Not So Sweet

I could not let this time of the year pass without sharing with you one of my Halloween favourites "Not So Sweet" from 2012. It was created as part of a Halloween challenge. 

I drew the girl on paper, scanned her into photoshop, where I added elements and finished it with some digital painting.

Have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Until next time, Happy Creating!

Spring is in the Air

"Spring is the time of plans and projects" (Leo Tolstoy). It is Spring season here in Australia, and that quote is so true. Spring for me is a time for getting organised, ticking off the tasks on my "To Do List", and cleaning out the cobwebs so to speak.

One big project I have just finished is the recording and editing of my main videos for Life Book 2014. I am delighted with the response to my previous lesson and look forward to seeing what everyone creates for this one. It was a pleasure to share my art, methods and techniques with such a gorgeous bunch of people.

Well folks, I have gone big with my painting; not on paper or canvas, but on walls!! Are you thinking murals? Nothing so exciting I'm afraid. I was roped into the project of painting our daughter's bedroom because of my skill with a brush and eye for detail; more specifically, doing the cutting in to paint areas that are too tight for the paint rollers, such as the ceiling line, corners, along with the baseboards and trim. The finished result was well worth the effort, the walls are now white with one feature wall in pistachio green, lending a bright and airy feel to the room.

I put a post up a while ago "Frida with Roses" where I said I am in danger of becoming an art supply junkie. I think I can add paper hoarder to that as well! Really! My art supplies are getting out of hand and they need some serious organisation!

I don't have the room to fit all the supplies into my little art nook, so instead they are piled on top of each other in the garage. The trouble with that is I forget what I have in stock, and more often than not, the items I want to use are typically those buried at the bottom of the pile! What's a girl gotta do? Well apparently the answer when you are searching for inspiration is to join Pinterest! 

Pinterest is a virtual "board" like a real-life bulletin board where you can pin and share ideas. I discovered it is a fantastic place to dream and visualise how your idyllic life would look. Before I knew it, hours had slept away, pinning and repinning wonderful ideas and images. By this stage, I was creating all sorts of cool boards, when suddenly I realised the reason I joined in the first place! You can check out what I got up to on my Pinterest page link: www.pinterest.com/serenabridgeman or click on the Pinterest pink button on the sidebar of my blog. So now I can add "Pinterest Fanatic" to my list of personal traits!

On the subject of dreaming, I have listed "Dream" print and "If the Shoe Fits", in my Etsy shop, They were created in Life Book in 2012 and 2013. These two glamorous girls can be purchased with or without the quotes. Watch out for more listings over the coming weeks.

Ok, It was time to take action with my plan to organise my art materials! A trip down to the hardware store and then a few hours of assembling shelving for the new plastic storage containers felt like a great achievement...until I realised that was the easy part! The thought of removing all the art supplies from their boxes, sorting them, labelling them into their new containers, not to mention the time, still seemed like a mammoth task! I think I will have to tackle it one bit at a time, eventually I will get it all done, right?

I could definitely use your help! What are your tips for staying motivated and focused when organising your art supplies? What have you found actually works?

All comments are welcomed and encouraged.

Until next time, Happy Creating!

Creative Projects

How are you all keeping? It's a little while since I last blogged and I promise you I have not been slacking! I have been super busy with lots of different projects. I was asked to help out with a birthday scrapbook album, decorate a birthday cake with a make-up/beauty theme and create a make-up inspired graphic print. To add to that list, I also worked an over painting on canvas and did some intuitive art... Phew!! Each project required a completely different technique but they were equally enjoyable and satisfying even though they stretched me in different directions.

I can't upload any of the scrapbook pages as they are very personal to the birthday girl but I can show you her cake and graphic art print. It was a double celebration as she has just graduated as a make-up artist.

I have to give a big shout out to my good friend Mish who lent her creative skills in helping me with the cake. Thanks Mish, a great team effort!

I mentioned an over painting on canvas in the opening paragraph. I had ordered a canvas print of my "Fairy Watching Fireflies" for Mish's birthday but I was so disappointed when it arrived in the post. I saw the lightest spaces were very blown out, meaning these areas had very little colour or definition. I figured I could either throw my hands up in the air and put the canvas in the bin, or I could try painting over the areas on the face, arms, hair and flower. I went with the latter option. I have to tell you I was so relieved when it was finished as everything turned out beautifully. I even put on lots of glitter paint on the wings to give them that extra fairy dust magic. After a few coats of picture varnish spray, I can now giver her over to her new home.


Starting to rework the fairy.

Putting the finishing touches of glitter paint to the wings.

For anyone familiar with my art, I normally work with an idea in my head first, or from a sketch. The lovely Tamara Laporte from Life Book gave a lesson in week 36 on intuitive painting. She says this does not come easily to her; I find myself saying the same thing. However, I thought why not get out of my comfort zone and give it another try? There was no planning this time, just layer upon layer of acrylic paint and watercolour pencils, going with my gut feeling putting marks and strokes on the paper. I have no idea what this painting is about but I love these cute red birds.

The last few weeks have kept me on my toes and it certainly was a mixed bag of creativity. What I have come to realise is I enjoy variety and that carries across the board. After all, they do say "Variety is the Spice of Life". I am looking forward to this weekend to recharge my batteries and spend time with my family. I hope you all have a great weekend also.

I would like to hear what makes you tick and gets your creative juices flowing? Comments are encouraged and welcomed.

Until next time, Happy Creating!