Create a Painting from a Coloring Book Image

     The stacks of background pages in my studio are many. These pages are mostly watercolor paper with acrylic paints, maybe a few zentangle® patterns with markers, collage pieces....possibly the remnants of paint left on a brush before I place it in a water dish, a wonderful piece of image left from a collage or the scrap of a beautiful napkin I decided not to use. My favorite way to play with background pages is to just make random marks, alternating cool colors and warm colors until I have a pleasing combination adding more stuff as I go.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm 

                                         Mixed Media painting on 9 x 12 watercolor paper.
                                                   
     While I was cleaning my mom's house for her recent move I ran across an old coloring book, it was full of simple images. I love, love, love these images. Recently I incorporated them into a class I was teaching at Sparks Creative Arts Studio, "Run with Scissors Play with Paint™".  I went back to the coloring book images the other day while playing with the backgrounds and decided to trace this fun bird with a worm onto tracing paper. I cut it out and used matte medium to glue it down, then added a little gesso and paint to complete the mixed media painting. What a quick way to make a colorful art piece, also works wonders if you find it difficult to draw an image on a busy background.      

                    GO PLAY!!.....and borrow your kids coloring book every once in awhile.

                                                    Bird image from the coloring book.

     If you follow the above link to Sparks Creative Arts Studio in Arlington, Texas you will find some other fantastic classes offered. My next class is "Confetti Glass", we will learn some wire wrapping techniques and fire recycled glass in a kiln.

Banners of Hope at CHA

    Just returned from the annual Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show in Anaheim, CA. Love this trade show...so many talented and giving people and so many fun new products and trends. It's a whirlwind few days.
     The CHA Designer group hosted some great sessions where they freely shared what they had learned about working in and supporting the art and craft community. Inspiration flowed freely!!

 

                                                        My banner for "Banners of Hope"

     This year I was happy to be one of the designers contributing some of my art to the worthy Charity Wings project, "Banners of Hope". As a designer you could sign up to receive an 8"x10" canvas banner from the Fabrics Art Council of CHA and return it all "fancied up" with your own art work and inspiring message. I chose to use acrylic paint and collage on my banner with the theme of friends. Friends are so important to us all when we go through tough times.
     There was also a booth set up at the show where anyone could participate and create their own unique banner. After the show all of them will be taken on the road to display in hospitals, shelters and charity organizations ....small messages of hope to brighten someone's day.