cardboard city

andy's art

My husband Andy's latest drawings (in progress) are blowing my mind. I LOVE seeing how different our art and our process is (opposites do attract)! There are days when I can't believe that up until this year he spent twenty years not drawing. Watching his creativity explode has been such a great reminder that it is never too late to pursue your passion!

a peek inside my sketchbook- dark backgrounds

My latest class Summer Sketch is well underway (it's not too late to join in) and I had so much fun creating this class! It is 30 days (or 30 posts) of simple, approachable sketching inspiration, techniques and prompts to get you inspired to sketch all summer (or any time of year)! While I cannot give everything away from the class, I did think it would be fun to share a peek into one of my favorite SIMPLE techniques from Summer Sketch.

I get pretty bored drawing on a white page so I like to mix it up and paint my pages with dark color and then draw over the top. I simply paint a light layer of dark acrylic paint (I typically a Strathmore all purpose sketchbook).

Once the pages are dry I use a variety of light colored pens and pencils for drawing. My favorite to use are Sharpie paint pens. I love working with light on dark because it challenges me to tackle even the simplest of subject matter in a creative way!

a peek inside my studio

stamp rubbings

I am always looking for new ways to create unique mixed media backgrounds and recently it dawned on me that I could use rubber stamps to make rubbings. The stamp is placed underneath a piece of paper (thin paper is best) and then you lighting rub your pen or pencil over the top to reveal the design of your stamps. The result is much different than traditional stamping because you are able the achieve all kinds of wonderful texture. Here is a peek into the process...

Markers work great for making a rubbing but I found that a dried out marker worked even better! I added a flower stamp rubbing to the entire surface of painted paper to create pattern.

I used a white crayon to create a resist.

And then painted over the top with watercolors to reveal the design.

A pencil rubbing makes a soft and pretty imprint.

Using a variety of colored pencils creates a beautiful effect.

Repeat rubbings all over the surface with different materials to create unique pattern!

You can find all stamps used in my shop HERE!

fashion friday- handmade paper earrings

I just couldn't help myself, all that pretty handmade paper (from my previous post) was just asking to be transformed into some colorful earrings!