Paint Party Friday - Week 37 - New Header! And W.I.P.

Hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving Thursday and have a great long weekend! 

I was working on two things this week - a watercolour pencil and paint play on the word THREE for Creative Tuesday and a notebook cover. I had so much fun creating this silly piece that I have decided to use it as a new blog header. My little robin has been wanting to fly south and seemed sadly out of season at the moment.  I'm not sure how long my jazzy blind mice will last until they are replaced by something Christmasy. (Hmm - I just gave myself an idea - I love it when that happens! Maybe by next week we'll see if it works!)

New Header (and above)

Old Header (You may see him back again in Spring!)

I bought a new notebook. I really like this brand as they have a hard cover, better than usual quality of paper, and a folding magnetic edge to keep things from falling out (Cambridge Business Notebooks). I wasn't paying close attention though when I bought it (them). I started writing in it as soon as I brought it home and then peeled off the label. I was very disappointed to discover the cover was faded everywhere except where the label was. Ugh. What to do? 

Why not paint it?! So first a coat of black gesso. Then my wonderful friend the Moon. And a dark sky. I know there will be stars... should there be something else?

Work-in-Progress

Have a great time at Paint Party Friday! Looking forward to seeing what you have painted!

Creative Tuesdays - Three Blind (Jazz-Playing) Mice

THREE - 3. 

Word association games go wild in my head... Three - Three Blind Mice. BLIND - musicians ...Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles - very cool jazzy piano players. And if there were three - what other instruments (that I could draw) might be in a jazz trio?

Et voila! My silly fun piece for Mr. Toast's Creative Tuesdays.

I'm thinking of making this my new header as winter is almost here and my little robin no longer feels timely... 

Looking forward to seeing everyone's CT efforts! Thanks Mmm - I had fun thinking about this one and working on it!

Paint Party Friday - Week 36 - An experiment - unsure if successful though

I've been working away at a fun little sketch/painting for Mr. Toast's Creative Tuesday * and didn't get much painting done this week. But I still wanted to come to the party and have been wanting to try painting abstracts and also to try using a limited pallette.

Well.... not so sure I was successful but here it is! Not quite the abstract look I was going for but it might be an abstract landscape....

It's only on a heavy paper so instead of trying to fix it, I think I will move on to another experiment. (My  paper is too big for my scanner - I think I need a bigger scan-bed!)

Hope you have a great time at the Paint Party Friday and have a great week with some experimentation in it!

* Come back Tuesday to see my fun and silly little piece!

Paint Party Friday - Week 35 - I've looked at clouds....

from both sides now...
From up and down, and still somehow,
It's cloud illusions I recall,
I really don't know clouds, at all.
(Joni Mitchell)

I've been thinking about clouds. And painting skies. Some of you PPFers paint the most amazing skies! I think this is a skill I want to learn. So here is my attempt at painting clouds...doesn't make for a very exciting journal page/painting but it takes practice, right? I tried these in my Walking in my World journal, using watercolours and some acrylic white paint for the clouds.

Clear sky with a few clouds (poor scan...)

Unusual cloud in Orlando (which always seems to have the most amazing clouds...)

Do you have any tricks for painting clouds? Want to share your secrets? 

Have a great time at Paint Party Friday!

Away for another PPF...

Sorry I can't make the party! Miss you. Have fun without me!

Paint Party Friday - Finishing my Sea Star!

It was a satisfying week as I finally made some progress and actually finished another painting!! Yay!!

A bit over a month ago I started to paint a sea star/starfish to hang in my bathroom. And after the initial spurt of focus....there it sat, on my desk. This week I picked it up again and finished it off. I just put it on the hook in the wall....

Is this the right way up?

The view from the "throne" (in the evening with all the lights on... weird shadows)

Scanned close-up (I need a bigger scanner bed!)

Trying to decide which way it should go? This way? ( A)

 Or this? (B)

Or? (C)

 (D)?

 

This is another photo in the room where it will be hanging (not this location - the power outlet was just a convenient spot to hang it!) I think it coordinates well...

I hope everyone has a great time at Paint Party Friday! Please have one of my favourite Hallowe'en treats while you're here!

(image from fanpop.com)

xo

Happy Hallowe'en!

Texture

Kat Eye View is talking texture in photography in this week's Exploring with a Camera: Found Texture. It made me think of my journal/sketchbook painting I did recently from a photograph of a curious squirrel. The tree trunk bark was very textured  and held hints of moss as well. The squirrel itself had contrasting textures - glossy eyes, wisps of whiskers and sleek fur with individual hair (is a single piece of fur a hair?) strands visible.

Here is my little textured friend...

I LOVE texture!