Working with Twinkling H2O's

Luminarte has a number of products that are high quality and fun to use.  After trying Silks Acrylic Glaze, I moved on to Mastering Twinks Part I - Twinkling Discoveries, where I had a chance to practice using Twinkling H2O's.

Dion Dior teaches an absorbing class.  I wish this class was available when I was in college.  Each week of the five week class is covers a particular subject and applies it to the use of Twinks. Beginners can participate in the class, yet there is still plenty of information useful to more advanced students.  

Each week has a multi-part lesson including video, drawing, inspiration, lesson related pdf's and a main project.

Examples of projects done with Twinkling H2O's

Using Limited Pallettes

Twinkling Mandala

Mandalas

Mandalas

Once again, I've been wandering the web, searching for online classes.  Artist and Illustrator Dion Dior has several online classes interesting classes available, each emphasizing methods and materials that I am interested in trying.   Wisdom Circles appealed to me the most, so I signed up.

It's been a fascinating class.  I've done a series of mandalas in a variety of media ranging from black fine-line pen on white paper, to watercolor and pen, white gel pen on black paper, metallic gel pen on black paper.  I have spent some time experimenting with LuminArte's Silks Acrylic Glaze  and Twinkling H2Os, then accenting the work with white or metallic gel pens. I also had an opportunity to work with frisket, something I've never tried, although I've known about it for years. 

Embellishment is essential to the success of these projects. Beadwork and fiber arts might well be other ways to depict some of these designs. (Projects to try later!)

White gel pen on black cardstock.

Twinkling H20s, fine line black pen on a Strathmore Visual Journal page.

Silks Acrylic Glaze and white gel pen on black cardstock.

Work in progress. Silks acrylic glaze and gold gel pen on black cardstock.

Work continued with additional embellishment with various color metallic gel pens.

Once 

 

 

Project in Progress

While searching through a stack of "stuff" I found a mini-quilt I did for one of Jane LaFazio's online classes: an iris  watercolor transformed into a wool felt square, abandoned after completing the iris.

This time the iris "spoke" to me and I began embellishing the square with pearl cotton stitching.

 Each time I pick up the project,  I add or change the embellishments.

There is no set plan,  just responses to feelings and impressions.

It's a very relaxing way to work.

A Roadrunner Is Not a Cartoon (But It Looks Like One).

Roadrunners are not pretty. They are all legs and beaks and scrawny bodies. They rarely fly, but run like track stars especially when chased by the poodle next door.

I had an opportunity to watch a roadrunner when I was walking Homer. I watched this oddball bird, his movements and habits, approaching as closely as I could, hoping Homer didn't decide to chase it. Being dragged through  a field with by a 70 lb. dog is not my idea of fun.

After several observations, I realized the roadrunner would make a great paper mache project. I studied some photos of roadrunners. I used a combination of materials for the armature: 12 gauge wire,  cardboard, newspaper, and masking tape. After finishing the armature I covered the armature with Creative Paperclay. I realized I need to lengthen the legs, which became a problem I'm still dealing with.

I'm still working on the body sculpting.  Here's what I have so far.

 

Crystal Bridges, Revisited

It's been a year since Crystal Bridges opened.  Since we had no schedule conflicts we decided to take a day to revisit the museum.

The aluminum tree in front of the museum gives a wintery feeling. I don't have any information about the artist or the piece itself.  I need to do some research.

 

The exterior of the facility has changed.  The water feature has been installed. 

 

 

 

 

The entrance is an example of conflicting directions: 

 

 

 

 

 

There were less people in the museum on this visit,  but it wasn't empty by any means.  There was a class field trip and  some families and a number of individuals.  Each room had one or more volunteers to help answer any questions visitors had.

Claes Oldenburg's Alphabet/Good Humor is in the coffee shop-restaurant.

Thomas Moran painted  scenery from the American West. I saw an exhibit of his work at the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa  years ago when I attended an exhibit of Turner watercolors.

Kindred Spirits by Asher Brown Durand

Ecorche Relief of The Horse Josephine. 

Thomas Eakins. Eakins' bronze horse is very different compared to the more contemporary Redstick (see below).

Redstick. Bronze.  2007. Deborah Butterfield

Red Flower by Joseph Stella.  The image seemed much brighter then it appears in the photo.

Dale Chilhuly. Neon Sculpture. This was part of an exhibit featuring works of light.

Old Barn of Sheephead Bay Oscar Bluemener.  For some reason, this work reminds me of Van Gogh.

 

The Modern Art room had  works by Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein.

Another exhibit featured works by  Crystal Bridges architect Moshe Safdie. This is a model of the National Gallery of Canada.

New Projects

New Projects

I've been busy with several online classes. I just finished Cindy Moyer's Violet Shadows .  It was a three week class and gave me an opportunity to experiment with Glimmer Mist and Creative Paperclay.  I had most of the basic materials on hand (a benefit of doing a lot of  projects.  

More recently I've been involved in a 5 week class with Susan Barmore,  Steampunk Wenzel.  It's been a lot of fun.  I am still working on the truck, a task involving foam core, poster paper,  a soda can, wooden wheels, acrylic paint, alcohol based inks,  metallic tape, and spray paint.  Here's the project about two weeks into the class:

I enrolled for Noel, Lillian and Max, and Making Animal Pull Toys. Each class teaches me something new and I've enjoyed them all.

I'm Finished Horsing Around

My Equestrienne 2  is finally finished (almost)!  I am still uncertain about the white base.  However I did promise an update  and here it is: 

I think it turned out well, but then I've always liked horses.

The Elusive Butterfly is almost finished.  But I haven't  worked on it in a while.  

My Yvette project is still where I can look at it and think about what I need to do.  I won't say I'll never finish it, but I have other things that have a higher priority.

Quilt Festival Pet Project Postcard

International Quilt Festival/Houston, launched the first of three Festival Pet Projects, so last week I stopped working on dolls and took some time to do a fabric postcard:

 

The project was fairly simple. I copied a sketch of Fluffy,  one of our rescue cats and reduced the image so it would fit in a 4" x 6" fabric rectangle.  Next I traced the image on freezer paper,  heat set it on the light blue fabric,  and fused the trimmed image to background with Pellon Wonder Under.  

I created a "quilt sandwich": muslin backing, thin quilt batting and the cat image. The embellishment was a combination of free-motion qulting, hand quilting and an embroidered outline.  The finished quilt was backed with another piece of dark blue fabric.

I mailed the postcard to Houston on Friday. Here's hoping it arrives in time and someone likes it enough to buy it.