ArtiphyTheHeart

The Dignity Of Coloring

Almost every artist I know loves to color.  Anything.  Everything.  I'm no exception.  Coloring your own images is great.  But so is coloring someone else's.  Really.  It's something I learned in a drawing class in college.  If from time to time you take the time to color an image drawn by someone else, you'll find yourself working in curves, spaces, crevices and other areas that are new and uncharted territory, and you'll have to do what artists do best:  Make decisions.  Decisions that you wouldn't encounter if the image was your own, with your own preconceived idea of color placement.

The image above was drawn by Tammy Vitale.  If you've been arting around the web for a season or two, you may remember when Tammy's Wylde Women Award was being presented to artists online.  Take a peek at my right sidebar.  My Wylde Women Award is there.  What you may not know is that Tammy has a coloring book in .pdf format that she'll send you for free, and I really suggest you take her up on it, and color!  What a fabulous release.  Coloring!  Good to un-stick your muse if she's stuck;  Easy to take along if you're on the go.  Stay in the lines.  Or don't!  Use any media.   It's all good.  Just color!  Click the award or any of the links above and they'll take you to the .pdf.  Just do it!

There's one other person I must mention.  If you like the smooth gradients in the coloring, you should know that they're done with Prismacolor Premiere pencils only, without blending tools or fluids of any kind, and this technique which in reality (but not as much in this blog photo) resembles flat airbrushed gradients, is taught by an incredible artist, Terry Medaris.  You need to take a look at his website, so click on his name and get yourself there.   And if you ever have the opportunity to take a class from him, do it.  You will be privileged.  He is an amazing artist and an equally amazing teacher. 

Page Seventeen

Traveling Circus

   

I really have a thing for the circus, carnivals and clowns, especially those of the slightly creepy variety, so Theme Thursday's challenge this week was right up my alley!  This also led to thoughts of circus performers spending so much of their lives on the road, and living out of suitcases, which in turn led to thoughts of just how much one really needs to carry with them, what is important, and which things really add to quality of life, and which constitute excess baggage.  Page seventeen was the outcome.

Before I go, there's an award that my great friend Rosie Rowe bestowed upon me which must be passed along to ten other bloggers, one day at a  time.  You can see the award and read about it HERE.  Today I'm passing it on to my daughter for her wonderful blog, My Pointe Of View.  Amy, you make my heart smile!

Right now I'm:

Thrilled with some glittery new paints that came in the mail today

Wanting to make some fonts and stencils

Still smiling from a fun night out with my kids and their friends

Glad that I cleaned the badges and blinkies from my sidebar

Hope no one's upset or offended that they are gone

Have a great day, Everyone!

One For Lisa With Stripes And Flowers

My 2-Page Spread In Lisa's Book For Her Altered Board Book Round-Robin:

   

I'm really not a swapping artist.  "Oh yeah," you ask?  "When was the last time you were completely swap-free?"  "Well, let's see," I answer......"I think it was sometime back in 2007....just before I started blogging."  And it is true.  I don't consider myself much of a swapper simply because I like marching to the beat of my own drum and making artwork in my own way, with my own themes.  So why am I constantly involved in swaps?  Well, I love to share my work, and very basically, I am a social, artistic soul.  

Because of this, I try very hard to put together things that I think the recipient(s) might like, as opposed to just creating something out of the depths of the top of my head.  (Heh, heh, if you really knew me well, this would make sense.  Someone once said that the portion off the top of my head was as deep as any well....I'm still wondering if that was an insult or a compliment, but I do see the truth in it!) 

Joining swaps often leads me in directions that I would never go, left to my own devices.  Sometimes I find the journey tedious, but most of the time it ends up delightful!  And I always learn something new, taking away from the experience just as much as I put into it, and oftentimes, even more!

Which brings us to Lisa's book--with stripes (this week's Crazy Amigo theme) and flowers (this week's Created By Hand theme).  I saw a couple of new papers from Webster's Pages that were beautiful enough to be left alone and framed.  I collect papers, sometimes to cut-up, and other times just to use as inspiration pieces.  Then I saw the red, fuzzy and flocked woodland animals, and the storybook theme rub-ons from Cosmo Cricket.  I HAD to do something with all of these!  This may not be an original piece that sprung from the depths of the top of my head, but it is one of the most delightful journeys into collage assembly that I have ever taken!  Thank you Lisa, for giving me the opportunity to play with this stuff!  This was so much fun to do!

And because of this, and all the great journaling pages and other wonderful artwork on her beautiful blog, I am nominating Lisa Cornelius of Simple Journeys for the *Makes My Heart Smile* award!  Now there are rules attached to this award, but it wouldn't be fair to ask someone to follow rules that I'm not able to follow myself, so I'll leave it up to Lisa, whether or not she'd like to be simply honored by this, or if she'd like to actively participate.  The "rules" say: 

1. The winner of the Award places the logo on her blog.

2. She makes a link to the person who sent the award to her.

3. She nominates 10 blogs (one each day).

4. She links to these ten blogs.

5. She leaves a message on the blog of the nominees.

 

Follow the rules if you can, and if you wish, but know that I don't blog daily.  I blog without obligation (even though I don't display the button), and while I have a wonderful time bestowing and receiving awards, I cringe at bestowing obligation.  So, here it is--to honor you Lisa, and for you to pass along as you wish and as you see fit. 

 

For my own part, from time to time as I make a blog post, I'm sure I'll get back to this award.  And before the day (or at least the year 2010) is done, I will have passed it along to ten other deserving blogging artists.  In the meantime, a HUGE thank you to Rosie Rowe of Altered(T)Art And Stuff, my wonderful friend who bestowed this award upon me. 

 

Right now I'm:

 

Listening to a howling wind and thinking, "There's no place like home...

 

Painting eggs--for a swap, of course

 

Happy with myself for cleaning-up my blog a bit

 

Enjoying a few days of random blog-hopping to broaden my horizons and find a few more kindred spirits

 

Getting ready to round-up Toto and call out, "Auntie Em, Auntie Em"...this wind is LOUD!

 

I'll be back to blogging a bit more regularly soon.  It's not all wind and swaps around here...there are other things I'm up to, and lots and lots of paint is involved, so stay tuned!

 

Have a great day, Everyone!

Some Awards and a Tag

A Couple of Awards. . .

 A huge thank you and lots of hugs to Lisa Cornelius of Simple Journeys who graced me with the "One Lovely Blog" award weeks ago.  My sincere apologies for taking so long to post it on my blog and choose recipients.  How hard it is to choose recipients!  My method is to put the names of all my beautiful blogging friends in a hat, and pick two.  These are the two:  Louise of Kard Krazy, and Patty of Magpie's Nest.  Both of your blogs are completely lovely and wonderful!

More hugs and a thank you to my daughter, Amy, for the "Fabulous Blogger" award.  Amy has waited more than a week for me to post this, and again, I apologize!  I'm beginning to think I'll have to clone myself to get everything done in a timely fashion, but then you'd all have to put up with more than one of me, so I'll spare you that!  The two names picked from the hat for this award are:  Liz of Pink Petticoat, and Alberta of Amusing Muses2.  The hat did a great job!  Both of your styles and your blogs are completely different, and both are completely fabulous!

And The Tag. . .

 

The challenge for the week at Tag You're It is "numbers".  Valentines artiphy my heart!  This is my favorite time of year, and I can't get enough of them!  My tag is simple:  The Love14 is a Cuttlebug embossing folder, coupled with a die cut.  The button is truly vintage, found on one of my antique button expeditions quite some time ago, and the paper lace was made with my Martha Stewart border punch.

It's a busy time of year, and right now I am:

Adjusting to a completely different schedule

Listening to the Classic Vinyl station on Sirius/XM

Drinking a cup of french pressed coffee made with beans roasted by a friend

Finishing artwork for the 14 Days Of Valentines swap

Enjoying the gentle rain we've had for the past two days

Have a great day, Everyone!