Bits and Bobs

The lesson this week for the Raw Art Journaling workshop over at Artists of the Round Table's was 'Found Poetry'. This is all the words and phrases that I cut from a Sephora catalog.

And this is the end result. I wished that I had left it alone and not added the flourishes in the corners but am overall satisfied with the exercise. My next exercise will be to remove a page from a book and selectively cover some words to reveal the 'hidden' poetry there.

Exercise. I finally got some. I took Abbey out to the Reservoir this afternoon and walked the two miles around the lake. We both enjoyed being out there again. We used to go regularly when I lived out that way.

Look at the shadows. Can't you tell it's almost fall? This makes me think of Peter Pan and his lost shadow.

And finally, here is a blurry, but happy, pic of Abbey enjoying nature.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

CREATE.

There's a lot of creative activity going on here. This year has proved to be a creative slump for me. I decided to end it. The slump is over. I am going to create with abandon. I am not going to worry about the end result. It will be about the process not the product. And I'm going to blog about it too. For what it's worth, I am sharing.

I was inspired to make these bunnies over at my friend B's blog. Carla Sonheim (love her style - of art and teaching) shares

a tute over at her Snowball Journals.

This guy is my favorite. The technique is so simple (which is the overriding theme of Sondheim's instruction). You just make a very simple line sketch using a Tombow pen. Then you take a round watercolor brush and bleed the lines in for shading and texture. The Tombow ink is water soluble and it does all sorts of neat stuff when the water hits it.

I couldn't stop making bunnies. They are so quick and every one was a suprise. I like this guy too. I think he looks a little worried.

I tried a couple of my toy poodle, Abbey. Not a particular likeness but the feel is there.

I just love the way the ink bleeds into shades of gray and blue and pink. I don't think the nuances of color show up here. You just have to trust me and try it yourself.

The first one below is raw, just ink and water. I thought her features need to show a bit so I added some detail with a SF Pitt pen. I don't like what I did to here hip, but heck, I'm gonna show you my mistakes!

In other news, a new workshop is starting over at the Artists Of The Round Table yahoo group. We are being led by Quinn McDonald through her book, RAW ART Journaling. I am excited about this and hope to find much inspiration. Quinn is a certified creativity coach. The subtitle of the book is Making Meaning, Making Art. Sounds good, eh?

Yesterday, I attended a writing prompt group with a friend. It is led by author, Nancy Peacock. Now this one was a stretch for me. Clearly, I am not a writer, but I did find it interesting. I will probably go again. Who knows what will happen.

I have been sewing too. We have formed a little sewing group at church and I am looking forward to hanging with this great group of women. I am sure to find inspiration there and some help too.

That's enough for now. I have to finish some laundry and get ready for the new week.

Later....

Late Summer Garden

Been out playing with my camera this week. Summer is winding down and it shows in the garden. My favorite time of year is approaching....

This man is a temporary. His owner couldn't take him when she moved so he has been sleeping here for now.

Beauty remains in the dying flowers, I think. These cone flowers are lovely as they fade and their form changes.

The watering can rusted through, but makes a nice pot. The succulent is a reminder of a friend.