you for stopping by and checking out my video.  I hope you have a great week.  Until next time, Happy Creating.

An Altered Book Journal and a Painted Jaguar

Hello creative friends.  I hope everyone is having a great week.  My week is going well.  This week I have a new journal that I made for my Etsy shop and a Jaguar that I painted in my art journal.  The journal is made by altering a book and adding pages using plane and pattern paper.  I added some pockets and tags, and a ribbon book mark.  Here are pictures of the journal I created.

 

I really like the way this journal turned out.  If interested in purchasing any of the journals I made you can visit my Etsy shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JoysArt360  and you can see a flip through this journal on my YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/ZJmw8Bt2fxg    

 

I also have a painting of a Jaguar, I painted in my art journal, to continue practicing painting animals.  I drew the Jaguar and then used watercolor paints to quickly color the background.  I then used acrylic paint to paint the Jaguar.  Here is a picture of the Jaguar I painted in my art journal.

 

 

And here is a video showing how I painted this Jaguar.

 



 

I really like the way this Jaguar turned out.  Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a great week. Until next time, Happy Creating.

 



Mixed Media Canvases - The Key

Hello creative friends.  I finally got this video edited and thought it would be perfect for this weekends #lovesummerart YouTube Creators Video Event as well.  These are four canvases that I created recently using paint, stencils, stamps and ephemera.  Not sure what I will do with them, because my walls are already filled with artwork from various artists.  I wanted to create a grouping of canvases using mixed media and will probably use them as a Christmas gift or something.  Here are pictures of the canvases I created.

And here is the video showing how I created these canvases.

I hope you join in the fun over on YouTube for the #lovesummerart YouTube Creators Event.  Just search for #lovesummerart to see all of the videos posted by all of the creative artists that are participating.  You can narrow the search down to see the videos for just this weekends event and weed out any older videos.  Enjoy.  Until next time, happy creating.

Inspirational Paintings

Hello creative friends and Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it.  My granddaughter came to stay for the Christmas holiday and between all of the Christmas festivities, we managed to find time to do some art.  We painted an inspirational picture.  Here is the painting I created, I chose the word Create:

 

The tree is turquoise, but it looks more blue in this picture.  And here is the painting my granddaughter created, she chose the word Inspire:

 

 

We had a lot of fun creating these inspirational paintings.  My granddaughter also created a journal page.  Here is the journal page she created:

 





It's funny she painted a pink page, because pink is not one of her favorite colors.  But it turned out really cute.  I was really looking forward to having time to do some art journaling, but then was not feeling very inspired to create one.  Are there time's when you don't feel inspired to create?  If so how do you get past it?  I would love to hear about it.  We did have a lot of fun doing the paintings, I just wish I was inspired to do more.  Well until next time, happy creating and I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year.

Christmas Painting and Tribute Journal Page

Hello creative friends and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it.  Hope all is well in your world.  Mine has been very busy and not as much time for art as I would like.  Lately I have been working on a painting of my daughter and her fiancé as a Christmas present for them.  The picture I used was from a cruise they took during the summer.  Let me say first, I have never painted a picture of people like this before and am semi-happy with the outcome.  The painting has some resemblance to them, but not as close as I would like.  Here is the painting:

 

I painted it in acrylics.  I plan to practice more portrait paintings so that hopefully with more practice I will get better.  I guess the important thing is my daughter liked the painting.

 

I also completed a journal page.  This is one I had been wanting to do for some time now.  It is a journal page that is a tribute to my grandmother.  Here is the journal page:

 

 

My grandmother liked to sew, so I used a journal page that I had covered in dress patterns and used Ranger distressing inks to color the page.  I did a little stamping on the page as well. I added elements to the page that had to do with sewing and other things she like, such as hydrangea's and gardening.  I included two pictures of my grandmother, one when she was younger and one when she was older.  My grandmother was also very religious, so I included a picture of Jesus, and she was deaf, so I included a card that has sign language on it.  I added words that describe my feelings for my grandmother, such as special and a blessing and I feel she is my guardian angel and that she has beat the odds.  Even though she was deaf, she never let that get in her way or hold her back.  She worked a full time job, supported herself and two kids, my mom and uncle, and raised them as a single parent and managed to buy her own home.  She was a very strong woman and an inspiration to my life.  Have you completed any journal pages that is a tribute to loved one's or someone you find inspirational?  I would love to hear about it.  Until next time, happy creating and hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas.  



Lighthouse Painting

Hello creative friends.  This past weekend I painted a picture of a lighthouse to donate to a charity auction/drawing at work.  I painted it in acrylics and really like the way it turned out.  This is the painting I did.

This lighthouse is in St. Augustine and I have been wanting to do a painting of it for several year now, since the first time I saw it.  I had a lot of fun painting this and I want to do another painting like this for myself some day.  I drew and painted this same lighthouse on an art journal page I did after a trip to St. Augustine me and my husband took several yeas ago and posted.  Here it is again.

I really like this lighthouse and enjoy painting it.  So what have you been working on lately?  Have you ever donated your work for charity before?  I would love to hear about it.  I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving weekend.  Until next time, happy creating.

A Sudden Loss

Hello creative friends.  The week before last we lost a family member, our beloved pet Zeke.  We are still adjusting to the sudden loss.  My husband is taking it especially hard since he has had Zeke for a long time now, even before we were married.  This past weekend I found a picture of Zeke and painted a picture of him for my husband. 

 

He was a very beloved pet and he will be greatly missed.  Hope you had a good weekend.  Until next time.

Creative Fun with Kids

Hello creative friends.  This weekend I had my granddaughter.  I always enjoy doing crafts and art journaling with her.  Kids are so creative.  We made the following pictures.  The first one is mine and the second one is hers.  And FYI I copied her designs for the purple skirt and the green shirt. 

 

 

The idea came from the Art at the Speed of Life book I just bought.  Ours is quite different than how the book explains how to do the picture, but the idea of clothes on a clothes line did come from the book.  We first made our clothes out of pattered scrapbook paper and then glued the remaining scraps to a canvas board.  Then we used modeling paste through a flower stencil for the flowers along the bottom of the canvas.  We painted the canvas and then added paper flowers.  We added cardboard to the back of the clothes to add dimension.  We then put holes in the canvas boards for the ribbon hanger and the wire clothesline.  Finally we used glue dots to fix the clothes to the canvas board.  We had a lot of fun making these pictures and my granddaughter has a fun picture to hang in her bedroom.  Have you created something lately using an idea from a book, magazine or website?  I would love to hear about it and see what you have created.  Until next time, have a great week.

 

Ugly Artwork

Hello creative friends.  This week I was not feeling well so did not do much by way of art, so I decided to talk about ugly artwork.  Or at least what we perceive to be ugly artwork.  If there is anything I've learned over the past couple of years from art journaling, it is to not take myself so seriously, have fun and give myself a break.  In the past I would put so much pressure on myself to create "perfect" artwork that it took all the fun out of creating it.  Here are several examples of artwork that I created and at first thought was ugly artwork, but now see them and my artwork differently.

When I painted this picture I was so frustrated with it and thought it was really bad.  So much so, I threw it in the back of the closet and forgot about it until several years later when I moved.  I came across the picture in the back of the closet and could not figure out what I though was so bad about it.  So I framed it and have it hanging in my living room as a reminder to not be so hard on myself.

Here is a journal page that I created that I thought was ugly.  I still think it is ugly, the background ended up much darker than I wanted it to be and it turned a weird brownish/green color.  

But the few people I have let look through my journal all stop on this page and comment on how much they like it.  Another lesson learned, everyone is different and everyone has different tastes.  So even if you do something you don't like, or someone else doesn't like it, who cares, you can find just as many people who do like it.

Here is another journal page that I created and think turned out ugly.  The colors seemed to muddy on the page.

This year I finally was brave enough to start sharing my artwork online and almost didn't post this one.  However, I am glad I did because I received nothing but positive comments on this page and several people even tagged it as one of their favorites.  Again this has taught me to see my art differently and not to be so hard on myself. 

The two flower paintings I finished a couple of weeks ago and blogged about finishing after they had been sitting for more than 5 years almost didn't get finished.  I became frustrated with both of them before I even finished them and was considering covering them over with something else.  Now that I have finished them, I am happy with the way they turned out and glad that I finished them.  So what about you?  Do you have artwork you created that you was not happy with, only to have someone else like it?   I would love to hear about it.  Let me know what you think.  Until next time.



Unfinished Projects

Hello creative friends.  This week was a week to catch up on projects that have been long overdue to be completed.  I started two painting 5-7 years ago and half way through completing them I became frustrated and was not happy with the way they were turning out, so I quit.  All these years I have been debating on what to do with them - finish them or cover them up and reuse the canvases for something else.  Well this weekend I decided to finish them and am very happy with how they turned out.  Here are the two finished paintings.

I learned from finishing these paintings that you can not judge a painting, or a project, before it is finished and the details make all the difference.  The first painting was mostly finished and all it really needed was detail work done.  Once I completed the detail work, I loved it.  The second one was not quite as far along, however I was able to finish it as well and love how it turned out.  Have you ever had a project that you were not happy with, before it was finished, and was happy with how well it turned out once completed?  I have been wanting to move on to other projects, but decided that until these two were finished, I was not going to start any new projects.  How do you deal with unfinished project?  Do you also limit yourself to how many you can have going on at once?  I would love to hear what you think.  Until next time, have a great week.

Flowers in Bloom

This is an acrylic on canvas painting I created several years ago.  I gave it to my daughter for Christmas the year before last and she has it hanging in her bedroom.  I love the background colors and how the pink flowers pop against the background.

Iron Gate

This is an acrylic on canvas painting I did for my son and his wife for Christmas a couple of years ago.  I used a liquid mask for the gate, painted the background and then removed the mask and painted the gate.  I like the ornate design on the gate.

Lighthouse on Rocks

This is a painting I did for my hubby.  I painted this quite a few years ago for him before we were married.  We just got married this year in May.  It is acrylic on canvas and currently hangs in our living room.  I love lighthouses and I really enjoyed painting this one.