A Nest Of Birds

I've noticed that I really enjoyed starting my entries with 'so'! I couldn't tell you why that might be, SOOOOOOO... lets just get this entry on the go.
I'm not really working on my ghostly hair, or anything new at the moment. I've got ideas that need to get started, but I've hit a little bit of a Sunday wall. Sunday I was very unproductive. I was in Lunenburg of course, we had a lovely breakfast and meandered back into the city. That dragging feet mentality stayed with me and I pretty much just vegetated the rest of the afternoon away. So today after school I spent some time on a new sketch book I started a few weeks ago. Its just a little 5 1/2" x 8" DeSerres sketchbook (I adore their notebooks and sketchbooks!).
The idea behind this workbook was greys and a Black pen. I don't know exactly why I wanted to do that, it might have had something to do with the fact I was compiling all my Black and White photos that day. But I've been enjoying the way it has been turning out. But of course it was not long before colour came creeping in! I'm going to try and keep it only in the grey scale, but sometimes a sketch will crying at you all of a sudden for a dash of red! You have to give your work what it needs right? Right!
Here are a few from the sketchbook thus far, as you can see the sketches are all over the place!

(1.) (2.)

(3.) (4.)


(5.)

(6.)
(I love the way the drawing has bled through the other side it looks pretty cool!)

These last two (notice all that colour? shesh!) is an idea that has long been in my mind to do, actually more than a year. It came from a conversation I had with a dear friend. As we visualized the conversation we somehow were able to come up with this idea of birds nestled in the inside pockets of a jacket. It was through my drawing it out that I added the element of the sheer dress and I'm really happy with the visual effect. My plan for this sketch is to work it up in Intaglio. I'm actually really excited for how that will change the feeling, I think it will add more drama and moodieness. It will also be a much larger image so the amount of detail will make the little elements like the birds really pop. So my project block has been lifted with this sketch I did yesterday, and I'm chomping at the bit to get started!
The nice thing about this sketchbook is the element of fun it has spark. Sometimes I feel oh I'm not sketching enough, I need to do more! Always more! With this its nice to pick up every once in awhile and just do a doodle.

Ghostly Trouble

Sorry for the less than stellar photo... So the Ghostly hair is on the wall, I've been looking at it for days. I'm not happy with it, because I don't know what I want from it. Perhaps the boarder has gotta be more substantial, I'm starting to feel that I might not like it, I must muscle through and take it till it either falls apart as a complete fail or makes a turn for improvement! So I'm giving it the squint eye trying to see the direction this should take! Wish me luck!

(A little card I made during the summer for my Aunt and Uncle who immigrated back to Ireland)

This Blog

So I haven't exactly explained what I'm expecting from this blog. A good friend of mine, told me I should start one, that I'm to secretive about my work. And I am, I have a hard time showing it unless it's exactly how I've imagined it. My friends invite me into their studios to look at their work in progress and I very rarely do the same for them. I could easily say there's an issue of confidence. Its nerve racking letting people in to discus your work before its "presentation" ready. But it's also because as a grade 9 English teacher (who had a very big effect on me) pointed out "Emily you are a Perfectionist". Even though I wasn't an over achiever, (my grades reflected that) but he went a long way to showing me that I had a large passion for the details.
So what am I expecting? I want to be able to share my work, and hopefully share it more in progress.

I'd also like to share other things that relate to the artistic process for example:

Today I am going to a gathering down the Nova Scotia coastline to pretty little Lunenburg. I'm very excited, I enjoyed myself terribly the last time I went down there, and it really is a Nova Scotia Gem. A Friend of mine is in an artist residency program there, which she seems to be utterly thriving in. She's been working very hard, and she says the area has played a really big part in her creative process. After 5 minutes in that town I could see how that could be! Beautiful houses, and quaint shops. I had a burger that was to die for! (secretly hoping we go back there, even though I want to explore other places too, so torn!)
The last time I was there I found some amazing things. These Large Jars I plan on filling very soon, and all the frames on my wall above my desk. But aside from the bargain hunter in me, the artist in me was very refreshed by my surroundings. The fresh air, the small town, and the architecture. She even took me on a lovely drive to Blue rock and The Ovens Natural Park. We watched the waves crash on the shore (the colours were breath taking!)
Any chance to get out to that kind of good artist vibe, I'll take it!

Ghostly Mentality

(Before but mid stage)

I've been multitasking the last few days. As My ghostly hair is at yet another standstill (its giving me a hard time for something I had no real plans for). So as I wait for inspiration to strike me I've worked on other things. I finished this Yesterday, though surprisingly I had started it a month ago. To be fair I had only laid down the background, and was just not sure what direction I wanted to go with it. I was doing that thing I tend to do, I was treating it preciously. I was so happy with the way the colours fluctuated that I was apprehensive to put anything on top of it. Silly I know. Before it was just a block of colour but now its a little illustration. I was inspired from my other work, and the ghostly mentality. The little white dollish face with the chaos blooming all around.(And After, End Product)

Klimt Style

As I work on my Ghostly Hair, and another illustration, I'll take this time to show you something I did a month or so ago. Sort of a Klimt style illustration. I was having fun with this concept of wet on wet watercolour technique. I first blocked off the face and around the edges of the hair so that my initial working area is just the hair. I used My Favourite masking fluid.

Makes Watercolouring a breeze!

I laid down water first and let it dry just a little so it was damp, and then went crazy with the purple watercolour. What I love more than anything about watercolour is what happens when you add salt.
The watercolour clusters to the salt while at the same time being repelled. It creates this wonderful effect that I love.
I let that all dry, removed my salt and Masking Fluid with the aid of an eraser, and worked on the rest!
I'm really enjoying my exploration into watercolour. I am finding it difficult though, because of its nature and the fact I'm still getting a hold on it. When something goes wrong or doesn't go the way I wanted it to I do get discouraged. But I have been pushing through all that, and hopefully I can create some interesting things!

Ghostly Hair

For my first work of random work at my new craft table I went in a hairy direction. One of the frames I found last week came with this oval matting. I decided to work first with this frame. What resulted I feel is sort of a Virgen de Guadalupe minus the religious connotation. With the rays and the oval mat.
But I'm still working out my treatment to the hair, because this ghostly image has appeared my original intent to treat it with a light brown line has gone out the window. I'm now thinking that perhaps a ghostly blue might enhance that Ghostly appearance it has now.
So, more to come!

A Place To Work

Everyone needs a place to work. Once you've pruned your nest to be just how you like it you can really get into what you need to do. I know for sure that's how I operate. I need to feel comfortable in my space before I can start really creating.
Preening is always an on going project, but I've just gotten to a place where I feel the sigh of creativity really starting to flow.
The Desk I found on Kijiji for an amazing price (I mean a real steal!). It was and old craft table but its solid and sturdy. Future plans to refinish it are starting to turn in my brain.
It was a bit bigger then I thought and maybe for this room But I was in real need for the surface space. The plants and rug make it extremely cozy.
I made a privacy blind so I could change without flashing the neighborhood and allow the curtains to remain open as to not destroy my potted plants resting on the windowsill. It's a rough design, I used painting frames, hinges, and fabric and a bundle of nails to rig it up.

More to come in the coming days!