Day 23

I got a little behind again but managed to catch up today. And, I finally braved the oil paints. I LOVE them! I know I have a lot to learn but I think me and the oils may just turn out to be buds! I instantly felt like here was a medium I was going to get along with. Fingers crossed xx

Day 20 Oil on wood

Day 19

Perfect Saturday afternoon. Football on the tv and a painting on the easel.

I have fallen behind again so need to spend Sunday creating two. Good job we have football scheduled for tomorrow too!

Happy weekend xx

Day 19

Day 18

I tried something a little bit different today. Black gesso on a wood panel and then straight in with burnt umber and white acrylic paint. I used a charcoal pencil to add some detail.

It was a struggle and still not a comfortable medium for me but I am actually pleased with how she turned out.

Day 18

29 Faces September 2014

I cannot believe it is September already! But, along with the downside of time going too fast, comes the fantastic news that 29 Faces Challenge has returned.

Whilst finding it tough to keep the discipline of a completed face each day, I really enjoy the process of daily creation. This time around, I am giving myself the extra challenge of using only charcoal and acrylic paint to create each one. I really want to learn more and push myself out of my comfort zone. No graphite - arrgh! I hope I will learn a lot - keeping my fingers crossed.

Here's day one (wonky eye!!) Why is it that I can always see things I want to change when I look back at the photograph hehe!

Day 1

Loving the Charcoal!

Over the past few weeks, encouraged by the beautiful artist Kelly Berkey, I have been experimenting with charcoal on wood. I want to try pushing myself to do something out of my comfort zone and using materials unfamiliar to me.

Wow! I am finding it hard. What I have discovered is that I think I am a bit of a 'neat freak', wanting straight lines, balance and symmetry. I find it really difficult not to pick up my pencil and go in to my drawings to straighten and tighten things up that I find messy and loose.

But, I am persisting hoping it will give me new skills, more confidence and a different perspective to my work.

Here are the most recent. I find it so fascinating taking a photograph of something I have been working on and comparing this with the original work. I often find I can so see so much clearer the next steps I need to take from this photograph than from the work itself. I wonder why?

Don't forget - today is the final day of my 25% off summer sale. Add code SUMMER25 at checkout xx

Concentrated Awesome!

Little Paige thinks she is NOT small, she is concentrated awesome!

Concentrated Awesome by Deborah Jackson

Little Paige just hated being called 'Little'. Arrgggh  it drove her crazy! She had been the smallest all her life. Everyone told her that one day she would 'shoot up' and be as tall as all her friends. She used to wish and wish that day would come. Now, she reasoned, she was perfect just the way she was. When people called her small, she would politely correct their error and tell them, 'I'm Not Small. I'm concentrated Awesome!'