Poppies and White Blossoms 38

Hi! So happy the weekend is here! I've been practicing painting with acrylics along with various mediums which help prolong the drying time. Still quite haven't figured out the best formula that works for my skill level, but I'm not throwing in the towel just yet! Today I have a page in my art journal to share that was inspired by David Jansen:

I'm not thrilled with the white blossoms but I had to stop and walk away. I had too much paint layered that it was becoming a chunky mess. I keep reminding myself that I need to practice, practice, practice!

Thanks so much for visiting ~ I hope you have a great weekend!
I'm entering this page in the following challenges:
Paint Party Friday:

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days: Day 15:

and Art Journal Every Day:

Be Sweet ;)

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Pink Peonies 21

Hi! I hope you are having a great weekend! It has been raining nearly all day everyday here in Phoenix for the past week. I was beginning to think I lived in Seattle! The sun is shining bright today and the skies are a clear, pretty robin's egg blue color ~ Life is Good :) Today I have a page to share that I painted in my canvas paper art journal featuring a garden of pink peonies:

I combined painting techniques learned from: David Jansen and Nancy Medina, two talented artists whose art work I admire. This page was painted using Liquitex acrylics. 

I'm learning so much as I practice stroke techniques and experiment using different mediums. I'm getting closer to my painting goal which is to paint a variety of LARGE sized canvases for some empty walls in my home. 

I love an impressionist style because the strokes don't have to be perfect and there's a lot of room for error :) I got a little carried away with my brush and paint and broke one of the golden painting rules ~ I painted two flowers on the same plane as shown below. I'm learning and evolving with each stroke. 

I'm entering this painted page in the following challenges:
Paint Party Friday:

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days: Day 9:

Art Journal Everyday:

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I hope you have a great weekend!
Be Sweet ;)

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Happy Holidays 28

Hi! Today I had a chance to sit down and create so I made a couple last minute Christmas cards featuring a beautiful cardinal inspired by a Ginger Cook on line painting lesson. I painted two versions, one with a darker background and one with a blue background. Both were painted using acrylic paints and the sentiments were stamped and embossed using a MFT stamp.

Many thanks for visiting ~ I hope you have a great weekend!

Be Sweet ;)

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merry christmas 26

Hi! I'm so happy when I am able to combine painting with card making! Today I have a christmas card to share featuring a sweet and chunky black capped chickadee. I'm studying various painting techniques and styles under a few different artists with an effort to develop my own. I was inspired to paint this little guy by a painting lesson I took from Ginger Cook.

 He's my first attempt to paint a bird. He's a bit fluffier than I had anticipated but overall, I think he's pretty cute ;)

 I'm not thrilled with the heavy tooth (texture) on the canvas page. It's a bit too much so now that I've learned my lesson, I'll have to take the extra steps to smooth out the canvas prior to painting. I just want to jump in!! :) LOL

 I'm entering this card in the current color throwdown challenge:

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I hope you enjoyed my little bird!
 Be Sweet :)

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Pink Poppies 29

Hi! Lately I've been struggling to create much of anything. Maybe it's because we've been in our new home now since April and I still have a few blank walls that are crying for some artwork. I really want to paint a few pieces to fill the spaces but I need to practice, practice, practice. So I think I need to limit the time I spend papercrafting other than the few design team commitments I have and focus on painting. 

Here's my first oil painting in a canvas paper type art journal. Actually, the background was created using a variety of acrylics then all the flowers and foliage was painted using oil paints. I recently discovered the wildly talented artists Gary and Kathwren Jenkins whom I'm learning how to paint beautiful florals from.

For color inspiration, I joined along with the current and final Scrap Around The World challenge:

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I hope you have a great week!
Be Sweet ;)

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A trio of Poppies 21

Hi! There's a lot of exciting things going on in the paper crafting world! In case you missed it, Prima started revealing their CHA Winter 2016 Sneak Peeks! Please be sure to visit the Prima blog and take a look at what new Prima products will be coming your way in the new year! Also, please be sure to stop by the More Than Words Challenge blog to see how you may be able to win some amazing prizes!

I've been practicing painting flowers in my art journal. I used acrylic paints to paint this page but next time, I'm going to give oil paints a try. I'm practicing brush strokes and different techniques in hopes of painting a couple of pieces that I can hang in my home. 

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I hope you have a wonderful day!
Be sweet :)

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