Mixed Media « karenika

Today I Know – Week 24

This week’s inspiration comes from Lisa Congdon’s line drawing class again. She had a week on line drawing on photographs so I wanted to give it a try. I picked one of my old photos and added line work to the background. I then painted the background with acrylic paints. I like the darkish look. Even though you can’t see the text, it’s clear if you look in person.

prompt says: today i know that my life matters

I wrote about how much i care about my future, my kids, and life.

Today I Know is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Remember This – Week 24

Life Book week fifteen was taught by Tam. It was all about quirky animals but I chose to do birds since they are my 2014 animals.

This page uses acrylic markers and paints.

The text on the page says: You are not alone, choose to belong.

I specifically put the one bird alone there to go in line with the text. We’re all quirky in our own ways so he’s no more/less quirky than the others, just differently.

Remember This is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Today I Know – Week 23

This week’s inspiration comes from this pin. I loved this one and wanted to see if I could do anything that resembled it at all.

It’s all watercolors. I did it while I was getting my hair done so it’s more haphazard than usual and I don’t love how it ended up but that’s ok. I still am glad I tried.

prompt says: today i know what it feels like to work toward letting go of

I wrote about releasing, letting go of all the past I am holding on to. Letting go of things i hold on to all day long.

Today I Know is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Remember This – Week 23

Life Book week thirteen was taught by Dyan Reaveley. I sat on this one for a long time but then when I finally sat down, I knew I wanted to use feathers. I used the Crafter’s Workshop stencil to draw them and cut them and then I colored each of them with different mists and stamped them with writing stamp. and then outlined the edges.

I then couldn’t decide what to do with the background. I tried like five different ones. When I finally, finally tried black, I loved it. Everything was easy from there on.

The writing says: You get to shed parts of yourself that no longer serve you.

a few details:

but here we are.

Remember This is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Today I Know – Week 22

This week’s inspiration comes from the line drawing class I took with Lisa Congdon back in March.

I drew these with a size 1 micron and used the watercolors to color. The background is also watercolors. I am not such a fan of it but the goal was practice so I am trying not to judge myself too harshly.

prompt says: today i know that many people in the world are

I wrote about how many people feel broken in their own way.

Today I Know is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Monthly Projects – May – Painting Faces

As promised, here’s my month of painting faces which is what I chose to do for the month of May for my monthly art projects. I signed up for Judy’s painting faces class the minute I read about it.

I love Judy and knew I would love the class.

Despite the really unwise move of putting the wrong date on my calendar, I finished the whole class anyway. I started it one month late, when it was already finished. I just got into the class and did each assignment on a day in May.

I ended up with a range of faces, some I liked, some I really didn’t. But I got a lot of practice, which is what this is all about.

Here are the twenty faces I made:

Another thing I learned in May was that twenty is the perfect number for these projects. Like I mentioned yesterday. I learned the magic of twenty from this project.

I need like a million more hours practicing my faces but, for now, I am grateful for this month.

Remember This – Week 22

This week’s simple remember this was done for My Mind’s Eye. It was a page where I wrote never ever give up with washi tape. Then I painted the page, and then I stripped the washi and added some black marker. and ta-da!

and here it is without the black marker:

which do you like more?

a lot more about this can be found on the My Mind’s Eye blog.

Remember This is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Today I Know – Week 21

This week’s inspiration comes from this pin. I am still obsessed with figure sketching and I loved this one.

I drew the dresses in pencil then drew again with 0.005 micron and used the watercolors. The background is also watercolors. I also added some gold mica powder. You can see better in this other view.

prompt says: today i know that it is time for me to replace my

I wrote about good and bad news and how i listen for the bad and how i want to replace this point of view.

Today I Know is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Remember This – Week 21

Life Book week thirteen was a bonus lesson Lesley Riley. The original lesson uses TAP but I didn’t have any so I was going to pass on it. But then, again, I reminded myself I am taking this class to stretch. So I decided to use Stickyback Canvas I’ve had for a long time.

I decided to do something super simple. I printed this photo of me with my boys and then did some writing.

It says: you are so very deeply loved and you will never be alone. I will always love you with all my heart.

In March, I took a class on line drawing by Lisa Congdon so I covered the back with some basic line work to practice and then a little bit of paint and my page was finished. Super-simple but I still like it.

Remember This is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Today I Know – Week 20

This week’s inspiration comes from this pin. I am still obsessed with figure sketching and I loved this one.

I drew this girl in pencil then drew again with 0.005 micron and used the watercolors to for all the red/pink. The background is yellow watercolors. I am not such a fan of the feet and the legs were so hard but alas, I am learning.

prompt says: today i know that i want to focus more on

I wrote about healing, finding my path.

Today I Know is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Remember This – Week 20

Life Book week twelve was taught by Anna Dabrowska. Anna has a very particular style and it’s really really far from mine. I was reluctant to try this one but I am taking Life Book just for this reason so I wasn’t letting it go. After a bunch of whining I decided to sit and do it.

This page uses a lot of matte medium which I don’t like. It uses a lot of gesso which I don’t use. And it has a lot of dimension, which I usually don’t have anything to do with.

but here we are.

I used a childhood photo of my sister and I and wrote: sisters forever.

I love you Yona, and you’re the best sister in the world and in my heart and mind and thoughts no matter where you are in the world.

Remember This is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Today I Know – Week 19

This week’s inspiration comes from this pin. I am obsessed with figure sketching lately and I loved this one.

I drew this girl in pencil then drew again with 0.005 micron and finally i drew over both with my Stabilo All and used the watercolors to pull the color all over. The background is blue watercolors.

prompt says: today i know it is ok to change my mind about

I wrote about what I like to do.

Today I Know is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.

Today I Know – Week 24

Remember This – Week 24

Today I Know – Week 23

Remember This – Week 23

Today I Know – Week 22

Monthly Projects – May – Painting Faces

Remember This – Week 22

Today I Know – Week 21

Remember This – Week 21

Today I Know – Week 20

Remember This – Week 20

Today I Know – Week 19

projects for twenty twenty-four

archives by month

archives by category

savor every last drop

projects for twenty twenty-three

projects for twenty twenty-two

projects for twenty twenty-one

projects for twenty nineteen

projects for twenty eighteen

projects from twenty seventeen

monthly projects from previous years

some of my previous projects

me elsewhere

past classes