Day 254 - 365/2014

Day Two Hundred Fifty-Two

I am a bit overwhelmed today by two incredible things that happened.  Luckily, my good friend Terri came over tonight.  Terri provided me much appreciated temporary distraction from my overthinking of things. 

We both had artwork in the recent Detroit Artists Market Show If You Build It, They Will Come.  Alas, neither of our pieces sold during the show and since Terri lives not far from DAM, she offered to pick up Woodlee for me as well as the wonderful piece I purchased from the show.  

Woodlee is back home again!

Woodlee joins the gang.

Then and Now... by Sanda Cook.  I love this piece!

I also recently snatched up a few of Terri's delightful Mystery Acumen Oracle collages from her Etsy store The Farrago Factory.  Terri brought them with her tonight, too!  I just love all of them -- it was really hard to choose only four.  You really must visit her store via the link and grab a couple for yourself before they are all gone!

My four new Terri Light Mystery Acumen Oracle collages!  I will find the perfect spot for the group of them ASAP!

Then we went to dinner at Tuscan Cafe and talked and talked and talked and caught up on each others' news and talked and talked and talked.  Then we came back to my house so that Terri could tell me the materials she needed me to email to her so that she can make the labels and placard for me for the latest edition of my Animal People for Art-o-mat.  This has been the major thing that has been holding me up on sending them in to HQ.  I don't have the program I used to use to make my own labels and I just do not have the computer/design chops that Terri does.  She offered to do this for me and I finally said "yes, please" and now I can get back to doing the finishing touches on the collages and get them ready for their labels.  Thank You SOOOOOOO much, Terri!  (Terri promised that she would tell me when I can return the favor and help her with something that comes easily to me but hard for her.)

Day 251 - 365/2014

Day Two Hundred Fifty-One

I was looking at the frame that came with the estate sale painting that I am making into the fluffy black monster -- I think it looks really cute -- like it is looking out a window or something. 

Looking out of its frame.

Then I was thinking...wouldn't it be silly/cool to have him (or her) extending over the frame...maybe something like this:

I printed out a copy of the photo from above and added black marker to see what it might look like.

I have a few ideas for this guy but I am not sure what way I want to go yet...I need to think about it a bit.  But I did realize something else...I think I want to call this sort of nondescript monster/guy (and others like him) a biteyou.  It will be the name of the sort of creature it is, like "dog" or "horse" -- there are many different breeds within the groupings, but they are all the generic name as well.

You may remember that I originally got the name "Biteyou" from retired Detroit Derby Girl Sass Knuckles whose son re-named their cat "Biteyou"...as in "don't pull the kitty's tail or he will bite you."  (I don't remember the exact quote, but you get the idea.)

My first guy named Biteyou is this guy...even back then I knew I would reuse the name.

And yes, I still need to finish this guy.

But this guy will also now be known as a biteyou character:

And yes...this guy is far from done, as well.

Day 250 - 365/2014

Day Two Hundred Fifty

Today I worked on two collages.  It was slow going and I don't have much to show for the time I put into it, but there you go.

I wanted to try to bring out the detail I was seeing in the face of the giraffe-guy's companion.  If you are standing close to the collage, you can see it pretty clearly.  If you are farther away it is just dark.  I don't know what else to do because I really like the way it doesn't take too much attention away from the giraffe-guy.  This is the first time I have tried working with the dark areas instead of making a solid line...I don't shade well and I didn't want to lose the face I was seeing.  I like how it has turned out so far.  I like his hand now, too.  I found that I had a dark blue fine tip permanent marker and I used that instead of black for the most part.

Overall -- "before".

The companion --  "before"

It is hard to see it in the photo, but it is the long nose area and mouth at the edge of the nose...sort of looks raccoon-ish here.

The companion overall - "after".

I like his hand a lot, too.

The other collage I worked on is the one I turned upside down and tried to salvage with a very basic shape yesterday.  I tried to make him look a little fluffier.  Then I left it to dry.

Next I went back to the giraffe-guy.  I want him to be done, but he isn't.  I tweaked his eye just a teensy bit and I found a brown pen to give him an outline.

All I did was outline his eye.

I am not sure I can do anything to show his thick eyelashes...I will probably leave them (rather than mess them up).

The collage overall -- "after".

Testing the collage for "done-ness" in the wacky frame that came with the original painting from the estate sale.  I just don't know.

Then I went back to the black monster guy.  I cut out paper for his teeth and eyes and played with placement of the eyes and number of teeth.  I am still half-considering giving him a set of pointy teeth on each edge (but probably not).  I am always so surprised by how different a guy looks just by moving the placement of his eyes.  I finally committed to the spots I wanted and put on the initial shapes.  Then I went back and put a second coat of paint on.  Then I went back in and did a little bit of shaping the edges.  Then I went back with black and straightened out some of the teeth...but not too much...a monster would probably not go to the orthodontist.

These are a couple of examples of the look I am going for with the collage monster.  I make variations on this guy a lot.

Paper eyes and teeth...testing eye placement and number of teeth.

He looks so much younger with the eyes here.

And so different with the eyes here.

I think a compromise is good...wide set eyes and not too low.

This is how he ended up once I committed to actually applying paint.  This is the first thin coat.

After tweaking the shapes and coverage.  I have a few ideas for this guy...I wonder how long it will be before I get back to it.

Day 249 - 365/2014

Day Two Hundred Forty-Nine

I was hoping to work on more/other things today and tonight, but it is just not happening...stupid heavy air, headaches, swollen sinuses, etc.  Sheesh.

I keep hoping for something to come to me for this "painting"-turned-collage.  I love Biteyou and I have had a few ideas...it is the execution of the ideas that I am struggling with.  I even like the little bit of light at the very top of the collage in the photo...maybe (yeah, right) I can "paint" something in like that.  We'll see.  But not tonight.

I was also looking at this collage today -- but I have seriously fallen out of love with it -- the whole shebang...I need to paint over (or paper over) the image and start again.

I decided that before I go to the mess/trouble of adding more paper(s) to this, I'd turn it upside down and try to salvage it as a "painting" ... now for some paint drying time...

And I do think that Pup needs whiter sleeves on his shirt...back to the blending chalks...

"Before"

"After" -- yes...definitely better with the whiter sleeves.

And now that the paint is dry on the other canvas...I thought I could perhaps turn the guy into a cat, but no...it doesn't want to be a cat.

Nope...definitely not a forced cat face.

It might take a few days, but it will let me know what it is...I have a slight feeling there may be a lot of small bits of color involved.

Day 248 - 365/2014

Day Two Hundred Forty-Eight

As expected I was in pretty bad shape this morning...usual treatment plan made things more tolerable.  I made a dash out into the horrendous heat and humidity to do three errands...go to the framing shop, get Bootsy's cat food, and grab a few essential groceries...then make a beeline for home and air conditioning...and back to the treatment plan.

I got a set of three 16x20 frames for three collages I purchased a while back, an 8x10 one for one of my collages (below) and chose 2 frames for custom sizes.  I am not feeling like I could do a very good job with the assembly of the frames/hardware/etc. so I will leave that for another time (soon).

One of the custom frames will be for my collage called Pup.  I have wanted to add a bit more color to his background and chose a blue frame, so tonight I added blue to Pup.  I started out by mixing some acrylics until I got a color I liked...but man...what a mess.  Luckily I was able to wash off most of it.  Then I switched over to the "artistic blending chalks" and used cotton swabs and my fingers to apply the chalks.  The colors turned out pretty cool over the various background papers, especially considering how much matte medium and spray fixative is over the whole collage (because I originally thought I was done with it...ha ha ha).  But so far I think it looks much better with the added chalks/blues.  I may want to add a bit more white to Pup's sleeves...not sure yet.

Pup "before"

Mixing some acrylics.

Yikes!

Yay -- it washed off pretty well.

Switching over to the chalks.

Yeah...much better...I still want to see the papers underneath the added color.

I like the differences in various places on the collage...still the two same colors of chalk as above and below...

...just sits differently on different papers.

I like Pup a lot better now.

And here is the 8x10 collage...I can't remember right now exactly what I called it...something along the lines of "like a fairy" because of the lines from a children's book that are buried in the background of the collage...but I may have called it something else...I don't know.  I liked the collage as it was (without a frame) because the collage spills over all of the edges.  But what a difference with the simple black frame -- I like it even more now.  It's like the black frame really makes all of the black in the collage pop...or something.

Day 247 - 365/2014

Day Two Hundred Forty-Seven

Today was a physical therapy day for Sue and then later in the evening we went to the barn to meet up with Sue's daughter (and her boyfriend) who were going to work Sue's horse a little bit for her.  They were a little late in arriving so I got the privilege of going to the horse's stall and putting the halter on him and leading him into the barn and hooking him up to the tie thing to wait for Sue's daughter Devon.  To save some more time, I suggested that I could comb out her horse's mane (and eventually his tail, too).  Wow...I am going to be sore in two days...that is a lot of reaching up and working above shoulder height.  I was amazed at what the wind does to a horse's mane...it is almost like someone did tiny braids and then tied a string around it.  I used a lot of detangler and the comb thing and got his mane all nice and my-little-pony pretty...LOL.  Then when Devon and Sam arrived I ended up also working on the horse's tail...not as badly tangled thank goodness.

Anyway -- that is how today and tonight have gone...no art progress...just working.

Day 246 - 365/2014

Day Two Hundred Forty-Six

I have nothing today.  Sue and I did some (drive-thru) banking, then went to the grocery store.  It wore us both out.  The kid at the store bagged our stuff into three incredibly heavy bags each.  One of Sue's paper bags actually had both of the handles rip off when I picked it up.  Sheesh.

I came home and I'm having a night not unlike last night in the pain/allergies departments.  Sucks, but oh well.  Very hurty, stuffy, sleepy (even w/o a single Benadryl yet today and it is nearly 11pm).  

Sue is progressing quite well.  She is walking with one crutch now and putting weight on her broken (healing) foot.  She is starting to take various steps and stairs in an upright position now (did I say this yesterday???).  I am falling asleep...gotta go.