Gee Marie

Face #3 for 29 Faces in May

So, yesterday I seemed to have stumbled upon a style and technique that I really love so I am exploring it a little more. This is another mixed media on wood(4"x4") using acrylic, collage, stamping and charcoal. I really like the color pallates, the texture I am seeing  and using charcoal, yes, I think the effects of the charcoal is what i love the most. 

You can see all the posts in this series by clicking 29 Faces and if you want to see others visit Ayala's 29 Faces May page there were over 100 participants last time I checked! 

29 Faces "Day 2"

Here is "Face #2" for the 29 Faces challenge. Check out the first post in this series to find out more about the challenge. I'm still so excited about this challenge as it fits perfect with my love for drawing faces! This faces is a mixed media painting...I used acrylic paint, collage, stamping and charcoal on wood to achieve this look, has to be one of my favorites. Thank you to everyone who is stopping by to see my progress, I love reading all of your comments! 

29 Faces "Day 1"

In Need of a Creative Challenge?

Time for another challenge! I came across the 29 Faces May challenge just in time to start tomorrow, May 1, 2012! Are you in need of a challenge? It's a great way to give yourself a jumpstart and push your creative limits. You can read about Ayala's 29 Faces Challenge here: 29 Faces May

So, what is it all about? We have 29 days in May to create faces, any face, any medium.  Pretty simple really... the faces can be anything you want them to be, found anywhere you happen to find them...on paper, in nature, at the end of a needle and thread...anywhere and everywhere. Be sure to visit 29 Faces if you want to join in!

Imagine the Possibles...art journaling

Here is one of the pages from my last Art Journaling meetup... with two great quotes from Lewis Carroll and Emily Dickinson...
I absolutely love hanging out with great friends and creating, laughing and sharing! 

"It is a poor sort of memory that only works backwards." ~Lewis Carroll

"The possible's slow fuse is lit by the imagination"
~Emily Dickinson 

The Mouse Trainer

Stock Images used:
Model
Background
Clock
Door
Chair
Clock Mouse
Chair Mouse
Door Mouse
Floor Texture
Wall Texture 

The Mouse Trainer on DeviantART

More Photoshop Love <3

So...after obsessing over the latest issue of Stampington's Digital Studio I pulled out all of my Photoshop resources and got busy.  My head feels like it is going to explode and I have remembered how easy it is to lose several hours learning and practicing digital photo manipulation.  There is so much to learn in Photoshop, so much to remember, so many terms and concepts it is incredibly overwhelming but oh so rewarding to finish a project.  So, in honor of my committment to Creative Every Day 2012 I present "My Purple Hair Daze" for today, March 16, 2012. 

If you are curious, this was created with 3 source files from deviantART:
Model: http://fav.me/d4mzzrl
Raven: http://fav.me/d4hg3o7
Background: http://fav.me/d4s8q9v

Turning a Doodle into A Digital File

I have always wanted to do more with my doodles but struggled over the years because I wasn't sure how to efficiently clean up a scanned version of my doodle in order to make it useful in other ways. Most of the struggle has just been around learning Photoshop and the time it takes to really be proficient when using the software. In the end it really isn't that difficult, not even complicated. The hard part is understanding the terminology and feature needed to meet the end goal. So, I googled "clean up a sketch using photoshop" and found a video on "How to clean a sketch in photoshop". Turns out you can use Replace Color(in the Image menu under Adjustments) to achieve this goal. It worked quite well, so well I'm actually posting my doodle, all cleaned up and in a digital file! Sometimes it's the simple things that make me smile and conquering a small task in Photoshop is definitely one of them!

Sketchbook Project - A Peek Inside!

As promised I am sharing one of my pages from my Sketchbook Project sketchbook.

"Vintage Dreams"

Mixed media, acrylic paints, india ink, collage, stamping.

The due date for Sketchbooks to be mailed in to Art House Co-op was January 31, 2012 and that is exactly the date mine was postmarked. It felt so good to complete it and get it turned in on time! I was notified that they have received it and it is catalogued and awaiting the tour to begin! The first stop is Brooklyn, NY April 14th to the 30th.  Fun times! The closest stop to me is Portland, OR May11th to the 13th and I am hoping to make it down there to check out all the amazing sketchbooks! You can see the tour schedule here: Sketchbook 2012 Tour Dates

Sound like fun? Sketchbook Project 2013 is on the horizon!

ATCs and Art Dolls

January and February have been creatively BUSY! ATCs and Art Dolls are just a couple items I have to share at the moment!

I thought I would share some of the ATCs I've received from my Willowing ATC Swaps lately...

Here are two from my partner Kylie in Australia, the theme was food and drink, aren't they lovely?

You can learn more about Kylie on her blog: Blissful Pumpkin

These are from my partner,Renee, in the Netherlands, the theme was ladybugs.

You can meet Renee on her blog: How about my life?

and here are two "Star" themed cards from my Wisconsin partner CeeJay, lovely!

CeeJay has an etsy store you can visit: CeeJay's Creations

Art dolls have also been keeping me busy lately and they really are so much fun to create. I really love how they take on a life of their own. I worked on two during the last month one was for a workshop I taught in January and the other was just for fun because I wanted to create a doll using wire as the armature. 

Here is the one I made for the workshop, he is very steampunkie :) 

How do you like his keyhole and key necklace? Love that detail!

And here is my ghostly girl, she is in need of a wispy dress and I am brainstorming right now about how to make one. So far the plan is to make a slip dress out of a vintage handkerchief.

And finally, I will end with a few of the ATCs I sent to my partners:

I've been busy with my Creative Everyday challenge! Stay tuned and I will share one of my sketchebook project pages with you!