Sending some love…

So I’ve been playing with several things in the studio lately, today it only seems natural to share some “heart art” with you! I am slowly working my way back to creating more batik artwork. I took a break for several months but know I’ll be wanting new work for an upcoming show so I started playing with it again yesterday. Instead of creating on plain white paper this time I am using colored paper or paper with natural elements embedded in it. I also decided not to draw out and color in the designs with ink first but to preserve some of the paper color by painting the design on with wax instead. This was my second attempt at a heart, I stressed the paper out too much with the first one and it crumbled into pieces after the second waxing. Ooops!

I did go in after it dried and add some marks and lines. I like how loose and easy-going it ended up!

While I was in the studio I played with a new heart stencil (plus a couple others) in one of my journals…along with some “blendable” inks. It turned out cute enough for my first attempt.

I like it but…well, I just couldn’t help but do some digital editing on it. I know there are a lot of people out there that don’t necessarily enjoy Valentine’s Day. I don’t have strong feelings about it either way, I try to let the people that I love know they are loved all year round so I don’t get very extravagant celebrating just one day! Anyhow, the more I played with the image in Photoshop it morphed into a “dark” version…just for those that aren’t into the happy pink & red hearts or sentiments.

Enjoy the day…however you celebrate (or don’t). With love,

Your Randomly Creative Friend,

Lynne

P.S. If you are out & about and happen to be in the area, the RED show opens tonight at Flourish Gallery, 88 Morgan Street, Martinsville, Indiana. I have art in the RED show and a selection of items for sale in the gallery too. I’ll be there from 2 p.m. till around 7 p.m.

"Destash" Event, Coming in March!

I have spent the early portions of the year working in the studio doing my annual cleaning/arranging and, this year, PURGING! I was prompted to do so by the creation of this event coming up on March 21st, 2020 in Lafayette. “Create space – Earn cash” how could I not be excited! Instead of moving items I rarely use from one spot to another I will actually move them OUT of the studio! It feels so spacious now!!

I have a LARGE collection of arts, craft and vintage items I’ll be bringing to the event, in addition to all the other artists participating! If you are an artist, crafter, Scout leader, need supplies for classes for adults and children or are just a bargain shopper you should plan to attend! I don’t want to clog this post with too many images but below is a small collection of images/items that I’ll be bring to the event:

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I hope that is enough to tempt you into shopping! Mark it on your calendar NOW so you don’t miss out. 😉

Your Randomly Creative Friend,

Lynne

Changes in the Fall wind

I wanted to share some changes I’ve implemented regarding class offerings. I’m not going to re-invent the wheel here so this is an excerpt from a newsletter that goes out to those interested in my classes and workshops: I’ve been, especially this year, less than successful with the class offerings I’ve promoted. I’ve spoken with other teaching artists and know that I am not the only one struggling in this area. Trying to discover the right combination of topic, date and location is frequently like pulling the handle on a slot machine….  …NOT a winner! Although I adore sharing my love of art and techniques with others, I have reached a point where my outlook has shifted. Instead of putting things out there and hoping for the best and I am going to rely more on you, and others like you, to determine the dates, topics & locations! As I make this shift you will see changes to my website making it easier for you to do the choosing. You can visit THIS PAGE to see how the new system looks and works. (You’ll notice one scheduled event listed too…that’s because someone has already taken advantage of both the new system and the discount offered below!)

Another change you will see is that for classes here at my home studio there will be NO minimum attendance required. If you are the only one that registers, congratulations – you’ll get one-on-one instruction! Want to have a special date night with a family member or friend? Here’s the perfect opportunity. If you’d like me to bring a project to you for a gathering, party or shower – can do! You’ll find all the offerings listed HERE.   If you’ve been thinking you’d like to take a class, now might just be the perfect time! As an incentive to try out this new approach, I’m including a coupon code for $10 off any(all) class(es) you register for during the months of October or November. You are welcome to share this code “NEWshift” (with no quote marks) with those you feel might be interested. I’d also love some feedback on the changes, I’d appreciate it if you’d share your thoughts!

Your randomly creative friend,

Lynne

Upcoming Batik Painting class

So, many people have expressed an interest in learning more about how I do Batik painting on paper. Well, your chance to learn that is coming SOON! Here are all the details, I hope you can join in the fun:

Registration deadline is Tuesday, August 20th at noon!

Lynne

Eukele Randomness

As I continue randomly exploring different forms of art I branched out a bit into musical instruments! Not hand-built or fancy but an easy kit and lots of creativity. 😉 I purchased three of these kits and have had them in the studio for quite some time. I’m not sure what happened but last month it was finally TIME. So I pulled out the first one and got busy.

After a bit of sanding the painting commenced! Layers of acrylic ink in randomly colorful streaks were the first order of business. A great base to add to, with lots of designs, doodles, more ink, paint pens and fun.

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It took several sessions to complete all the details, then it was time for assembling the pieces. No instructions included but a couple of YouTube videos spelled it out pretty clearly. The waiting time for the glue to dry as pieces were added seemed like it took forever but, finally, it was all put together.

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I found a handy app for tuning eukeles and had it strumming at last! The included strings were not inclined to keep a tune so I have a new set that arrived the other day that I’ll be switching too. This one was for fun, for practice and just for ME. I’ve got it hanging on the wall in my studio.

The next two? Well, I’ve had a request or two already so we’ll see what happens. The possibilities are endless for design, the hard part will be making up my mind!

What have YOU been creating?

Lynne

Lettering Short-Cut

I love to include words, quotes and text in my art but, despite some instruction and practice, I’m not always thrilled with the way my hand drawn letters turn out. This little hack is a favorite of mine and I thought you might find it useful as well! This was just an impromptu, messy fingers project that popped into my head one day. The first step was to add acrylic paint to the board I was painting. Somedays my favorite paint tools are my fingers, and this was no exception.

I have accumulated a large selection of fonts on my computer (there are many resources for free downloadable fonts available online) and have fun using different ones in digital creations, advertising and such. They are especially handy when lettering on artwork! Some of my batik work is done on Unryu paper which is transparent enough you can actually just trace the letters onto the paper as they are visible when placed underneath.

“Psalm 11:7”
Batik art, three steps – lettering, adding ink, after the batik process

If I’m working on wood or canvas I have a way of getting the letters on my art that works very well. First I measure the space where I want the words placed and create a blank file in Photoshop Elements that is the same size. Then, using the type function I type, resize and arrange the letters to suit my project. This is what the file looked like for the project I am showing you:

I printed it the exact size as the file (which meant it had to be printed in two sections) and then taped together the pieces. The next step was to turn it over and take either pencil or charcoal and cover the back of the paper where the letters were printed.

You want to cover it fully, the pencil or charcoal is going to be used like copy paper to make outlines of your letters onto your art. Turn it over and position it where you want the letters to be on your art and then take a ball point pen and trace the outlines of each letter. I get excited and always want to rush things so come to find out my paint wasn’t as dry as usual, I ended up lifting some of it from the wood when I applied the marks. It still worked!

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Now that I had the outline on the artwork I could use markers, paint pens or a really steady brush to add the colors and outline for the lettering and any details I decided to include. I decided to just handwrite the “hello” portion of the lettering and kind of wish I’d have traced that too. Oh well! Here is the final piece.

Let me know if you try this technique for adding letters, I hope it’s inspired you to get creative!

Your randomly creative friend,

Lynne

Classes Resume in Carmel, IN

So it’s taken me half the year but I’ve got new classes set up at Art on Main Gallery & Gifts in Carmel, Indiana again! The first one with be on Wednesday, July 31st – the flyer below has all the details.

Future class topics are as follows:

August 7th, Mixed Media Painting

August 21st, Batik Painting on Paper

September 4th, Introduction to Journal Making

September 18th, Artistic Jewelry Class

October 16, 30, November 6, 20 – TBA

For your convenience here is a link to the registration page: REGISTER FOR CLASS All dates are Wednesdays and all classes run from 6-9 p.m. I hope you can join me for one (or more!) of these creative evenings!

Creatively,

Lynne