Watercolor Week 2: Learning to paint

            

The second week of my first watercolor class has just passed. I have to 

admit it's one of the toughest mediums to work with. You must have the 

right amount of paint and water to get the flow right. Practice sheets are

a must for me and have come in handy more then once. 

The learning process has been quite interesting. Working with acrylic paint I found that with watercolor you don't need to load your brush as much. It does take time for the painting to dry and layers to bring life to your piece. I'm loving the challenge it has brought. It make me appreciate the process even more. 

xo-Starlynn 

What Matters?

What matters is knowing when the light is dim.

What matters is acknowledging and accepting.

What matters is listening.

What matters is, I know when I am unbalance.

What matters is, I know the ingredients needed. 

What matters is, I write.

xo-Starlynn

Draw Your Words: Back To The Basics

Day 1 of Draw Your Words hosted by Daisy Yellow

A while back I had purchased two new Zebra pens at Daiso. I have this instant attraction to the pen and paper aisles. Go figure. My obsession for pens has been with me since I was a young gal. Two in particular, Le Pen and Gelly Roll pens. It wasn't until I started art journaling that I discovered PITT Pens. Swoon! 

Fast forward to last week. I had finally decided I wanted to sit and test out these delicious pens. While reading blogs I came across a post by Daisy Yellow (daisyyellowart.com). That very day was the start of her free workshop called Draw Your Words. Can you say perfect timing? Waste no time I hopped on over to her blog and got the first lesson. 

We went way back to the of learning to write the alphabet. How fun and challenging can this be? I'm not sure how many times I sang the alphabet song. Stopping a few times starring at the letters to make sure they were in the right order. Try writing cursive or in tall block letters. How about quick and in small text? Soon I started to look at receipts, newspapers, magazines and books. Recognizing different styles and gathering ideas. 

The left side I used a BIC Grip Roller, Pental pen, Le Pen, red calligraphy pen and different sizes of the PITT Pen family (S,M,B). The right side was strictly used to test the new Zebra pens. It brought awareness to the basics. I wanted to write " p,q,r,s,t,u" over and over in cursive. It has a nice flow and singing it is even more fun. Haha the joy of letters! 

Give it to the alphabet to bring out the kid in myself! Practice!

xo-Starlynn

Day 2: 20 Minutes To Draw

Where are you taking me?

Another 20 minutes of drawing led to about 45 minutes of layering. Organic leaves found themselves taking over the pages. Like writing in cursive, each one flowed so easily without me having to lift my hand. These and similar leaves/petals have been showing up in my drawings lately. I'm not sure what they mean or where they are taking me. I am allowing them in with open arms. 

xo-Starlynn

Day 1: 20 Minutes To Flow

20 Minutes

Blocks of time set out to draw. Forces me to concentrate on what I'm doing and block out all that surrounds me. No plan or expectation. As long as I draw for 20 minutes I am content.

Paper and a choice of medium. 

Nothing more.

xo-Starlynn

Challenges and Belief

Believe In Thyself

Challenges and belief go hand in hand. I've learned that without believing in myself I won't conquer the challenges put before me. It's been months since I posted here or finished (usually start but don't finish) an actual art project. My energy wasn't there and I soon started to feel like I was drifting away. It's one of the feelings I never wanted to feel. A recent conversation with a friend had my wheels turning and my emotions flowing. I knew I was capable of creating great things but I needed that extra push. 

Yesterday I sat with a warm cup of tea and jumped online to look up new greeting card layouts. The list was endless and my goodness the talent! It's was all so inspiring! A specific card brought me back to the photo above. It wasn't the layout that caught my eye but the paper that was used. I had used the same paper on a challenging project! Memories came rushing back...

Last summer a good friend of mine asked if I would be able to make 30 baby shower invitations. At first I was shocked (more like what?! Really?!) to be asked to do such a thing for an important party. Then my doubt set in and I thought, could I even do this? As we talked more I realized something. Doubt has always been a devil on my shoulder. To hear another person tell me they believe in me gave me confidence. Wow, a stack of cards?! Challenge accepted!. 

The whole process was fairly new to me. I sat for hours looking up ideas and searching for baby items. Why is it that when your looking for certain items you can't find them? It took some time and plenty of goof ups but I settled on one layout. The assembly line formed and I was a mad women stacking invitations. 

The feeling was such joy and happiness. It was exactly what I wanted to be doing! I've learned a great deal as I sat at my craft table day in and day out. Time is precious and being 100% every day is important. I can't show up not wanting to create or else nothing will get done. All meals must be prepped or hire a chef haha joking! Cooking and creating at the same time can be tough. All in all it worked out and everyone was happy with the outcome. 

A little surgery to the "Thank You" stamp to get it to curve.

Hand cut every little onesie. Attention to detail and perfection set in..

Next up! Information sheets cut and placed inside of card.

One of the late nights at the craft cart.

The end result!
Piece by piece, day by day.
Never let doubt take over.

xo - Starlynn

Embrace The Moment

Life, Health and Happiness

A warm January day, the first Monday of the new year. I found myself taking a detour to a nearby park. The Fall leaves blanketed the ground and new signs of life peeked through the rubbish. It felt so long ago that I stepped onto a trail. We survived a drought in our area and my heart filled with joy seeing everything come to life. It gave me time to embrace everything around me. The daily lives of the squirrels and birds went on right in front of my eyes as if I didn't exist. It was beautiful.

My mind was able to relax and my breathing slowed as I finally felt I could just be. It was one of those moments. The stress, questions and thoughts clouding my mind were magically put aside. That's what nature does. It gives you a new way of looking at the world we rush through every day. It centers you. 

Things work in mysterious ways. By taking that detour new things were discovered and my whole mood shifted. Instead of sitting on the bench, I crossed the bridge. At the end of the bridge were tall beautiful trees, large well lived tree trunks, a playground and a background filled with green. I've never knew the park extended this far! I discovered trails going to the left and right, interesting bbq grills and hexagon shaped picnic table. Pebbles and twigs left by another visitor. Perhaps they were gifts from a child to a loved one. Stories of which could be real or silly little stories made up on such discoveries. 

We rush to and from every day. We forget to slow down and when we do it's only to sleep. We live without living and realize when it's too late. I know this is true for myself. A whole year just swept on by. A whole year! 

As I sat on the log I told myself it's a new day to start. I'm grateful to be given this day. I'm ready. I'm determined. I want this. 

Bloom where you are planted.

Up close and personal with new growth.

We pass by beauty everyday without know it. We forget to look down and up.

A place to rest. A place to meditate. A place to observe.

Finding shape and found treasure on picnic tables.

Age at it's best.

A road without a bump (in this case, a big tree) in the road is not a path. Well in my book.

Embracing life

xo Starlynn

Global Christmas

Global Winter Wonderland

We are hours away from the new year! How the heck did that happen?! I recall as a child how long the days were and the years seemed forever. As an adult it's more like a month shoved into a week. Seriously! I cherish everything from 2014. A whole lot of learning, failing, new friends and adventures. That I'll get into on the next post of 2014 review. 

Christmas can be a little emotional for me. I'm grateful to have friends that have become family live nearby. It makes these cold days warm and cheerful. I've grown to celebrate the holiday's surrounded by family, friends, hot meals, laughter and love. That's the true gift that keeps on giving. 

We planned a great little family Sunday Funday trip north to see the holiday lights. It was our first roadtrip together and we had a wonderful time. One little boy surrounded by 3 ladies is always an adventure! Grateful that my godson has allowed us to be apart of his life. 

Here is a little trip of what Global Winter Wonderland was all about. I've never seen such a thing and was like a kid in a candy store. 

    

     

    

And so, the night ended with stories of our first holiday light event. It was truly a night to remember. 

Continuing on the Global Winter our Christmas was just that. A mixed (Thai, Brazilian, Latin, Native American) group of friends coming to celebrate this joyous day. We ended up calling it Global Christmas. Fitting right? 

Each of us cooked up our own special dish. I was able to share some traditional food with friends for the first time. Thankful to my mother, sisters, aunts and grandmothers for teaching me how to cook traditional meals. We all ate until our stomachs hurt and laughed just as much. It was such a relaxing and fulfilling day! 

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. May you continue to receive the gifts of love, laughter and good health throughout the year. 

xo Starlynn  

Precious Sticks Of Color: Drawing Faces

Reconnecting With Soft Pastels

Sketching with vine charcoal

After spending time with oil pastels I decided to dip back into soft pastels. I have to admit they are my favorite medium to draw with. Funny though, they haven't seen much sun the last year. My collection has been precious to me and a lot having to do with the money I put into building a good set. They have been kept closed and untouched waiting for that special drawing. A drawing that wouldn't just sit in a sketch book but would be a masterpiece selling for major bucks. Yeah, pretty silly. 

 Since stepping foot back into the drawing world I realized something. I'm hoarding these amazing sticks that could be put to good use making masterpieces in my sketch book. Who cares if no one ever sees them. What am I waiting for?! What are you waiting for?

She's not complete on the outside but I see how content she's become inside.

xo Starlynn