HAPPINESS DOES NOT DEPEND ON…..

"Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are, 

it solely relies on what you think"

Buddha

I couldn't wait to use these retro black and white bonnet heads.  They sat in my basket just begging to be used in a collage.  They spoke to me!!!  And….I love black and white against a bright yellow.  What could be more retro than that I ask?

Finished Collage

I tried something new in this collage…pencil!  I don't know why I hadn't done this before but while watching Teesha Moore in one of her videos for the Artstronauts Club she said that she uses pencil to add lines for interest…so I thought that I would give this a try.  I added lines around the rocks and a few lines for cracks. Then I shaded with pencil which is more subtle than the black gel stick that I usually use.  I really like it!   

(Oops!  I got carried away and started to alter the collage before I photographed it.  You can see the pencil lines around the rocks.  Guess I was really anxious to try the pencil.)

Collage prior to pen work

Until next time….

Hugs,

Ginny

THANK YOU FOR BRIGHTENING MY DAY

This one was a sleeper!  

I put off doing the pen work because, well…I just wasn't inspired 

by the color or subject matter but as I said before…

put pen to paper and go with the flow!!!

Just let it happen!

Completed collage

Collage prior to pen work.

I don't think that this needs further explanation…it is what it is!

The bug on the girl's dress and the lettering is from a collage sheet by Teesha Moore, the rest is from magazines and children's books.

Until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

THE UNIVERSE SPEAKS

Aaarrrgh….this collage was a real stinker!  I painted, repainted, added more collage, painted again.  I have sooooo many layers of paint on it that I finally had to say ENOUGH!

I think the problem was that the composition and colors didn't speak to me.  It started out predominantly red and yellow so I introduced the color green in order to provide more interest.  I made the heart shape into a martian face but it was too dominant and took away from the main character, the girl with the headdress. The solution was to cover the heart shape with a flower girl collage piece by Teesha Moore and by adding yellow paint to the main character's skin.  This created a better balance.  

Finished collage

Collage prior to pen work

This would have made a good Valentine's Day theme collage but you know how it goes…the painting sometimes takes on a life of it own and BOY…did this one ever!

Until next time…

Hugs,

Ginny

IMAGINE

"I think the artistry is in having insight into what one sees around them.  

Generally putting things together in a way no one else has before 

and finding a way to express that to other people who don't have insight."  

Steve Jobs

Sometimes the finished collage piece surprises me because it turns out in a way that I had never imagined.  Such is the case with this journal page.  I felt that it was pretty ugly before the pen work and I knew that pen work would really liven it up but this page took on a life of its own.  More embellishment with collage, the addition of the color blue, the tinting of the flowers to match the skin color pull it all together.  I think that it is one of my favorite pages!

Finished collage

Collage Before Pen Work

Until next time…..

Hugs,
Ginny

TIME TO COLLAGE

It's been a while since I last collaged in my "Teesha Journal."  

It feels really good to be back and doing what calms the stress of everyday life. 

 I don't get this feeling from other art forms and it is a puzzle to me why that is.  

Could it be because my other art work requires more planning and skill

whereby, collaging in my journal is more intuitive and there are "NO Rules?" 

With collage I can cut out different elements from magazines, books or 

collage sheets (my go to for collage fodder) and try them out in various locations 

on the page before I commit to gluing them down permanently. 

Then the magic happens…the pen work.  

This is where the "intuitiveness" come in….this is where I put pen to paper and 

color, doodle and draw until I like what I see.  

Until I feel that the page is finished.  

Sigh…..pure bliss!

Here is the finished page with before and after photos.

Finished Collage

Collage Before Pen Work

That's all for now.  I am working on several more pages in my "Teesha Journal"…so stay tuned!

Until next time……

Hugs,

Ginny

COFFEE CUP JOURNAL

I know that you have probably seen the journals made from a paper coffee cup….like the kind that you get from Starbucks.  Well….I was at Einstein Bagels and they had the cutest coffee cups that said "celebrate close knit friends" with a little cartoon dog pulling the end of the yarn.  Perfect for cutting up and making a small journal.  The coffee cup cosy had a huge black mustache on it so I used that as well.

Here is the finished result:

And…this is what I am drawing inside.  Whimsical faces (close knit friends) using collage news print and Inktense pencils.

That's all for now….Until next time,

Hugs,
Ginny

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wow!  This year traveled at lightening speed!  

WHERE DID IT GO?  

So many projects started and sadly...not completed. 

Yet...so many completed and hanging on the walls of my studio or hopefully, 

on the walls of friends and family that I gifted my art. 

With the start of 2015 it is time for me to make promises 

of what I hope to accomplish in the New Year. 

MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS:

1. Complete unfinished projects or swap with a friend to complete. 

2. Continue to learn new techniques and share with my blog followers. 

3. Blog more often and maybe even venture into posting video's of my art journals.

 4. Commit to placing all my energy into one art form with the hope

of finding my own style. 

This past year, I had done a lot of experimenting with

many different art forms which, I feel, resulted in my becoming a 

"Jill of all trades and a master of none!" 

In the New Year, I hope to focus on one art form…be it mixed media collage, 

drawing faces and the human figure, 

fantasy art/drawing from the imagination or 

maybe combining all three onto my journal pages.

A combination of collage incorporating drawing and painting of faces and people 

(animals too) all derived from the imagination. 

Sooooo….I guess that I better get started!!!!

Here are a few faces that will eventually find their way into my art  journals.

  

In closing, I would like to borrow a quote I saw on FB by Neil Gaiman and it is my wish for you:

" May your coming year be filled with magic

 and dreams and good madness,

I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone 

who thinks you're wonderful,

and don't forget to make some art…write or draw 

or build or sing or live as only you can.

And I hope, somewhere in the next year you surprise yourself."

                                                            Neil Gaiman

Let's make art as only you can and may you be surprised by its greatness!!!!

Hugs,
Ginny