29 Faces - Face #8

Saturday night was spent at The Art House Studio taking a Watercolor Whimsy class with Donna Downey!  I really wanted to take all of her classes...but decided on this one because she was showing us how to do a gel medium transfer as well as using Gelatos...two things I really wanted to try.

I chose to use the copy of one of Donna's stamps.  After spreading a thin layer of gel medium (Golden Gel Matte) onto the canvas, I laid the ink jet printed copy face down onto the gel medium and burnished it for a few minutes.  Carefully lifted the paper to reveal the print...easy peasy!  If I'd known it was that easy I would have tried it ages ago!

We then added gelatos to the face...then the hair.  Donna used my canvas to demonstrate the hair and the drippage...love drippage!  We then did the background, finished the face, added texture to the hair, and added stamps to the background.  I love it!  Will definitely try more with both techniques. 

Thanks Donna! Great class!!!

29 Faces - Face #7

I could watch Vivian Keh (Contandina K) http://contadinak.wordpress.com/ create all day long.  Her work is so inspiring.  I decided to try my hand at some of her techniques.  While not nearly close to Vivian's level I am pretty pleased with the result. I gessoed a sheet of watercolour paper, then used a feather stencil and modeling paste to add texture to the page. I then sketched in the face. I also used a small circle stencil to add additional texture.  I then used a variety of spray inks to add colour, allowing it to drip over the page and modeling paste.  I added some details to the face with a paintbrush dipped in spray inks.

29 Faces - Face #6

This face came out of nowhere!  I was prepping another page to do something I had planned out in my head and found I had a bit of extra gesso on the card I was using to spread it with.  I flipped open my journal and it landed on a page...a really ugly page covered in streaky Payne's grey.  I set it aside to dry as I worked on my "planned" page.  While the planned page was drying I returned to the ugly page...and was totally amazed to see parts of a face...an eye...jawline...shape of a head.  I quickly sketched out what I saw, filling in the details.  Then I grabbed my long neglected Pan Pastels to add some shading. 

I love that some of the streakiness of the original ugly page is still visible through the gesso and Pan Pastels.  For some reason, this is one of my favourite faces I've ever done.

Now I guess I'd better get to work on the "planned" page!

Sept 2013 29 Faces Challenge - Faces 1-5

A bit slow out of the starting block for the September 2013 29 Faces Challenge, but at least I have started.  First I did a few pencil sketches...practicing different views. 

 

 

Then I took one of these and copied it over onto a journal page that had some "mop up" paint on.  I wanted it to be 'rough', done quickly with minimum paint strokes and colours.  I actually quite like how it turned out. 

 

 



Gelliaxing - Relaxing with My Gelli Plate!

I felt the need to get the creative juices flowing this weekend and what better way than to get out my Gelli Plate.  I had a piece of cardboard that was already folded and perfect for a journal or mini-book cover.  I still have to punch the holes, add the inner pages and decorate the rings, but this is what it looks like so far.  I'm leaning towards filling the book with watercolour paper and using it with watercolours, Twinkling H2Os and Gelatos.