Inky Spray Play and Some More Mail Has Come

There I was tidying up my desk after completing my Paulette Insall class...I have two further drawn face images on canvas backgrounds ready to paint but have to put them aside to make a few birthday and Mothers Day cards..and I found some mail that came for me early in my class and had no time to photograph.I had sent the artistic Dutch stamper Hermine Kloster some of the gloss card that I use to do Inkjet Water Transfers as she had no luck in finding any that worked for her where she lived.In return Hermine sent me a wonderful package with German scrap( I LLLOOOVVVEE this stuff LOL),vintage images,collage papers,charms,old beads and bits and pieces plus this way beautiful bound book below.It has a lovely canvas feel and soft pastel tones.Isn't it gorgeous?.Hermine is one of the people I have stopped to make a card for as I had no time when I sent her the gloss card.

Onto card making.I have no idea where this will end up....I never do *grin*.So here is the start.I have used water colour paper that I have applied 4 coats of white gesso too.I then sprayed them with cranberry Luminarte Radiant Rain spray,blueberry shake Stewart Superior Memory Mist spray and then I used a fine sprayer and spritzed with water plus sprinkled on snapdragon Luminarte Polished Pigment powder.OH my these are so shimmery and pretty in real life.

I had the spray bug then so then I used the same colours on scrapbook papers and lace...in the corner I have a stamped image of two children and a Translucent Liquid Sculpey transfer onto chiffon....hhhmmm maybe I should do a video how too of that for folks as it is another EASY transfer method that is way versatile.

At the bottom of the image is my right hand after washing it four times and pre going to work....not sure how to explain that one to the director of nursing LOL.I think some gesso stamping and sewing ala Deb Baker is next :o).

Lesson Seven-Mixed Media Collage Completed

Here you go...I have finished my first ever painting.It now has her eyes(closer to the nose)decreased in length,some of the bg images moved into the hair,some collage elements added and the words.They read "sometimes the truth speaks from a peaceful place".Its something I heard on the show Dexter and it struck a cord in me and I wrote it down for future use.When I look at this lady she seems to have an inner thought coming out thru her eyes.Like she wanted to tell me something and I imagined that was what she said

As someone who is VERY critical of my own work I am utterly surprised I can look at this and tell myself "you did a good job for your first ever attempt at painting".I'm amazed someone could teach ME to paint and I am utterly thankful to Paulette Insall for embowering me like she has. ...gobsmacked I am LOL
Annette In Oz

Lesson Six...Adding Definition With Crayons

Nearly there...I have just done lesson six using Caran D'ache water colour crayons to add definition.The heat had me again here as they did not act like they do for the teacher....virtually as soon as I applied it it was dry.Paulette could blend the still damp crayons after application but I could NOT.I tried over and over and they just dried way too fast.The only way to get around it for me was to WET the applicator first.So I have put lesson six at the bottom and lesson five at the top for you to see the difference.I'm not sure I like it with the crayons BUT I do keep reminding myself this is my first ever try at painting and heck I am doing OK!!!

Some Spiritual Artistic Beauty Left After The Vic Feb 7 Fires

OH My...a friend from Victoria just sent me this link to a Sculptor from Marysville.He did these amazing ceramic sculptures that were scattered amongst what was the lush green Victorian bush pre Feb 7 bush fire devastation.The detail he gets is amazing!!.You can see a glimpse of his work here.On the same website they are now posting what was left after they returned from the fire.Its such a stark contrast and haunting as well seeing the broken and charred sculptures surrounded by the now black brown bush.Folks at the website Bruno has a CD you can buy with a video on it that shows what he saw on his return.It isn't expensive and the proceeds go to re building the sculptured garden.Its amazing some of them have survived so well at all.They are here. I caught myself thinking "oh my God the fear they must have felt"...I kind of momentarily forgot they were creamics not people.I suppose I was really thinking of the fear I would have felt.I do hope Bruno and others rebuild and the sculpture garden lives on.I would like to see it myself one day!!

hugs

Annette In Oz

Yummy Easter Mail Has Found Me In Humpty Doo

Happy Easter one and all.I've had some lovely lovely Easter mail find me in the last week.There was this way gorgeous layered and stitched card from the wonder of the Ozzie West Deb Baker . I have adored Deb's style for years and finally got the courage to send her a textured postcard a few months back.Deb sent me this card to say thanks.Isn't it lovely!!!

Next are my mini houses returns so far from the recent Creative Soul Retreat.I wasn't able to go but finished the mini houses swap as I had signed up to do it before I had a few problems here and had to pull out.I adore them all.They are all only 1,2 and 3inch combinations eg 1x1inch,1x3inch,2x3inch etc etc ....kind of hard working so small but the details we all got is amazing!!! From left to right houses made by Lucy Latham,Karin Hutchinson,Lucy Latham,Marie J and Lucy Latham(Lucy kindly sent me five different ones as I had about 20 less then the others).

Next from left to right made by Elizabeth Harms,Sue Thiel,Bevlea Ross and Kelsey O'Mullane.

Again from left to right houses made by Christine Trevleaven,Deb Baker,Lucy Lathem,Megan Pickwell,Jo Wholohan and Kathy Thompson

From left to right houses made by Judy Lee,Liz Aitkin,Sue Smith,?another one by Lucy Lathem and Teresa Abajo.

Left to right by Maryse Alvis,Elizabeth Mackie,Glenda Laing,Martina Hart,Meredith Morgan and Jan Adams.

Left to right by Gaye Todd,Joy Delsh(? sp there),Keron Lee,Claire Kelly and Deb Moss

Left to right by Nic Hohn,Eva Attrill,Celeste Santin and Kasha Rolley.

Left to right by me,Brenda Grace,Dawnie Thomas and Sue Gore

Left to right by Ruth Spitzer,Christine Lillie and Margaret Weiss

and the last two from left is by Julie Hetherington and Christina Mc Queen.

I'm not sure how I shall mount my "lost soul village"...any ideas folks???.There are 43 at the moment.I hope to have 53 in the end :o)

hugs

Annette

Photos For My Sister Colleen...Tim the scary one and a fat CROC

Hey Colleen,Robyn,Mum, Caity etc
here is the recent scary things in my life *grin*.Melissa(17yrs old) decided MY streaking kit was better suited to short hair and in particular to younger brother Tim's hair(14yrs old).Here is Tim with his "Strop" like hair accessory pre latch hook rugging for streaking

and mid way thru LOL

In case you were wondering the wind did not change leaving him with his facial expression and the streaks look GOOD
NEXT is a huge salt water croc that was on the cause-way at Fogg Dam...it was 4 meters in size and the size of a large fridge.I didn't take the photo so had no control of the image size sorry.The Rangers have set traps for it.A young girl just 12 years old was taken and killed by a croc near here and its less then 20 mins from us.....she was known to Tim and it was very sad.I DO NOT ever swim in the Wet season creeks here as I am afraid of them.They are ancient huge reptiles and humans are just food.Yep I am scared of spiders and crocs but no longer of learning to paint.

Lesson Five-Hair and Brows

Lesson five is done and OH MY GOSH this one I found hard!!!.I hit a bit of the "fear" here again as I wanted to aim for realistic looking hair and for my lady to have dark hair with red/brown highlights.I painted the first colour with a mix of burnt umber,raw sienna and a drop of cardinal red.When it dried it looked flat black!!!.The next few days I kept looking at it not wanting to add any more colour in case it looked worse.Then yesterday I sat down and went "what the heck" and off I went paint brush in hand.I gradually added more raw sienna and cardinal red plus a tiny touch of black and built up about eight layers of hair strands slowly lightening the paint each layer as I went.Lastly I did four layers of highlight colour in even lighter tones where I thought the light source would be reflecting off her glossy dark hair.

a little closer

and right up close

The other thing I have changed since lesson four is her nose and lips.I moved the nose tip lower and made the bottom lip fuller.As I'm working from a magazine image I wanted it to be like the person I was looking at and that is how her lips and nose are.