Striped Heart Watercolor Tutorial

I just love hearts..... I can't get enough of them.   I can't get enough of watercolors either, so this project is a perfect combination of both of these loves :)

  Here's my simple tutorial for making your very own unique Watercolor Valentine's Heart Art.

Materials:
scrap paper or heart stencil
watercolor paper
watercolor paints
paint brush
pencil
ruler

Step 1:  Cut out a heart or use a stencil or cookie cutter to fit the size of your watercolor paper.  I used some junk mail to save paper :)

Step 2:  Place your heart stencil on the center of your watercolor paper and lightly trace the outline in pencil.

Step 3:  Using a ruler, lightly draw horizontal lines across your heart drawing to create sections.  You can draw as many lines as you would like, but I think it looks nice with four sections.

Step 4:  Pick out four colors (or as many as you need to fill the sections you drew) to fill in your heart.  If you are mixing colors, make sure you mix enough to fill an entire section.

Step 5:  With the color of your choice, paint in the top section of your heart drawing.  Then, fill in the other sections below it with different colors leaving a small space between the sections.

Tip:   If you want your lines to be clean and distinct, wait for each section to dry before painting the next section below it.  Personally, I like it when the paint mixes a little between the sections, so I painted one right after another without letting them dry first.

Step 6:  Let your heart painting dry and don't forget to sign your masterpiece!

These would be great as Valentine's cards too.  Hmmm...... maybe I'll do that next year.  I've already made cards for this year.

Happy Painting!

Colorful Crochet Hearts

It's my first time making crochet hearts....

They're really easy and fun to make!  I followed the tutorial over at Cornflower Blue Studio. It's a really good tutorial, so you should check it out.

Then I had to turn all my colorful little hearts into a garland, of course. They make me happy!

Photo of the Week

Happy Monday! Ok, so Monday is not my favorite day of the week.  I usually have lots of errands to run and laundry to do on Mondays, but the sun is shining today.  It's been a while since that has happened.

Here's a shot of my neighbor's pine tree with the snow starting to melt off of it.  I don't mind the snow so much if the sun comes out after to melt it :)

An Artist's Dilemma

I've noticed that birds are what's selling on Etsy for some time now.  I thought it might be fun to try my hand at birds, but then I didn't want to be painting just for the market, just to sell my art. Somehow I've felt like I'm selling out if I do that.  It's a battle.  Do I paint for myself or for the market? I guess it depends on how much I want to sell my art, right?

 Well, I've taken the plunge and tried my hand at birds.  I've done roosters before, but nothing else.  It's more challenging than I expected.  This bird on a branch is in no way my best work, but I'll still show it.  I don't want this blog to be about being perfect all the time.  It should be about growth.  So here ya go.  

I hope to be growing my skills in bird painting in the future.  And I'm ok with that.  Maybe I can find joy in painting something even if it is mostly to fit the trends.  We'll see!

A Look at my Sketchbook: Owls

Is anyone tired of owls yet?

Not me!

I took a little trip down sketchbook memory lane and came across these two cuties I had drawn months and months ago.  Even with all the hype over owls I still love em :)

Photo of the Week

In spite of the cold weather,  I had lots of these little birds hanging out in my backyard in the afternoons.  I was able to get some shots of one sitting on a branch.  I love it!  I love birds!

I have a few bird projects to share this week, so I'm officially naming this week, BIRD WEEK for me.  I hope you enjoy!

When Life Gives You Oranges

Tis' the season for oranges!  I love painting these colorful fruits!

And since my art room had to be condemned and emptied while we deal with some serious water damage and mold from the shower on the other side of the wall, I'm back to painting in the kitchen.  It's not a fun situation, but at least there is better light in my kitchen and it's warmer.

Anyway, back to the paintings.  These little 5x7's are now up in my shop.  Check them out.....

https://www.etsy.com/listing/119422662/original-watercolor-oranges-painting-5x7

https://www.etsy.com/listing/119423187/original-watercolor-painting-still-life

Safety Pin Bracelet

Well folks, I'm discovering that being cooped up in the house this winter is not entirely a bad thing.  I have lots of time for creating things that have been on my to-do list for quite some time,  like this safety pin bracelet.  

This had been on my list ever since I found the tutorial over at My Favourite Things Blog.  It's a bit time consuming to make, but not too hard.  I'm just happy that I finally used up the seed beads that I've had laying around ever since I was a kid.

Watercolor Resist Valentine's Cards

Last week my son and I experimented with watercolors and crayons to make some crayon resist Valentine's Cards!  They may look a bit amateur- ish, but they were fun to make!  Plus, nothing beats a home made Valentine's card :)

Here's a simple tutorial I put together for you:


Materials:
white card stock or watercolor paper
white crayon
watercolor paints
paint brush

Step 1:  Draw a design or write a Valentine's message on the front of a folded piece of white card stock or watercolor paper.  This is kinda hard to do because you can't see very well what you are drawing or writing.

Step 2: Load up some watercolor paints on a paintbrush and paint over the area you just drew on with with crayon to see your design come to life!

Step 3:  Let the paint dry and add any other embellishments you like.

Photo of the Week

How is everyone surviving the winter so far (if it is winter where you are)?  The temperature inversions and smog here are awful, but I'm finding that it's much more bearable to be cooped up in a house versus an apartment. We have a lot more room, so we don't get cabin fever quite as easily :)

The day I chose to go out to take photos this week was a warmer one (by warmer I mean the high was 38), but the wind was blowing so it felt much much colder.   Needless to say, I did not get any good shots this week .  So here's a picture I took a few years back of a water fountain on Temple Square.  I've always loved this shot.  It makes me feel calm.  Water usually makes me feel that way and being near the temple ALWAYS makes me feel that way.  So ya, it's a good place to be :)

Painting Hearts

As my son likes to remind me, the next holiday is ... yes... Valentine's Day!  I know it's still a ways off, but I've already started on some Valentine's stuff.

I made a couple of watercolor heart paintings.  I have no idea if they will sell, but I had fun making them anyway :)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/118033157/original-watercolor-hearts-painting-8x10

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/118033393/original-watercolor-heart-cluster

Crochet Sea Pennies Tutorial

Hey everyone! Today I'm sharing a very basic crochet technique to make crochet "sea pennies".  They're fun and easy to make, plus they are the basis for making crochet flowers and hats.  So ya,  it's a good crochet skill to have under your belt.

Materials: 
(You can make these with any size hook and any type of yarn, but this is what I used for this tutorial)
Yarn- worsted weight
Crochet Hook- size H

Step 1: Make a basic loop.  Some call this a "magic circle" because it allows you to pull the circle to close it together after you finish stitching.  You can find a tutorial on it HERE or you can do what I do, just make a loop like you're tying a simple not. It's a little harder to close the circle with my method, but it works for me.

Step 2:  Chain 3.

Step 3:  11 double crochet into the beginning chain.

Step 4:  Slip stitch into the top of the beginning chain 3 and fasten off.

Step 5:   Pull the beginning tail of your loop or your "magic circle" to close the gap in the middle and weave in ends.

There you have it!  You can make a whole blanket out of these or use them as embellishments.  I have plans to make a bracelet with these soon!  

Photo of the Week

I'm starting to appreciate the beauty of ice.  My camera has amazing zoom capabilities that allow you to see things you couldn't see with the naked eye, unless you  put your face right next to it.  I was not about to lay down on the icy ground, so I'm grateful that my camera could do the work for me :)

ABC Board Art Hanger

I love the art of children.  It's so honest and unpremeditated.  While it doesn't always make sense to adults, it's an amazing tool that children use to make sense of their world.  I love watching my son draw for that reason.  We talk while he draws and it's amazing to see his imagination coming to life.  

 I find children and art fascinating. I could go on about that forever, but I will spare you.  On to my latest art-related project:  

THE ABC BOARD ART HANGER!

My son has an ever growing collection of drawings/ sticker/ pom pom creations and my fridge space is limited.  We needed something he could hang in his room to display his work.... and I thought I'd try to make it educational too by putting the alphabet on it.  

I took one of the boards that were left over from our new fence and gave it a coat of primer.  Once that dried, I spray painted it this lovely happy green color... my fav!  Next I did a lot of stencil work.  I don't own a cricut or any machine of that sort, so made my own designs by hand and traced them out.  It took quite a while.

Once I had all the stencils painted in I gave it a nice coat of varnish.  Then I glued the clothespins on.  And wala!  A beautiful and handy art hanger!  This really brightens up the little guy's room.