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".