What I've Been Working On, Some of My Favorite Products, & a New Class

Wow, I'm really getting into the swing of things now that the festivities are behind us, and the dark gloomy months are ahead in this part of the world.  I actually had been working on this piece way before Christmas.

It was one of those pieces that you start out with, and it ends up completely different than what you  had in mind.  I just wasn't happy with the background, so there are many different layers on this, which actually makes it end up better. Tara over at Aquamarine asked that question. If you're not struggling with your artwork, does that mean it's not good?  I like it the other way--when your muse takes over, and you just let her tell you when it's finished.

I also wanted to tell you of the some of the products I used on it.  My favorite one that I like to use is Golden's Crackle Paste

I  like to apply it right out of the container, but you can mix it with colors.  And depending on how thick you apply it, is how the cracks will appear when it dries.  I applied it pretty thick, so I would have the bigger cracks. It usually takes overnight to dry.  I love to paint over it, because the paint just goes into the cracks, and you can wipe over it, and add more--it's a forgiving surface.

I hand-painted papers again for the flowers and vase. I have SO much patterned paper here already that I should be using, but I really like the look and texture of the hand-painted papers.

 

After I collaged the papers, I added detail with Derwent Inktense Pencils--I had these for a while, but never used them . These are cool!  They go on like colored pencils, but when you add water, they spread like paint, and the colors are very intense just like  the name says. They say that even though they are water soluble, that once dry, they become permanent, but I noticed that the next day when I rewet them, they ran, so I just sprayed a workable fixative on them.

Another one of my favorites are the Faber-Castell Pitt pens.  I like to use these for outlining, and they are permanent (India Ink), but when they're still wet, you can smudge them to soften them up a little. I really like these, and they come in every color imaginable.

And the class I'm starting is Suzi Blu's Goddess and Poet class.  I love Suzi's art, and especially her faces, but this is fairly new for me.  I'm definitely a beginner, and this class is for beginners.  I started watching her videos and downloaded the pdf file that comes with  them--she's a very good teacher. Short of her standing right behind me, I couldn't get  a more thorough lesson--so I'm hoping I can get this.  I'm hoping to keep you posted on this.