Some Advice...

Kristin Dudish   #dudishdaily 15

"Flying Tulips" Stencil Test Drive

When Jessica Sporn's Flying Tulips stencil arrived in the mail, my very first thought was, "This would make a great french wallpaper background."

If you read my crazy haired ladies post, then you probably won't be surprised to know that my mind immediately went to the original crazy haired lady herself...

Marie Antoinette!

Combining Jessica's beautiful stencil with a crazy haired lady was a lot of fun.  I started by drawing her with just a simple mechanical pencil and photocopied my drawing at different darkess levels. 
(The original drawing is the one in front.)
(I revealed a similar technique here.)

Then, I played with different watercolor washes, inks, colored pencils, and of course, the "flying tulips" stencil!

My fun with Jessica's stencil wasn't limited to portrait backgrounds.  I also used her stencil for a couple of resist techniques, and for gelatin printing! (It's a very well-made and versatile stencil.)

(See how I created these here.)

Great big thanks to Jessica Sporn and Stencil Girl Stencils for the opportunity to participate in such a fun test drive!

And, please be sure to have a look at what else was created with
the "flying tulips" stencil:
Jessica's blog
Maria's blog

On The Road Again

I am excited to announce that "...you'd be home by now" 

(my sketchbook from the 2011 Sketchbook Project) has been selected to go on the inaugural tour of The Sketchbook Project Mobile Library!  Hooray!

In case you missed them, you can read my posts about the making of the sketchbook here.

Or, you can take a trip with my gnome throughout art history and view the digitized version here.

p.s.  It's "Blogtoberfest" and I'm posting everyday...  

Please be sure to come back tomorrow!

There's Gnome Place Like...

"All our dreams can come true,

if we have the courage to pursue them."

-Walt Disney

Wishing you the courage to pursue your dreams

(to infinity and beyond!)...

Smile!

 

 Wherever you are today, 

I hope a smile is always waiting 

just around the corner!

The Gnome Is Back...

Okay.  Here's the story...

I had a completely different post all written and ready to "publish" when I saw an email in my inbox that said that this week's Photo Friday challenge is "Travels".  Well, I just couldn't let that theme pass me by without sharing more gnome photos!

This is the photo where I made a spectacle of myself while taking it!

Here is another photo from Niagara Falls - I just love the rainbow in the background.

And a collage of some fun gnome photos for your viewing pleasure!

I have so many neat things I want to share with you, but my original post will have to wait for another day...

I will also be participating in One World One Heart.

(I have a fun giveaway planned for it!)

If you haven't heard of it be sure to check it out!

Sunday Sketches... It's A Wrap!

Okay, I know you are probably all thinking, "Enough already - move on... We've had it with your sketchbook project posts!"  I get it (I really do).  I'm actually anxious to start posting about other things too...  But, since it feels like I've lived the past two weeks in fast forward, with the pedal to the metal, accelerator to the floor, I wanted to slow down and write one final celebratory wrap-up post.  Please bear with me.

Before I actually get down to business, I have to offer all of you a great big heartfelt 'thanks'!  Your kind comments and words of encouragement helped see me through the craziness of my last minute dash to complete this project.  Thank you.

Now the art work... a few things I still want to share:

My title page.  (I drew the gnome and balloon then glued on the frame that I printed out from here.)

The center spread: "Real Life Gnome Adventures".

I really do have a gnome and he really does travel with me.  It is actually pretty funny sometimes.  When I was at Niagara Falls, I got down on my belly under the guard rail (probably frowned upon) to get a good photo of the gnome with The Falls.  While I was down on the ground, tourists started taking pictures of me taking pictures!  Ha!

The index pages.

The final page!

Well, that's it... I did it!  We did it - Thank you for your support... you definitely helped me stay motivated!

Don't forget to stop by Sophia's blog for another week of Sunday Sketches - my friends always have lots of fun things to share!

I'm Almost There

"I Should Be Home By Now"

This is the final spread for my Sketchbook Project.   It is based on Roy Lichtenstein's "Forget It! Forget Me!" painting:

The remaining pages will be an index of the paintings I based my drawings and paintings on.  Today I'm working on the index, the title page, and last minute details.  So, (fingers crossed) with a whole day to spare, I will be mailing my moleskine to Brooklyn tomorrow!  Yee-ha!

(The theme for my sketchbook is "...you'd be home by now".  If you'd like to find out more about my inspiration, you can find it in this post.)

There's Gnome Place Like Home

I continue to work like a crazy person on my Sketchbook Project...

"If you weren't lost in a crowd  ...you'd be home by now"

This page was based on Keith Haring's "Untitled, 1983" piece:

I'm not normally a marker gal, so this turned out to be a bit of a challenge.

"If you hadn't gone to pieces  ...you'd be home by now"

This page was based on Pablo Picasso's "Tete d'une Femme Lisant" painting:

I always have fun creating Picasso inspired art.

"If you weren't in the jungle  ...you'd be home by now"

This page was based on Henri Rousseau's "Jungle with Lion" painting:

(I turned it into "Jungle with Gnome"!)

"If you weren't on a farm  ...you'd be home by now"

This page is based on Grant Wood's "American Gothic" painting:

Trying to squeeze the details of this painting onto such a small sketchbook page was definitely challenging!

This is also my (early) contribution for Whimsical Wednesday - at least I'm early for something!

(The theme for my sketchbook is "...you'd be home by now".  If you'd like to find out more about my inspiration, you can find it in this post.)

It has been a fast and furious couple of weeks, but I'm almost finished...

Sunday Sketches and Surprise, Surprise...

More Sketchbook Project Pages!

"If you weren't stuck in a cave  ...you'd be home by now"

I dug deep into art history for the inspiration for this page - all the way back to the Lascaux cave paintings in France:

The next page is a good illustration of how I'm feeling about the looming deadline for The Sketchbook Project...

"If you weren't suffering such angst  ...you'd be home by now"

This page was based on Edvard Munch's "The Scream":

After this emotional painting, I felt the need to move on to something more tranquil...

"If you weren't in someone else's garden  ...you'd be home by now"

This page was inspired by Claude Monet's "Water Lilies, Green Reflection":

(The theme for my sketchbook is "...you'd be home by now".  If you'd like to find out more about my inspiration, you can find it in this post.)

Don't forget to stop by Sophia's blog to see what my friends have been sketching this week!

p.s.  I want to thank Pavinee, Sandy Coleman, and Jehanne - they all nominated me for a "Stylish Blogger Award"!  My first two duties as a "stylish blogger" are to write 7 things about myself and pay it forward to 15 other blogs I've recently discovered.  Well, I would like to do it "in style", so I will be creating a post much like the one here after I complete the sketchbook project. 

I appreciate your patience as I work, work, work like a madwoman to get my sketchbook finished.  Stay tuned because as soon as it's done I'm all about sharing some blog love...

Some Art, a Gnome, and Jazz

"If you weren't stargazing  ...you'd be home by now"

More gnomes... more sketchbook project pages!

This page was based on Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night":

The colors from this painting paired with the stars led me to my next page:

"If you weren't dancing with the stars  ...you'd be home by now"

This page was based on Henri Matisse's "Icarus":

And since this cut paper collage by Matisse was part of his "Jazz" series, it led me to my next page:

"If you weren't making music  ...you'd be home by now"

This page was based on Jean Dubuffet's "Jazz Band":

One thing leads to another, and I continue to plug away at my Sketchbook Project.

(The theme for my sketchbook is "...you'd be home by now".  If you'd like to find out more about my inspiration, you can find it in this post.)

I dream of gnomes...