The Treasure You Seek - photos from the studio

I knew this time was coming -- the day I went into the studio to work on my new abstract series and would hate the colors and canvases and journal pages I made. 

This is helpful to the entire process, though; I make notes in my art journal about the colors I enjoy and the ones I dislike, and the more I play and experiment, the better I get to know myself. I'm nearing the end of the process, though, as I've narrowed down what I enjoy, and even have canvases I've hung around my apartment because catching sight of them in the corner of my eye brings me great joy. They're little bits that boost my mood; I've been dealing with a deeper-than-ever depression as of late, and need every bit of positive emotion I can clutch in my hands. 

The lack of blog updates doesn't mean I haven't been hard-at-work. I finished a commissioned painting last week that I'm dying to share (but am waiting until the owner gets it so I don't spoil the surprise!) & have another traveling halfway around the world -- I love seeing paintings woosh from the studio. It tells the depression that the lies about my Etsy shop collecting dust are just that -- lies. I'd love to do more commissions, though, and that little painting above is available, too! 

No, instead, I have an iPhoto album full of in-process paintings & journal pages. I take a lot of pictures while I'm working, but then come home and doodle in the Red Storybook until bedtime. I need to make a schedule of some kind, figure out an easy way to blog. I have been using my Tumblr more as of late -- I think the ease of posting a picture and a little caption appeals to less-energy & more-fatigued-from-CFS me. You can follow me over there if you'd like, as I also post & reblog inspiring art or resources I find along the way. 

I thought for today I'd share my workspace at the studio. This is where I normally can be found for a handful of hours each day. i've taken to standing because my back hurts less, and I can dance around to music...though Tangie and her family have startled me on more than one occasion, so maybe I should turn the volume down!

I had the most amazing time playing with this canvas...I just put on some high-energy songs and made a mess....let the music move my brush, did big marks, sprayed water, used spray paint (Liquitex, which is low oder and real acrylic!) & kept flipping it around! 

This is one of the canvases I did and disliked, so I decided to have some fun and just see where it went. It went here, to a mermaid girl. She'll have a fake fin, as I'm really into exploring disabled fairy tale characters ATM. 

This is what was behind the easel. I'd been paging through my art journal to make notes on colors, what worked, what didn't, and seeing what my palette of colors looked like. Journals are for more than pretty pages -- take note of your creative endeavors so you can make more things you love! 

I've also been doing more calligraphy, and wanted to share one of the little things I made -- I'll have more tomorrow (saying this will keep me honest & posting!). 

Painted & written and then assembled in Photoshop. I just love how it looks, layered over bits from my art journal! If only they made a white brush pen!

That's what I've been up to so far this week...what about you? 

Hearts are wild creatures...

This has to be one of my favorite pieces from the new work I've been creating. 

(The Etsy shop is re-open!)

Combining the new mess-making without a brush with brush script didn't come naturally; more, the union was born of my love of writing words with the quickly growing stack of canvases in my studio. You could say I've become obsessed, which has never really happened to me before. 

Sure, I love working in my art journals, and playing with new materials makes me cackle with glee like a mad scientist, but this ever-evolving body of work continues to thrill and excite me.  

Each batch of canvases come from limited runs - I am always altering my color palette, and never repeat one. So if you see colors you like, grab it, because the most I create at once is four...four canvases of wild expression and bright color before I move on.  

And to make life less stressful for me, I'll be adding several pieces a week as I catch up the backlog of canvases and papers I have. These two went up in the shop tonight. I've been selling things off Facebook when I previewed so e of the new stuff, so don't think things will be hanging around!

I am so super excited to finally be sharing all the new stuff I've been working on for the past month! It all makes me swoon like a teenager in love!

Check out my re-opened Etsy shop for yummy goodies! 

The thrill of a challenge...daily drawing = awesome!

For the past 22 days, I've been drawing based on a list of prompts I wrote for 30 Days of Friendly Faces. 

I can't say they're all marvelous; there's no pressure like knowing you're supposed to be drawing an example for others to learn from. But I've always been the type of person thrilled by a challenge, and this is no exception.  

Because no one draws perfect or good every time. We all have off days. I know I do. Some of these were drawn at 11pm after a long day of errands or painting or being sick. In fact, I was really sick for five days and all I could do was one little drawing in between sleep and watching movies from the couch.  

That's the lovely thing about a challenge, and being accountable. Even when you don't want to, when you feel like giving up, you push through and surprise yourself. My little red storybook may have quick doodles, but it has 68 days of words and secrets and lessons learned and instead of trying to catch up and paint in all those days, I can paint today's, and tomorrow's, and keep going forward.  

 (You can always join us! Start on your schedule and begin illustrating your life!)

Finding the Right Sumi/Brush-Script Brush...!

I didn't know there was a wrong Sumi brush to be writing with!

You see, years ago, when I first saw art Journalers writing with Sumi brushes, I hit my local art supply shop to grab one. The ones I found had brushes about an inch long and cost about $3-5. But when I got home and started working with it, I found it hard to work with because the brush didn't really maintain the tip after the first wide swirl of a letter. I thought I just needed more practice, and have been doing so ever since. 

And have been for ages. Practicing, that is. But I'd still get frustrated. That is, until today.  

You see, I saw a few pictures of some artists working, or just their supplies, and wondered why my brushes were shorter (both the brush and the handle) and didn't have a little loop at the end. So I took to the internet and soon found out there was a whole world of Sumi brushes I'd never researched!  

I found one on Amazon that wasn't too expensive (and had a great review) and bought it during a bout of insomnia gift card shopping. This is the one I bought.  

The difference is night and day! 

This one keeps its shape after you do a deep, thick curve. It is easy to write with. I got great results after my first try and ended up spending a little more time than I budgeted for experimenting today. 

I used India Ink since I didn't want to mix up any gouache, and worked on cardstock and newsprint. A bunch didn't work out (I would run out of room on the paper or just write words too big). I usually work by loading the brush and writing the WHOLE thing first, and then go over each word/letter slowly. This works great for me and my shaky hands! 

I'm super excited to dive into my new work now that I have a proper brush! I already sold one of the pieces I shared on Monday! Woohoo! 

The one on the far left was the first I did, which is why 'you're' is so much bigger than the other words!

I made B&W crops of the two quotes from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I've been connecting with a lot of spoonies on Tumblr and wanted to make pretty things for them! And if you haven't read that book, DO. One of the best books I've ever read...and the movie comes out soon!

*swoon*-worthy

I take lots of photos while I'm working, both to document my process and share things on Instagram/Tumblr. I have pretty shaky hands, which makes photo-taking with a cell phone tricky, and I usually don't know which shots are clear until I get home & look at the pictures on my laptop. 

And I'm thinking that blog posts don't need to be overly-complicated; they can be process shots or journal pages/paintings you're proud of or things you're trying or places you go. 

I'm enjoying this new vein of work so much, I'm constantly excited by the ideas I dream up & the time I can spend in the studio. My mind is already begging to share it, so I may teach my first in-person class of the year on the art of mess without a brush. 

The last two are what they look like at the end. I have piles & quotes & containers of gouache just waiting to be transformed into words and doodles. I'm in love. And thanks to some help, my Etsy shop will be re-opening this month and stocked full of originals and prints. *swoon*

PS. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Pay-What-You-Can flash sale last week. It was a dream to be able to do my little part in making life all that more artful and positive. I'm so happy for the conversations started. I feel like I got more out of it than you guys...thanks for being awesome!

24 hour sale!

Just a quick note to say: all my current online classes are on sale! Send me an email with what class you'd like to take and how much you can pay, and we'll work something out! Just be sure to do so before 10:30 am MST tomorrow (Thursday).

Currently offered: Art Journal Summer Camp, Digital Adventures, Gelli Plate Junk Journal, & Friendly Faces!

Use the contact form to get in touch!

<3, Samie

ETA: I'll be replying to all emails tomorrow in one big batch. You have about 12.5 hours left to get in on the sale!

What's in my Studio/Couch Box?

I love when I get comments asking about my Couch Box, and what I may be carrying these days. Like many of you, I cycle through supplies I love, always changing as new (and new-to-me) things come into my creative life. Right now, I adore gouache for on-the-go and couch art journaling purposes, and thought I'd share what I carry with me. 

This box goes with me to and from the studio, and can usually be found next to my favorite spot on the couch. I love being able to work while being comfortable, and have even set out these supplies while in bed! It's the perfect little portable studio, and one of the vast improvements carrying this box over my other box is that things don't fall all over the place if the box tips over. 

I got this one at Wal-Mart for $9. It's in the arts&crafts section, but is identical to the tackle box of the same size sold in sporting goods. So you get your choice of colors! :) I filmed this with my iPhone, but turned on YouTube's stabilization...hopefully that makes things easier for those of you who get dizzy from phone videos. I just wanted to make something quick since I'd been asked about my current box, and thought a short vid would be easier than tons of photos and typing! 

Singing Colors

More experiments in my giant art journal with color. 

Color theory and an intense dislike of any red and green next to each other for things other than Christmas would have told me not to pair a light lime green with neon pink, but as I wanted to see how colors work next to each other, I decided to just go with it and see what happened. 

I kept many of the colors I'd already been using, but added the aforementioned lime green, neon pink, cobalt turquoise and permanent violet dark (Golden fluid).

And I have to say, putting out a palette of colors and smashing them across my art journal spread is incredibly satisfied. I put on my playlist and just get to it. I find myself laughing out loud, getting my hands incredibly covered in paint, and try making new marks in the paint with my various tools. I think the scallop shape in the above image is my new favorite -- that and the chevrons were made with the same tool; I just moved my hand differently. 

When I started this spread, I stamped onto the page with my hand-carved stamps and India ink -- it doesn't spread or smudge when you work over it -- and glued down random found papers. I love how you can see them through the stuff I drew into wet paint, a kind of half-seen text that lends to a sense of mystery.  

To say I had fun is an understatement. This spread is so textured, you can feel all the lines and thicker splotches of paint. And remember, open, this journal is 22"x14". HUGE! Full of a color explosion and tons of experimenting. I learned I love neon red & pink mixed together and my little hearts stamp and drawing in paint. Making dots with my fingers (and the sound they make as I dapple paint). 

I don't think I'll add anything, because I love it how it is. All chaotic and fun and yeah. Imagine me sighing blissfully over here. I did a small 6"x8" canvas with this palette, too, and think I'll write a quote on it when I find the right one. 

What do you think I should write on this one? Suggest some quotes for me in comments, please? 

PS. I'm loving my 30 day challenge blog/class. My students are drawing so awesomely, I can't help but be proud.