High School Art Throw Back Thursday

I've started moving my outdoor studio into a spare room in my house, since my outdoor studio is out of commission. My husband built that studio and I've always loved it, but I think the move indoors will be a good one. I'll have everything close by for whenever I want to get creative, and everything will be temperature controlled--unlike my outdoor studio, which only had A/C when I was out there using it. So, I ended up with lots of supplies getting ruined and thrown out. I'll still keep my stained glass supplies and some other odds and ends I don't use as much outside though, so the building will still get some use. I'm looking forward to getting a new indoor creative space though!

As I've been moving stuff inside, I look in wonder at all of the supplies and projects I've amassed over the years...all the way back to my high school art days. I have a small collection of projects from my high school Ceramics class, so I thought I'd share those as a Throwback Thursday post.

First up, a simple slab pot with a 2-color glaze. It's not very impressive, I grant you. But it's functional, and I like the colors. It's the perfect size for paintbrushes or pens.

In It With All My Heart

I've begun working on an art project with my kinders based on Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night. It's one of my favorite artworks, and I love using it to inspire little artists. With Vincent on my mind this week, I found a quote of his that I wanted to share.

I am seeking.

I am striving.

I am in it with all my heart.

~Vincent van Gogh

Me too, Vincent. Me too.

Fairy Girl and Her Little Bird

I haven't been able to get into my studio for awhile. It's unusable temporarily, so I've not been able to paint in for what seems like forever. I miss my paintbrushes! But I felt like doing something creative this evening, so I decided to work in one of my small art journals.

I used my Jane Davenport Magic Wand Pencils for this. I love how smooth the colored pencils are. And of course, I always love creating some sort of Fairy Art. That's always fun. Just something quick to do while I have the energy and time to do it. One of the fun things about art journaling is that you don't have to obsess about anything, or worry about trying to make it perfect. There's not really any right or wrong with an art journal. It's just about doing what you feel like doing. 

I hope I'll get to use my studio again soon though. I'm kind of going through paint withdrawals. In the meantime, I'll keep doing some art journaling here and there until I can use my studio again.

Art Supplies and My Creative Flow

When you're in your studio or craft room creating, and you're in your own little creative zone, how do you feel when someone walks in and disturbs you? This pretty much sums it up for me:

I just can't stand it when someone interrupts my creative flow. I literally have to stop what I'm doing and wait until the interruption is over before I can move on.

And how do you respond when your husband or significant other or friend confronts you about how much money you spend on art supplies? 

I'll just add that my husband honestly doesn't do this to me. He really doesn't care how much I spend on art supplies, just like I don't really care how much he spends on tools. Neither of us goes crazy about things like that. I just thought this would be a funny art meme to share with you today. We all need a little chuckle now and again.

Just a Little Gnome

I felt like working a little bit in one of my art journals the other day, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I tossed around a few ideas and decided to draw a gnome. Sometimes, just drawing something cute and simple is enough to satisfy my creative urges. 

One of the things I like best about art journaling is that I don't put pressure on myself to do something complicated or time-consuming. I just do what I feel like doing. Sometimes I do mixed media, sometimes watercolor, sometimes collage, and sometimes just a quick little drawing like my little gnome. That's the great part about art journals though: there is no right or wrong. Just create what you want, simply because that's what you feel like creating!

I Don't Mean to Brag But

I thought I'd start the new year with an art meme so that all of us artsy folks can start the new year with a giggle. If you're like me, you buy art supplies as easily as you buy toilet paper. I mean, you gotta have it! After all, there's really no such thing as too many art supplies. Am I right? 

Considering that I have a $100 gift card to Hobby Lobby (a gift from Santa), I'd say this is quite the accomplishment...even if we are only on the second day of the new year. I know all you artists and crafters can definitely relate.

Happy New Year!

Geometric Portrait

Well, I was in the mood to try something different in one of my art journals over the weekend. So, since I'd been working on Cubist-inspired Fall Trees with some of students the last few weeks, I decided to take a cue from Picasso and do a sort of Cubist take on a portrait.

I started with a general sketch of a face. Then I grabbed an ultra fine Sharpie and started drawing triangle shapes in areas around the face. I just drew a few triangles at a time, and then I free-handed the the repeating lines inside each triangle. I found this whole process to be very relaxing. It's not a style of drawing that I'd really done before, but I really enjoyed doing it. So you may find me doing this type of drawing again in the future.

Paper Poppy

Today at school I was working on some sample projects for some upcoming Veterans Day projects. While I was at it I created a Paper Poppy. I volunteered to help with decorations for our Veterans Day program, so I thought paper poppies would be a great touch. 

Since I'm finally an art teacher again, I have great supplies on hand for doing stuff like this. So, I created a template that included 4 petals. I cut out two of those and glued them together. I used a circle with fringed edges as the center, and a little hint of colored pencil in the center. I love how this turned out. I will be making several more to use for decor in the gym for our program. 

I'm so thrilled to be teaching art again, and getting to use my creative inspiration for things like this!! And I'm very proud to be able to help pay tribute to our nation's veterans in some way.

Frida Kahlo - Wings to Fly Mixed Media

Soon I'll be back at school with little time for fun in the studio, so I've been trying to get in there as much as possible before school starts again. I was in there all day yesterday, inspired to paint Frida Kahlo.

There were a couple of times I almost gave up on this painting. It just wasn't going well at the beginning. But I persevered and, even though it's not perfect, I am very pleased with how she came out. I used mostly acrylic paints, but also scrapbook paper, stencils, colored pencils, and paint pens. Viva la Frida!

"Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?"

~Frida Kahlo