LifeBook 2015: Cover

Sorry about the fly through of the last lessons from LifeBook but the year really got away on me.  Towards the end of November I had a nasty fall at work and this literally threw me for six.  Anyway, I did eventually get my book finished - made my own covers and bound it with hand-stitching.  Here it is finished.

LifeBook 2015: Weeks 40 - 51

Week 41 - To whom it may concern with Kristin van Valkenburgh

Layers and textures and more layers, plus a letter inside the heart as a message to myself.

Week 42 - Everyday things with Alisa Burke

Trying out everyday items from around home to see what marks they make.

Week 43 - Any day is a good day to celebrate with Patti Ballard

Time to celebrate - the original had cake but I celebrate with coffee - hence the big cup.  I used my new colours from Golden - Green Gold & Quinacridone Azo Gold - just yummy!!!

Week 44 - Reach for the stars with Jenny Wentworth

Incorporating the face into the tree was tricky but I love the stars hanging down from the tree and I quite like the watery background.

Week 45 - Warm up

Week 45 - Follow your happy with Tamara Laporte

Warm up exercise - playing with texture, colour & shape before starting on 'follow your happy'.  First side on face. 

Week 46 - Glorious childhood tales with Violette Clark

Oh what fun having a go at a bit of cartooning.  thinking about all the things I used to like doing as a child, drawing myself as a child, and then putting it all together was such fun.  I love the result.

Week 47 - Intuitive painting as a practice of sacred play with Chris Zydel - 5 minute

Week 47 - Intuitive painting as a practice of sacred play with Chris Zydel - 30 minute

Week 48 - Smush Book with Donna Downey

This has to have been one of my favourite lessons this year.  I adore Donna's work anyway but this was so much fun.  I love doing the word fusion with my words being Creart (create+art) and smusion (smush+fusion).

Week 49 - My favourite things with Danielle Donaldson

Playing with watercolour and adding some of my favourite things just randomly on the page..  Hasn't photographed too well but it was fun to do.

Week 50 - Sunshine and Roses with Effy Wild

Not sure about this one.  I love the roses around the outside and the technique of creating them but not so fond of the rest.

Week 51 - Celebration & Gratitude; a Painterly Face with Tamara Laporte

Oh dear, a self portrait - not my best work (poor subject matter) hahaha!!!.  Still, anything from here on has to be an improvement, don't you think.

It's been ages

Oh my goodness, I can't believe that it has been so long since I blogged last.  Must be about time I caught you all up to date with LifeBook at the very least, so here goes ...

Life Book 2015: Week 39 - From here to there with Roben-Marie Smith

So many layers ...

This weeks Life Book lesson with Roben-Marie Smith was entitled 'Fom here to there" which meant taking a blank page (here) through to a full blown creation (there) using lots and lots of layers.

We started by adding random writing in pencil across the page about things we loved.  Then we added a little watercolour paint.  Next was tearing random scraps of paper and adding to the page. Once dry we scraped white acrylic paint over the surface with a palette knife before adding doodles with pencils and ballpoint pen.  The next layer was acrylic paint through a selection of stencils.  I chose to use a paint splatters stencil and some small circles.  We let this dry before adding paint drips from the top of the page, adding lots of water so they ran right down to the bottom.  

Roben-Marie then asked us to choose a stamp or a picture by using the first letter of our name.  My letter is "D" so I used a doily as my prompt.  Actually I added a couple of doilies - one whole and one cut in two and pasted on the edges of the page.  

The next layer was adding accents of paint using pot and jar lids to create rings on the page followed by more doodles with pencils and ballpoint pen (but this time using my non-dominant hand).  And no, we are not finished yet.  

The next task was to create repeating shapes and as I had used the circular paint splatters I decided to follow the circle theme and create more circles and splatters.  Once the colour was added we started to add detail by drawing around some of the features with a pen.  This made some of the images pop out and others recede into the background.  We kept layering more stencil shapes with paint before adding cut paper circles from an old book.  These were glued to the page and I ran a little watercolour paint over them to blend them into the page.  A pen was used to further define these.  And here is the result. 

Roben-Marie also had us make tags alongside this page which were then to go into a little pocket on the the bottom right corner but I opted not to do that as I wanted my page just how it was. 

I love how it has turned out.

Life Book 2015: Week 38 - The journey of acceptance with Jill Berry

Two techniques to learn today - actually both I have done before but not to the same extent of development, so it was interesting to learn more and then actually make something out of it.  

The lesson was presented by Jill Berry and the first thing we did was to make coloured tissue paper using acrylic paint.  

The next was to make gel skins using gel medium and acrylic paint.  Both of these are quite addictive and it was hard to stop making them - I just know there will be more of these in my future.  But for now, I just needed enough to make a collage.  

Jill had given us a blue heron and a wood duck to use for the focal point - I chose to use the blue heron.  This was drawn onto tissue paper, adhered to the page and then the collage was built up around it using the coloured tissue and the gel skins.  Once that was dry it was time to paint in the heron.  A few little accents and it was done.  

I wasn't sure I was going to like this but I just love it - the gel skins look so effective.  

What do you think?

Life Book 2015: Week 37 - Intuitive healing session with Andrea Schroeder

An interesting process was presented by Andrea Schroeder this week whereby we followed her on a meditation, at the end of which a symbol was given to us.  By working through a series of exercises, that symbol changed and our artwork was to reflect the process.

My symbol started as an "X" but as I worked through the exercises the "X" became more fluid.  As the transformation took place I could see, in my minds eye, a ballerina, her body the shape of my fluid "X".  

She's not the most attractive girl in the world but she is just going with the flow - something I need to do more of.

It's funny how you start out doing something, not knowing where it is going, and then you end up with this ...

Life Book 2015: Week 36 - Finding strength with Donna Downey

So excited to get todays lesson - I have been a fan of Donna Downey's work for a while now and managed to do some of her classes at Creative Adventure Downunder a couple of years ago.  It was a message from Donna that got me started on this course at the beginning of this year actually.

The lesson was all about finding your inner strength.  We started by writing on a blank page and then covered most of it up by building layers of paint.  Donna had a stamp for the figure but I sketched mine.  The background was painted using my fingers.  While Donna used fabric covered with joint compound, I wanted this to go in my Life Book and opted for staying with water colour paper.  I also added some stamping and texture paste which was a little different from Donna's. 

The text reads "it is in herself she will find the strength she needs".

Life Book 2015: Week 35 - Creating new possibilities with Andrea Gomoll

So excited to have another lesson with the lovely Andrea Gomoll.

This lesson was more about techniques to get you out of a creative rut or overcome a creative block.  By choosing a word, doodling something to go with that word and then randomly applying water colour to the paper, it was simply a case of adding water and then allowing it to blend, adding some texture paste, a few paint splatters, a doodled border and it was almost done.  All that was left was to cut out shapes from a paper towel, colour them with the same watercolours and adhere them to the page - how easy and inspiring is that.  

Life Book 2015: Week 34 - Painting the muse with Alena Hennessy

I really enjoyed this lesson by Alena Hennessy.  

We got to choose our own Goddess and create our own interpretation of her.  

Alena had given us some options and one immediately jumped out at me - that was Cerridwen.  I love the name and I love anything Celtic, and she is a Celtic Goddess who symbolises the moon, magic, nature, music, art, and astrology ... and so she called to me.  I did read all the others but nothing else spoke to me like she did. 

So, Cerridwen it was, with a twist in that I have painted an amalgamation between Cerridwen and the High Priestess, which felt just right.  Thanks Alena for a fabulous lesson.

Life Book 2015: Week 33 - Inspirational power words with Joanne Sharpe

In this lesson with Joanne Sharpe we explored the concept of the feminine healer archetype by using hand lettering to understand and express various characteristics of the archetype both from the perspective of the healer and/or needing to be healed.  

Using our own handwriting we made art words by playing with and embellishing our own handwriting.  

Such fun, but also an awesome meditative and reflective process.

Life Book 2015: Week 32 - You are wise with Tamara Laporte

Another lovely whimsical girl with Tamara Laporte looking at beliefs that we hold that limit our ability to grow and develop and prevent us from changing and ultimately thriving.  

After a reflective exercise we wrote our limiting beliefs at the bottom of the page and covered them with texture and paint so that they were covered up.  

The girl flies above her limiting beliefs, transforming them into liberating beliefs, or in my case, her liberating beliefs are contained in the balloons that are taking her up and away from those beliefs that are stopping her from becoming all that she can be.

Life Book 2015: Week 31 - Traced hand hamsa protection with Rachael Rice

"The hand has been used as a symbol of protection since ancient times.  It is seen all over the world in the form of a hamsa, Hand of Fatimah, Hand of Venus, and Hand of Mary.  Traditionally it protects from “the evil eye” or bad energies." - Rachael Rice.

I didn't want to use the traditional 'hand' for this exercise but instead traced around my own hand adding symbols and doodles important to me.  I found this process quite therapeutic - it took time but it took me out of myself and into a quiet contemplative space for a while.

Life Book 2015: Week 30 - Letting go and letting in with Flora Bowley

Not so inspired with this lesson, in a bit of a dark space when I created these ... and it shows.  This is more intuitive painting from a lesson with Flora Bowley.  We made lots of marks very quickly on several pieces of paper before choosing a couple to develop further by painting in and around the marks made.  It was an interesting technique but not sure it's one I feel that comfortable with.  Still, for what it's worth here are my two creations -

Life Book 2015: Week 29 - Tiny story-telling with Danielle Donaldson

Oh my gosh, Danielle Donaldson's little girls are so cute.  Danielle provided us with some random words which she invited us to cut apart and make up a story to go with our little girl.  

If you read my blog earlier about the illness I have been battling for most of this year you will have read how I spent a lot of time pacing like a caged animal.  This story tells of how I worked my way through my illness knowing deep down that I would come out the other side having learned something from the experience.  It would take time, I would need to be gentle with myself, and there would be things I would need to let go of, but I would be okay. 

Here's the story - it starts: there's a very tiny story ... a really tiny one ... please read it "Here's the thing about her, walking, talking, always moving in circles ... she feels lost ... it seemed to her that, looking within her, working through the hardness, holding the unloved, she gets the idea, stands tall, knowing in her heart, just like that, her eyes shimmered: picture beautiful thoughts of all things that can be.  She always thought she would sparkle."

There is always HOPE.  You just have to believe in yourself.

Life Book 2015: Week 28 - Layers of you with Tamara Laporte

Another lesson I put off because it was just too painful and I didn't think I would ever be able to do this one, however, after a session with the psychologist I just knew it was time.  

The lesson, from the lovely Tamara Laporte, used a face/body from a fashion magazine (something that represented us) and then a background of collage and paint applied.  I didn't have a fashion magazine but knew that I wanted to use a photo of our grand-daughter, Ellie, to be the base for my painting.  It was important for me to do something playful and childlike, yet wistful.  Something that would reflect my inner child, and the magic associated with letting that child have the freedom to express herself.

It didn't matter that the lesson was completed 'out of order', it was important that it was done 'at the right time' for me.  It took me a while to complete it but a lot of healing took place during that time.  It was really good therapy and I love the result.

Life Book 2015: Week 27 - Artist interview with Jessica Swift

There was no actual lesson for this week but I was inspired during the interview with Jessica Swift  to create this page.  About the same time I saw the bird from the Tim Holtz collection and thought it was really cute so I drew it onto my page as the focal point.  It went well with the quote I had chosen.

Life Book 2015: Week 26 - Our inner Warrior Princess with Andrea Gomoll

I am so in love with the work of the lovely Andrea Gomoll (and she has the most gorgeous accent).  This lesson was designed to help us get in touch with our inner Warrior Princess, or as Andrea puts it "the little Lady inside of us that is strong, courageous, who is fighting for her goals and for what she believes in, who loves to discover new things, who is mindful and therefore at peace with herself" - something I was SO NOT!!!  I certainly did not feel strong, nor courageous, especially given the battle I was facing at that time but this came just as I started turning a corner, and, as usual, the timing was perfect.

First up was to sketch the face, hair and tiara before laying down a basic watercolour wash, then building up layers of colour, outlining with a fine black marker and adding texture paste and acrylic paint through stencils (stencilled quote from Donna Downey), followed by a little hint of Pan Pastels to intensify the colour.  The shield was created separately and then added to the finished page with foam dots to give a 3D effect. 

Absolutely loved this lesson and loved the finished page.

Life Book 2015: Week 25 - Stencilling what you love with Lynzee Lynx

Lynzee Lynx showed us how to create our own stencils.  This was a fun project.  

Lists of what we love, what brings us comfort and healing were written on a blank page.  Doodles and messages were then written around the writing.  The stencil was created and then paint splashes added.  Water was sprayed on the page and the paper tipped to move the water and paint around the page.  

Once dry I used a foam brush to apply paint over the stencil and then all the doodles and details were added using drawing and paint pens.  

So cool to make my own stencil.  I also used one of the stamps I made from an earlier lesson so lots of 'me' in this page.

Life Book 2015: Week 24 - Happy painting with Juliette Crane

This is a real 'mixed media' painting - it uses multiple papers and washi tape collaged to form the base of the painting followed by both oil and water paints.  There was no sketching involved in this painting - it was just painted direct onto the background.  Self portrait ????  Thanks Juliette Crane for an interesting lesson.

Life Book 2015: Week 23 - Magic, Vulnerability & Courage with Tamara Laporte

Again, another challenging lesson from the lovely Tamara Laporte.  This time - looking at the masculine archetype.  Right through this year we have been painting female faces and I did not want my male to look effeminate - he had to look masculine.  The concept was about vulnerability and how this requires having strength and courage - it certainly took a lot of courage to put pencil to paper.

In typical Tam style the background was created with collage, colour, stamping and gesso.  Stencils and doodles added, then time to paint the face and body. Finally the text was hand written on and I was done.  It took me a while but pretty happy with the result really - if I do say so myself.  I think he looks masculine - do you?

Thanks for looking.