More fun with different styles!

I've been playing again lately. Trying out new styles, new techniques. Lately I've been trying to work with gesso and colour washes or stains. I've also been trying to make my style but with a twist. This much I know...my style is not Teesha Moore style or even really a Smash-book kind of style. I do like collage, but I don't collage memorabilia. What I do love, and it's in my designs both in digital scrapbooking and art journaling is grunge. I definitely have a knack for grunge. I love the loose creativity of it. I've never been one to doodle, or draw, and grunge suits me for sure.

But how do you make grunge happy? or feminine? This was my challenge. And I've been following a new blog called Art Squared, where two of my friends, with different styles, provide a weekly challenge. So, I gave it a go. And I went for a happy page. Here's the result:

I'm really liking using the watercolours, acrylics, distress stains and charcoal or oil pastels to highlight different elements. Yep, I'm thinking that this is pretty much me, even if it is a little happier than most of my pages. It was a fun challenge and I have to say that I enjoyed it because I learned!

Pleased as punch!

I did it! I survived another Monday at work. It's true. And I seem to be edging out of this flareup that has lasted nearly a week. I guess I really overdid it on my so-called vacation. My father-in-law came out for a visit. The first one in three years, so of course we wanted to treat him right. And consequently I overdid it. Don't get me wrong...I enjoyed it. But I did too much.

The whole time during my vacation when we were away from the house, I wanted to be home, arting. I found art journaling just weeks before the visit really, so it's a new passion, one that I want to practice often. And I am loving it. I knew from being a digital designer that I had a creative streak but I never gave art (outside of the computer) a chance in my life. Well now I am, and I'm quite loving it.

It relaxes me, helps me focus, gives me a quiet time alone, which all women crave now and then. And I'm learning new things that have me really excited. See even though I'm doing collage and painting in my art journal, I've never ventured into actually drawing because, well, you see, I can't. Or at least I didn't think I could. I can remember faintly memories of drawing as a child and loving it, but when I caught site of the drawings years later, I hated them. I found them rudimentary and boring. Hello! I was a child! But I'm very hard on myself, you see. I've always pushed myself to be better, more accomplished, somewhat too much maybe. So I gave up painting and drawing and took up music instead.

Well now, over 3 decades later I'm drawing. And loving it! I've finally figured out that it's not all about natural talent. It can be learned. There is a science to it, and my right brain is starting to get it! I've checked out some videos, and some streams from some new art friends, and I've set pencil to paper. My first portrait was pretty much done free hand, without any pencil sketch at all, just to try out some $2 oil pastels I got from the dollar store (what a haul, but that's another story). I'm pretty happy with it, but I wanted something more whimsical.

And then watched another video and it all came together to form my first whimsy girl drawing. I'm pleased as punch with her. And here's a funny thing. Yesterday was a bad day, physically. But after spending an hour or so working on my latest girl, I got the most glorious surge of energy! I wanted to dance around the house! Singing and goofing around. Positively giddy with energy! I know that this is the right hobby for me, all these years of searching.

I could get blue and think of all the years I could have spent arting and having all this fun. But what's the point? I'm happy NOW doing it, and I don't think I've even touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of where this can go. So stay tuned to check out my latest work. Hope you love it. I'd love comments.