A place to encourage the creativity of artistic minds of all ages. Offering Ideas, Inspiration and Instruction and sharing the work of others who inspire me!
Showing posts with label childhood memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label childhood memories. Show all posts
Hello everyone. Here it is the beginning of summer and the weather has definitely been up and down drastically. For a couple days this past week it was about 40°C and then the next day it was about 18°C! Kind of crazy just like everything else in the world these days. That's why I'm making art and creativity isn't just fun and a way to express yourself, or a practical way to make gifts and things for others, it's a great way to divert our attention away from things that we might not want to think about for a while. I am all for knowing what's going on in the world and watching the news. Some thing I definitely did not do the first 25 years of my life. Ever since, I definitely like researching and listening to what's going on. However, I do admit these days with pandemics and other craziness, it is nice to have another place to go and focus on instead of the bombardment that seems to happen when you watch too much news.
On that note I want to ask if everyone's been creating and if so what have you been creating? Are you enjoying it? I often create for practical reasons. For instance it's somebody's birthday and I am too cheap to buy birthday cards so I make one. But actually handmade cards are far better because they're personalized and made by you. And I don't like the boring all the gray garbage can, so I decorate it with paint. Along with the kitchen table, planters outside, our mailbox… You get the idea,
Due to Health/energy issues, I haven't been able to be as productive as I used to be as an artist. But as long as I can create in some form or other when I am able to, it makes me happy. I don't know about you, but if I don't create in some form or other for too long, something just doesn't feel right. It's in the DNA I think. Makes sense since God created us in His image and he is the creator.
Watch And Listen Below
My husband discovered it's in his DNA to over 30 years ago after being forced to retire due to the onset of a physical disability, exacerbated by work accidents. His cousin's wife is a great artist and she encouraged him to paint with watercolor. So he did and loved it. We got married almost 20 years ago and he started trying my acrylic paint leftovers, and hasn't looked back. Watercolours are beautiful, but acrylics are good for those of us who make a lot of mistakes because you can paint over them. I tried watercolours as well, and found it too much pressure to follow the rules. Which then would result in Muddy look paintings because I just didn't have the discipline to do it right. That doesn't mean don't try it. You could love it. It is an awesome medium.
On that note, I am posting Craig's newest concept drawing for his next painting. I really like it when he does stuff that he has fond memories of. With that comes a lot of cool stories from his childhood. Lord willing, I am planning on documenting the process for this painting. So enjoy. And happy creating.
Hi fellow artists of all stages. Sorry, it has been a while since keeping you up to date on my dear husband's painting in progress. That means again, this video includes a few visit/updates with Craig. Come and see where he's at now (or when I last checked in.) Most of the fun is just hearing him talk about his ecstatic feelings painting a specific area of his painting. As always, my husband is great at recollecting his childhood...Come and see or I mean, Watch Below...
Childhood Inspiration
Yay, it's Finally Friday! When you grow up in a creative family, you definitely are more likely to be creative yourself. It doesn't mean you won't be an artist if your parents didn't create, it just really helps. My parents always kept me well supplied with art making supplies. I remember before I fell in love with illustrating and painting, I really enjoyed all the craft making kits they would give me. Forgive me if I mentioned this before, but it is how much I loved getting to play around. Everything from wood burning kits, "Dip- It" liquid plastic, rug hooking, Spirograph, Coloured pencils, pints, pastels, plaster of paris, string art, macrame, weaving loom (Dad made me one and a spool knitting spool)...to even a paint by number set! Yes it is a sin now for anyone who paints, but hey it's great fun when you are a kid. So parents, encourage your child's creativity by providing them with art making supplies or anything that can be created with. Heck, I remember enjoying hours at my Grandma Harris' house cutting up styrofoam egg cartons to create teeny ashes and cutlery. Not to mention getting to create crafts with kits she would give me when I hung out there!
And then there's my Mom who taught me about crocheting, embroidery, and sewing. Creativity can be expressed in endless ways!
Dad Share
My Dad!
Wanted to share my Dad's newest painting that he shared wit us! He is an epic landscape painter who prefers oil paint. I like his detailed, layered brushwork. For those of you who don't know oil paint is the coloured pigments combined with oil mediums that make it oil paint. I tried it once and found it difficult because it takes much much longer to dry. The good thing that I liked, that you can re-work areas after. Unlike Acrylic (Water based, plastic like paint) that dries crazy fast. Fine if you know how to keep it wet with a spray bottle but frustrating if you don't.
It is worth buying a small Reeves oil paint set just to try them out. If you haven't decided what you like, you may fall in love with them.
Historically, many of the famous artists we know of like Monet, Picasso, VanGogh, Kandinsky, Keefe and the Group of Seven, painted with oils. It is fun to learn and try the different paints that exist. Paint Talk
Water colour and Gouache are the only paints that I know of and have worked with, that can be re-wet once dry. For instance once they dry in your palette, you can spray them with water and rehydrate them to use them some more. Whereas Acrylic, is tricky to keep from drying and then being useless. I and my husband keep them on a plastic plate for a palette, continuously moistened with water spray and stored in a sealed zip type bag. Oil Paints can be set aside during the day, with pretty much no worries about your palette drying out. To store, laying plastic wrap or sealing in a plastic container works too. Give them a try. See Some More Of My Dad's Paintings!
Do you know how to knit? Even if you don't, most of us know that in order to knit, we need knitting needles. My Mom taught me how to knit when I was about seven years old, along with my favourite thing at the time, crocheting.
A really cool thing happened around that age, when my Dad told me about how he knitted as a kid using a wooden thread spool and some nails. It was called "Spool Knitting." Better still, he made me a spool just like he use to use and taught me how to spool knit! It was so easy, I did it a lot and was able to make pot holders and mini spiral rugs.I thought I would share some easy ways anyone can knit without knitting needles, Spool Knitting being one of those ways. Because I just got the idea today, I haven't had a chance to work on some illustrations to show what I am talking about, but I will try to get some done. Until then, I did some research and posted some pictures and videos with their links so you can hopefully be inspired to try out some of these ideas.
In fact I was excited to see so many ideas and how to lessons on making much larger, easier to use spools out of things like toilet paper tubes and ice cream containers!
Enjoy... Spool Ideas
You can purchase spool knitting spools or you can make your own like my dad did for me. Here are a few ideas from others on how to make spools, using different materials. Check out the links to their websites written in the photo caption.
I borrowed this picture off of the internet to show you what the old fashioned spool looked like to give you some idea.
Since modern day sewing thread spools are made of plastic, it can't be the kind we used with nails. But I found something better, you can make larger spools using toilet paper rolls and popsicle sicks or skewers. So cool!
Watch these great videos to show you how you can easily get started today!
A Video From Craft Sanity on Spool Knitting
Watch this Video From the Frugal Crafter
Someone made a cool bracelet from a larger spool knitting project
Anyone knitting with their feet? Nothing surprises me anymore! I would love to hear from you if you have tried any of these yarn projects. Feel free to ask any questions or comments or if there is something you would like to see on HeArtfully Creating, let me know!
