Gorgeous and Fun

Art and Jewels

Bejeweled art - combining two things I like - paints and jewels :-). Something I worked on last weekend.

 

Now will you share something? Add your link below.

 

Being Creative #10 - Slaying the Dragons

Week 10, people! Time just flew away!

 

Before we slay dragons, I wanted to make some announcements:

- Even though today's post is my last "talking post" the Being Creative blog party will continue. I hope you stop by and share something you made. It is so much fun to ooh and aah over gorgeous creations. And it is heartening to be cheered on.

- I will be turning the blog posts from these 10 weeks into a "Being Creative" e-book. It will be available for a free download. 

- I am going to post tutorials and tips on Photoshop Elements.

- And here is the biggest announcement of all - I will be featuring interviews with creative folks. I will be starting the artist interviews soon. Watch this space!

 

On to today's topic - "Slaying the Dragons". We all deal with fears, the big bad beasties! And I found that I am not the only one who feels these fears. Here we go.......

 

a. Who am I to call myself creative?

I am not famous, can I call myself creative/artist/<insert phrase of choice>? I call myself creative because I made something - be it a collage, a necklace or a photograph. It did not exist before I made it. I captured a feeling or worked on some idea in my head. That idea in my head took form, I have something to show for it. Therefore I am creative.  I don’t need an official, gilded certificate to say so. 

 

b. I haven’t sold anything or I have never been published. So I must suck!

I am not the only one who has been rejected! Because generally people don’t mention rejection! There is nothing to talk about because not getting published is something that didn’t happen. It does hurt – rejection always hurts, even if it is a little tiny bit.

When I have been rejected and I am tempted to give it up I have to remind myself that I do this because it makes me happy! I am doing this for myself - first and foremost!!

A couple of years back I had asked one of my favorite authors Deanna Raybourn about how she persevered. It took her 14 years to get published. And I asked her if she ever thought of giving up. I am paraphrasing here, her answer was  to the effect - "To me writing is like breathing, how can one can give that up?". To read her full reply go here - Post on Not Giving Up. I found her reply very, very inspiring.

When you are feeling low go read the stories of people who inspire you. Look up Julia Child, her first cook book was published in her late 40s.

Let's change the title statement to - "I haven’t sold anything or I have never been published - YET".

 

c. But sometimes I make crappy work.

Everyone makes crappy work. Everyone has to practice to become good. So not every piece of work is a masterpiece. People just don’t share their crappy work!

There are happy mistakes and bad ones – but if you don’t play you will never know. Expecting to sit down and make that perfect piece every time, is not realistic . Did I wish I had watched TV instead when I made something crappy? Absolutely!

But what happens when you make something that comes out great? Think of that creative high.

 

d. Am I good enough?

I think of that. And only I can answer that question for myself. When I am feeling that way I look at my digital brag book. It reminds me of what I have made before and what I am capable of.

What's a digital brag book? Photograph everything you have ever made. Save it in a folder or even upload the photos to Flickr. That is your digital brag book.

 

e. Am I a hoarder?

When you start out on the creative journey you try to figure out what you like and where you want to go. You will go through cycles of collecting material. These cycles will feel like hoarding but they are not. Call it a process of elimination, like Sherlock Holmes would, but you will have to try different things to figure out where your interests lie. And so you will acquire different materials in doing so.

But you will always have your conscience, there will be that little voice in your head telling you when you are just buying things and not doing anything with them. Let that voice guide you.

There are things that I have tried that I decided that I didn't like as much (soft pastels, ribbons, embossing paste, some stencils), I like giving those away to friends who might use them.

 

f. Not getting acknowledgement from people who you make things for.

Yep, that has happened to me. I have knitted things for friends and sent handmade cards that never got acknowledged. And yes, I did feel a little bad. The lesson I learned? Know your audience. Know whom you show your work to and give your work to. Not everyone can appreciate it and those who can't - don't bother with them. Save yourself the time, effort and heartache.

 

h. Some days finding beauty is hard.

And such is life. Not all days are the same! Some days you see beauty everywhere and some days you see none. I am learning the value of patience, time and grace. Once again - let it go! And watch what happens. 

 

Today I am sharing a piece of jewelry that I am working on:

 

 

Keep Creating!

Amisha

Note:

There was a problem with the Inlinkz tool. It is fixed now, but here are the links that were already added:

exploringthewondersoflife.blogspot.com/2011/04/watercolor-study.html 

alteredschoolmarm.blogspot.com/2011/04/being-creative-10-our-biggest-fears.html

 

 

Being Creative #9 - Big and Small Ideas

Week 9 already! Wow, time flies!! Feels like yesterday I started this series.

 

Today's topic - Big and Small Ideas!

Okay so today's topic is just things that I feel. These things are my version of my creative enlightenment. Things that I learned about myself. So I admit I am sharing these with some trepidation but it is time to overcome my fears (actually that is next week's topic) and I hope what I say helps someone else.

Let's get started, before I change my mind!

 

1. Play.

No really, just give yourself time to play. Put all the goals, intentions, thoughts away. And just play. That's when you have the most fun! Time to play leads to other things. But stressing yourself out that "at the end of these 2 hours I will have a masterpiece" - doesn't work! That way is just not fun.

 

2. Let it go!

Whatever you are worrying about, fretting about let it go and just go where your heart goes. I struggled. I wanted my work to look a certain way - the very first time I tried something new. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't! When it didn't look right, I learned to let it go. And just play.

 

3. Write down an intention and watch what happens.

Things that I wrote down a couple of years back are working out now. I talked about learning Photoshop last week, an intention that I didn't know how I was going to bring to life. I know I said this last week but it is worth saying it again. Things that you care about keep emerging over and over and eventually you find your way to them.

 

4. Multiple hobbies are great!

I got chided by an art teacher who said "Pick one thing - you want to draw flowers and trees and faces and figures and landscapes". But I couldn't decide, I liked it all! I understand what she was saying, pick one thing, work at it and you will master it. But turns out that this is not how I work. I like making jewelry, I like making collages, I like photography, I like Photoshop. These are the things I like most, at least right now! To get here though I have done other things on the way - knitted, made Ikebana and other floral arrangements, painted silk scarves and still like painting watercolors.

Am I a master at everything? Nope. But I found what I liked and had more fun!

Could I have been a master at one thing, if I did one thing only? Maybe.

And here is what I discovered - multiple interests kept me creative. If I don't feel like making jewelry then I play with Photoshop. And so this way my creative well gets replenished.

So now I absolutely refuse to feel bad about the multiple interests! They help me.

This may not be true for everyone - one interest or multiple interests - you decide what works for you. But don't let anyone else decide that for you.

Are you curious about that art teacher? I wasn't having fun, so eventually I stopped going to her.

 

5. Give it time - it is a journey!

I wanted to be a master at something and quickly! I wanted to produce masterpieces in 20 minutes.

But I learned to give things time. As much as I would have liked to know 5 years back that I like collages, I didn't. And if I hadn't stayed on this journey, played and played with different things I may have never got here. I may have never found out. I learned a lot on the way - I like working on small pieces, I like acrylics and gel media. I like to play with color.

But if I had given myself a deadline and said that I will know by the end of this week what I like - that would not have worked! I would not have been here today and probably not created anything.

 

 

6. Finding your style.

I love, love the vintage style. But my brain doesn't work that way, at least not right now! I love seeing the layers and layers of work. I ogle other artists' work who do many layers and marvel. But my mind doesn't work that way - I am good with less layers. That doesn't mean I haven't tried the multi-layered look, but it is not working for me. And I am accepting that. This goes back to "Letting it go".

Have I found my style yet? I don't think so. But I also hope that I do have more than one style.

 

 This week I am sharing a photograph I took of a sunset when I went for a walk:

The thing I want to share today is about photography. Taking photographs is creative work! I have had folks leave comments saying I would love to take part in your party but I am not creative - I just take photos. If you can capture one moment in time, distill out a feeling and record that feeling in an image - you are creative!

That's it!

 

Next week is the last week I will be talking. I will continue leaving the link tool open for folks to come share their creations each Sunday but the talking part will be done.

And next week's topic is the big, scary topic - the biggest fears. Am I creative enough? Am I good enough? And some more of such big beasties......

 

 

Keep Creating!

Amisha

Being Creative #8 - Tools, Tips and Technologies

Howdy! How have you been? Wow, it's already week 8! Two more to go and then I am done talking.

 

This week seems to have flown by. I have had fun working on some Photoshop exercises!

 

So let's get to today's topic - Tools, Tips and Technologies!

A couple of years back, I remember someone asking me if I play with Photoshop and my answer was no. Since I work at a computer all day long, I like to go home and do something non-virtual, making collages with paint and glue and getting my hands dirty.

 

But since then I have changed my tune. Today I like Photoshop for not just creating artwork and manipulating photos but as a tool. But before I talk about my favorite tools and technologies, let's talk about cheating. Yes, you read that right - cheating! When I use a camera or Photoshop, some times I feel like I am cheating. Have you ever felt that way?

 

Last year I read a book about Norman Rockwell - Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera by Ron Schick. Turns out he felt like he was cheating!

Norman Rockwell used to stage elaborate scenes, have them photographed and then use elements from different photographs for his final work. Every part of this creative process stemmed from within him and yet he felt guilty for using photographs! You can see some of the photos here in this blog post. You would think someone as great as him would have no such guilt!

 

And then I had read a book on art history that said that absolutely no one except for the cave man has created art in a vacuum. We are all influenced by what came before us. So there is no need to feel guilty. Of course, there is a distinction between inspiration and copying. But that little voice in your head is quite good at knowing that distinction.

Of course, copying is okay too - but only when you are learning and you can't take any credit for that work. In the old days, the apprentices who worked in the studios of famous artists started out by copying the sketches of the master. Actually a lot of the studios were like little factories. The master didn't have time to make art for everyone, so except for the important patrons, paintings for other customers were often put together by the apprentices. One apprentice would paint the trees and the other would do the grass!

 

Anyways, I admit to feeling some guilt when I use tools but these tools make life easier and help me accomplish my goals faster or more easily! There's nothing really wrong with that. At least this way, I keep creating.

 

My favorite tools, tips and technologies -

1. The camera. Point-and-shoot or SLR, you ask? It doesn't matter which one. 

Carry your camera everywhere. Use it to capture something that inspired you, something that intrigued you. You never know when inspiration will strike and a picture is worth a thousand words! And if you don't have a camera with you - use your phone camera. I have found that since I started taking my camera everywhere my outlook has changed. I see inspiration everywhere and I now have my own repository of inspiration to turn to.

 

2. Photoshop Elements - Gosh there are just so many advantages to this tool! So I am just going to list a few.

a. You want to convert that leaf you saw to a pendant? Take a photograph, use the pencil filter in photoshop to convert it to a pencil drawing. These days you don't need to trace if you use Photoshop this way.

b. You want to convert that beach scene to a watercolor? Take the photograph, use the watercolors filter in photoshop to convert it to a watercolor. And if you like, still paint a watercolor yourself, but Photoshop has now helped you in the visualisation process.

c. Resizing your drawings - I have drawn a doll that I really like. You can always trace a drawing the old fashioned way by using a light box or using Saral transfer paper (it's like carbon paper, but doesn't leave carbon behind). But I scanned in my drawing, saved it and then resized my drawing to different sizes for different canvases. This is fantastic! Now I don't have to eyeball the drawing and redraw it to different sizes. So much time saved and really manually resizing a drawing was not a fun part of the creative process.

 

3. Scanner/printer - Bring home those sticks, leaves, flowers that inspire and scan them! Not only can you record inspiration this way but use these as digital elements in your digital artwork. And the printer these days is not just used to print on paper.  You can print on transparencies,  Jacquard's printable organza, Golden's digital grounds, transfer paper! Talk about possibilities!

 

4. Use Big Huge Labs.com - to make your own photo mosaics, CD art, movie posters, calendar or generate your own color palette from your photo. And you can do much more, check it out!

 

5. Okay now for some hands-on tools to create textures with your art work - toothpicks, bottle caps, bubble wrap, sequin waste, corrugated board, wine corks, palette knives, tape roll holders, petroleum jelly, stencils, foam stamps, used credit cards.

 

 

I made this collage in a watercolor Moleskine book. And I have used some cheesecloth in this work, my first time ever doing so! 

 

What tools or technologies will you share?

 

Next week's topic - Big and Small Ideas. Things that I have come to learn along the way - like not trying to force a style of work that doesn't come easily to me.

Keep Creating!

Amisha

Being Creative #7 - Writing Down Ideas

Hello! Hello! Thank you for stopping by! And thanks to all who participated last week.

NEWS - I received requests from folks to keep the party going. At the end of the 10 weeks I won't have anything more to say, so I will keep this blog party going but I won't be talking. I will just share images of something I made, I hope you join in with your creations.  

 

It's been another a busy week but this weekend was particularly exciting. I hail from India and this weekend India was playing in the cricket World Cup final and won!!! Indians are crazy about cricket, for all the diversity in India this sport is the great uniter. And the atmosphere in India at a time like this is unique. A billion people are glued to their TVs, the streets are empty when the game is on, the country comes to a complete stop!!! No work gets done. 

As soon as India won, there were fireworks and dancing in the streets. The atmosphere in India is electric and super festive. It's quite an experience!

 

Back in New England my creative activity this week came from Photoshop Elements. I have been learning this tool over the last year and have wanted to learn about it for longer than that. And I am loving it!

 

Before we move on to today's topic I want to shout out to Joyce. She works for a newspaper - does photography and more - and she will tell you she loves it, is a grandmother who devotes loads of her time to grandkids and is super-crafty (in the good way!). How she does it all, I don't know! She inspires me.

 

Today's topic - Writing down ideas!

This isn't a long topic but an important one! I used to think that writing/sketching ideas was not important. I will remember them. But I was wrong. After some time I forgot! And then I saw something that reminded me of the idea and once again it would slip away. So I did start writing ideas and in the case of jewelery I sketch my ideas. I also put down the date I jotted the idea.

 

And I noticed some things - the ideas that I really cared about appeared over and over. The ones that I was intrigued about but didn't care much about faded away. With the many interests I have this also helped me identify the top 3 or 4 things I cared about (jewelry, collage, photography and Photoshop). It helped me streamline through the zillion ideas buzzing around my head.

 

And another magical thing happened too. The ideas became intentions. Some of the things I wrote down 2 years are coming true now. When I look back at my entries from 2 years back I had written "want to learn Photoshop" and this entry appeared over and over. I didn't know where to begin and how. But since I cared about it enough, my subconscious was registering and percolating things that I didn't know. I paid attention to any information I got on photography and Photoshop. And when you care enough about something you try to find ways to make it happen.

 

That's the other fun thing about writing/sketching your ideas, you see your own evolution! It is fun to flip through your own ideas journal. And sometimes you even run into an entry where you go - "Oh yeah, I still want to do that".

 

And here's what I am sharing this week:

 

And if you had stopped by earlier this week, you would have seen this same image with yet another set of colors. I couldn't stop playing with the colors in my composition.

I bought the collage kit for this project from Cat Scrap.

And I can't leave you without some goodies. Here are other places to buy digital kits for collage/scrapbooking:

- Scrapbook Graphics

- Digiscrapkits

- Basic Grey

 

Do you have any digital scrapbooking sites to share? What creation will you share today? You can link up until Tuesday, April 5th, noon EST.

 

Next week's topic - Tools, Tips and Technology! What are you favorite tools? Do you ever feel like you are cheating because you are using some tool?

 

Keep Creating!

Amisha

Being Creative #6 - Inspiration!

Phew what a week! I had a busy, busy week at work and then I had Friday off. I was planning on doing nothing but that just isn't me! I can't keep still. So between Friday and Saturday I created 4 necklaces. Talk about a creative high! So what was your week like, did you create anything?

I also want to shout out to my 3 three kindred spirits - Karen, Moriah and Tricia. Ladies, you are super creative and you have no idea how much you inspire me!

 
On to today's topic - Inspiration! It's a big topic, isn't it? Or at least a long one. Yikes, I cannot promise to keep this short :-)

 

These are the ways I get inspired and keep my creative fire stoked!

1. Magazines - This was a given, right? Very, very obvious. Magazines from companies like Stampington. Interior design mags, fashion mags, style mags, food mags. You name it. But did you also know that their are digital magazines too? Stampington puts out some of their magazines in a digital format. And even for paper mags, you can order them online. So in case you live in a place where access to mags is not easy, don't let that stop you. Have you ever seen this artzine called Pasticcio? And if you like jewelry have you ever seen Bead Trends? It's gorgeous!

 

2. Books - If you have ever been to this blog before you know I love reading. So I am not just talking about technique books or coffee table books. I am talking about fiction too. Some authors paint such beautiful pictures with their words and the best part is that you get to fill in your own visuals. Don't believe me? Let me give you an example:

"A tea shop, especially Theodosia's Indigo Tea Shop, was a place that just naturally granted the patrons the permission to slow down. To sit at one of the little wooden tables impeccably set with sterling silver and bone china. To appreciate the way the sunlight filtered through the old leaded-glass windows, breathe in in the aroma of fresh tea and engage in relaxing conversation. And, of course, there was the major diversion of partaking in a languid three-course, four-course or even six-course tea menu. A menu that began with fruit or cream scones accompanied by billowing poufs of Devonshire cream and strawberry jam. The segued into three-tiered trays laden wuth cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon pinwheels, individual cheese and mushroom quiches, and other mouth watering savories. Of course, an Indigo tea shop grand finale always included sinfully rich desserts such as chocolate truffles, raspberry cobbler, apricot tortes, or miniature almond cakes."

From 'Blood Orange Brewing' by Laura Childs. It makes me want to bake or make truffles (I have done that in the past but hubby and I eat them all and I afraid for our healths, LOL!) or have tea or go out for tea. At the very least it makes me hungry!!

 

3. Movies - Have you ever seen "Alice In WonderLand" by Tim Burton, or "The Holiday" with Kate Winslet/Cameron Diaz or "Practical Magic" or "My Fair Lady" or period films? Lush settings, lush clothes, beautiful visuals to inspire. Do you have any recommendations for me?

 

4. Catalogs - Not just from your favorite craft supply companies but clothing catalogs like Talbots, Ann Taylor, Anthropologie, or from companies like Crate and Barrel. I pay attention to the wall art and designs on cushions and the colors! Just staring at those catalogs gives me ideas on color combinations that work. And the beautiful jewels are to die for.

 

5. Inspiration galleries from your favorite companies - Some on my favorite jewelry supply stores Artbeads, Vintaj, Fire Mountain Gems have inspiration galleries. 

 

6. Flickr - Join Flickr, even if you aren't much into photography itself! There are groups of all kinds that share interests - silk scarves, moleskine art, ferris wheels. After all "A Picture is worth a thousand words"!

 

7. Creative community sites like - Milliande Creative Community, Split Coast Stampers, Shutter Sisters. Do you have any communities to share?

 

8. If you are taking any kind of lessons - online or in person, inspiration can be found from the work of your class mates.

 

9. Blogs - But you already know about this! I just have a little tidbit. Look at the sidebars of your favorite blogs, see what classes or tools or people they mention. Go to the links on their sidebar. Because if you like their blog, odds are you will like the people they link too. I consider blogs to be a gold mine.

 

10. Do something entirely different! When I am stuck or jaded or just do not feel creative I do something entirely different. I go for a walk, watch a movie, go out for lunch. Go window shopping- shops like Anthropologie can be super inspiring! Or you see someone wearing some beautiful jewelery or a scarf that inspires you.

On Friday, I went out to antique stores with Karen and OMG! Just seeing the beautiful vintage lace, and little art cards from cigarette boxes, old maps, dressmakers books got my creative juices flowing. And of course, spending time with a friend like Karen - invaluable! Getting to rave about all the cool things that inspire and the projects we are working on - it was so much fun and so good for the soul! Thanks Karen!!

 

And here is what I am sharing today:

I don't have an technique to talk about here, I was just playing with paints. But those little frames you see? They are from "Melissa Frances", you get these in stamping and scrapbooking stores.

 

So what are you going to share today?
This party will be open till Tuesday noon EST, so feel free to link up, the link tool is below. And if you like you can grab the button for this party from the sidebar.

 

Next week's topic - Writing down ideas? Do you do it? Do you like it? Does it help?

 

 

Keep Creating!

Amisha

Being Creative #5 - Creative Time

Hi there! We are at half way point already! Time flies!!

To all the lovely ladies who participated last week or left comments thank you so much! It is really heartening to hear about everyone's experiences and see such lovely work. 

This party will be open till Tuesday morning 10am EST, so feel free to link up, the link tool is below.

 

I have had a super busy week and haven't had much time to create so talk about timing :-). So unless you are doing something creative for a living odds are that time is a super big constraint.

I develop software and that is creative work in its own way. But it is very different from creative work with images. So after coming home from work, running errands, making food <insert daily life activity of your choice> often I am tired. And yes I do wish that somehow I could invent more time. But at some point I realized that this is it - there's always going to be something to do.

So I create whenever I have spare time and often times I make time for it. There are two reasons why I work on small projects - one is time, the other is that I like small projects! I think that most projects I work on are about 3 hours, not all at one shot. But that' about my project attention span.

 

How much time do I spend in one sitting? Anywhere from 5 minutes to  2-3 hours, it depends on the day. Most days it is like 30 -45 minutes.

The longer time spans probably make sense to you but you must be wondering what can you do in 5-15 minutes?

1. Gawk at some eye candy for inspiration. Magazines, blogs etc. I count that as creative time, besides you need that kind of time for creative nourishment. Of course, if that's all you are doing all the time you will have that little voice in your head urging you to create something yourself.

2. Picking out papers for a collage project.

3. Picking out colors for a painting.

4. Jotting down or sketching an idea.

5. Picking out images for a Photoshop elements project.

6. Reading up some technique. I like doing that with my Photoshop Elements, photography projects.

7. Playing with or staring at beads to let the ideas form in my head.

8. Sketching an idea for a jewelry piece.

9. Wiring/Beading some of the components for my bead project.

 

One of the reasons I like playing with Photoshop is that if I am too tired, I can create right here on my computer and I don't have to cleanup anything. Yes, I dread cleaning up acrylic paints that much! I like making jewelry for that reason too, that in  a couple of hours I can have something beautiful to show for the time and it's ready to wear!

 

I have also learned to be kind to myself. I used to give my self harsh goals like I will create a collage everyday of this week. This might work for some people, it just does not work for me - at all. Some days I end up being at work longer, some days there are errands to be run so it makes no sense to stress myself out and say - "I must create for an hour today!". After all I create because I enjoy it, but when I am too tired or rushed I am not going to enjoy it if I am forcing myself.  I am not doing this kind of creative work for a living - for people who do this for a living it could be a different story.

 

Also when we travel I always find my creative juices flowing but I rarely have the time or inclination to lug around my acrylic paints etc. I find that photography fills that need. Besides photography being creative in itself, the images are a goldmine for my Photoshop experiments and for inspiration for art and jewelery.

When I go for a walk I carry my camera, you never know when you can catch a lovely sunset or turkeys trying to cross the road or some such vignette. So I get my exercise and maybe some pictures.

 

So that's it about my creative time. How much time can you/do you like to spend on creating?

The technique I am going to share here is for the glitter collage background. I learned the technique from Lori at Ink About It. 

Here's what you do - 

1. Get some sticky backed paper and peel of the backing paper.

2. Now start tearing up bits of collage/scrapbooking paper and sticking it to the sticky side of the sticky backed paper. Wow, that was a mouthful!

3. Then when you are done with the paper, throw on glitter. The glitter will adhere whereever there was no collage paper.

And since I don't like glitter falling everywhere from such work I invented a new layer. I coated the glitter collage with soft glossy gel from Golden. That sealed it. You have to give the gel a few hours to dry.

That's it!

I stuck the glittery collage to shiny blue card stock. As for the girl in the bathtub, the image is from Stamping Bella. I colored her with color pencils and then adding glittery Stickles and pearlescent Stickles. And then stuck her to the glittery background.

 

Next week's topic, it's a big one - "Inspiration". Where do you find inspiration?

Please leave me a comment if you would like me to email you to remind you about this party. Grab the button if you like from the sidebar.

 

Keep Creating!

Amisha

Being Creative #4 - Things that Niggle!

Hello! Hello! So today the clocks sprang forward. That means I get to see some sunshine when I leave work although I get to sleep an hour lesser. But yay for seeing more sunshine!!! Double yay to everyone who created this week!

 

And a Big Thank You for participating last week :-). It was so much fun to see all the great work.

 

Today's topic is: Things that Niggle!

Do you find that when you are thinking of creating there are some things that bother you or stop you from creating? I found that it was the same/similar line of thoughts each time. If you pay attention to why you think you shouldn't create right now, a pattern of thoughts will emerge. 

So I started paying attention to the things that niggled me and kept them in mind. I didn't always come up with a solution to the niggle right away. But it helped knowing and identifying those problem spots. And eventually a solution popped up! Or if I was chatting with a friend and mentioned it, sometimes I would end up getting a suggestion that paid off! If I was passionate enough about that form of creativity (acrylic painting, collage, jewelery making, photography....) and really, really wanted to do it - some form of solution eventually appeared. 

 

I am going to share with you some of my niggles:

1. I don’t like messing up things that I can’t replace easily like tables, carpets, nice clothes. 

My solutions:

To not mess up carpet: I work on a corrugated plastic board that I can slosh paint on.

To not ruin the  plastic sheet too much: I put down used printer paper to cover the plastic (yeah, I worry about that too!).

To not ruin my coffee table when I am working on it: I work on magazine paper when I am gluing.

To not ruin good clothes - I wear grungy clothes or an apron when I am creating. Even when I go for a class I wear grungy stuff. 

 

2. I hate wasting paints, gels, media. For a long time I struggled with how much paint to get out of the tube? Too little and I would have trouble getting the same shade back. Too much meant it went waste. And I figured I would rather take out more paint than less.

So what to do with leftover paint? I keep a journal of 8"x8" to use up paint and other media. So no wasting precious paints! This was big for me. And when I talk to my creative pals, pretty much everyone talks about how they hate wasting paints, paper <insert material of you choice>. So find a way to use the leftovers.

 

3. I worry about toxicity of paints and materials. So I wear disposable plastic gloves when I paint. I wear them to classes too. If people want to laugh at me, let them. I don't just paint, I cook too. I chop vegetables, knead dough etc. etc...... I was concerned about paints being toxic. This too was a huge blocker for me, so the gloves helped me get past that. If you didn't know some colors are more toxic than others, they are! It depends on the pigments in the colors.

 

4. I don’t have enough natural light in my apartment to take good pictures, so I bought some photography daylight lamps. I do still prefer to shoot outside in natural light - in that case I wait for a sunny weekend.

 

5. Cleaning the palette after using acrylic paints, you don’t have to! I dreaded cleaning that thing and now it is a living history of all the work I have done.

 

6. I don’t have a studio space so where to wash my acrylic brushes? I don't want to ruin my kitchen sink or bathroom sink. So I put my brushes in a bowl of cold water. Wash them in that bowl, wipe them on paper towels and then flush the water. 

 

7. If I need to use the heat gun for embossing I use a Ranger Kraft sheet, it can take the heat! No more melting the carpet fibres.

 

So what things niggle/inhibit you and how did you get around them? And what are you going to share today? Please note that the party is open till Tuesday morning 10am EST to link up! Feel free to grab the button from the sidebar.

And this week I am sharing this canvas:

I can't really give instructions for this because the instructions would be play your with paints! So how about a story instead? I do love to talk :-). Although I still talk faster than I type.

Pay attention to the canvas - see her face? It's goth. I just couldn't resist using this stamp with candy colors and the prim and proper "keep calm and carry on". I had seen these "Stampotique" goth-ish stamps over a year back. And at that time my stamp club friends and I chuckled that these would be either good for Halloween or that someone special whom you are not so fond of. LOL.

Little did I know that a year later I would fall in love with them. See I took a class with Jenn Shurkus a month back. I needed to get out of my own head and play with paint. And I figured if I took a class I would learn something new and be inspired by the work of fellow class mates. Anyways at the end of this class not only did I have two canvases that I loved - I knew that some of these goth Stampotique stamps were definitely in my future.

 

Next week's topic - What counts as creative time? How much time do you need to create?

Keep Creating!

Amisha

Being Creative #3 - Deciding the size of your work

Hello! Hello! Welcome Back! I am so glad you came. And thank you to everyone who participated last week. And feel free to grab the button from the sidebar.

And I can't resist giving you at least one link. If you are interested in taking beautiful photographs here's a cool project - Picture Inspiration. In this project Tracey Clark the founder of Shutter Sisters will send inspiration photo emails once a week for the next year. And you can take your photos and share them on the project class site. So you have the benefit of a community to share with, ask questions and to motivate. I am signed up for this. I had decided that this year I was going to learn more about photography.

 

Now today's topic is - Size ! Size matters :-).

 

For the longest time I worked hard at trying to make big pieces of work, whether it was knitting or painting. And I struggled. I lack patience and I am definitely not someone who can work on the same piece of work for months - I lose interest. It took a long time for the penny to drop - I like working on small projects. 

 

When I knitted I only ever made scarves, hats and baby booties. I bought yarn to make a quilt, knitted 4 out of the 9 squares and never finished it. I was afraid of the sewing at the end! And just once I bought yarn for a sweater and never, ever opened the bag and pulled the yarn out.

 

I have sketched all my life. A few years back I was taking lessons with an artist, at that time I was attempting different kinds of art pieces - figure drawing, botanical illustration. Those big sheets of paper were intimidating to fill! So, so scary. And after 3 or 4 sessions working on the same piece I came to dread or resent the piece or I just lost interest. 

I even remember the teacher asking me "how I would make a good artist when I didn't have patience?". Now I knew I was never going to attempt to paint the Sistine Chapel. But I worked on my patience and worked on pieces that took many weeks. And that took all the fun out of it! I was unhappy and I completely stopped creating. For a whole year I don't remember what I created because I didn't do much.

 

And then I discovered rubber stamping through a magazine, I went to a stamping store I found in the magazine. One thing led to another and I found that they offered 3 hour weekend classes. I went for some these classes and each time I ended up leaving with something that I made that I loved. That's when the penny dropped - I like working on small pieces! And that freed me up. I can't begin to tell you how much that freed me up.

I like working on canvases with sizes of 4"x5", 5"x7", 6"x8" and 8"x8". The biggest size I have worked with lately is 10"x10" - it is actually the work I am giving instructions to.

So at some level I knew what size I like working with but I never identified it! And that niggled away and kept me from creating.  Some day I might work on something bigger but for right now I know that this scale makes me happy.

So what's your size? What size are you happy to work with and what scale scares you?

Ingredients:

10"x10" wood board

Golden Black gesso

Matte medium

Scrapbook papers

Black dye ink

Rubber stamp

Thread

Removable tape

Paint brushes

 

Instructions:

1. Paint the wooden board with black gesso with a brush. Some people like to sand before gessoing, I don't.

2. Let the gesso dry.

3. Now stamp the scrapbook paper with your rubber stamp and black ink.

4. Cut the stamped paper into small squares.

5. Were you wondering what the thread is for? :-). It is a little trick I invented to line things up. I created a grid on the board with the threads. I taped the threads to the side of the board.

6. Then I glued the squares with matte medium, I used the brushes to apply matte medium.

7. When I finished gluing, I quickly but gently pulled off the threads.

8. That's it!

 

 

Next week's topic - Things that stop us from creating, things that bothered or inhibited you!

Please leave me a comment if you would like me to email you to remind you about this party. And I would be thrilled if you link back.

Keep Creating!

Amisha

Being Creative #2 - How to Learn?

Hello, Hello! I have planned this post for about a year in my head. Yeah, I have been thinking about this even longer! There are loads of links in this post, you have been warned <chuckle>.

A big thank you to everyone who participated last week ! Keep Creating!

Let's get a couple of things out of the way:

-What activities are considered as creative?

Anything you create! And that means not just art. I know, I know we all think artists are the only creatives out there. But how is cooking or making music or painting those vases or shooting photos not creative? So are we settled on this - painting/art is not the only form of creativity? That's all I have to say on this topic.

-This party is to share "anything" you created. I find that I generally I have a tough time participating in themed parties because I can never create anything in the theme, LOL !

 

So now back to topic - about learning! Where does one begin to learn?

Let me a tell you a little story. About 10 years back I moved to Massachussetts and I didn't know a single soul! I worked a very demanding job so I couldn't sign up for any 10 week class because I knew I couldn't make it 10 weeks in a row. And I knew I wanted to learn to create something. The different creative activities I tried are topic for another day. But here's what I learned.

Let's talk about non-internet classes, after all back then there wasn't so much on the internet.

Here are some options:

1. Books - When I couldn't find a single class, books were my best friends. And they still are my friends, they are great for reference. Look for them in your book store, your library and dare I say it - amazon.com (I know I mentioned the internet, it is hard not to!).

2. Community Centers or adult education centers. They have multi-week classes or one-off classes.

3. If there are museums in your neighborhood, check them out. They might have schools. 

4. Look at the local ads/fliers in your coffee shop or grocery store or art supply shops. Even if there are people advertising to teach children, they are generally willing to teach adults too. A lot of art supply stores offer classes or if you talk to the attendants there they can tell you of any artists they know. Some of the artists I took lessons from I met this way.

5. Magazines - Magazines from stampington.com have not only loads of inspiration (that's another topic for another day) but they mention retreats and names of artists. Memorise this - artist names this is important! Some artists also sell tutorial DVDs.

 

6. Stamping Stores. They offer fantastic 3-6 hour classes, they give you materials to play with and you walk out with something very beautiful. 

Okay, okay now let's talk about the internet - it has changed everything including learning how to create something. And it is so convenient, from the comfort of your own home!

Now if you read blogs, which you must <big grin> if you are reading this, people mention classes they are taking or are interested in, on their blogs (like I will today), check those out!

So about artist names, google them and you are likely to find a blog. Artists share not only their work but tips and tricks on their blogs. And here is the important note - they mention where they are teaching their upcoming classes. And some of them teach online! A lot of them also have newsletters you can sign up for. See I told you artist names pay off big time these days. 

So I can't just leave you with this information and not give you some goodies! 

- For mixed-media classes: Suzi Blu. Not only is there loads to learn from her but she even lets you download the videos!

-For photography, digital scrapbooking, paper scrapbooking, paint, photo mosaic classes: Big Picture Classes. Great information and no pressure classes.

-Photography classes: PPSOP

-Painting class: Get Your Paint On

-Learn something about yourself and use your camera (even your point and shoot): Susannah Conway's Unravelling

-Photoshop classes: Susan Tuttle , Kim Klassen

-Strathmore classes:  Strathmore Classes. These are free!  I saw these mentioned on  Tricia's 'alteredschoolmarm.blogspot.com' blog, thanks Tricia!

 

Some creative folks who blog:

Julie Ebersole

Jenn Shurkus

Jane Davies

Dave Brethauer

Tim Holtz

Genine

Tracey Clark

 

My favorite stamping stores in the New England area (and yes, they blog too!):

Ink About It

Absolutely Eveyrthing

 

Also you can always search for videos on youtube and invariably you will find a  video teaching whatever you want to learn!

And this is my sharing for this week. Phew, after all the goodies I shared today I am tired! So instructions on this next week.

So what will you share?

Please leave me a comment if you would like me to email you to remind you about this party. Grab a button if you like and it's really nice when you link back !

 

Oh and before I forget next week's topic: Size and scale of your work and why it matters. Do you like to work on big projects or small ones?

Add your link below: