New Christmas Angel painting

                                                      

                                              My latest painting called:   A baby changes everything. (SOLD)

Have you ever heard a song that was so beautiful that you needed to illustrate it?  I listen to all Christmas music radio these days, and I heard this song by Faith Hill called 'A baby changes everything'. I didn't pay attention to it at first, but once I did and really heard it I knew I wanted to make a Christmas Angel, and include words this time. I started it last night, and worked away until it was done. When I find inspiration  in a song, I play it over and over again while painting, hoping to convey the right feeling. I honestly don't know if I succeeded. Sometimes the image in our head is difficult to bring to fruition.
It's listed in my Etsy shop if anyone wants a very sparkly Christmas painting :-)

So are my American friends enjoying their Thanksgiving weekend? Did you all hit the malls for Black Friday? I can't even imagine what that must be like, I read about the chaos in the papers, lol! I think I'd rather stay inside and shop online. I love going into stores, but it's the line ups that drive me crazy. As I age, I find my patience wearing thinner.

This last Thursday I went to the last craft show of the season, it's called the One of a Kind show, and it features over 800 vendors. Fun, but tiring. My feet were killing me after all that walking...and as you get to the end you find yourself passing by the booths much quicker. It's hard to maintain your excitement after seeing so much. Luckily you can pick up a pass to go back later on - it's a 10 day event.  I would love to go back a second time for another look.

That's it for now, I'm off to do a bit more painting
thanks for reading

New ACEO, and A glimpse of my crazy tree

hello friends. Do you see the ACEO painting above? that's what I plan on doing for the next little while, haha!
I went to 3 craft shows the past week. The one in my city had really nice, hand crafted, and more higher end items. I fell in love with a hand painted fox pendant, and thought I'd return in the evening, and point it out to my sister as something she can buy me for Christmas. Well, just my luck, he sold it, as well as many other nice pendants. So folks, when you fall in love with something, you better pick it up right away.

Yesterday we went to another couple of craft shows, and I mostly bought cute ornaments for me 'crazy tree'.
I said I would show you some photos, so I took a few, but you really can't get a good idea of how wild it is until you see it in person. It is quite the spectacle, lol! So here are some pics... I had a hard time getting the whole tree in the photo, it's pretty tall, but this will give you an idea. It is on the hall landing as you walk up the stairs. I have a more traditional tree in my living room.

 I had to photograph it in the day time so you could see some of the decorations. At night it is lit with deep blue and purple lights.

This is a close up of some of the ornaments on the tree. I've been collecting them for years.

This is one of my favorite ornament, it's a masked mouse flashing you, lol!

That's it for today, I'm working on another Christmas painting which has been giving me trouble for the past week.
Thanks for reading!

Wee fox illustration

 

The human spirit is not dead.  It lives on in secret.... It has come to believe that compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.  ~Albert Schweitzer, Novel Peace Prize address, "The Problem of Peace in the World Today

hello friends, this is a quick post of my latest illustration on a vintage book page.  Way back in September I happened to see 2 foxes in one day. I was going shopping with a friend to Toronto, we saw a man on a tractor of sorts, cutting hay. At the edge of a field was a wooded area, and that's where we saw a fox, standing still looking at the man.  For some reason I felt a great sadness when I saw it, maybe because I see daily more and more land being developed, leaving wildlife with nowhere to go.
On the way home driving down a country road, we saw another fox on the side of the road. I have never seen a fox in person, so imagine how strange it felt to see 2 in one day. I knew I wanted to draw them, so here is my first fun one.

I've been putting the finishing touches on my Christmas decorating as well as working on some art. The decorating is done, so I can finally relax, and get caught up on my blog reading. I will be posting photos of my funky little tree soon, it's quite the spectacle, lol!

thanks for your comments on my snow angel last post, I did a test with a sheet of clear paper with the words on it and decided I would leave it alone. I will be visiting your blogs soon :-)

Snow Angel

hi everyone, here is my first 'winter' painting for the season, the first of many I hope. Sorry for the bad photo, it's evening, and I have a crappy camera, lol.
I had to stop myself from creating too much texture which is not an easy thing to do. I love texture! but unfortunately, if you want to make prints of something, the surface needs to be relatively smooth.
Do you think I should add text to the painting? I was thinking of the words 'let it snow'...or should I leave it as is? I'm on the fence right now...

Thanks for all the sweet comments on my mermaid journal page from my last post! You've inspired me to keep at it. When I posted that page, I didn't think it was all that creative but now I know that there is room for all types of pages. It's those darn expectations that we all have to deal with. Let's keep reminding each other to just go for it, create for the sheer joy, and stop expecting our work to be like everyone else's.
My blog friends are the best!

thanks for reading, have a blessed day
betty

Mermaid Journal Page

And it only took a month to finish, haha!  This is the mermaid I showed on my blog on Oct 3rd, the plan was to add something to the left side. The problem is that I'm not too good at this journaling stuff, unless I follow someone's instructions...in the end, I added a bit of blue and white paint, and wrote some words down that I thought went with the drawing.  Not particularly creative,  but hopefully if I keep playing around in my art journal, I will get the hang of it, and be able to produce lovely, interesting  pages like a lot of you do.
This is from my portrait journal, the one I use to practice drawing different faces.

My decorating is almost done, one tree is up, the next will go up on the weekend. If I can get a good photo of my funky crazy tree I will post it. It's quite unusual, lol!
Once the decorating is finished, I can sit back and concentrate on holiday art.
Hopefully some Christmas fairies or angels...

thanks for reading!

Hang on Kitty Illustration

hello friends, here is my latest illustration on a vintage book page. The moon has a red hat, do you think I may be dreaming of Christmas already, lol? I added it to my Etsy shop, which I am slowly starting to stock up for the holidays.

Next weekend I will be bringing all my boxes upstairs, and start decorating. It is a long and tiring process, as they are stored in the basement and I'm on the top floor, yuck!

On a postive note though, once it is finished, I can sit back and create holiday themed art. It's time to start folks, if you expect to get it all done. It's only the first week of November, but time has a way of getting away from you, and before you know it, Christmas will be here.

thanks for reading!

The witch is done!

Here is the (almost) finished witch painting that I showed you in my last blog post. I say 'almost' because I like to go back in after a day or so, and add more little details. I need to lighen up, lol!
I went back over my blog because I couldn't remember the last actual painting I did....it was in June! Wow, I went that long without painting my whimsical girls!  I need to make sure that doesn't happen again.
The background gave me trouble when I started, but after a while, it seemed to flow. So much for keeping it simple, I started adding layers for some interest.  The secret is to just paint, and let it go where it wants to, and mostly, don't stress about it.  There is no right or wrong way to do art, and even if you make mistakes, you simply learn from them, and apply what you have learned the next time.
I'm looking forward to my next painting now, maybe I can get into some kind of groove, and not go another 3 months!

The last couple of days we have had some insane weather. Yesterday they were calling for a 'weather bomb', which I have never heard of. For us we had  the craziest winds  and they've lasted so far for 2 days.
According to the news it hit lots of areas hard, especially in the US.
Were any of you affected?  I'm surprised at the intensity, and how much area it has covered. Makes me think that we are in for a hell of a winter.

thanks for reading!

New ACEO and a Witch WIP

hi everyone, I've been busy creating lots of ACEOs. After doing my whimsical owls, I felt like drawing one of my girls, and stuck some kittens in there as well.  It seems like I have done so many of these miniature paintings, that my larger work has suffered. It's been probably months since I painted an actual canvas. I think about it, then I postpone doing it, waiting for the perfect time. I guess since these ACEOs are only the size of a playing card, they are easier to find time to do.

However enough is enough. Today I made myself get out a canvas and start a witch painting that I said I would do. Drawing the girl is no problem so far. It's deciding what to do with the background that always gets me. That was my problem with my older paintings, I just didn't know what to do. So, I will keep it simple this time. I am adding rust colors in the background for now, and see what happens. I can't believe a simple painting is causing me such stress, lol!

You would think with all the mixed media workshops I have done, this would finally get easy, but that's not the case.
I hear thunder in the distance, so I'm heading out to the grocery store and pick up some ju jubes. Maybe when I come back, I can be more clear about what to do next....
***************
ps- for those of you wondering how Henry the rescue cat is from last week's blog, he is still hanging in there. He was able to eat himself for the first time, and they will be taking more blood work to see if he is getting better.

Cat rescue

This is Henry. Henry is an 8 year old rescue cat, and he is now in an animal hospital fighting for his life.
Briefly this is his story:  he and 5 other cats belonged to a woman who got a new boyfriend. The boyfriend decided he didn't want the cats in the house so she dumped all  of them outside to fend for themselves for a couple of months, then gave them over to a cat rescue.  This is where my friend got involved. She took them to a barn, hoping to turn them into barn cats. After a few weeks, only 2 cats remained, the other 4 have moved on.

Last week I got a call from  my friend asking me to come with her to the animal hospital, sit in the back, and comfort Henry, who she found with his back legs paralized. The trip had me worried as he kept putting his head down. I thought he would die in the car. When the vet saw him, she told us he had been attacked by something. He had over 20 puncture wounds and was in bad shape.

It sounded like he was on the mend until today, I got an email saying his blood tests came back, and it looked like his kidneys were shutting down. My friend headed over there to be with him when he would be euthanized. She later sent an email  saying  that when they got there he perked up, and started purring.  I guess he only wanted to feel loved,  like every other living creature. So now we are waiting to see if this poor little guy makes it. He's had such a tough life, he doesn't deserve to go this way.
If he does survive, he will be an indoor cat once again.

I know alot of you  rescue cats or other animals, and I applaud you for your kindness and strength.
Thank goodness for people that take in unwanted animals, and try to give them a new chance at life.
Many times it works out beautifully, and you have a companion for life, but other times there is tragedy.
I sure hope this is not one of the latter.
***********

What a busy month it's been! I still haven't painted anything larger than an ACEO for a while. I've got a witch planned, it's just hard to find the time to do it. I'm one of these people that needs to work on something until it's done. Pretty soon Halloween will be upon us, and as soon as that's over, I start Christmas decorating.
Shhh, don't tell anyone but I played some Christmas music today while I was painting :-)

thanks for reading!

The above ACEO is called 'Ready to pounce'. Note the owl hiding in the pile of leaves, getting ready to scare the living daylights out of these trick r treaters.

Illustration Friday - Beneath

It's Halloween night, and two baby owls fearlessly move through the forest beneath the candle light.

 Hello Friends. I really wanted to illustrate this week's topic, and had a mermaid in mind, but alas, I was afraid I would run out of time. So here is an ACEO I just finished today which fits the topic perfectly I think.

It's now official, I am a terrible blogger. I keep meaning to update, but when I get here I feel there's nothing interesting to say. I'm still reading my favorite blogs, just not updating my own, lol!

The above sketch is what I was hoping to add to Illustration Friday, she is  a mermaid, but she is not done yet. I pictured in my mind a murky background, with her face obscured with color, but not sure when I can get to it. So many other things to do.

Today I started decorating for Halloween. I brought out my skeleton and ghost tealights, and a pumpking which lights up when you plug it in.. There is fall garland, and lots of seasonal candles for display. Can't forget the purple and orange lights!
In one month, the Halloween stuff gets put away, and I start preparing for my favorite holiday of all, Christmas! Would you think I was strange if I admited that I played Christmas music yesterday, haha! I stopped after 2 songs, I didn't want to get sick of them already :-)

Coming soon will be some witch paintings for Halloween.
Thanks for putting up with this absent blogger (yup, that's me).
xoxo

Art Journal Work in Progress

I'm starting to think I will never be an art journaler. I've taken some workshops, and have really enjoyed them, but I find it hard to continue. The page you see above has been sitting in my art journal for weeks, waiting for some various papers and text to be added,  but I couldn't get motivated. Finally I sat down and sketched what came naturally to me. So maybe this is how my journals will look, since there really is no right way to do them.
She's not done yet, and I think I will add song lyrics to the left hand side, even though I have terrible handwriting, lol!
Not sure what else I will do, maybe some stamping in white would be nice. I love those foam stamps you can buy in Walmart or Michaels, they're great to work with.
Once this page is done I will show it here.

thanks for reading!

A bit of this, a bit of that...

I thought I'd start by showing you some of the art supplies I picked up. They had a back to school sale at my nearest art store so how could I resist? Those round things you see are Pan Pastels, I had seen a Youtube video about them a while ago, but until now, they weren't available anywhere here. Haven't had a chance to use them yet.
The Amsterdam acrylics were picked up to use in some background experiments, and they are wonderful! Very inexpensive, but the quality and covereage are very impressive! I won't be buying anymore folk art paints after that.
 
Artwise, I have been trying to work on  portraits. If you've been reading my blog long enough you've seen lots of ACEOs and illustrations on vintage pages that I like to do. I'm feeling the need to work on a painting after a long absense.
This has been such a wonderful summer, that it was hard to stay indoors and work, that's why I have mainly been creating smaller art. I'm one of the few people that looks forward to winter coming, and the days getting shorter. My favorite time is when it is dark at 5pm, lol! That's when you want to hibernate, and that's when I am most productive.  Anyone else  looking forward to the change in seasons? Isn't it exciting when it gets darker and darker? and when the cold winds blow, and the first snow falls? Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself, lol!

Last but not least, I was sent this very inspirational Youtube video. My favorite part is when he is talking to the high school kids. He is an amazing man, and it puts our little problems into perspective.
I wish more people would take the time to talk to kids, and tell them that they are perfect as they are. A lot of them feel alone, and not good enough. They need to be told that anything is possible in this world, and to hold fast to their dreams.



Come to think of it, many of us adults could use some inspiration as well. So let me end by saying you are all beautiful, and worthy, exactly as you are. The fact that you are alive is a blessing, and every day, you have a chance to throw away the disappointments of the past, and  start fresh. Every day we are given a gift of 24 sparkling new hours, to use  as we desire. Let's keep our mind focused on the wonderful blessings we have, and try to limit the negative thoughts that tend to creep in.
Thanks for reading, and have a magical day!

An Unwelcome visitor.... and a free vintage Image

Tell me folks, how would you like to see this ugly mug on your curtains??

This poor fellow made his way into my home. I was at my desk working on a painting, when all of the sudden I saw something from the corner of my eye flying around the ceiling, and the cats came running. Of course I panicked when I realized it was a bat, and called my mom to come and get it, meanwhile screaming because it kept swooping down close to my head. Eventually I calmed down and realized it was more scared of me than I was of it, and waited patiently for it to land somewhere. And grabbed my camera, lol!
It took a while to get rid of him, he was definitely full of energy, but landed on top of my bookshelf. I quickly put a tupperware container over him, and took him outside. They are pretty ugly up close, but kind of cute too. Now I'm worried about how he got in.  Ah, the joys of owning an older home.

I have another free vintage image for you to download and use in your artwork. Isn't this such a romantic picture? It is a vintage postcard I purchased, very old, you can tell by the fading. Not sure of the date, I can't tell from their clothing. Anyway, just click on the image to bring up a larger version, then right click and download.

Thanks for reading!

The Hope of Love

hello friends! Here is my latest illustration on a vintage page from a book dated 1918. I think he turned out pretty cute, surrounded by pinks, lol!

It's been a rainy weekend, perfect for staying in and painting.
After ruining a few ACEOs I was working on,  I realized I either don't understand color theory very well, or my watercolors and acrylic paints are not the right shades.

Can anyone recommend a  particular brand of watercolors that you feel are very bright and intense? Or even inks?
I mostly use Windsor and Newton watercolors, but would like something more bold.
Is there a really bright, transparent  pink out there, that is not muted? It's my favorite color, and I can't seem to get the intensity I want. A transparent purple would be nice too. The one I've got is just too dull, I can't seem to do anything with it.
I've heard good things about Windsor and Newton's Opera pink, but don't have it yet.
The Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic inks are quite nice, and easy to use. I may have to take a trip to the art store for some more goodies :-)

thanks for reading!
xoxo

Illustration Friday - Star Gazing

Hello friends.  I couldn't resist this weeks topic at Illustration Friday. I had a great idea for last weeks, but never got to it on time, and was determined to not miss this one. I'm still working on my watercolor skills, I'd like to be more loose and playful, not always controlled.
Here's a tip for anyone wanting to practice with watercolor:   never paint on 90lb watercolor paper without stretching it first. This painting buckled big time!