Class with Suzi Blu

Hello lovies... Sorry I have been MIA lately... it's been awhile... Joseph had surgery, and I'm happy to announce he's doing wonderful, despite being bedridden forced to watch horrible daytime TV (he loves it)...

I'm taking a online class by the lovely Suzi Blu, who by the way has found her calling... she is an art teach, and she is doing such a wonderful job... her videos are wonderful and inspiring and I'm having a blast... LOVE HER!!!

The class is all about making "pretty pretty girls" (as Suzi calls them)... it's so much fun!! It's eight weeks of videos, homework assignments, entries in our Healing Art Journal, and tons of inspiration... There are about 350 people taking the class, and each person adds their own love and talent to the class... we get to see other people's work, ask tons of questions, and just enjoy each other... It's incredible...

Lesson One was all about drawing faces... the rules to drawing eyes, old vs. young faces, and adding your own little touch to each piece... here are a few of my sketches...

Lesson Two was on Shading to accentuate the natural contours of the face... Suzi Blu created her pieces on wood and does a little wood burning to add a little somethin' somethin' to her initial sketch... here's my first attempt at painting a "pretty pretty girl" on wood... First I sketched out my girl on a piece of birch plywood and then burned the outline...

Then I did a little shading with watercolor and regular pencils...

I blended a colorless pencil and added some white to the nose and cheek area... a little pink and red to the lips, and another layer of colored pencils for added shading...



Colored her hair, another layer of shading and blended with water and acrylic paint... it's not exactly perfect (one of her eyes is a little bigger than the other, and she looks like she has bags under her eyes... not to mention that her hair doesn't have much dimension), but it's my first one so I'll cut myself some slack... I'm so critical of myself... I need to stop... anyway, here she is... you like?

Things I need to promise myself...

play every day...
do my dishes...
spend less money...
take more creative classes, even if it's only an online tutorial...
commit to Peach Honey products...
study for my RNC...
pay off my credit cards...
lose 3 pounds...
be patient...
finish Joseph and my scrapbook...
love...
sort through my closet and get rid of half my clothes...
start crocheting again...
cook more...
dance...
floss...
take a sewing class...
workout...
start (and finish) my scrapbooks for my Europe trips...
take beautiful pictures...
wash my car...

Mixed Media Page

Go visit my Suzi Blu Mixed Media Page... xoxox

I'm on my way...

Well, it's been a very busy week... lots of stuff to report... let's start at the beginning...

I took a Story Canvas class a couple weeks ago from Chris Cozen at my local stamp store, and OH MY GOD!!!, I can't even explain to you how wonderful it was... She is so talented and her presence alone helped to inspire truly beautiful work from everyone in the class... It's so wonderful to be surrounded by talented people... it helps to spark ideas that may otherwise lay dormant...

I brought a pic of Joseph and I (our favorite picture of the two of us) from our weekend in San Francisco last July... We had only been dating for a month, but I knew then and there I was madly in love... Here's my finished collage... it's my first mixed media piece and I'm so so so happy with it... I love that you can tell a story, real or not, and transform that story into something beautiful...

I have to admit that I was being a total groupie,

hanging off of her every word, but damnit it was worth it... here's a pic of the two of us (after she signed my book, of course)... Another good outcome of the class was that I got to talk to Chris about how she got started creating her own line of rubber stamps... Let's just say that my sketches are on their way to "her lady" and I'm that much closer to launching Peach Honey products... AHHHHHH!!! Yea, just a little excited...

I FINALLY HAVE A WORK TABLE!!! After my custom table dreams fell threw I called my Dad to see if there was any way he could help me make something... He informed me that he had a drafting table that he wasn't using... A FREE TABLE?!? Long story short, I went to Home Depot, got a new table top, and he happily attached it... It's so perfect... it's 3x5 feet with an adjustable height, and I even got a clip on lamp to attach to the side... I couldn't help but play all Monday afternoon and evening.... Here's a couple mixed media pieces I did... you like?

And here's a pic of my new table... yes, it's already covered in projects and I love it!!! I wouldn't have it any other way...

NEW FAV BOOK!!! Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected by Claudine Hellmuth... It took me a week to finish her first book, Collage Discovery Workshop, and this new one was no exception... lovely new techniques to inspire even the newest of artists, and examples of her lovely work... After finishing the book, I took out all my mini canvas boards, and tried them out... here's what I did... whatcha think? (They will be going up on my Etsy site soon, I promise)...

Busy busy busy Jess...

I promise I'm not neglecting my blog page... I have worked the last 11 days and I need time to gather my thoughts...

Peach Honey Products is on the way... it might take a while, but it's on the way...

I'm frantically trying to get my studio together, so my Etsy page and future business will be everything I want and more... thanks to everyone for their support and lovely comments... It's amazing what a little love will do...

more to come... promise!!!