Lady Faces July 2023

I'm at it again...artist "wanna-be"! This time I'm using my Jane Davenport Whimsical Girls book as my guide. This book was meant to be a workbook. The pages are made from and labeled with different kinds of paper: watercolor, marker paper, thin craft paper, coloring paper. There are a few pages of thin, colorful, collage paper that you can tear and use with acrylic medium for mixed media projects. For now, I am using this book for ideas on how to draw my lady faces. Not working on the actual pages of this book. Also, I just noticed that Jane has a YouTube on this book. 

For these faces, I used India Ink FABER-CASTELL Pitt Artist Pen, black, F (0.5 mm) and Canson watercolor paper, cold pressed 250 g/m2. When dry, I used Superior brand watercolors (set of 18 that my sister, Grace gave me). Also used my Jane Davenport  12 pan Bright Pallette watercolor set. Once dry, I added some ink blending to darken the colors: Gina K's sweet mango, wild dandelion, lucky clover and red velvet inks. Then I added some stamping around the edges.

This is the inside of the card.

For this second card, I used colored pencils to color the lady and ink blending for the border: Gina K's sweet mango, wild dandelion, lucky clover and passionate pink inks.

Here is the inside of that card.

I decided not to color the border of this card. Really liked the lady as she is. I wasn't sure which colors to use for the background...and was afraid to ruin what I had already done.

Here is the inside.

I wanted to try the "lined" hair that I saw in Jane's book. It was more difficult than it looked. Always seems that way! Jane has written text beside many of her drawings in the Whimsical Girls book. I decided to try it. I copied her way of creating the letters-fun to do. I wanted to make this girl's purple hair a little different so I blended some red with the purple on my pallette. Also I copied the blouse design from Jane's book.

I really enjoyed the process of drawing and painting. And it was fun to make the drawings into cards that I can send to friends.

Stamps: 

Stampin' Up-Letters from Friends

Heidi Grace/Fiskars-Dreamer

Heidi Grace/Fiskars-Cherrywood Ln.

Tim Holtz Mixed Media Collection Stampers Anonymous clear stamps/stencil set-THMM114

Dimensions Crafts-Thoughts of fancy stamps

Sentiment Stamps:

Penny Black-

  Friendships...2945H

  What matters...293CH

Hero Arts wood mounted set of 3 stamps-Nicest Thoughts

Stampendous-Treasured Friend

Stampabilities-Between Friends ER1034

Thanks for visiting!

Peace and all good!

Drawing and Painting

I took some time out yesterday to draw and paint these two pieces. This lady was inspired by Jane Davenport's Fabulous Figures book, page 65. When I draw, the expressions on the faces just seem to pop up. Maybe one day I will be able to create a specific expression and be able to duplicate it.  I am an "artist wanna-be" not a real artist. I find it so relaxing attempting to draw and paint.

I could not resist attempting this scene from page 29 of Jane's Fabulous Figures book. When I saw that Eiffel Tower in the background I just had to play with this scene.

For both pieces, I used watercolor paper cut to about 4.75 x 6 inches. I started by drawing with a black Faber-Castell PITT pen. Then I used Jane's Mermaid Markers which are brush pens with a reservoir filled with vivid dye-based ink. Since the ink is quite intense, a lot of the time I brush some ink on my craft sheet then use a paintbrush and water to apply to paper. After the work was dry, I went back with Jane's white paint over pen for highlighting.

I attached my work to cardstock and created two greeting cards. The first one is going to become a birthday card for an artist friend.

I hope you find something in your day that is soothing for your soul!

Lady Face Painted and Collage Cards

Inspired by Dina Wakley and Jane Davenport, I've been working with Dina Wakley's heavy body acrylic paint, stamps, stencils and finding some relaxation and stress relief! Instead of working inside my art journal, I worked on separate pieces of watercolor papers from my stash.

Dina Wakley makes this look so easy in her YouTube videos. It was a bit of a struggle for me! I guess I thought I could just spread some paint on paper and it would look great...not!
I think it's better with layering the paint...and adding stencils and stamps.

I drew a few faces with a PITT India Ink marker pen. On some of these I added watercolor pencil to color to the hair and eyes, but the PITT marker bled, so I wasn't sure that was the way to go. My pieces are small-they fit on a 4.25 x 5.5 inch card (or smaller). 

The "mood du jour" is part of a Dawn Houser/Inkadinkado stamp. The leaf is from What I love by Stampin' UP!

I really like how the Golden Soft Gel (Matte) medium worked to adhere the book page strips. They dried to a nice matte finish. In the past I had used a semi-gloss medium, which has a shine to it. The matte finish makes it look so much better! 

The "think" is part of a Dina Wakley Media 6 by 9 inch Stencil called Hey You. Originally I stenciled the "don't overthink", but I worked over the "don't over" and just left "think". Decided to add "don't" and "just create" with my PITT India ink pen and  then Gelly Roll Classic white pen. The lady is from Hampton Arts-Time Flies. I used black Versafine ink. The leaves, from SU, same as above, were stamped with Dina's "night" paint, which is a very dark blue.

The face here is stamped with distress vintage photo using Rubber Stampede's She knows #3652C. For the white circles I used the plastic cover from a paint dabber. Used a piece of sequin waste to stencil the little circles on the right using Dina's white paint.

This face is stamped with distress walnut stain ink using Dawn Houser/Inkadinkado Camp Rouge French lady face stamp #8340-N. I mixed Dina's ruby and lemon paints to create the orange color. The white circles on the bottom left were made with the sequin waste stencil. The other white "circles" were added by hand with the paintbrush.

Thanks for visiting! You are welcome to share any tips or ideas on this topic!

Another Lady Face Card

With colored pencils I sketched another "lady face"
inspired by
Dina Wakley and Jane Davenport.
A friend gave me the dry embossed background layer. 

Stamps: Michael Strong, Inkadinkado/Studio K
Distress inks: twisted citron, worn lipstick
Versafine black onyx
Stick-on pearls.

Card of the Day-Friday

Happy Friday!

I am using a watercolor and embossed layer from my stash.
It's nice to make extra, when you have your watercolor paints out.
Makes it quick and convenient...no need to wait for the paint to dry!
Today I sponged the edges with distress distress weathered wood.

As I've mentioned before, I love Michael Strong's mini flowers.

For today's card I stamped them in distress festive berries and abandoned coral 

(which was a 2nd impression to get the lighter look).

After seeing YouTubes by Dina Wakley and Jane Davenport in the last few months,

I have been compelled/obsessed to try and draw faces! 

...with the emphasis on trying!

Every time I give it a try, my faces look different. 

I wish I could control the look, but in the meantime, it's been therapy just drawing! 

I thought I'd share my attempts. 

I didn't like the brown or blonde/yellow for the hair.

Was inspired to use blue after seeing Jane Davenport's pictures with pink and blue hair.

 Stamps: Michael Strong Mini Cloisonne shapes

Hampton Arts Dreams to life

Inks: distress festive berries, abandoned coral, weathered wood

Stampin' UP! bliss blue

Sizzix Airmail Texture Fades (embossing folder)

Additional: colored pencils, adhesive pearls, Sakura Jelly Roll glitter pen XPGB#700, fun fur fibers

Lady Face Cards

After seeing Dina Wakley's YouTube, Learn to Draw Artistic Faces
and borrowing Jane Davenport's book,
Drawing and Painting Beautiful Faces from the public library
I started sketching faces...
on the back of envelopes, on scrap paper, everywhere.

For these cards, I made a few sketches on white cardstock,
added some color with colored pencils and markers, then cut them out.

 I used Lynette's Stampin' Up! Notably Ornate Set
and added some of my own stamps to create some simple vintage, shabby-chic cards.

 

Used wrinkle free distress backgrounds from my stash
sponging additional color on them.

Stamps:

Stampin' Up! Notably Ornate, Friendship's Journey, Antique Collectibles, Letters from Friends,

Hero Arts
Dawn Houser

Distress Inks
mowed lawn, festive berries, spiced marmalade,  fossilized amber, wild honey, pumice stone, brushed corduroy

Colored pencils & Distress markers