Studio Vee

Hello 2013!

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a wonderful 2013!

Happy Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Wishing you a safe and happy Halloween!

Mahal Kita

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:00:00 +0000

"Mahal Kita" was the first alternate version to "I love you" that I ever learned. It's from my parent's native language of Tagalog.

The curves on this one were the most fun of them all! Plus different shades of blue, which happened to be my favorite color. What's not to love about this piece?

This is the final piece in my "Love You" series. I'm a little sad to see it end, but I do have other projects in mind that I want to try out. But, if there is a certain to way to say "I love you" that you would like to see, please let me know. It's a project I would love to get back to from time to time!

Previous posts in the series:
Love You
Je T'Aime
Te Amo

Te Amo

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I had such a blast putting this one together. The curves of each letter seemed to just flow into each other.

I really wanted to use the yellow and orange combination, but kept doubting myself. They are not exactly colors associated with love, but I'm so glad that I went with it!

Just one more to finish up and share later this week!

Je T'Aime

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:00:00 +0000

This is the second piece in the "Love You" series, inspired by scribbles in my sketchbook.

"Je t'aime" is just a beautiful way to say I love you. And blue and orange, my favorite color combination. Or course, I had to include it in something about love.

Stay tuned! I have two more to share next week!

Love You

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:00:00 +0000

One day I was feeling stuck. With no idea of what to draw or write, I grabbed a pencil and started to just scribble. One particular scribble grabbed my attention. The scribble turned into a play with lettering. That lettering turned into a small series of art for me.

This is the first part of my little "Love You"series. I had so much fun making them, I have three more to share later this week and next week!

Into the Deep

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I love it when I see something that mesmerizes me so much that I have to create something based off it.

I was watching a video about different sea creatures that were discovered deep in the ocean and became mesmerized by their wavy bodies.

I remember quickly grabbing my sketchbook and drawing them as I saw them. The more I looked at those quick sketches, my pages quickly filled up with those curves. Eventually, it was this piece that came about.

Cranky Bird

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:00:00 +0000

I was at a loss on what I wanted to work on today. I wanted something fun, easy, and different. As I was poking around this morning, I found a tutorial on making cranky birds by Dar Hosta.

The tutorial was an entertaining read and easy to follow. This ended up being just what I needed! A great way to loosen up at the start of the week.

Imaginary Animals Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:12:00 +0000

My favorite art book in my collection is Drawing Lab by Carla Sonheim. I took one of her Art of Silliness classes and loved it. She has been such an inspiring and encouraging person on the web. So when I heard that she was releasing a new book AND having a blog celebration, I had to pass the news on.

Starting this Sunday, she will be starting the celebration for her new book, Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals. Be sure to check it out -- I'm excited!

Going Digital

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

There are times when I either can't get to my art supplies or just don't want to. When those times come around, I love being able to play around on my iPad. It's so convenient there is hardly any excuse not to make something.

Above is one of my first attempts at abstract on the iPad. I'm loving the ease of use and it really makes me want to create more.

Zen Pathways

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I love how random things just come together. Pathways have been on my mind a lot lately. The path I chose to live has taken me to many unexpected twists and turns, but I continue to take each step towards what I want in life.

As I wandered the local library one day, I picked up a random book about Japanese gardens. Flipping through the pages, I fell in love with the gardens in the book. But what really took my breath away were the pathways through the gardens.

Taking the book home with me (and grabbing a couple of other random Japanese garden books), I absorbed as much as I could and then took the books back. They still stuck with me. The images and my thoughts/feelings about the paths I had chosen had to put down on paper.

I ended up making a series of four pathways and fell in love with each one. They surprisingly left me feeling complete at peace.

Wizardry and Gouache

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

My birthday was last month and I was surprised with art supplies. Art supplies are always on my wish list, as you may have suspected, but I received two things that I never put on my actual wish list even though I really wanted them. What were they? Gouache and colored pencils!

New to gouache, I borrowed one of my son's LEGO characters as a model and gave it a try. Despite being an "opaque watercolor," I quickly learned that it is nothing like regular watercolors. The paint is thick and fast-drying. Too much water also seemed to break the paint up after it dried, leaving plenty of cracks and flaking paint. I'm not sure if I put too much paint, but using colored pencils on top scraped some of the paint off.

I've got a lot to learn, but I love using the new materials and getting to know them!

Are you a gouache user? I would love to hear any tips or tricks you may have to share.

Weather Abstraction

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Surprisingly, I still love playing with abstracts. It has opened me up to becoming more open to mixing up what mediums I use, though I'm still trying to not go overboard on supplies.

The artwork above was created with watercolor pencils and acrylic paints. I seem to like using acrylics in bits and pieces. It is definitely growing on me.

I'm not happy with the way parts of this artwork turned out, but I loved the process and was surprised where I went with this. I think that I am heading in the right direction with this, incorporating a looser style and eventually mixing my more detailed work with some abstract.

A Break from the Abstract

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

As much as I am loving playing around with abstract art work, I still need to make time for what I normally like to work on.

Just because I like to work on something, doesn't mean that I can't push my boundaries a little. This is a little different than what I am used to. Normally I like to work with watercolor and micron pens straight on to watercolor or mixed media paper.

This time around, I layered patterned paper on Bristol board and then placed a light layer of gesso over the whole thing. The bird was drawn/painted with inktense pencils and highlights were added with gouache. The whole time I was trying to ignore the itch to use micron pens.

A lot more materials were used than what I'm usually comfortable with, but overall I loved the outcome. And I think that it still felt a like it was mine. Definitely a process I would love to try again!

Even More Abstract!

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Have you ever had one of those times when you worked on something and realized you should have stopped one step before? This is one of those times for me.

I was loving how this looked when I added color with my inktense pencils. When I started to take a water brush to the pencil work, I also started to get a bad feeling. I kept going with the thought that it might look better when I was done.

I am glad that I tried it though. I would rather try it once than wonder what would happen if I took that extra step -- though maybe next time I'll listen to my gut.

More Abstract

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

This one has turned out to be one of my favorites that I've done so far. Not only did it turn out better than I had expected - it was the most fun of all the techniques I've tried.

Abstraction is such a huge step out of my comfort zone, but with each step that I've taken so far I am so glad that I took them. And for the first time in a long time, I really feel like I'm growing as an artist.

I am always open to more ideas and would love to hear from you. What you are doing to step out and grow as an artist?

Abstraction

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

These may look familiar to you. I've added color to the black and white abstracts that I posted earlier.

I'm loving that I'm looking at art from a different point of view. It's becoming a little more alive and exciting.

I can't wait to dive deeper into this!

And the Winner Is...

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

ArtMuseDog and Carol! Congratulations on winning a copy of Personal Geographies! I will be contacting you today.

Please remember to leave me a mailing address by Monday, April 30th or I will be choosing a new winner.

Loosening Up

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I have been trying to loosen up my style. When I draw or paint, I tend to aim for realism and have a hard time veering away from that.

And so, I have decided to take Alisa Burke's newest online class, The Art of Abstraction.

My hopes are that by the time finish this class, I will be able to loosen my style, be drawn to a whole new style, or somehow merge the two.

For now, I am having fun just letting go with abstract art.

I will not be mentioning my process on these out of respect for Alisa Burke. So if anything you see in the upcoming weeks calls out to you, please do check out her online class, The Art of Abstraction. I know that I am loving what I have seen so far.

Don't forget that I will be announcing the winner of my giveaway on Friday to win a copy of Personal Geographies. It's not too late to leave a comment to enter!

TBP: Personal Geographies, Part 4 + Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

This is the final project that I decided to try from Personal Geographies.

My Heart Belongs in San Diego. Inktense pencils and India ink on watercolor paper.

Once again, this was loosely based off one of the projects of the book.

I absolutely loved flipping through this book, but as much as I loved the little stories and tidbits of inspiration, none of the projects really resonated with me.

Since this book is primarily about the projects, I don't feel right continuing to try working through it if I can't put my whole heart into it. So I'm passing this book on to you, one of my dear readers, in hopes that it will be an inspiration for you.

For your chance to win a copy of Personal Geographies, leave a comment of what a map means to you and a way of contacting you if you are the winner. I will announce the winner on Friday, April 27th. After the announcement, the winner has until Monday April 30th to contact me with a mailing address. Otherwise I will be choosing a new winner.

TBP: Personal Geographies, Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Here is another piece that was loosely based off a project in Personal Geographies.

Hand Map. 8" x 10". Inktense and Micron Pens on watercolor paper.

My favorite piece in the whole book was Carla Sonheim's take on this project, so I had to give it a try. Adding all the symbols onto my hand took so long it actually became a little meditative. And now I know the palm of my hand a little more!

Hmm, now that I'm taking another look at it, maybe I should have added a key . . .

TBP: Personal Geographies, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:14:00 +0000

I have started to work on some of the projects in Personal Geographies. But as it turns out, I'm veering from what the directions actually say to do and doing my own thing based on some of the examples I saw.

Meanderings of My Mind. 8" x 10". Inktense and Micron pens on watercolor paper.

This one took me a long time to make. In general, it should have been a short project - but I decided to make little bits and pieces of it complicated.

I didn't like the profile shape that I was supposed to use. So I kept trying to draw my own until I got a shape that I liked (though it looks nothing like me).

After I drew in some shapes and colored it all in with inktense pencils, I ended up letting this sit for some time. I wasn't sure what I wanted to put down. Should I be honest and just put down what ever I'm thinking? Should it be funny or serious? I was over thinking it big time!

Eventually, I just picked up a micron pen and wrote stuff down as my mind wandered about for the day. A bit more personal of a project than I'm used to. In fact, I was very hesitant to post this. But, I figured, why not? I gave it a try, right?

I would love to hear from you. How personal do you let your art projects go? How much do you like to share and expose, if at all?

Shattered

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I'll admit, I've been quiet. I have been working something out in my head and wasn't sure how to share it. Have you ever been in a spot where you are not sure that you are going in the right direction?

Shattered #1-4. Inktense pencils on watercolor paper.

I know that I love to create things, take things and make them into something else. I know that I love to draw with pens, paint with watercolors, and play with paper. Somehow, it doesn't feel like it's enough. I know that I'm missing something. But what is it?

I've spent days making the four images above. First something slightly penned into my sketchbook. Then I decided to try penciling it on watercolor paper. Playing around with shapes, measurements, and pattern (choosing my four favorite colors each time to not let color get in the way of my thought process).

I LOVED the whole process of constantly working it out in my head and thinking of the potentials of what I could do with. In fact, I still have a couple more ideas up my sleeve with this one.

BMO. Knit and then finished with embroidered felt.

My husband's birthday has come and gone during this whole thought process. As a fan of the cartoon Adventure Time, I decided to make softies of his two favorite characters.

Since I couldn't find patterns for either, both were made from patterns that I had to think through. I was in heaven through the design process, had a blast with the sewing machine (though slightly frustrated from not knowing what I was doing), and fell into a feeling of calmness as I embroidered the designs on (it was my first time ever embroidering anything). I can't say all of it was great - my kids had to check on me many times as I put down my knitting needles from time to time to scream. Yes, I've come to the point that I really don't like to knit. But the feeling of accomplishment was awesome (especially since they were both completed in a total of three days)!

Lumpy Space Princess. Felt with embroidered finish.

When all these projects were said and done, it left me feeling defeated - shattered. I want to focus, I love to focus - but I have no idea what to focus on. Which direction do I want to go? What do I want to work on next?

Have you felt this way before or are going through it now? How did you get past it or what are you doing to work through it?

TBP: Personal Geographies, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Over my winter break, I received Personal Geographies by Jill Berry in the mail. Even though I haven't had a chance to work through the projects yet, I thought that I would share my initial thoughts on the book.

In a quick flip through the book, I felt that the book was just full of different map-type projects that you could do and examples from different artists. None of the projects stood out for me, so I made the mistake of putting it on my shelf for when I wanted to try out a project.

When I finally decided to pick the book up again, I slowly started reading through it from the beginning. That was when I noticed the REAL gems of the book. But before I get into that, let me share an overview of Personal Geographies.

First, there is the initial introductory chapter. It discusses types and parts of the map, with tips on designing a compass rose and cartouche.

The rest of the book is separated into three chapters with 5-8 projects in chapter.
Chapter 1: Mapping the Self
Chapter 2: Mapping Your Experience
Chapter 3. Plans, Projections and Possibilities

As you can tell from the chapter names, they are primarily about looking into your self. Past, present, and future as well as both mentally and physically.

Each chapter is full of projects that are clearly written and accompanied with step by step pictures. Through out the book, you will find examples of the projects from other artists as well.

The gems of the book were the stories and inspiration. Not only did the author explain her map projects with the stories that brought them about, she also took the time to share what inspired her to create the project. The inspiration could have been a quote, a specific map, an artist, or even a conversation.

Another little gem was the artwork and stories from other artists. Every piece had a story attached to it to that the artist had written to explain their map. Some short and sweet, while some others were long and engaging. What ever the case, there were plenty of different perspectives for even more inspiration.

If you are looking for a book on making traditional maps, this isn't exactly it. But if you are looking to make variations of maps, want to look more into yourself, or just love to read stories of other peoples lives - then I recommend you look into this book.

I think that I will be trying out some of these projects fairly soon.

The Book Project is an ongoing project to put my collection of art and craft books to good use by working through them. You can read more about it here. I would also love to hear if you are working through your books as well or would like to join me!

3 by 3, part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

My final piece for the 3 by 3 project. Yes, the colors did actually come out looking that washed out. But that's okay! I think it made the word "shine" appear brighter.

May your day shine brightly!