I Am The Diva Challenge #195: "Turning Old Into New"

The idea behind this challenge was to change the structure of a pattern - in my case I chose to take Meringue, a free-form pattern and change it into a grid-based pattern.

I decided to use the ideas of Mondrian and use a grid-based design similar to what Mondrian may have used and fit the freeform pattern Meringue into it, using some close-up sections and some farther away.I also decided to use the three primary colors that he often used in his designs.  In retrospect, my design needs more white spaces.

I also veered off of the graphic flat Mondrian-type design to add shading to give the shapes a more 3 dimensional effect.

This challenge is done on a 6" x 6" piece of white drawing paper using Micron pens and Prismacolor colored pencils.

Bobbi's Winter Barn

I completed this painting this weekend - it is the "all paint from one photo" project and is the November project for Watercolor Workshop, an online Yahoo group.

The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson's 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.  I love painting snow scenes, especially those with strong sunlight which casts such nice shadows.  Of course, those who know me also are aware that I like to paint old barns (and trucks and cars!.)  Especially barns which have holes in them and are falling apart.

I also plan to use this painting as a lesson for my intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

I am The Diva Challenge #193: Overflowing Abundance: Trio, Huggins and XYP

This week's challenge is to use three tangles, Trio, Huggins and XYP.  I decided to use the Thanksgiving theme because I thought that Huggins would create a great basket weave for a cornucopia.  This, of course, is obviously a Zentangle Inspired Art, not a Zentangle.

I used grey paper (6" x 8" ) and Micron Pigma pens in .005 and.05.  I used white, peach and terra cotta Prismacolor colored pencils for shading.

New Projects for Watercolor Class

I taught 2 new painting techniques this evening...the painting above is done on a wet-in-wet background and the petals are stamped with the side of the paintbrush.  The top picture is when the petals have all been stamped onto the wet-in-wet background over the twig which has been suggested with a pencil line.  The bottom picture is a finished example of this project, with the leaves painted on top with a strong viridian green, and some petal shapes have been lifted in the upper left background.

This painting  was one where we left our comfort zone and branched out into abstraction.  It is done almost entirely with a flat paintbrush and then the details added at the end.  This example is not yet finished.  It is done entirely in complementary colors - purple/yellow and orange/blue.

The Diva's Challenge #192: Seton

After checking out the tangle of the week, Seton, I thought it was very "Art Deco" so I decided to go in that direction. I Googled "Art Deco" images and let them soak into my brain and then began my challenge tangle.  The longer I worked on it the more it became very intricate and more of a Zentangle Inspired Art than a Zentangle.  I had a lot of fun working on this one. I love Art Deco and it goes so well with Zentangle Inspired Art!

I worked on an 8"x 8" piece of mat board and used Micron-Pigma pens in .005, and.03.

The Yellow Dahlia

I finished this watercolor recently and used it as a lesson for my watercolor class at Riverside Art Center.  The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.  The source was from a photo I found on the PMP web site.