happy weekend!

building creative confidence

a peek inside my art journal: prepping those pages

I have this theory when it comes to creativity- starting is always the hardest part. And in my opinion a blank white page makes it even more of a challenge. While I'm a very creative gal that spends most of her life inspired, a blank white page often gets me stuck, especially when my time is limited. But if I have a sketchbook or art journal that has pages filled with messy, simple color, I am way more inspired to get going. 

So I make time to prepare the paper in my art journal. I fill most of the pages with really fast, messy and colorful techniques. Once the pages are dry, I feel like I've tackled the hardest part...starting! Very quickly I've transformed blank white paper into surfaces that feel like they are in process and for some reason it keeps me from feeling stuck. Instead I feel like I have all kinds of paper just waiting for the next layer! Here is a little peek into what the first layer of those pages looks like.

happy weekend!

purple potato salad

I fully believe that colorful food tastes waaaay better or maybe it's all in my head! And while I love potato salad, there is something so fabulous about PURPLE potato salad. Did you know that purple potatoes contain four times more antioxidants than white potatoes?!? I love incorporating purple potatoes into my meals and today I've got one of my favorite easy recipes vinaigrette purple potato salad.

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 lbs of boiled or roasted purple potatoes, cut into quarters

1/4 cup of olive oil

2-3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 or 3 garlic cloves chopped

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

pinch of salt and pepper

Boil or roast potatoes and remove from heat.

In a bowl mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, chopped garlic, salt and pepper.

While the potatoes are warm toss them with vinaigrette and then add the chopped parsley.

24 hour FLASH SALE!

Hey friends! I've got a 24 hours FLASH SALE happening! I've bundled all of my flower classes together for major cost savings! If you are interested in learning all kinds of ways to create floral art this is the deal for you! Head on over to the shop HERE for more details or to register!

offer ends Wednesday, June 6th at 10pm PST

ACRYLIC BLOOMS

Flowers and acrylic paint make the perfect pair! In this class I will be sharing all kinds of really simple techniques for transforming your favorite flowers into expressive, beautiful and colorful acrylic paintings.

PASTEL BLOOMS 

There is something so colorful and expressive about creating with pastels. In this class we will use my favorite subject: flowers, to explore a variety of wild and expressive ways to use pastels.

INKY BLOOMS

There is something so simple and beautiful about creating with ink. In this class we will use my favorite subject: flowers, to explore a variety of expressive techniques. From using brushes to found objects to items from nature, we will experiment with creating dynamic and bold floral ink brush paintings.

WATERCOLOR BLOOMS

Flowers and watercolors make the perfect pair! In this class I will be sharing all kinds of really simple techniques for transforming your favorite flowers into expressive, beautiful and colorful paintings. 

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painted peony purse

Peony season has arrived and that means I've been at our local Sunday market every weekend at 10am sharp picking out a bouquet. 

It also means that I get extra inspired during this time of year because there is nothing quite as beautiful as a peony! And after finding a $12 simple white purse, I was totally inspired to transform it with a little paint and creativity.

The purse that I used was synthetic leather (not leather) and in my experience pretty much any "pleather" accessories can be transformed with good ol' acrylic paint. I've transformed countless pleather purses and so far I haven't experienced any issues with cracking or peeling because I seal them with gel medium or a light layer of polyurethane.

If this worries or concerns you, there are some really great leather/synthetic paints out there which are guaranteed to work well on that surface. My favorite is Angelus paint which is formulated to be used on leather/pleather.

I started by lightly sketching out my design with a water based marker and then I got busy painting!

This process is pretty straight forward! I used my peonies as inspiration and took my time painting them. 

The surface on my bag has a lot of texture which I liked because it added a textural element to everything.

As many of you know, I LOVE to use a lot of line work and black outlines my work but for this project I challenged myself not to outline anything but instead but use darker and light shapes of paint for shadows and highlights.

I filled my surface with two big pink peonies and then held onto some of that white space. 

The result is a pretty little floral bag that only cost $12 and a little bit of time and creativity!

happy weekend!

hand painted hip pack

Call me crazy but I love (and have always loved) a hip pack (otherwise known as a waist pack or fanny pack). Growing up in the 80's, fanny packs were a must have accessory and like so many trends it came and went. But honestly, this was one of those trends I was sad to see go! There is something so practical about a hip pack which is why I was so happy to see them make a comeback! I've got myself a little collection of colorful and unique hip packs and I thought it would be fun to add a funky and creative pack to my collection!

I found a denim pack. In my opinion, denim is the next best thing to canvas if you want to paint on that surface. It behaves a lot like canvas and the best part is that you can layer and layer and layer all that color!

Then I got messy! I painted about 2-3 layers of colorful brushstrokes and drips and then I let it dry.

Then I got busy adding all that line work and detail that I love. I used Golden High Flow Acrylics it has nice flow (a lot like ink) but it is permanent.

I used white paint to "paint out" some space for more designs

The result is a SUPER unique and funky hip pack!

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a peek inside my next class and a GIVEAWAY

I announced my next online class Camp Wanna-Create a couple of weeks ago and today I've got a fun little preview for you! I'm also giving away 10 free spots in this class (scroll to the bottom of this post for a chance to win).

CAMP WANNA-CREATE

Begins June 18th

$50.00 early bird $35.00

Back in my early twenties, I spent the summer teaching art a  Girl Scout camp way up high in the mountains. I lived in a tent that summer and taught art and craft projects all day to girls. It was one of the most creative and inspired times of my life because it combined two of my passions- the outdoors and art. As I began planning my summer class offering this year, I was inspired my camp experiences so I've put together a really fun class for all ages called "Camp Wanna Create". It is an online class inspired by camp projects but with a totally unique and creative twist. From working on wood slices to photography to outdoor art journals and pinch pots, I've created a class with 10 lessons that will deliver inspiration and creativity all summer long!

more information or register HERE

Guess what?!?! I'm giving away 10 free spots!

Want to win a free spot in this class?

Tell me your favorite thing about summer and I will select 10 random winners.

Make sure the bottom of this post later this week for the winners!

*****************UPDATE WITH WINNERS********************

send us an email at alisaburke@gmail.com and we will get you access to the class!