It struck me last week when I was having a conversation with a friend a few days ago that I have been spending most of my creative energy lately on painting. Nothing at all wrong with that, but I am trying to push myself to explore new creative paths. That being said, my husband paid me the best compliment this week. He told me that he got lost on the 52 Frames website looking through all of my images from my 52 Frames journey over the last 3.5 years. As if that were not enough, he said he got there while catching up on reading my blog. He was really enjoying the content! Yay!
Cricut
It took me quite a long time to break my brain from being stuck on the idea of using my Cricut Maker for things it was not designed to do. I’ve started playing around with cutting paper, but this week I picked up some vinyl from Michael’s and set myself the goal of trying something out. I popped into the Restore to pick up some tiles. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I did pick up a few 3×12 inch tiles in a variety of colors. They were the perfect canvas for me to play around with some vinyl cutting. I found a few different free SVGs on Pinterest and was super excited how they turned out. Just goes to show that you have no idea what might make a good blank for a project!
Imago Events Bricks
Yesterday I dropped of the last of my bricks from the Imago Events building collapse. They are asking local artists to paint the bricks and they will auction them off this summer at the local farmer’s market. I was really happy with how these two bricks came out. I love the imperfection of the bricks and how the paint played into the imperfections. I hope that they help to raise funds for this local vendor. Their misfortune has inspired me to explore a “canvas” I never would have considered in the past.
Tile Pour
Last week Tom and I stopped into the Restore to see what they had in terms of globes and also tiles. I found a really unique thin brick-like tile that looked like it would be a fun pour canvas. I am absolutely kicking myself that I did not buy the entire box of tiles because my first pour turned out so unique that I want to make a whole series of them. I returned yesterday and snagged the last one they had. I pour it this morning, but the colors did not turn out at all how I was hoping it would.
After doing this tile, I decided I wanted to paint the easel. Tom suggested I try pouring on the easel. I won’t lie— I waste a TON of paint when I am pouring. I was sure this was going to turn out like a mucky mess, but I controlled myself and poured from a little take-out condiment cup and I slowly poured just a bit of paint and let it flow. It was not enough of a contrast to use it with the tile, but I will be a fun easel for another project.
Spirograph
Last spring during the shelter in place, I bought a spirograph from our district marketplace on Facebook. It was $10 for a trip down memory lane. I am sure I overpaid, but it’s a fun “tool” to have in my arsenal. Not sure what made me think of it this week, but I thought it would be fun to “draw” a flower design and then watercolor it. This was an exercise in patience as I have a very hard time seeing such intricate details without my contacts in. It was very meditative and I was happy with how my first effort turned out. It’s something I can keep as an idea for a card when an Oodle Doodle doesn’t quite fit the bill.
52 Frames
I try hard not to repeat subjects, but sometimes the themes lend themselves to a repeat and that was the case this week for sure. A spontaneous trip to walk around downtown yielded some of the most beautiful tulips I have seen this spring. I couldn’t resist them!
Last week the theme was fabric and I was struggling for an idea of how to show a piece of fabric in some sort of context. Some family health issues made me think of fabric tearing and I was excited that Tom still had his “frankenpants” to serve as my subject.
Only a few more weeks until my 17th year of teaching comes to an end. I’ve already started my list of projects for my time off. One of the biggest things I want to work on is getting all of my prints out of albums and into photo books that will take up significantly less space. Other than that, I hope to explore more with my CreativeBug membership and hosting some pop-up art classes. Stay tuned for the details!
Until then, oodle on!
Jen
Image from Pinterest
