Exploring Creativity
A bouquet for the last day of Squareathon 2021. Watercolors.
Navy striped cat was the prompt and I tried my hand at a 3D optical illusion. Found a YouTube tutorial by artist Sonhos com Dimensão.
Turquoise whimsical, so I whimsically added turquoise color in Procreate to an existing photo I recently took.
And last, for fun, an Artist’s Wish.
Until next year, keep making art! xox
Black and lacy, the two Squareathon prompts for today.
I’ve obsessed the past three days with how to get a lace pattern onto paper and tried two methods: 1. spray adhesive as a resist with a watercolor wash, and 2. spray paint. The short video below shows watercolor over adhesive.
I reused the sticky lace under a coat of spray paint and it tore the paper coming off in one spot. The adhesive was applied too thick, I think.
The dry lace with spray paint gave the crisper results. Another short video below shows spray paint over lace.
More experimentation is in order. I envision painting a large abstract incorporating some of these lace pattern transfer techniques.
Have you any experience with using lace in your work? I’d love to hear about it! Send me an email.
Today’s Squareathon was a learning experience. I learned the union of cobalt and magenta form a pretty plum color. And I learned (again) how difficult it *can* be to get what I “see” onto paper. What a mess!
Practice, practice, practice. Learn.
The one below still wasn’t what I “saw” in my mind, but I’ll take it.
Today I’ll share three iOS apps I sometimes use to modify photos. The three examples are taken from three days of Squareathon prompts and photos of the art I created.
On this first one, I used Inkwork* to modify the Cat Stevens black and white ink drawing I made in the 2018 Squareathon art challenge. The prompts are magenta and portrait. The original is bottom right.
Oh, baby, baby, it’s a wild world. 😊
*Inkwork instantly transforms your photos into unique and expressive ink drawings. Works on iPhone and iPad.
Over the summer I experimented with rolling ink onto natural objects (like leaves, ferns, etc.) and pressing/printing them. This feather is one of those items. For these prompts, olive green and feather, I used the app Brushstroke* to enhance the photo of my handmade black and white print.
*Brushstroke transforms your photos and snaps into beautiful paintings with one touch. Edit, sign, and share your work on social media. iPhone and iPad.
This is a photo I took in Ironton, Ohio while on a full moon walk last month. It spoke to me of modern and sky, two of this day’s prompts. I used the app, ToonCamera* to modify it.
*ToonCamera is a video and photography app that turns your world into a live cartoon. iPhone and iPad.
Hope you get a chance to check these out and have fun experimenting!
Is it blush or bashful? I’ve had this photo for years (found online) and always wanted to create it in real life. The closest I’ve gotten is this watercolor for the prompts blush pink and vase. This is kind of like a vase. A container, anyway.
The urge to draw Dorothy’s shoes was strong with this one, but I went with ruby red cardinals instead and placed them in a loosely doodled tree, meeting all three prompts for this day.
Orange/rustic/houseplant were the prompts for Saturday and I found this photo in my archives of a summer flower face from a long ago backyard garden. The designs on the petals remind me of many patterns in various forms of nature: butterfly and dragonfly wings, ventral and dorsal bird feathers, leaf veins, stalagmites and stalactites, crystals, and loose mandalas.
The past three days I’ve been on vacation and away from my studio. Out of my comfort zone. The dining room table at our rental is covered in art supplies. But I have a wonderful view.
Our house sits on Arkyle Creek which feeds into Lake Fontana and the Corps of Engineers is slowly draining the water for winter pool. Each day the muddy banks grow wider as the blue green water recedes.
Boulders once concealed in murky depths are revealed and a demarcation line of mostly natural debris litters both sides of the banks.
Early morning mists dance over the creek while a Belted Kingfisher chatters and rattles, eyeing the now easy to see fish in the shallow water.
This has been a nice vacation. We’re off to Asheville now to visit the River Arts District where I’ll soak in what other artists are creating.
Next post will be examples of some apps I use to alter and enhance art and photos. Until then, take care!