MOVING AHEAD 0/20/2012

I did a layout for my Moving Ahead journal today. At this rate, I am going to complete this journal way before the end of the year! Woo HOO!

I can't wait for the Face 2 Face class to start. I am hoping that with some real training I can make better faces. In the meanwhile I will continue to figure it out on my own!

LIFE BOOK 2012

This is a 9x12 page for my Life Book. I am getting better at the facial proportions but the shape of the face is still a little funky!! LOL!!

Practice, practice, practice!!!

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?

Check out this FANTASTIC advice from Ira Glass:

ONE MORE SPREAD 01/18/2012

The first one I did today was just too easy. I still felt like I wanted to do "something" so I made this second layout. I think that's it for today!

Moving Ahead 01/18/2012

Todays journal layout:

Don't you just love this quote? You gotta wonder if Picasso was alive and painting today... would he have an iPod in his ear?

Moving Ahead 01/17/2012

I wasn't going to do anything today because I came home extremely exhausted, but my new journal was screaming my name and I just felt so sorry for it sitting there by itself! This is today's journal layout:

These stamps are one of my favorite. I love faces and have tons of stamps with faces on them but these from BEESWAX STAMPS are two of my all time favorite stamps. (WARNING: I am giving you the link to Beeswax Stamps but enter only at your own risk!!! You will WANT these stamps!).

INSPIRE 01/16/2012

Instead of working on my Moving Ahead journal today, I made a 9x12 page for my Life Book. The flower is really cool and dimensional. I wish it would show up better in the picture. It's made with gesso (learned it from a Donna Downey class).

The background has at least 20 different layers of paint, gesso, texture.

I love the quote from Aristotle:

"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing be nothing."

ART AND SOLE POSTCARD CHALLENGE

I showed you guys a couple of weeks ago a video on a postcard book I am making for a project. The project is the Art & Sole Postcard Challenge.

My friend Teri and I decided to do it together. It involves visiting 52 countries over the year while maintaining a Griffin and Sabine type postcard communication. The first country visited was Austria. Teri started the project by sending me this postcard as Darcy Higgins. This is the front of the postcard which Teri (who draws beautifully) drew for me!

This is the back of the postcard:

My country was Spain. Ms. Melody Riggs is currently visiting Barcelona. This is the front of the card:

And this is the back:

Since I of course am sending Teri the originals, I am making color copies of the ones I do and putting them on really thin chipboard so that i have one continuous story. I will post pictures of the journal as I do it.

ROSES ON MY TABLE

This is a great group. I am part of the Journal Journey group. This is one of the newest videos from that group.

Two more entries in my MOVING AHEAD journal

I am still on a huge inspiration high with all the wonderful classes I am taking! These are the last two entries in my Moving Ahead journal (and NO I promise I have not forgotten to take pictures of it!!! Will get done this weekend!)

January 11, 2012

I am reading Joel Osteen's latest book, Everyday a Friday, and feel so inspired by it! This layout came from that inspiration.

CLASSES FOR 2012

Aside from other smaller classes I am taking, the four that I have posted to your right (two which have already started and two that start on the 15th) have me totally psyched and inspired!!!

If any of you are taking these classes, please share your thoughts with me with a link to your blog so we can share the experience!!!

GREAT VIDEO ON MALE FACIAL PROPORTIONS

As I have said I am determined to learn to draw faces this year. I have been surfing the internet looking for tutorials and classes and came across this one which is really great.

VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE EYES

I have always found very difficult to make realistic eyes. This video is really great and i can't wait to get home and try it out. I think it's really a great tutorial and hope you guys find it useful too.

SILENCE THE INNER CRITIC!!

I made this 9x12 page today to add to my Life Book 2012.

Look at the difference with just using the Stuart Gill Byzanta paint for the eye color. This paint is just so fabulous.

LIFE BOOK CLASS

Hi everyone! I joined the Life Book Class with Willow (Tamara LaPorte) and am loving the first class this month.

The theme for this month is OUR SUPER GODDESS POWERS. That was a little much for me but it translates into acknowledging our good qualities.

This is the first page for our Life Book:

The pages will all be 9x12 and at the end of the year I will bind it into a hard covered LIFE BOOK 2012. I really think I will enjoy this class.

Yesterday I played with trying to make a face and put it into my Moving Ahead journal.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day but on Friday I PROMISE to take photos of my Moving Ahead book and post it here. I have some emails asking that I do so since not everyone can see the videos. I should have done it today but, frankly, wanted to come home and just do this class!

So what do you think?

JOURNAL FRENZY!!

A wonderful lady by the name of Cheryl left me a message on my blog recommending I go look at The Book of Days for journaling inspiration. I was THRILLED!!! I recommend EVERYONE go look at that for inspiration! Cheryl sent me the email while I was at work and I of course immediately went to look. Can I tell you it was HARD to actually concentrate on work!!??? LOL!!!

Anyway, I got home at 6:00 totally inspired to journal in my Moving Ahead journal!! This is what I've done today:



I have received emails asking that I post pictures of the Moving Ahead journal as some of my online sisters do not have high speed internet and can not view the videos. I promise to post pictures of everything tomorrow. For tonight I am wiped out! LOL!

MOVING AHEAD

A long time ago I found an old children's book at a bookstore sale titled MOVING AHEAD and the title got my attention so I bought it thinking I'd do something it with it some day.

Well, yesterday I spent the day wanting to do "something" artsy but not quite sure what and I came across the book. I had been watching Mary Ann Moss's videos for her Full Tilt Boogie class (which, by the way, is awesome) and I decided that the Moving Ahead title was actually perfect for a 2012 journal. Those two words encompass so much don't they?

So I started playing with it and made a journal for 2012. It is a perfect size for just random thoughts and writing and that is what I am going to use it for. Here's the video!

POST CARD CHALLENGE

I saw this wonderful postcard challenge on a blog called ART & SOLE.

This is a 52 week project which I may or may not do with one person but I have asked my posse (an amazing group of artists who have been doing round robins together for years now) to join me in a much simpler version of the project.

The idea is that we each decide on two characters and "define" or describe those characters as we see them. Then we write the first card as one of the characters. Those cards make the rounds among all of us with each one taking a turn with the characters. At the end of the project we end up with about 15 wonderful postcards and a storyline that will be amazing!

But how to store them? Well, I had originally made a book (using Kathy Orta's tutorial) using Teresa Collins Travel line. It is a great little book - a perfect size for postcards - and will hold TONS of them!

Then... well then I decided to go look at one of the Griffin and Sabine books on which this project was originally based. Well, to make a long story short..... this is the video:

HOW CUTE IS SHE?

I have not had the time to post about New Year's Eve but I wanted to share this one picture with you. How gorgeous is Maddie???? LOL!!!!