Freeze!

First there was snow and then there were icicles. Then the high winds that kept you awake at night. Supposed to warm up this week. Let us see.

Linked to Image-in-ing. 

Music Sheet Collage

This collage started with a scan of an actual leaf. I printed the leaf and added lots of doodles around it and which I colored in bright red and purple. I painted a blue dragon fly on the leaf to give the pale yellow some pop of color. Finally, I glued the whole ensemble onto a vintage music sheet. I always liked using music sheet in collages and  below is another piece that I did a while ago.

It was a balmy 54 degree yesterday. The night was cloudless and I was able to take this photo of a waxing gibbous moon.

And today we had this!

Linked to Paint Party Friday  (many thanks to Eva and Kristin for hosting) and Moo-Mania Music challenge.

How To Celebrate February

February is upon us and yet on Thursday,  Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and declared that we are in for another six weeks of winter. Here in New Jersey, we have been experiencing bright days and almost balmy temperatures. But February can be deceiving. Sandwiched between wintry January and springy March, it can never quiet make up its mind which way to go and we too go along for the ride with one eye cocked over the shoulder for a late-winter storm while searching with another for fugitive signs of spring on the frozen ground. In a forward looking mood, I was inspired (by the seed catalogs in Bio Diversity Heritage Library) to paint these cheery dahlias.

February is also the month of my engagement and wedding thirty-five years ago and the birth of my daughter two years later. I love February! Here are a couple of doodle to celebrate love and togetherness.

Linked to Art Journal Journey Fifty Shades of Red and Try in Tuesday Hearts and Flowers.

Thanks for visiting.

DIY: Painted and Doodled Canvas Floor Cloth Tutorial

I created this canvas floor cloth as an alternative to area rug for my studio. I had all the materials on hand: yards of canvas that I had bought for making painted journal covers, bottles of acrylic and India inks and dozens of Sharpie pens. It seemed that this could be a project where I could put all of these to good use. Since I wanted to finish this project within a week or so, I decided that I will not overthink or overplan the design and that I would fill it with whatever doodles that popped in my head at that moment. I used a couple of doodles from the official Zentangle patterns and the rest were all my own.

The design process itself was quiet simple. I painted the canvas cloth with acrylic inks first. Then, doodled the patterns using Sharpie markers. Finally, I added white highlights where I thought the design was too dark.

Overall, I enjoyed making it very much. It was like coloring a giant page. Except for one thing: the pungent odor of the markers irritated my eyes a lot. I thought of switching to Prisma brush pens but found Sharpie to be the best tool for doodling on canvas. Next time I do something I like this, I will wear a mask.

Here are step-by-step instructions 

Materials 

1. One 36" by 60" unprimed canvas cloth
2. Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Inks (I used Indian Yellow and Purple Lake)
3. Sharpie Markers (Fine or Medium Point)
4. Craft acrylic paint (white)
5. Inexpensive sponge brushes (available in any craft store)
6. Inexpensive acrylic paint brushes (available in any craft store)
7. A plastic cup
8. Water
9. Wax paper
10. Newspapers or plastic garbage liners

Instructions

1. In a well ventilated room, spread the newspapers or the garbage liners on the floor. These are to protect the floor from any color seepage from the canvas cloth.
2. Spread the canvas cloth on top of the sheets and wet it thoroughly with water using a sponge brush.
3. Decide on the colors that you want to layer the canvas with. You can choose a single color or two or more complimentary colors. Pour a few drops of the acrylic ink in a cup and add 4-6 tablespoons of water to dilute the ink. The ink is highly pigmented and a few drops diluted with water can easily cover the whole cloth.
4. Paint the canvas with the ink using the sponge brush. Add one or more coats to achieve the color intensity that you want (see below). Let the canvas dry.

5. Once the canvas is dry, start doodling with the markers. I would recommend using doodles that can be scaled up. This will help you to cover large areas fairly quickly. Use different color markers for interest.

6. 6. This step is optional. If you like, you can add highlights using inexpensive craft acrylic paints. I used white paint for this step.

 

7. Finally, hem stitch the four sides of the canvas to keep the threads from coming loose. If you choose, you may also attach a slip resistant rug pad to keep the floor cloth from moving on the floor.



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