.....for I have lived today

A Year in the Life of an Art Journal #2

2012-01-31T05:02:00.000-08:00

So we are on to the second prompt - (you don't have to do all of suggestions, but the prompt is the whole point). This time it came from a guest host to Rachel's Blog, a lady called Susan.

THE PROMPT: Imagine
ie: what's in your imagination or where do you imagine yourself

THE STUFF: Pictures or words from magazines/newspapers etc
ie: Words, letters or images that develop your idea

THE TECHNIQUE: mask/stencils
ie: can be anything from flowers, letters, rubberbands or professional mask or stencils

~*~

I tried to use all the ideas this time. The word IMAGINE is stencilled at the top and I cut words and pictures out of magazines to describe what was in my imagination. I also used a ridiculouly small stencil for the tiny arrows, which I won this past Christmas out of a cracker :) My I also point out that 'Imagine' is written inside a cloud as I desperately also dream of blue skies, dear God where are those blus skies, I have been living in a constant cloud here, in N.Ireland, white and shades of grey EVERYWHERE you look.

I would have liked to used a ' professional mask' but I have no idea what that is, so.....

#6

2012-01-28T04:57:00.000-08:00

I was naughty, I have never done anything like this before! I took an old book that was going to go to the Charity shop and I cut out sentences! Oh my God - this, coming from someone who daren't even break the spine of a book when reading it. In fact this is coming from a person who got the amazing Wreck this Journal as a bithday gift and it took me 2 weeks to do anything destructive to or with it, even though that was the explict instructions.

It was an Agatha Christie book 'By the Pricking of my Thumbs' - Agatha was also the wife of an archaelogist and incredibly clever - just like me - hahahahahahaha. Anyway I am trying to make myself feel better by referring to the many blogs on art journals and the book I bought which say it's a must to rip out pages etc from books... Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I also ripped out 3 pages from the book to use as a background (the shame is still killing me, haha).

I just loved the way the elderly couple spoke of their marriage as being simply enjoyable and maybe not exciting and filled with adventure but a realtionship that brought quiet joy. That is what I have, so I guess this page is a bit gushy *blush*

I have also started to protect all my little pieces with watered down PVA glue.

#5

2012-01-27T04:21:00.000-08:00

In a Cafe

Last weekend A. and I ended up in a cafe on the corner of University St and Botanic Ave, called French Village. They do the most delicious buns, the weather was foul and we had missed lunch so.....well, excuses, excuses... We got ourselves a nice big cup of coffee and a huge traybake each. Mine was a Raspberry Ruffle and A.'s was a Caramel Square (I couldn't finish mine).

It was a lovely atmosphere with students, professionals and elderly people all chatting and enjoying the good food. The lady beside me was darned annoying though as she talked to her baby, loud enough so the whole blasted street outside could have heard. But still, I had my bun....

I've never drawn whilst out in a cafe before but it was a trendy crowd in our wee corner and I don't think anyone even noticed. I only did the line drawing and actually painted it whilst at the St George's Market on Sunday. It was dead there.

So here we go, the reveal..... I really need to get better at drawing from real life! *blush*

A Year in the Life of an Art Journal - Prompt #1

2012-01-17T03:44:00.000-08:00

I signed up to Rachel's A year in the life of an art journal as this is my first time ever at attempting such a thing and she seems like a pro. Each month she gives out 2 prompts to help those signed up to her site to unleash their creativity and maybe get themselves thinking in a slightly different direction. Plus we get to share and nosey at other members' work which is inspiring.

So this was the first prompt - (you don't have to do all of suggestions, but the prompt is the whole point)
1 THE PROMPT: Word
ie: along the lines of One Little Word, choose one word that embodies the way you want your year to be LIVED.

2 THE STUFF: Imagery ie: Use images, clippings... all to create the FEELING of the word you choose.

3 THE TECHNIQUE: PAINT/DOODLE
ie: paint and doodle on your images to further create the emotion of your word.

I chose Self-acceptance, which maybe seen as a bit of a cheat as it's hyphenated but no other word would do and it was in the Dictionary in all it's hyphenated glory so I stand by it.

After this and my last picture, I'm really liking watercolours now :) And of course my black ink pen (we are inseparable).

#4

2012-01-14T05:10:00.000-08:00

This is an ode to Daphne, one of the many fancy goldfish we have had on Andrew's new venture (read 'obession' hahaha) of keeping aquariums. We have 2 now.

It all started of with Andrew salvaging a huge glass tank from a work lab and we kept Dudley and Mortimer in there for a good wee while. Then Mort was the first to go... It made us think that, though we had done the best possible with pretty good basic knowledge of filters and pumps etc, we needed a proper aquarium if we were going to do this properly.

We have one downstairs that Andrew got for a Christmas pressie from me. In it was Dudley, Wilfred and Daphne. Now that particular tank has just had a huge makeover night night and now it houses 10 Neon Tetras.... and what looks like one side of our living room and me ;)

Upstairs is a huge one (though Andrew took me to a specialist Aquarium shop and ours is actually small!!!). In it we have the newly moved (and still alive!) Dudley and Wilfred joined now with Arthur and Fred :) Happy times.

However Daphne was my favourite.........

This started off as a quick, light pencil sketch as usual, then I coloured it in with watercolour pencils and wet them a little. It was only a base coat to see the shape of the picture.

Then I did something scary and new - I got a set of proper watercolours and painted it! Painted it like a proper artist painter person, with paint and a brush.

Finally, as seems to be my thing; I outlined and filled in with my favourite black ink pen :)

#3

2012-01-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

I started drawing flowers last week on night back whilst watching a film on tv. I had know idea where it was going and thought that I'd probably rub it all out in the morning, I had drawn it very finely with a 3B pencil so it wouldn't matter.

Over the next few days I forgot about it and got on with other tasks and the weekend etc. Then on Monday I decided I'd colour it in, just for something relaxing to do. I used my new watercolour pencils and by yesterday I had the whole thing roughly coloured and used my paintbrush for the first time to get a light base with the colouring pencils. Then yesterday afternoon and evening I was addicted and was layering colour on top of colour and actually painting - I've never done watercolour before (though I supppose watercolour pencils are a cheat). Finally I filled in all the gaps and made some defintion with a fine ink pen and voila!

I'll have to look up how you really paint as even in school I was too chicken and somehow managed to avoid it, hahaha.

Not bad for yet another first attempt and yet again this came out of my own noggin', how?, why? I don't know, but I kind of like it, especially the way the leaves poke over the edge :) *shy smile*

Can you tell I'm craving the summer and all those beautiful flowers?

#2

2012-01-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

Love

This was a strange experience for me as one night I just picked up my sketch book and some masking tape and started messing around without any idea where it was going. I ripped up the tape and stuck it down, criss-crossing strips over each other and then coloured in the shapes (with really crap felt tips) and took it all off again. I was left with random coloured blocks and I didn't know what to do.

An hour later I started to draw around them in pen so they stood out more and then I began to fill in the gaps with dots. Don't ask me why.

The next day I remembered this quote and decided it would be nice to write down, so used this page. Then filled in all the gaps with more dots, lots more and finally shaded around the shapes.

I don't know how I feel about this one, it just sort of happened without me thinking about it...but here it is :)

My 1st art journal page

2012-01-01T04:37:00.000-08:00

#1

On the theme of Christmas

This is the very first time I have done an art journal page. I wanted to show that Chrismas isn't quite such the Happy Jolly festive time that we are made to believe. I do not feel any happier, in fact I feel much worse, much worse indeed.

This is the first time I have drawn eyes too....

Invictus

2010-07-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

***

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

***

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

***

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley