Monday’s are a great day to share what projects I’ve been working on in the studio. Here is a snapshot of my table as of 8:56am EST this morning. Read on to learn about what artistic magic is happening here.

In the foreground is a project that has just been started. It is on white canvas and is being painted with pastels using a wash method. I’ll be working on this during my bi-weekly LIVE video/chatroom hour this Wednesday, May 22 at 1130am EST in my art group SCARFED! If you’d like join me and hang out – come chat with me about art, life, and what projects you are working on while I paint.

In the background is a blueish-green piece. This is a sculptured vase on canvas. I will be finishing the vase this week by covering it with fabric and paper and then sealing it. More photos soon!

On the left side of the photo you’ll see gobs of supplies. These are paints, brushes, various pens I use during my design process, and so on. On the right side you’ll see the pastels I use and another sketch I’m working on which I call the Zipper Orchid, (more photos of that soon too). Other than that it’s a quiet week here in the studio. Mostly working on just a few lovely but awesome projects.

And don’t forget!

I’ll be streaming live from my studio on Wednesday at 1130am EST and I’ll be working on the white painting using pastels and a wash technique. See you then!

I ran out of molding paste and had a coupon for a product I’ve never used so I threw the dice and gave it a try.

This modeling paste has a creamy texture similar to butter-cream frosting.  It spreads nicely, but as someone who has never gotten the knack of creating a perfectly smooth finish icing on my cakes – It does not level easily.  I would say it performs more like the Golden Heavy Gel rather than the molding paste that I was hoping for.  That does not mean I was disappointed!  Let’s see why…..

So, I grabbed my poor disfigured canvas that I had tried working on.  Please, don’t ask to see before photos, it was not fit for viewing by the faint of heart.  I know I have your curiosity peaked, so let me share with you something that would have been a HUGE improvement beyond the piece I hastily covered breathed new life into.

For those of you tender hearts out there, I suggest you shield your eyes…………….

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Lucky for me I came out on the better side than this poor woman who was trying her best to save a famous piece of art for the rest of humanity, bless her heart.  I was saving humanity from the horror I had earlier created.

But I digress…..

After spreading a fair coat of the modeling paste onto my canvas I did my best to smooth the surface (remember – I don’t frost cakes well…).  As I was applying the paste I noticed I was getting kind of a old barn wood texture.  COOL!!!  Once that was finished I grabbed a highly technical tool (a toothpick from the kitchen) and began to carve a pattern into the compound.  Happy with the results I set it aside to dry.  It did dry rather quickly.  It was about an hour and a half before it was dry enough for me to move on.  For you patient people out there, you may want to wait a little longer, and of coarse it depends on how thick your layer is.

Once dried I applied a coat of burn umber acrylic paint to the surface and once dry I began to paint the carved surface with a combination of perfect pearls, pearl ex powder and twinkling H2o watercolors.  After a few coats of a protective sealant this is what I got….

I hope your life is just as beautiful as this piece!

~Nikki

Oh my goodness, I have got something super cool to show you this week, but first, I have to tell you about my shopping trip.

I needed some plant pots this weekend, so I stopped by the thrift store to see if they had any. Unfortunately, they did not, but since I was there, I figured I would look around.  Keep in mind, this was not my regular day to record Thrift  Shop Thursday, so I did not have my camcorder with me!

Normally when I go to the thrift store, I have a system. I start with the candles, move to the craft section, head over to the books, followed by the housewares, furniture, clothes and finally finishing at the boutique. This week, however, I veered from my normal path. It was like something was pulling me to work with fabric, so I listened to my instincts and headed straight for the clothing section.

I was just looking through the clothes for some unique fabric when I discovered this weeks item. It was a plus size (5 X) dress and even though it was entirely too big for me, I KNEW I had to have it! Luckily I had my phone with me and I was able to whip it out and shoot the video footage of the find!!!

Fast forward to this weeks regular (recorded) T S T  trip – I got NUTHIN’! I searched the ENTIRE store and didn’t find a single thing that inspired me or even had any potential for altering! I am sooo glad I had my phone with me when I found that dress because if I hadn’t I would have probably created something I wasn’t really happy with… and that wouldn’t be very nice, now would it Precious.

I have already finished making the skirt and I can’t wait to share the video with you on Mixed MEdieology Monday!

*Another little behind the scenes tidbit – You can’t tell it, but since I had already found the dress (and altered it!) by the time I shot this weeks footage, I am actually wearing the finished skirt in this weeks Thrift Shop Thursday Video! Sooo, it’s kind of like I time traveled… I am wearing the item to FIND the item *

Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel.  Don’t forget to share it with your friends

My blog will be changing within the next couple of weeks, so keep watching for some big announcements.

That is it for today.  I will see you on Monday!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT4AK4sg67s&w=560&h=315]

For any of you who have an office, you understand that your desk can get quite overwhelming.  Papers, files, clips, etc EVERYWHERE.  And I’m sure you also know the cost of many of the desk top organizing pieces on the market.

$27 please, and NO FILE Storage!

$85, and No Hanging File, no pencil cup, just wood shelves…..

Well, seeing as how we’d rather buy groceries for two weeks than office organization stuffs I started searching to see what I had on hand.  I managed to rustle up a few cardboard boxes, some scrap fabric and scrapbook paper.  I did have to run to the store to get a roll of masking tape, but after some trial and error and 2 days, my husband has everything he needs at his fingertips in his office, as well as a place to keep files he is currently working on.

Pencil holder cubbies (6), legal size vertical files, small accessory holders, literature sorter, AND CUTE!!!

http://craftylink.com/group/tuesday-schmoozeday/forum/topics/kellys-tuesday-schmoozeday-11-am-est-5-14-2013-toilet-paper-roll

Recycled Crafts

DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL SO YOU NEVER MISS A SHOW!

In fact, you actually can do a whole lot of very cool techniques with them and if you missed my show yesterday during Tuesday Schmoozeday, I shared how I start a painting – and this time I’m using Pan Pastels and a wash method.

We had a blast and if you missed the show, watch the replay!

 Want more? Come by SCARFED! next week and visit with Martiel on May 22 at 1130am EST and see how this painting develops further!

When I first began this project, I knew I wanted to turn one of the ‘prettier’ male paper dolls into a girl with long hair in a big poofy dress. In the end I accomplished that, but she doesn’t look anything like I had hoped and I am not happy with the end result.

I am really happy with the background and the little bird in her hand and I even like the little kitten. I am not so happy with the big poofy dress and long, flowing hair ;P

When I glued the book pages down, I didn’t realize that the paper doll legs were going to PROTRUDE so much. I should have stopped right there and cut them off, but I figured I would be able to camouflage them with the paint. I was wrong. LOL!  I’m not sure if you can tell it from the pictures, but you can CLEARLY see the outline of the legs and feet of the original doll. I continued to paint the dress and it just got worse and worse with every layer. I actually edited out SEVERAL steps of the dress evolution. If I hadn’t this video would have been MUCH longer and I don’t think you would want to sit through that   I also got her hair too big and uneven and it looks like a mop just sitting on top of her head.  I’m still not sure how I managed to do that, but by the time I realized it, it was too late to fix it.

I normally don’t talk about all of the screw-ups that happen while I am working on these projects because I am usually very happy with how my pieces turn out. I can usually turn it around in the end and ‘fix’ anything I ‘mess up’ along the way. This time, however…. not so much. I decided to tell you about what I DON’T like because I want you to know that even after all this time, I still make crap art. I still make things I am unhappy with and I still screw up some of these projects beyond ‘repair.’  I am telling you this because I want you to know it is OK  to make crap art on occasion. Let me repeat that… IT. IS. OK.

It is ok to make pieces that you are unhappy with or just plain out DON’T LIKE! That doesn’t make you a ‘bad’ artists. It doesn’t even make you any LESS of an artist. It just means you made a piece that you don’t really like. And that’s ok!

It is ok because …….

1) Art is subjective. Just because YOU don’t particularly like it, doesn’t mean NO ONE will like it. (And besides, who cares if no one likes it!)

2) You are probably on the verge of a breakthrough and need to push past the bonds that have been holding you in place.  Let me elaborate on each of these.

Art is subjective – Last year I made a crazy looking little monster thing for one of my groups. I HATED that damn monster! I thought it was the WORST piece of crap I had ever made! I thought for SURE no one else would like it and I was embarrassed to even show a photo of it.  I wanted to get rid of it, so I put it on my vendor table at the only craft fair I have ever participated in. That ugly little scraggly monster was the FIRST thing that sold that day! I could not believe it! And the lady that bought it…. absolutely LOVED it. She even asked me how she could mount it on her refrigerator!!! To this day I still think it is the worst piece of crap I have EVER made, but that doesn’t matter because it was EXACTLY what another person had been searching for.

You are probably on the verge of a break though – My creative journey has been a roller coaster and I think most of you can probably relate to this.  I go though phases  where I am really liking most of what I create. I feel confident and inspired and I am usually very satisfied with the finished product. This is the ‘going up’ part of the ride.  This is the easy part. Then I get to the point where I feel like I have lost my muse. I don’t really WANT to make any art and when I do make something, I feel like it is ok, but not my best work. That is the ‘sitting on the top of the hill,rocking back and forth, waiting for the drop’ part of the ride. And then… it happens… Nothing I make turns out right, I feel like I have forgotten every skill I know and I make a BUNCH of CRAP art. That is the ‘plummeting uncontrollably face first to disaster’ part of the ride.

*THAT* is the very reason I DO NOT ride roller coasters in real life. I HATE that feeling. I don’t like not being in control! I don’t like that feeling of falling to my death with nothing to stop me but a metal bar and shoulder pads!!!!

But what happens at the end of EVERY one of those drops???? There is a huge curve and you are thrust back up into the sky, with the wind in your hair and the sun on your face.  The rest of the ride is a thrill, filled with ups and downs, but in the end you have a huge smile on your face. (Well, not me, obviously, but so I’ve bee told by people who enjoy that sort of thing.)

Did I lose you back there???? Are you still with me?

I know that was long winded, but what I am trying to say is this – In my experience, when I hit one of those drops, I am usually going through some sort of artistic transformation and growth. My style is usually changing and evolving and I feel like I am struggling to keep it the same. I am a creature of habit. I don’t like change and so I like to keep things the same. I don’t want my art to change because I am confident and comfortable with how it *IS,* so instead of letting go and letting my art evolve as it will, I resist, pull back and fight it every step of the way. And in doing so… I create a ton of (in my opinion) CRAP art along the way.

It isn’t until I *finally* let go and let my MUSE take control that I get past the crap and move on to the next phase in my artistic journey.

*WHEW!!!*

I know I babbled on and on today, but I hope it helped you to see that it is ok to make art that you don’t like.  If art brings you joy, then you must create… even through the rough patches, because those rough patches are what bring you to greatness.

~If there is no struggle, there is no progress. – Frederick Douglass ~

I hope you enjoy my process, long and unsuccessful as it may be, but more importantly, I hope you take to heart what I have said. Relax. Play. Just enjoy the process. Let the muse guide you and you will never go wrong <3

I will be back on Thursday with this week’s Thrift Shop Thursday haul.

Please like, subscribe and share!

Big Hugs,

Edie
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BODlzhAkffk]

I got out my pastels, I have the following colors:

Hansa Yellow

Titanium White

Turquoise

Red Iron Oxide shade

Orange Shade

Raw Umber

Magenta Extra Dark

I was a little concerned as I looked at the colors I had, and as you look, there really isn’t a good ‘landscape-y green’ color.  The raw umber looks greenish in the picture, but it is more of a deeper brown than green.  So, because they are promised to mix and blend nicely I decided to give it a try.

I began by mixing my yellow and turquoise to create a gentle green color.  Because the colors didn’t blend completely on my applicator I found I got a mottled green, with shades of yellow and shades of blue mixed in.  They way the colors blended and layered I really liked the way my landscape green developed.  As I worked, I added the raw umber to my green to create a deeper green, titanium white for a brighter color, and the oranges/reds for more of a tonal look.  I LOVED the way the colors blended together giving the different shades and creating depth in the layers.  For my garden piece I used a small brush and mixed my pastels on the soft bristled brush much like I’d mix paint.

A Day at Lake Michigan

I have to say, I thing for landscape painting the pan pastels are my favorite medium.  These pieces are composed on canvas board, not the ideal medium for working in pastels, but the colors were able to lay nicely on the surface and the texture of the canvas added a little more depth to the pictures.

My dear friend Robyn Couillard flew to Norfolk from Minnesota for a visit. While she was here, we took a trip to the thrift store and she was awesome (and brave) enough to make a special guest appearance on the show. This was the most fun I have ever had at the thrift store and I have NO idea how I am EVER going to top this one!

Be sure to stick around after the talkie bit to see some behind the scenes footage