Chinese Garden Journal Page

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope it has been kind to you so far! It was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the holidays; relaxing, reading, listening to various pod casts, going to the movies and then picked up the pace with a jam-packed weekend in Sydney.

If you are visiting Sydney, I can highly recommend the State Library. It has a couple of great exhibitions on at the moment, including the illustrator Lynley Dodds works of 59 original drawings from her popular children's books the Hairy Maclary series, the Schnitzel Von Krumm series, Slinky Malinki and Scarface Claw. I love the humour she incorporates into her delightful characters and stories.

One of my favourite places to visit when I am in Sydney is the Kinokuniya Bookstore, a place you could get lost in for hours! And directly opposite you can hop on the sushi train at Sushi Hotaru Restaurant.

The Chinese Garden of Friendship is a beautiful oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Sydney's Darling Harbour. We took the light rail there. It is well worth a visit, this amazing walled garden has everything from waterfalls, lakes, pavilions, exotic plants, koi fish, birds and the odd lizard or two! The charming Teahouse is the perfect place to have your tea or lunch while taking in the tranquil scenery. As a memento of our time there, I thought I would do a inspired journal page and show you some of our photos from that day.

  Chinese Friendship Garden

  The Teahouse

I hadn't worked in this particular art journal for a long time, I quickly realised the reason why - the paper! A bit disappointing when it clearly states the journal is meant for mixed media. Next time a couple of coats of gesso on the back to make it more durable might do the trick.

Even with the limitations of the paper I love the way this page turned out. I wanted to include the rich vibrant oriental colours, which I feel add some drama and mystery. Lots of layers of collage papers, acrylic paint, watersoluble crayons, ink, copic markers and coloured pencil were used on this journal artwork.

There are a couple of exhibitions showing that I would like to attend before they finish, but more about that in another post.

Have a great weekend!

Until next time, Happy Creating!

Creative Projects

How are you all keeping? It's a little while since I last blogged and I promise you I have not been slacking! I have been super busy with lots of different projects. I was asked to help out with a birthday scrapbook album, decorate a birthday cake with a make-up/beauty theme and create a make-up inspired graphic print. To add to that list, I also worked an over painting on canvas and did some intuitive art... Phew!! Each project required a completely different technique but they were equally enjoyable and satisfying even though they stretched me in different directions.

I can't upload any of the scrapbook pages as they are very personal to the birthday girl but I can show you her cake and graphic art print. It was a double celebration as she has just graduated as a make-up artist.

I have to give a big shout out to my good friend Mish who lent her creative skills in helping me with the cake. Thanks Mish, a great team effort!

I mentioned an over painting on canvas in the opening paragraph. I had ordered a canvas print of my "Fairy Watching Fireflies" for Mish's birthday but I was so disappointed when it arrived in the post. I saw the lightest spaces were very blown out, meaning these areas had very little colour or definition. I figured I could either throw my hands up in the air and put the canvas in the bin, or I could try painting over the areas on the face, arms, hair and flower. I went with the latter option. I have to tell you I was so relieved when it was finished as everything turned out beautifully. I even put on lots of glitter paint on the wings to give them that extra fairy dust magic. After a few coats of picture varnish spray, I can now giver her over to her new home.


Starting to rework the fairy.

Putting the finishing touches of glitter paint to the wings.

For anyone familiar with my art, I normally work with an idea in my head first, or from a sketch. The lovely Tamara Laporte from Life Book gave a lesson in week 36 on intuitive painting. She says this does not come easily to her; I find myself saying the same thing. However, I thought why not get out of my comfort zone and give it another try? There was no planning this time, just layer upon layer of acrylic paint and watercolour pencils, going with my gut feeling putting marks and strokes on the paper. I have no idea what this painting is about but I love these cute red birds.

The last few weeks have kept me on my toes and it certainly was a mixed bag of creativity. What I have come to realise is I enjoy variety and that carries across the board. After all, they do say "Variety is the Spice of Life". I am looking forward to this weekend to recharge my batteries and spend time with my family. I hope you all have a great weekend also.

I would like to hear what makes you tick and gets your creative juices flowing? Comments are encouraged and welcomed.

Until next time, Happy Creating!