Orange Spiral Arts

Mark Making Monday-Chalk and Crayon

Hello, hello!  Happy Day to You!

For today's Mark Making Monday post, I will share one of my favorite journals to work in, along with an idea for combining supplies.

First, let's talk about journals, shall we?

I love journals of all kinds, notebooks, art journals, sketchbooks, you name it! A journal that is handmade and of the utmost quality is my favorite to work in.  Allow me to introduce you to Rag & Bone Bindery! This small business created by Jason Thompson and his wife Ilira Steinman has a great story.  Read more about it here. I recommend their Artist Journals, which have smooth, vellum finish, bright white paper inside. These journals are great for pen, pencil, light washes, and acrylic paint. To see the range of cover designs and sizes of the Artist Journals, go here. (PS They are 30% off for Cyber Monday).

Also, one of my favorite art journal books is written by Jason Thompson, and it's called Making Journals by Hand. This book never gets old. (PS This is available used on Amazon.com for about $4 USD).

Now, let's take a look at this edition of Mark Making Monday-Chalk & Crayon, where I am working in one of the Artist Journals from Rag & Bone Bindery.

Supplies:

Crayola Sidewalk Chalks

a journal

a wax crayon

Let's Get Started

Choose a piece of chalk, any chalk that grabs your attention. Scribble across the page in one horizontal section.

Choose a second color and color another horizontal section, butting it up to your previous color. Maybe even go a little inside the peaks of your first colored marks.

Choose a third color of chalk to color on the bottom and the top of the other two colors. Again, go into the peaks and valleys a bit, but not all over the page.

Choose a darker, contrasting color to make small marks, dots, or dashes all over your page spread.

Finally, continue a similar dot or dashed pattern all over the page using a wax crayon. 

Side Note:  Often times you might feel afraid to try mixing art supplies. I'm not sure why this happens, but this fear rises up in all of us. Unless you are thinking of trying your favorite marker on top of wet paint, it's usually not a problem to mix materials. When you do mix art materials, it can be quite fun and rewarding to see the mixed media results that occur.

Just that touch of brighter wax crayon, with that opposing texture, makes the marks pop through the chalk. I find that quite satisfying.

You might have questions about chalk. Is it dusty? Does it smear? Does it get all over your hands?

The answer is yes, yes, and yes.  

Here are some simple solutions:

Blow the dust off of your pages, directly into a trash can.

It's actually fun to take your finger and smear some of the chalks on your journal page. Just ask my 3 year old son!

Wash your hands right after you are done, or keep a damp paper towel nearby. Crayola art supplies are usually quite easy to wash up.

I hope you have fun trying out this idea of using chalk and crayon in your art journal!

Have a beautiful day!

Blessings to you,

Briana

 

Freedom through Painting Friday-Printing with String

Hello, hello! 

This time of year can cause many feelings of joy, celebration and gratitude.

Of course, there is always the flip side of those feelings like, anxiety, frustration, and overwhelm that might also come up.

If you need to let some emotions move through you, here's a great way to do so!

Supplies:

• Cotton Twine from your local hardware store
• scissors
• acrylic paint (inexpensive 2 oz. bottles are perfect) 1 color, 1 black
• a paint scraper (old plastic credit card or hotel room key)
• poster board or Bristol Vellum paper
• a plate or dish for some paint

Steps:

1. On a large piece of poster board, squirt out some paint from the color you chose. Spread the paint around to create a background using your paint scraper. This gets your body moving as you sweep with large gestural strokes. Physical movement is a great start to getting emotions to surface. ; )
2. Cut a piece of cotton twine about three feet in length.
3. Pour out some black acrylic paint in your dish. Dip your string in the paint.
4. Begin by gently dropping the "painty" string onto your poster board to make marks.
5. As you get more comfortable with how the painted string responds as you print it, feel free to go a little wild. Start tossing the string at your poster board. (Make sure you won't splash anything precious). Slamming that string down onto the poster board feels great!
6. After you clean off your hands with warm soap and water, do a little journaling about your experience. What emotions and thoughts came up for you? Do you need support in processing your feelings, or did this activity do the trick? If you need support, reach out to a trusted friend or call a professional counselor. Betterhelp.com is an online resource, if you need one.

May you be well, safe, and loved.

PS Your string printed paper would make great gift wrap!

Blessings and Peace,

Briana

PS Speaking of gift wrap, if you are local to the Twin Cities, I am offering a Make Your Gift Wrap Workshop just 30 minutes north of downtown St. Paul or Minneapolis.  The workshop will be held on Friday, December 11th, 4pm-6pm at the Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community.  Click here for details!

Watercolor Wednesday-DIY Travel Watercolor Paint Set and Discover a Great Paintbrush

Hello Creative One!

Today I am showing how I painted from a DIY travel watercolor paint set, created with Crayola watercolor paints and a strip of 140 lb. watercolor paper.

To make your DIY travel watercolor set, all you need to do is brush on a generous amount of watercolor paint on the strip of watercolor paper, and let it dry.  You can even premix colors on the lid of your Crayola watercolor set (or whatever watercolor set you happen to be using) before applying the paint to your paper strip.  The thicker the application, the more pigment you'll have to work with. You'll just want to make sure you allow for enough drying time before sliding your DIY watercolor paint set into your art journal or bag.

Let's Paint!

Supplies:

• a paintbrush (I am using a Winsor & Newton, series 233, short handled, size 7 round brush made in Japan)

        You can find a similar brush here.

• a jar of water
• your DIY watercolor paint set
• your art journal, watercolor paper, or mixed media paper

How To:

Dip your paintbrush in water, then grab some color from your DIY watercolor set.  

Paint whatever moves you on your journal page.

Things to Try:

You might want to try mixing colors by dipping your wet brush into different colors on your DIY watercolor set, then painting on your paper.

Experiment, explore, and have fun! No pressure, no stress.  Release and let go into the watercolor painting process.

I hope you'll give this DIY watercolor paint set a try. If you don't create art on the go, no worries.  I encourage you to take a load off by playing around with watercolor paint. I think you might find it soothing, relaxing, and enjoyable.

Happy Creating!

If you are in the USA, and you celebrate Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

In Gratitude,

Briana

Mark Making Monday-Sewing Wheel on Fun Foam

Hello and Howdy!

Thanks for visiting Orange Spiral Arts for another edition of Mark Making Monday!  I hope that you will feel inspired to play with art supplies to create in your journal or other mixed media art projects!

Today, I am sharing an idea for making marks using a sewing wheel on fun foam.

Here are the supplies you'll need:

fun foam

a sewing wheel (serrated tracing wheel)

palette paper

a soft rubber brayer

acrylic paint

drawing paper (50 lb or 80 lb, even copy paper would work fine)

paint combing tool

Instructions

1.  Draw a design with the serrated tracing wheel to make an all over pattern on your sheet of fun foam.
   
2. Squirt some acrylic paint out onto your palette and roll your soft rubber brayer through the paint.
   
   
3. Roll the "inked" up brayer over the fun foam. 
   
4. On a side piece of paper, roll off the wet paint from the brayer.  Next, make a print of your "inked" up fun foam by           placing it face down on a piece of drawing paper (the paper on the left in the image above).  Use your brayer on the back side of the fun foam to help get a good print. Be sure to hold the fun foam in place with one hand while you roll the brayer over the back.

        Tip:  Be sure to work quickly before your paint dries!

   

    5.  Choose another color of acrylic paint to put on your palette and roll out with your brayer.

     6.  Apply the "inked" up brayer to the fun foam and make a print over your first print.

    7.  Continue rolling out colors of paint and printing over the top of your original print, as you wish.

Bonus Idea:

I have a hard time letting paint go to waste, so I decided to make use of my palette paper to make another kind of print.

Here's what you do:

1.  Use a paint combing tool over the wet paint on the palette.
2. Take a new piece of drawing paper and place it over your paint palette that you just created a design on.
3. Use the brayer on the back side of the drawing paper, then pull up the drawing paper to reveal your print.
   
   

Finally, you might want to use some Gelly roll pens to doodle over your printed design once it's dry.

Turn your prints into art cards, collage fodder, or print directly on your art journal pages! I love art, don't you!

Thanks for visiting Orange Spiral Arts for Mark Making Monday!

Let me know how it goes in the comments below!  I'd love to hear from you!

Happy Creating,

Briana

 

Freedom Through Painting Friday-Featuring Artist Merlen Clercx

Hello, hello!  Thank you for visiting!

Freedom through Painting Friday

"There is a magical river that flows through the human spirit." -Merlen Clercx

Today I would like to feature some of the creative work of artist Merlen Clercx.  Merlen has over 800 paintings, has been a cement layer, an art teacher, and he is currently making paintings.

Below you can read a little about Merlen's art and creative process. (click to enlarge)

Merlen's work is intuitive, layered, and spiritual.  He mostly works with acrylic paint, but also works with oil paint.  He shared that sometimes he will use acrylic paint, then some oil paint on top, because he likes the colors of the oil paints better.  He warned, "but you can't do that the other way around," meaning, don't put acrylic paint on top of oil paint.

 

 

Pictured above is Merlen (dark shirt and name tag) talking with a friend, his wife in the foreground, and one of his son's (Todd Clercx) in the background by the wall of paintings.

Merlen's work is best seen in person, so that you can see all of the delicious layers and textures. When asked how he created some of the textures in his paintings, he shared that he used to be a cement layer, so he likes to lay paint on the canvas with a cement trowel. 

If you'd like to see Merlen's work up close, it will be on display at the Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community until Saturday, January 16th, 2016.

Something to ponder:

What tools of the trade (like Merlen's cement trowel) might you use in your creative endeavors?

Announcements:

To view my online "gallery" on the Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community, go here.

I am teaching the Make Your Own Gift Wrap Workshop on Friday, December 11th, 2015, 4pm-6pm at the Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community! This is going to be a really fun workshop where you can freely explore stamping, stenciling, and painting patterns on paper. Your stamped, stenciled, and painted papers will make great gift wrap, but can also be used in other projects, too. Space is limited, so register soon to reserve your spot! I look forward to sharing some of my favorite techniques with you!

To register for the Make Your Own Gift Wrap Workshop happening at the Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community, go here.

Watercolor Wednesday-White Acrylic Paint with Watercolor Technique

Hello, hello and happy day to you!

One of my favorite things to do is to mix different art medias in my work.  So today, I would like to share a technique that might be fun for you to try, as it is a surprise every time!

The Technique

White Acrylic Paint + Watercolor

Supplies:

Drawing paper or watercolor paper

White acrylic paint (an inexpensive bottle is great)

A paint scraper or old plastic gift card

Crayola watercolor tray (or whatever pan watercolor set you have)

A watercolor brush (size 8, 10, or 12)

A jar of water

Tip:  If you get too much paint on your paper, grab a piece of drawing paper to rub on top of the first paper.  This helps glop up extra paint, and your paper will also dry faster.

Create patterns or shapes that please you.  Experiment and play.

Notice how the white paint underneath effects the the watercolor paint.  It is much like a wax resist, but with acrylic paint.

Have fun!  Enjoy the process of playing with your art supplies!


Blessings and Peace to You!

Briana

PS  You might like the set of Watercolor Backgrounds I have for sale as an INSTANT DIGITAL DOWNLOAD in my OrangeSpiralArts Etsy shop. Thanks for looking!

Mark Making Monday-Get Inspired by Artist Barbara Gilhooly

One of my all time favorite artists, Barbara Gilhooly, has her work on display at Gallery 360 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  

Barbara makes really interesting marks in her wood carved and painted art pieces.  If you are ever able to view Barbara's work in person, I highly recommend it!  

Today, for Mark Making Monday, I will share a journal spread I created inspired by Barbara's unique art marks.

And if you are curious to see more of Barbara's work, and are unable to make it to Gallery 360, I took a few photos for you!

Visit Barbara Gilhooly's website here for more images of her amazing art.  Barbara's Artist Statement is also worth a read, especially to learn more about her mark making techniques!

Have a fabulous day!

Briana

Freedom Through Painting Friday-Creating on Canvas for Fun and Joy

 

Hello and Happy Day to You!  Today is Friday, and I'd like to share some thoughts I have about painting on canvas. It seems that many people believe that canvas is just for the "real" artists. I disagree. My thought is that canvas is readily available, can be quite inexpensive, and provides a completely different experience for you as you explore your art making likes and dislikes.  

For this edition of Freedom through Painting Friday, I will share my step-by-step process of painting on canvas. It might be helpful for you to know that I am an intuitive artist. That means, I often do not pre-plan what I am going to create.  

Here's what my canvas painting session looked like:

The supplies I used are as follows:
Liquitex BASICS set of 24 acrylic paint tubes
Palette knives by Artist's Loft
Artist's Loft Back Stapled Canvas 8x10
Colorations Metallic Activity Paint (I love these!!)
Pentel Oil Pastels

As you can see, I used a variety of art supplies.  I experimented with painting with a palette knife, which I haven't done for awhile.  I also pulled out my Liquitex Basics acrylic paint tubes, which are thicker than the craft paint in the 2 oz. bottles that I often use.  Liquitex tube paint is kind of stringy at times.  It's not my favorite acrylic tube paint, but it serves its purpose well, especially for this type of expressive painting on canvas activity.

Before I go, I would like to dispel a few myths around art making:

Myth #1:  Only "real" artists can paint on canvas.

Actually:  You are a creative being, and you may paint on whatever delights you!

                Give canvas a try if it has been calling to you!

Myth #2:  You can only apply paint with a paintbrush.

Actually:  Paint can be applied with a variety of tools, like: palette knives, paint scrapers, brushes, stamps, and even your fingers!

Myth #3:  You shouldn't put oil pastels on wet paint.  They won't work, or they'll get ruined.

Actually:  Oil pastels work well in a lot of mixed media art.  Experiment, play, and try something new!  You can always wipe wet paint off of them with a paper towel or rag.

Myth #4:  Never put a dark color over a light color.

Actually:  Applying paint in layers creates depth and interest in a painting.  Experiment with light over dark, and dark over light.  Notice what happens to how the colors are pushed and pulled, forward and back, depending upon what's underneath or on top.

That's all folks!  I hope you feel a little more confident, and maybe even inspired to paint on canvas.  Canvas is for anyone who'd like to use it!  It's time to let go of old myths that hold you back.  Paint for the fun and the joy of it!  

Happy Painting and Blessings to You!

Briana

 

 

 

 

 

 

Color and Life Purpose (A Slight Departure from Watercolor Wednesday)

Hello Dear Reader!

Do you ever feel like the universe speaks to you? Right now, the universe is speaking to me in color . . . about my life purpose.

I have several books around me, and coming my way, that are full of color and deep messages about living creatively, wholly, and well.

Here are two books I am currently reading.

Infinite Purpose: Care Instructions for Your True Calling by Liv Lane & Lori Portka.

AND

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

In honor of these colorful, beautiful books, I would like to share a simple Watercolor Wednesday with you.  All you will need is a piece of watercolor paper, the Bright Colors pack of Crayola markers, a paint brush, and some water.

 

The pictures below will take you through the step-by-step process of making a magical, rainbow background.

 

Once your paper is filled with color, begin to wet each stripe with water, allowing them to blend together into a beautiful, watery rainbow.

 

At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that the universe is speaking to me about color. Last night, I received this magical poem from a small group going through the Renewing Life through the Expressive Arts program that I will soon be facilitating around the Twin Cities.

As one of the participants said last night, "This is deep shit!" 

Everyone received a poem from the group, each one seeming to have a special message just for them.  There were over arching themes of using your true voice and being deeply loved, always, and forever.  Again, some deep shit to take in!

Then this morning, I woke up to an email from Amazon.com with the following book suggestions for me:

Hmmm, do you sense a theme?  Painting, expression, color, intuition, oh my! If you are feeling unsure of who are, what you are meant to do, or what you really love, take a look at the book suggestions from Amazon that ring true!

We are all on a journey to discovering our true soul self, the meaning we can make, and the love we can share.  

I send you many blessings, much love, and peace in your heart, as you dip and delve on your journey to Self.  I also send you a little color to brighten your path!

Creatively and Colorfully Yours,

Briana

Books Mentioned Above:

 

Mark Making Monday-Truck Wheels and Apple Core Prints

Hello Artist! Thank you for visiting the blog for another edition of Mark Making Monday!

Today, I am sharing a little inspiration with the help of my two year old son.  The title of this edition of Mark Making Monday is "Truck Wheels & Apple Core Prints".  

My son has been working in his "journal" since he turned two, nearly a year ago.

In October 2015, he started on his second "journal".  In case you are curious, here are a few things you might want to know about how we use this toddler journal.

We do not work in chronological order.

We do not use it everyday.

It sits at his easel and art area, along with pencils and crayons at the ready.

Sometimes when I work in my visual journal, he wants to work in his, too.

He loves to "write notes", make tiny marks, and draw "rocket ships".  We also put random stickers on its pages when there is a need to place a sticker somewhere.

The journal is a great book to grab for finger painting, drawing, writing, or printing.

The Truck Wheels and Apple Core Prints Story

One fall day, I was cutting up an apple for my son to eat for snack.  My curious child asked to see the seeds inside the apple. When I sliced the core in half, there was a beautiful flower shape with a few dark seeds inside.  

Right away, I knew I had to try printing with it. Since my son was already at the table, near his art supplies, I grabbed some Crayola Washable Kids' Paint, my son's journal, a paint smock, a tray, and the "star-shaped" apple core.

We globbed some paint right onto the journal page, and dipped the apple core into it.

We continued to print the apple core, dip back into the paint, print the apple core, etc.

My son didn't seem as excited about the apple core printing as I was, so I grabbed one of his favorite things - a truck. From my preschool teaching background, I knew that truck wheel printing and toddlers usually go well together. It's fun to zoom a toy truck through paint and watch the pattern of the tires make their mark on the paper. So that's what we did next.

After several good minutes of paint and printing fun, I washed my son's hands, and we were off to the next thing, like going outside to play! 

In Summary

Fruits and vegetables are great sources for mark making possibilities!

Children's paint is fun and easy to work with.  Clean up is a breeze!

Children's toys, like trucks with wheels, also make excellent mark making tools.  

Have fun in your journal!  Joy is the whole point!

Thank you for being here.  I appreciate you!

Blessings and Peace,

Briana