Studio Vee

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!

3 by 3, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

On a whim, I decided to make three pieces instead of one for Rose Wong's 3 by 3 project. This was just a quick play with watercolor and India ink. The "love" was then written in using white acrylic ink.

I'll share the final one with you on Wednesday.

Last I checked, she received a little over 200 pieces and was hoping for 400-500 pieces. Did anyone else here decide to take part?

3 by 3, part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Rose Wong is a talented artist currently attending school. A current school project that she is working on, called 3 by 3, is a music video featuring the art of anyone that chooses to participate

I love her work and decided that I wanted to take part. The main guideline for the project is that the piece has be 3" by 3" and then mailed to her.

The picture above was my first creation. It was a a quick close-up sketch of a picture I had recently taken at the zoo. Then painted around with watercolors. This actually took me a full day to do - working on bits and pieces when I had a few minutes free.

I know her deadline is coming up, but is anyone else interested in joining in? I would love to see what you come up with!

I decided to make a couple more, so I'll have those ready to show next week.

Roller Coaster Rides

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:49:00 +0000

micron pen in mixed media journal

At the beginning of the year, my husband asked me why I didn't choose to go down a certain educational path even though he thought that I was really good at it. Being horrible at answering questions on the spot, I just shrugged and said that I didn't like it. He pushed a little more and asked me what specifically did I not like about it. Again I shrugged and answered that I just didn't.

Why one path and not the other?
His question was stuck in my head. What didn't I like about it? Why did I choose to go down a completely different path even though I was good at it?

Eventually, roller coaster rides came to mind.
Have you ever rode a roller coaster that was full of twists and turns and loops, only to decide that you never want to ride that specific ride again? And then jump onto a another roller coaster also full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and loop-the-loops, except this time when you are finished you want to hop right back onto that ride?

The path I chose not to do down, was like the roller coaster ride I did not want to go back on. Even though it was so satisfying to be able to complete projects in that area, the ups and down of those projects made me miserable. The process was bearable, but the problem solving felt like I wanted to tear my hair out.

The path that I am on now, I would love to get on that ride over and over again. Though at times I may get frustrated at the ups and downs, and the learning process may throw me some unexpected curves, I still welcome it with open arms. Whenever I have a chance to ride it, it makes me smile.

Roller coasters and focus
When I finally started making decisions of what I wanted to focus on this year, the thought of roller coasters stayed with me. As I looked at each activity, I started to take a look at what really gave me a thrill and which ones were just pretty good. If I got really excited about it, looked forward to both the ups and downs, then it was a keeper. If there were parts of the ride I didn't want to part of, then out it went.

I'm sure there will be times when I want to rethink an activity or maybe add on something I've never done before. But the roller coaster analogy has helped me really look at how I feel about each activity, and I hope that sharing this may help someone else as well.

Finding Focus

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Still overwhelmed with all of the artsy Christmas goodies I received, pushing my need to focus.

At the end of each year, I deal with the holidays and spend precious time with family. At the beginning of each year, I spend it catching up on household duties that would get neglected due to the holidays. Somewhere in there I throw in resolutions, "one little words," and try to think up projects to do for the year.

This year, I chose to take on 2012 differently.
I didn't choose a resolution, word, or project. I decided to make January a month of pondering. I wanted to really think about what I want to focus on and what needs to be pushed aside. And so I kept quiet here, to keep thoughts of what others might think out of my mind. There are so many things out there in the world of the internet, that it is so easy to get lost and buried under it all - especially with my ever wandering mind. There is so much I want to do and try, but at the same time I know that I can't do it all without sacrificing the things I love to do most.

After some careful thinking, I decided to make a few changes:
1. Drop knitting. There is one project that I have been working on, I want to finish that one up (which may take a REALLY long time at this rate) and then put away the knitting supplies.

2. Drop beading jewelry. Beading is fascinating. I like looking at it and figuring out how it was made. But when I think about projects that I want to work on, I don't think like it enough since I always push those projects to the end my "I want to do" list. I have one project I want to do in the next month or two as a present for someone, but after that the beading supplies will be put away.

3. Take up sewing. Yes this is an add-on, but I got a sewing machine for Christmas and it has been on my wish list for about five years. The ideas are already churning!

4. Focus on watercolors and drawing. Because of the artists that I follow on blogs, I am exposed to a lot of mixed media art. As much as I love that, I cringe over the crazy amount of supplies that I see them use. Hey, don't get me wrong! I love to see their work and more power to you if you have both the room for all of it and time to really get to know ALL of those supplies. I don't have the room or the time. So I will stick with watercolors, some gouache, and drawing supplies (and maybe use up some of my patterned paper collection along the way). I want to get to know my limited supplies better, improve and learn techniques, and really make my style mine.

Let's see how we do for 2012!

The picture above were most of the artsy goodies that I received in December. Clockwise they are: Brother CS6000i Sewing Machine, Derwent Watercolour Pencils, Derwent Inktense Pencils, The Steampunk Bible, Olfa 45mm Rotary Cutter, Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings and Drawings, Personal Geographies, iPad, Wacom Bamboo Stylus, and a few Studio G alphabet stamp sets.

Break Time

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I've decided that it is time to take a break from blogging before the real holiday craziness begins. I have craft projects to finish, desserts to bake, family and friends to spend time with, and some major changes coming my way. It's a time to relax, enjoy, reflect, and make new plans.

I want to thank all of you for stopping by, commenting, and bringing tons of inspiration and friendship.

I'm looking forward to a new year of inspiration and art! See you by mid-January!

Making It Mine

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Last week, I came across a tutorial by Jill Berry to make geo-papers. I am a sucker for maps and map-like things, so I had to give it a try.

I ended up only using what I had on hand: watercolor paper, watercolors, India ink, and a spray bottle with water inside. My final outcome was with the image below. I tried to keep with more natural looking colors to make it seem more map-like.

I really liked both the process and the outcome. The problem with the outcome was that it didn't feel like it was my work. So I decided to play with the process a little more and make it mine. I used colors that I normally enjoy using and included my love of hearts and arrays. The song, "All you need is love," popped into my head as I was finishing this off. I like the use of we instead of you, so I wrote in "All we need is love."

It definitely felt more like me and I wanted to continue. This time I knew I wanted to play with blue and orange. Rays of sunshine felt so appropriate and I immediately had "I Can See Clearly Now" stuck in my head. I had to go with it!

This one was so much fun! The only issue I had was that I made all the lines uniformly thick. Oh well, lesson learned! Next time I just need to reach for something that would vary the line thickness. On to another one!

Now we're getting somewhere!

What have you done to make something you have learned into something that is yours?

I chose to giveaway the heart and first sunshiny ones for a couple of mail art swaps, but the final one is now in my shop.

Building a Rainbow

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Daisy Yellow thought of a great idea to build a rainbow. Each day we were to pick a color of the rainbow and make some art with it. We could do any or all of the colors, no big rules to follow.

Here is what I came up with this past week:

Pink/Red

Yellow/Orange

Green

Blue

I wanted to play with watercolor pencils and make use of the white of the paper in each of these. Each were done fairly quick and a little on the simple side. Though I enjoy them as is, I may go in and add more to them at a later time.

Just an FYI, I'll have to make due with my iphone photos until I can get my scanner up and running again.

A Glimpse Back at AEDM

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Art Every Day Month ended a week ago and I can't believe that I made it! I started participating a few years ago, but this is the first time that I made it to the end.

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that stopped by to visit and thank you for all of the encouraging comments that were left along the way. I had a such a great experience, lots of inspiration, and found even more artists to admire. I could use the break of doing this daily, but look forward to next year!

The Final Days of AEDM

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

This past week has been pretty quiet for AEDM, considering that I didn't feel like showing redundant pictures of a very slow going knitting project. By Day 29 I ended up feeling like I had enough knitting out of my system and was ready to start drawing again.

The problem was that I didn't know what I wanted to draw. So I ended up grabbing my favorite drawing book, Drawing Lab, and picked the first lab that I opened up to (which happened to be Lab 36: Machines and Inventions). I have the holidays on my mind!

AEDM Day 29 - watercolor pencils, ink, gel pens

On Day 30, I knew that I really wanted to draw the little rhino statue I have had sitting on my desk.

AEDM Day 30 - watercolor pencils, poster paint pen

And with that - we're done with Art Every Day Month!

Knitting Up a Storm

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Once upon a time, someone came to my house and dropped off two uncovered pillows with the promise that she would make some original pillowcases - one for each of my kids. These uncovered pillows sat and waited, came along with us through two moves, and still sat there uncovered. The promise probably long forgotten. I don't sew, so I left those pillows to wait and see if they really would get covered by that promise.

One day I was looking at my yarn stash and thinking that I needed to use up or get rid of some of it. I remembered the pillows that still sat and waited and immediately started knitting. I decided to make a patchwork pillow with what I had on hand. It has been months of knitting here and there, but this past week I decided to spend my AEDM days finishing it up.

I was so relieved to finally get my son's pillow done, that I decided to get started on my daughter's. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I'll have it done in time for Christmas. Might be hard, since I'm probably the slowest knitter in the world!

AEDM Weekend Catch Up

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Hello and happy Monday! I surprisingly got a lot done this past weekend for AEDM.

My husband had flowers delivered to me last week and I've had roses on my mind ever since. On Friday, I decided to try another loose method of randomly dropping a couple of wet watercolors onto watercolor paper. From there, I lightly layered in colors to form the rose. Lastly, I grab my trusty micron pen and inked in the final lines.

After I was done with my rose, I threw in a couple of final details to something else I feel like I've been working on and off for a while. I bought a couple of gel pens and decided that I wanted to try it out! So I colored in the borders, added in a couple of colors around the letters, and after who knows how long I've been working on this - I'm calling it done.

On Saturday, I woke up with a stomach ache. By midday, I added on a headache and fever. I wasn't sure if I could handle getting anything done for AEDM. I eventually found myself clear-headed enough to grab my sketchbook and doodle for a little bit.

On Sunday, I was feeling a little better, but I decided to keep it easy and just hang out with the family. Towards the end of the night, I decided to doodle a little to keep the AEDM groove going.

Now to enjoy my kids week off and get hopping on more projects!

Falling for Doodling

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Day 17 of AEDM using watercolors, markers, and gel pens.

Since I have kids that I love to make things with, I always have feeds I subscribe to that focus on arts and crafts to do with them. I recently came across a blog post from Pink and Green Mama that I really wanted to try myself. I did not use the same materials as her, but I loved the concept of breaking down an image and making each segment different (and I'm such a sucker for anything Fall related).

I always try to step away from doodles like these (I eventually get irritable and impatient with them), but every once in a while it's nice and relaxing to get back into it.

We are little more than halfway through AEDM, how is everyone doing so far?

Rowing Through

noreply@blogger.com (Vee) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:00:00 +0000

This was for days 15 and 16 of AEDM.

I started working on this on Tuesday, when my husband decided to buy Saints Row the Third, and finished it off on Wednesday. I liked the symbols and colors of the game cover, so I thought I would like to throw it all together on a journal page. It was a quick sketch with watercolor pencils and then outlined with a prismacolor marker.

This could have easily been done in a day -- Though video games may be fun to play, they can be REALLY boring to watch others play. I ended up falling asleep while working on this Tuesday night. Oops!