Near Perfect Spring Days, In May, In Florida...

...are about as rare as hen's teeth. We've had days and days of wet weather for the last week or more. We finally had a reprieve yesterday and was it ever fabulous! The temperature dropped and even better the humidity dropped to make it a fantastic day.

Breezy, cool and low humidity is a Floridian's idea of a perfect day. Chris and I decided to have lunch at one our favorite places to eat, a little Greek taverna so we could sit outside and enjoy the weather.

Huge cypress trees in big, big olive-style pots sit around the area as a privacy screen and wind break.

Acropolis Greek Taverna Cypress
Watercolor and Ink
Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook
5.5 x  8.5 inches

The cypress in the sketch above sat close to the front door and made for the perfect opportunity to sketch as I love the mellow colors of the bricks behind it. I sketched a bird nest from the same place in this post.

Have you ever seen a green brick before that wasn't painted? Probably not. But if you look at the bricks above, I have a few. This is called embellishing, it's one of the "5 E's System" I teach in the Imaginary Trip classes to help artists learn to sketch on location.

Embellish means just that—to embellish what you see with colors that may not be there or may not be very obvious. Embellishing can be subtle or quite obvious depending on what the art calls for.

When we rely on photos for the majority of our sketching references, we sometimes forget that a camera is limited in the colors it can "see," versus what our eyes and more importantly, our imaginations, can see.

Try adding some "extra" pop to your work by embellishing with some unexpected color and see what you think. Let me know how it goes!

Painting Quickly - Why Would I Want To do That?

Wild Yard Birds, Ybor City
Stillman & Birn Beta Journal
11 x 8.5 inches, Full Spread
Watercolor and Ink

 I would love to tell you that I sketched these wily critters out in the wilds of Ybor City, a historic area just outside of downtown Tampa, but I didn't. I sketched and then painted them in my studio. First off, we were in a busy parking lot and second, it was lunchtime.

Detail, Wild Yard Birds, Ybor City
Stillman & Birn Beta Journal
11 x 8.5 inches, Full Spread
Watercolor and Ink

Sketching anything live is like hitting a moving target. Looks easy…until you try it. Besides, it was lunchtime. Instead, I gave myself a time limit of one hour.* Now you may wonder why I chose to sketch this so quickly…how about I share my reasons? (*And that one hour included drawing, painting and lettering).

The main reason I sketch quickly is because it guarantees that the sketch won't become too precious. (Insert Gollum's voice here.) You know what I'm talking about…things are going so good you become afraid of putting down the next mark for fear that will be the ruination of your sketch, your day and quite possibly your life.

Detail, Wild Yard Birds, Ybor City
Stillman & Birn Beta Journal
11 x 8.5 inches, Full Spread
Watercolor and Ink

Next, it's almost always guarantees I'll make mistakes. Why in the world would you want to make mistakes, Laure? Glad you asked. Because mistakes happen when we're out in the field. They happen when we're in the studio, too. Mistakes are going to happen, so why not go ahead and push the envelope? The sooner we get comfortable making mistakes and learning to either recover from them or move on, the happier we will be in our sketchbooks.

There's also a thing called time. Maybe you've heard of it? If I asked most of you to sketch something quickly, you would, but you would take as much time as you needed.

Now I ask you, how often do you have all the time you need? If your life is anything like mine the answer is seldom. So it pays to learn to sketch in an allotted amount of time rather than taking all the time we want.

Wild Yard Birds, Ybor City
Stillman & Birn Beta Journal
11 x 8.5 inches, Full Spread
Watercolor and Ink

Challenge yourself to paint something in an insane amount of time. If it would normally take you an hour, give yourself twenty minutes and see what you can get done in that timeframe. I can almost guarantee you'll be surprised at how much you can accomplish.

Give yourself permission to make mistakes, to be sloppy, to sling paint with abandon, to have fun, to play, to fail and to have lunch. Did I mention lunchtime? Make sure you get some lunch. Ybor City is one of our favorite places to go for lunch as there are a number of quirky restaurants.

You might also want to consider kicking your partner, fear, to the curb. I challenge you to ask yourself exactly what it is you are afraid of…failure? Not creating a pretty page? Not looking like what you think it should? Worried about what others think of you? 

Okay from the top—

Failure: we all fail. It's how we learn, folks. Embrace those mistakes! 

Not creating a pretty page: As the old saying goes you have to kiss a lot toads before you get a pretty one or something like that. If you do make an ugly page, so what? Turn the page and go again, but I bet you learned something valuable creating that ugly page!

Not looking like you think it should: If you ever get a piece of art, a sketch or anything else to look like what's in your mind's eye, count yourself blessed and keep on creating. It's as rare as hen's teeth so don't expect it to happen often. 

Worried about what others think of you: Oh, my, there's so many things I could say to this one, but let me keep it polite…if someone criticizes your work, hand them a pen, some paint and a piece of paper and ask them to show you how it's done. Then sit back and watch. They'll either back pedal and remember an appointment they have or they'll sit down and show you how it's done. Pay attention if they do. You might just learn something. 

Bon Voyage, Tucker

Tucker
March 1998 - April 2013

We lost our sweet Tucker today. As a kitten, he was found wandering in a grocery story parking lot by our neighbor. She waited all afternoon for us to come home. We didn't even make it in the house before she scooped him up and deposited him into my hands. It was love at first sight.

He was just a little mite and looked a lot like a ball of steel wool with legs, but cute as the dickens!

And he had a thing for box tops, big sheets of crinkly paper, curling ribbon and plastic bag handles. Size was not relevant when it came to boxes. He'd find a way to jam himself in there.

Bon voyage, Tucker. Travel safe, my sweet friend. You will be missed…

2013 Imaginary Trips Schedule Now Posted!

©1997 Alaskan Sketchbook Cover
Laure Ferlita
Watercolor
11.5" x 5.5"

Game On! Or maybe I should say "Schedule Up!"

I have posted the 2013 Imaginary Trips Schedule and you can find it here! New trips and visits are planned as well as some prior destinations that you might have missed the first time around. For those of you waiting for the Independent Learning Classes (or should I say still waiting), that is my first priority for 2013. The first of the ILCs will be posted by the end of April!

I have to tell you I'm pretty excited about the first class on the schedule for this year, An Imaginary Visit to A Past Vacation! (Please click the title for more information.)

If you're anything like me, you've probably taken at least one vacation in your life before you started to sketch or before you became comfortable sketching around others. Or maybe you've taken one recently, but the trip was so fast-paced you didn't getting any sketching done.

Take a look at the sketch at the top of this post...you'll note the copyright date is 1997! And that's when I completed the sketch from my trip to Alaska...from 1996! It also happens to be the only sketch I completed from that trip despite my well-thought-out plans.

Is that just not sad? That was a fabulous trip! I made the sketchbook, I gathered my materials and I painted the cover. What happened to everything else, all those other great pages dancing in my head?

Somewhere along the way life got busy and interfered with my well-thought-out plans. I have no sketches for that trip other than the cover. The horror! You know they say about "good intentions," right?

I decided to correct this huge oversight and it started me thinking about the trip and all the stuff I didn't remember. (Oh, come on, it was nearly 20 years ago! Surely you don't think I can remember it that well!)

How could I go about reconstructing my trip so that I had a sketchbook that was worthy of this great trip when I CRS (can't remember stuff)?

This experience lead me to put together the class and to share it with others who might have done something similar. So if you're one of those people—just like me—that have lots of good intentions but no sketchbooks, come join me!

Please check out the new schedule for a "trip" or a "visit" as we're going to some fun new places as well as revisiting some of the prior places we've visited.

Visiting With Friends at the Beach

Clearwater Beach Visit
March 2013
Still & Birn Beta Sketchbook
8.5 x 10.75 inches

One of the cool things about living in the middle of the state of Florida, is that I sometimes get to meet "online friends" in person. I had the opportunity to meet up with a Michigan friend this past Monday who is visiting Florida with her husband.

I had arrived a little bit early as you never know what traffic is going to be like between the Spring-Breakers and the general beach vacationers.

With 15 minutes to kill before our stated meeting time, I sat down on a handy wall and painted the stormy skies and some of the beach. Due to my limited time, I made three lines with my pencil—the horizon line, the line indicating the sand dune and the water/sand line. Then I let the paint fly.

I was still holding my sketchbook open so the pages could dry when I walked up to meet my friends. 

As I started back towards the restaurant, I saw a gorgeous Sea Grape Leaf lying at the base of the wall I had been sitting on. I picked it up and tucked it into my bag so I could sketch it later. A few steps further and I spotted this gorgeous shell shard. Abalone shell, maybe? Lots of pretty iridescent colors!

We met for a quick lunch (which was actually breakfast and very, very yummy—thank you J & T!) before we walked down the beach. I sketched the lifeguard shack or observation stand or whatever the call it these days. The flag was standing straight out as the winds were really kicking up, but strong winds didn't keep folks off the beach.

Living in Florida, my favorite time to go to the beach is on overcast, windy days. There's more wave action in the water and you can see some truly spectacular cloud formations. You'll occasionally find a "beach treasure" (unusual shells, beach glass and very rarely, a gold doubloon) you won't find on other days.

I did all of my sketching in pencil and didn't add color to the rest of the page until after I reached home. Then added the lettering and journaling. I put a bar under the "er" of Clearwater because somehow, I managed to get off track with my lettering.

I seldom make it to the beach any more and the day was a great deal of fun. The beach is in my own backyard, and yet I don't take advantage of it—why? Maybe because it's in my own backyard and I don't value what is around me all the time? (Sam's in the background just shaking her head.)

Sharing time, art and the beach with like-minded friends, not to mention great food, makes for an excellent combination!

Do you have some fabulous outdoor venue near you that you don't take advantage of simply because it's in your backyard? What keeps you from going there to sketch with friends or even by yourself just to enjoy the place?

Can You Force Creativity?

Le Mouton Noir Bakehouse
Watercolor and Ink
Stillman & Birn Beta Series
Sketchbook
5.5 x 8.5 Inches

KJ (Catching Happiness) and I ventured forth this past Friday for an adventure. We went to our downtown area to a bakehouse named Le Mouton Noir Bakehouse. She'd read about it in the newspaper and we're always game to try new restaurants and Friday's weather was too spectacular to stay inside.

So off we went. We both took sketchbooks and cameras. By the time we found the restaurant, we were starving. Starving. We kinda got lost in our own hometown! We're blaming Google Maps...but before I digress to far...

I can assure you that sketching and painting was not at the top of my priority list by the time we arrived.

So, what's an artist to do?

Compromise.

I decided to sketch the food in pen then took out my camera and snapped a quick shot before digging in! I figured I would add color once I had convinced my stomach that my throat had not been slashed, but it didn't happen at the restaurant.

Later, when I arrived home, I was no more in the mood to paint than I was to to clean the house. And yet, I didn't want an unfinished page in my sketchbook. (The house being dirty didn't bother me. Never does and rewards don't seem to work either.)

Using compromise to finish the page didn't work because there was no reward (like getting to eat)…or was there? What could be my reward, besides a finished page?

A really, really good piece of chocolate!

You may be struggling to get back into the sketchbook habit. How can you reward yourself to create a page and finish it? What will your reward be?

The second element I incorporated was to challenge myself.

The idea of sitting down and spending an hour—or more—to finish the page held no appeal to me. Since it was a super quick sketch to begin with, I saw no reason to labor over the painting portion of the project.

To keep the quick-sketch feel of the page, I set myself a challenge to see how quickly I could paint the page. In total, I have about 25-30 minutes in the page.

Consider other ways you might challenge yourself: limit your palette to 3 colors or even one; just received new art supplies? Incorporate some of those new supplies. Use only pencil or pen. Use no pen or pencil and just paint. Limit your time. Add a piece of collage such as a patterned paper or part of the menu. The ideas are endless.

Evaluate the page becomes a matter of perspective. Is it a successful piece of art? Depends on your perspective.

In my case, I have recognizable objects. I have a record of a very fun day with gorgeous weather and a good friend. I also have a reminder of a great restaurant that I'll visit again soon. Considering I didn't want to sketch and I didn't want to paint it in the first place, I consider this a successful page.

Creativity to comes in many different strengthens and concentrations. If we focus on what we can do with what we have rather than what we can't do (for whatever reason/excuse) or what we don't have (time, interest, inspiration), we will almost always surprise ourselves with what we do. 

Being creative doesn't require time, money, or inspiration. It requires doing.

I've had to push myself lately. What about you? Are you struggling too? Tell me how you're going to push yourself to be creative by simply doing. Tell me about your rewards too!

When The Muse Leads You Astray

Garden Fresh Tomatoes
Grown by Me!
Watercolor and Graphite
Stillman & Birn Sketchbook
11 x 8.5 inches

Since we've been discussing our muses, I would like to continue down that path as my muse is very dear to me. Over time, I've had a number of interesting comments around muses that makes me think this is a subject that is deserving of a bit more attention.

I've spent a good deal of time developing my muse into a separate entity from me, but make no mistake she is me and I am her. We are one in the same. I like to think that she is all of what I am not, wish to be, aspire to be. She's the best of me times 10.

When I discuss my muse going on a walkabout, it's usually because I've allowed life to become uninteresting, dull, bogged down in the tedious. If I pay attention to her, she glows, blooms, twirls and inspires me.

But occasionally, it appears that my muse wants to lead me astray. She wants to do something that appears counterintuitive to what I think we should be doing. I've already mentioned the rough year I had last year and how I was buried in technical BS, websites, and such. I've talked about why Sam left.

What I didn't mention was that when Sam came back she had very little interest in art.

She didn't want to splash in the paint. She wasn't crazy about color. She didn't want to sketch, draw or pick up a sketchbook. It worried me. I was scared. Had I lost my passion for art? Had I let the love of art die while I wrestled with the demons of business? I wasn't sure.

Instead, Sam was pushing me to write.

Write?

Write what?

I've dabbled with writing longer than I've held a paint brush. I've never taken it seriously. It was just another way to express my creativity. Oh, a thought about creativity…when I think about creativity, I don't think about how someone might be a creative writer, a creative dancer, a creative sculptor or a creative cook. For me, creativity comes from the some source and is directed into various pursuits by the individual.

In other words, you are creative person and you direct your creativity to ___________ activity and it can be anything from decorating a home to writing a play to arranging a garden. Creativity affects every part of our lives, some more than others.

So…back to Sam. Sam wanted me to write. In early January, I sat down in front of my computer and let the words pour forth. To date, I've written one full length story of about 150 pages that has inspired a second story that I am currently working on.

I have no illusions or delusions about my skill level. I've never been to school to be a writer and I am seriously doubt that the stories will go any further than my laptop and that's okay.

Their purpose was and is to lead me back to using my creativity, to feel my creative well, to allow me to feel like the creative being I am.

When I first started to write, I kept stumbling with the words. I was worried about doing it wrong and not getting right. I was concerned if it would be "good enough."

Meh.

First lesson Sam was teaching me…if it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly until you get better. Kind of like art and learning to draw.

Second lesson…get out of the way and just have fun. I was my own worst enemy being worried about the rules and whether or not it was good enough. When I set all the rules and worries and judgements aside, I started having fun. Lots of fun. And the words flowed.

Third lesson…allow the creativity to happen. Stop resisting because it doesn't fit with where you think it should go or how it should be. The story started overflowing into other parts of my life and before I knew it, the creative fount was evident in all areas of my life (well, except maybe my laundry room). It feels good and that brings me to the last lesson Sam had for me:

Trust.

I had to trust my muse. I had to trust myself…to be creative—in whatever way it felt right to be creative. I had put myself in the box of artist. And I am an artist, but I am more than just an artist. I had to trust that the creativity had not dried up and died.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

I'm curious to know if you're struggling with your muse, with being creative. If so, I challenge you to look at the following three questions and answer the one that resonates with you the most:

• I am creative, but lately I haven't felt like participating in my regular creative activity. Instead, I want to do _________.
• I think my muse has gone away and is never coming back. Is there a way that I can be creative in my life that might spark my creativity again?
• I have defined myself as _________ (artist, writer, gardener, teacher) and I don't as much creativity in other areas of my life, but I've always wanted to try _______________ (new creative pursuit.)

After reflecting on the questions, I encourage you to follow through with your pursuits of creativity. Besides, what do you have to lose? Please share with me what your thoughts are on your muse, your creativity and what challenges you most.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Happy Mardi Gras 2013!! Wish we were all in NOLA, watching the parades go by, sipping Sazerac cocktails and catching beads!

Luring A Muse

Sunken Gardens Full Spread
Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook
11 x 8.5 inches
watercolor and ink

How To Lure Your Muse*
1. Purchase a toy your muse wants. The more she wants the toy, the better your chances of luring her back. This can be any kind of art supply—sketchbook, tube of paint or brush. Interactive toys seem to work best.
2. Go some place for fun and turn your muse loose. Note: the place must be some place your muse will have fun regardless of cost, convenience, appropriateness. If your muse is bored, it won't work.
3. Mix well and play! Engage, explore, set aside expectations of perfection, greatness, and just have as much fun as you and your muse know how to have.

Close up

If you've been around Painted Thoughts Blog very long you've heard me talk about Sam, my muse. Sam is a party girl. She likes to have fun. She's not interested in the day-to-day details. She refuses to do anything mundane unless she can find a way to make it fun. The funner the better.

Just because she's a party girl, don't mistake her for a lightweight. Her position is quite clear when it comes to having fun.

She is not in the least bit apologetic for this attitude. If it's not fun, she's not going to do. If she can't find a way to make it fun, she's gonna walk.

Sam walked out on me back in November. And I can't say as I blamed her.

She was sick of web sites, business management, and accountant stuff. It wasn't fun. I wouldn't let her draw in the margins or on any important papers. Solving problems in a methodical, linear style is the antithesis of having fun for Sam.

Close Up

She solves my problems on a daily basis, but through leaps of logic, jumps of intuition and swirls of magic. She's has a highly concentrated form of mojo that's extremely addictive so she uses it sparingly.

But when she's had enough of me not having fun, of saying no, of doing activities that bore her to death, she leaves. Goes on a walkabout. And she only comes back when she's damn good and ready and not a minute before.

However, I found over the years, that certain things make her more inclined to come back sooner. And one of them is a fun new art toy, like a new Stillman & Birn sketchbook, and going to someplace that offers her the chance to do something fun, learn something new and that challenges her in some way.

Then she smiles and lights my life up. It's a wondrous thing when your muse is happy. It means you're happy.

Close up

These are the first sketches I've done in a brand new Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook. I gotta tell you I LOVE IT!! I'll do a more complete review of it when I get more work done in it, but for now I'm having an absolute blast with it. Treat yourself—your muse will love you!!

These sketches were all done on location at Sunken Gardens, located in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Color was added later—there's too many fun things to do in St. Pete!) My partner in adventure, Kathy, from over at Catching Happiness, also did a post on our day. You can read about it here. It was a fabulous, fun day, and I think Sam just might be back to stay for a while!

*Does not work for all muses.

And So The Adventure Begins....Again

Christmas Clean Up
Watercolor and Copic Marker
5.5 x 5.5 inches
Pineapple Journal

Welcome 2013!! What took you so long!?! I am so glad to see the last of 2012. Did I mention GLAD?

A long time ago, when I first started the blog, I promised myself it would have a positive vibe, never be negative. If it was ever negative, it had to be funny. (I did not realize what a tall order I had set for myself.)

Hopefully this is gonna be a funny post cause, well, because. You'll figure it out.

I cannot possibly tell you in a few words how glad I am to see the last of 2012. I typically spend the last month of the year thinking through accomplishments, missed goals and getting a picture of where I want to go in the new year.

Did. Not. Happen.

I have purposely not dwelled on the year because well...let's just be frank for a minute and say, "it sucked."

From the first month to the last, it was one of the worst years I've had in a long, Long, LONG time. Blech.

My word of the year for 2011 was Revel. And oh, let me tell you, I reveled. In something you would hate to get on the bottom of your shoe!

When I chose Revel, I thought of reveling in happiness, creativity, and success. The joke, it seems, was on me.

Okay. Done. Year OVER.

_________________ 

Do you get all gooey with excitement at the end of the year and the beginning of a—fresh, unstained, pristine, sparkly, bright—new year?

No, me either.

Kidding.

Yeah, I do. Call me foolish, but I find myself flush with the possibilities and opportunities that the new year holds. All manner of things that have never been.

I also recognize a tempering of my hope. Maybe a bit of caution that has not been there as it was in prior years. Perhaps because I am dragging some unfinished business (like a truly nasty cold) into the new year.

The cold will resolve itself...eventually. The other unfinished business? Not so easy.

I find myself moving forward with more thought as to where I'm going and what I want to accomplish. And while it may seem excruciatingly slow to you, I ask for your patience.

Classes and trips will all be posted soon and all manner of good things will happen.

But this time, as much as I can, I want to make sure I am going where I need to go, want to go and to accomplish what I want and need to accomplish.

And hopefully, by the end of this year, I'll be looking back thinking, "well done."

What are your plans for the new year? Any new art projects or ideas going on?

It's Finally Here! It's Christmastime!!

As we enter into the heart of the holiday season, I want to take a moment to wish you the very best of the holidays and to wish you a outrageously happy, fabulously creative, totally inspirational New Year!

Thanks to all of the creative souls that have passed my way through Imaginary Trips.

I am honored to be a part of your creative journey and

I hope to see you again soon in the Imaginary Realm!

As you celebrate the holidays, I hope you're surrounding by love,

laughter, friends, family and too many yummy things to eat!

From my house to yours, 

Happy Holidays!!

Forcing Artistic Endeavors...

...seldom works well for me.

In a very recent (as in yesterday) conversation with an art friend, we were discussing our lack of motivation to create art at this insanely busy time of year.

I'm not even sure I would call it a lack of motivation. I think it's more of a redirection of time, talent and interest and it's deadline driven.

You see, it's not that I haven't been creating. I have, I have! Just not in my journal.

Very quick sketch of my new door tree
on hot press watercolor paper

I recently purchased two new "trees" to go on either side of our front doors. I had a ball decorating them with all kinds of red and bright, acid green trims. I have also redone the wreaths that go on the doors as well.

However, when I tried to paint them....well, let's just say it became "forced fun" and it didn't go so well. It was damp outside and I had a running litany of all the things on my gotta-get'er-done list as I attempted to sketch the trees. I rushed the painting and it was taking forever for the paint to dry because of the dampness.

The result...not my finest piece of work. Do I wish it were better? Of course.

Do I wish it enough to s...l.....o.......w down enough to do a better job? Not at the moment.

Does that mean I'm slacking? Hmmm, maybe. Maybe not.

Let's take a look at the definition of creativity. Does it apply to just creating art or does it also apply to decorating the mantel, making (and decorating) adorable, delicious cookies, sewing cute stockings to be hung by the chimney with care, and wrapping each present with extra attention?

For me, it is all of the above. Well, except for the cookies. I do cakes rather than cookies.

I also find that I have ideas hitting me rapid fire—so rapid that it's hard to keep up with all those really fabulous ideas that I want to act on if I just had the time.

This is where my journal really starts coming in handy. Instead of just creating art, I capture ideas. 

When I want to remember that cool snowman I saw, but instead of a red top hat, I have the idea of adding a long scarf with a blue sky cap so it would look like my cousin when he arrives for the holiday gathering, I put it in my journal!

How about that really cute holiday display I saw down in the town square that made me think about the small village I have packed away that I could use to recreate the scene on your mantel? I can sketch out a quick idea in my journal!

Sometimes, it's just words that inspire, like an idea for a greeting card or a gift tag, maybe even a gift. I write it down!

Maybe it a gorgeous play of reds and oranges with a mix of acid green that looks so stunning that I want to remember it for next year's decorating. I. Write. It. Down!

Using our journals creatively to help us capture thoughts and ideas rather than stressing over whether we're filling enough pages or the art is good enough is the true beauty of keeping a journal.

The Finished Page with a little bit
of ink to help add definition

If you don't want to use your regular journal, create an idea journal and carry everywhere so that you can capture those wisps of inspiration when then happen to float by!

The idea here is to make our journals and sketchbooks work for us so that we can recognize all the fun ways we're using our creativity as well as to capture all the ideas that we have when we don't have the time to act on them.

Try keeping a creativity list and write down all the ways you've been using your talent and creative/artistic skills. You'll be amazed at how quickly the pages start to fill up when you start thinking about the various activities that require creative thought!

How are you using your journal this holiday season—are you creating art or capturing ideas?

No More "Mistakes"

Art Time. Precious words, aren't they? Especially this time of year when we're all so busy.

Surprisingly, I found myself with some art time on my hands and made my way to the studio.

I managed to step away from the computer a good part of the Thanksgiving weekend and I started on a couple of pieces of art that are going in a new direction for me.

Which I can't show to you just yet.

However, that's not going to stop me from talking about a very profound experience I had while painting...I made a mistake (and no, that's not the profound experience I'm talking about.)

It's been a while since I've done any work outside of my journal and I should have been expecting a slip, but I wasn't.

I was giving myself a really good tongue lashing, talking about how stupid I was to make such a mistake and that I should know better. I'm telling you, I was really giving myself a good thrashing. I was furious.

Here's the odd part—the mistake wasn't fatal to the piece of work. Mistakes are seldom fatal. Annoying, aggravating, and irritating, yes, but they are seldom fatal. It simply meant I would have to work in a different way to "fix" the piece.

In the middle of my tirade, I realized what I was doing and stopped. After all, if you've been on an Imaginary Trip with me, you know that I encourage making mistakes because that's how we learn.

Taking a breath to calm down, I asked myself, "Okay, what did I learn?"

As the question settled over me, I felt the tension ease and the feeling of defeat began to dissolve. I didn't feel quite so bad about messing up. And I was no longer tempted to quit and walk storm out of the studio.

As I started to evaluate what I had done and what I would do differently if I started over, I could easily see where I had gotten into trouble. By asking what I learned, I minimized the situation rather than make it gargantuan when I was busy insisting it a mistake.

You may be thinking semantics. But I disagree this time.

Take out a piece of your own art that you've made a mistake on and ask yourself, "what did I learn?"

Take note of your breathing, how tense you are, and how you feel about yourself when you focus in on the mistake. Are you still mad at yourself? Angry that you messed up the sketch? Now, think about what you learned. If you truly focused on figuring out what you learned, did you feel the tension and anger drain away?

Are you feeling tempted to pick up your pen again rather than being so annoyed with yourself that you had no desire to create another page?

That feeling right there, my friends, that feeling of wanting to try again rather than quitting is what I'm talking about! That feeling is the key to not only creating more art, but also to feeling good about it! For me, it's priceless. It means less downtime, less de-motivation, and more confidence!

Cool, huh?!

Now, if you're like me, you'll see a lot more application of "What did I learn?" than just art. It applies to just about any part of our lives where we're less than perfect.

So for the holidays, I am going to ask you to give yourself a gift. Remove the words mistake, mistakes, screw up, messed up and any other similar words from your vocabulary until the end of the year.

If things go in a different direction than you planned, ask yourself what you learned rather than beating yourself up. Take note of feelings, thoughts and your energy level. Take note of whether you finish the page and start another or if you still hang your brushes up until the feeling of defeat fades.

Give yourself the gift of no more "mistakes" by focusing on what you've learned. 

And please let me know what you've learned here on the blog!

Got It Covered!

I have been on a kick the last few weeks to finalize several projects that have been languishing in my studio. I'm hoping this kick will continue until at least the end of the year. 

My NOLA Live! Journal has been moved, shuffled, and piled, ignored, dropped, lost misplaced and then found rediscovered, but it still laid unfinished until this weekend.

I don't even want to tell you how many times I moved the darn thing rather than just going ahead and finishing!

It probably took that long because of the need to find the mat cutter, cut the board down, come up with an idea, paint it, unearth my binding machine in the very back, bottom corner under a stack of heavy boxes and finally do the binding and finish up the final touches on the cover.

Am I thrilled to have this done!?! YES! But talk about going from to Orlando from Tampa via Omaha?! Good grief! Since this is a Stillman & Birn sketchbook, I could have just as easily used with the original covers and glued a piece of watercolor paper onto the front and been done—months ago.

Still, I'm thrilled to have it done. The photos don't begin to do it justice as there are a lot of subtle color changes and details that are not visible. I deliberately left the title dateless as I've decided to put the second NOLA trip (November 2013) in the second half of this journal.

I still need to create a title page and a list of all the wonderful artists who joined me. Then, I think I'm done. Until November!

The cover was created using watercolor, acrylic ink a stamp, and a stencil. The title block is a separate piece of watercolor with hand lettering that's been glued down to the cover for added dimension.

Go Vote!

Go and exercise your rights. 

Go vote. 

Go be a part of history in the making. 

Go vote. 

Go and be heard. 

Go VOTE!

And The Winner Is....

...well, before we get to that, some of you mentioned wanting a larger peek. Since Blogger now limits the view size of the art, I thought I'd post a couple of peeks of different sections of Nature's Classroom.

Detailed View of Nature's Classroom
© Laure Ferlita

I noted that there was a bit of commentary on the amount of detail that I've included in this piece of work. Left to my own devices, I would paint details to the point of ad nauseam. Like most things I have found that I need to strike a balance between my need for details with other pieces that are fast and leave a lot to the imagination.

A detailed view of Nature's Classroom
© Laure Ferlita

The really nice thing about this painting is that when I found myself craving the detail work, I could work on this piece to satisfy that obsession while continuing to do quick sketch work in my journal. When you are as attracted to (obsessed with?) details as I am, it takes time to learn that not all artwork needs to be detailed.

It comes down to what I'm trying to say in the work or a feeling I'm trying to evoke. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes, more is more. Learning to "see" what works best takes time end lots of experimentation not to mention practice!

Without further delay, our winner is....rrARTz! Congratulations, Randi! 

Send me an email with the address of where you'd like the print mailed.

For those of you that are interested, you can purchase a copy of the print below using the PayPal button. Prints will be available on the blog at a price of $24.99 USD plus $5.00 shipping in the US for the next 7 days.

After that, the print will be moved to Etsy and will be $34.99 USD plus $5.00 shipping.

As always, thanks so much for the kind words! You make my day and make me want to keep painting!!

Nature's Classroom - GIVEAWAY!

Nature's Classroom
© Laure Ferlita, All Rights Reserved
9 x 12 inches
watercolor, acrylic, ink, gouache, and graphite
Please click to enlarge

Three or four years ago, I got an idea to paint old "specimen cards" that looked like they came out of a kid's science kit. You may remember them—they had a few slides, a small, low-powered microscope, and a manual about how to find "specimens."

I decided to start with a Google search of specimen cards. I came up with a lot of interesting hits, but nothing like I had in my imagination. I set about drawing out my idea and combined it with a paintbrush. The brush seemed more appropriate as much of my learning has been acquired at the tip of a paintbrush.

After the cards were drawn and painted, I decided to add some of the items from my personal "nature collection." Over the years, my husband and family have learned to save dead bug carcasses, butterfly wings, and bird egg shells (among other things) for me. Odd, I suppose, but each item is cherished!

From there, I was stuck. What to add next? Finally, I happen to be taking some photos of my journal with my palette sitting in the photo as well. I decided to add the palette. The palette itself is an old one from Winsor Newton that has 18 quarter-wells. A month or so later, I stumbled across a pair of binoculars my husband used to collect—into the painting they went.

Again, I lost direction and the painting laid, neglected and unfinished, for nearly a year.

The issue was that I could not figure out the background. I thought about rocks, grass, pebbles, or some other surface—outside. I wanted to get it finished, but just couldn't quite see the background working out. One day, Chris and I were in the studio and he asked why I hadn't finished the painting.

Nature's Classroom
© Laure Ferlita, All Rights Reserved
9 x 12 inches
watercolor, acrylic, ink, gouache, and graphite
Please click to enlarge

I told him about my dilemma and he immediately started making suggestions. When he suggested the surface of his antique Federal Reserve desk that he uses as an art desk in his studio I knew that was my answer! It was a reddish oak with heavy graining and years of abuse—perfect!

Well, almost perfect.

I had not taken into consideration that I might be doing a dark background and I needed to figure out a way to keep the binocs from getting "lost" against such a background. I knew a piece of paper would work, but what kind of paper?

I wanted something that would tell a story. I had recently purchased some old French letters from an online store and with them came an old air mail envelope. That became my model with sketches and notes on it as if I had gone to the post office and become captivated by the falling leaves.

For balance, the compass and leaf were added. Now I only had one "blank spot." Imagine my joy (and relief) when the new hardbound  Stillman & Birn sketchbook arrived! A sketchbook! Yes! The final piece.

Nature's Classroom was (finally!!) completed this month. It has a little bit of everything in it as fair as medium goes, but the majority of it watercolor. I love the fact that there was never a "still life" set up—it was all created piecemeal until it came together as a whole.

To celebrate the successful conclusion of the odyssey, I will be offering one 8 x 10 print* of Nature's Classroom as a giveaway!  This is a win-it-before-you-can-buy-it deal. I will be offering the prints in my Etsy shop after the giveaway.

If you'd be interested in winning this print, leave me a comment below about what you've learned in Mother Nature's classroom! 

_______________________________

*This giveaway is for one 8 x 10 inch print of Nature's Classroom. This is for the print only. No copyrights or rights are included. The print may not be reproduced for any reason without written consent from the artist.
Please leave a comment (just one, please!) on this post by Thursday night, November 1st, at 12:00 am EST. The winner will be announced on Friday!

Sassy, Rich, Decadent Reds!

Watercolor and Ink
5.5 x 7.5 inches
From "An Imaginary Visit To Autumn"
Online Class

Are you out and about taking advantage of the glorious show that Mother Nature is putting on right now!?! Whenever I go to an area that is just brimming with over-saturated reds, golds and rusts, I do my level best to try and capture all those shades, hues and tints of color on my page.

There is no better time than Autumn to really play in all those glorious colors we have in our paintbox. What happens when we mix red and green, red and gold or red and teal? Do you know? If not, or if you're not sure, get out some scrap paper similar to what you sketch on and create some color charts:

Just a few color swatches to see what I could create
with the color combos on my palette

Play, have fun, explore...this is the perfect time of year for it! What you learn in Autumn will come in handy when you go to paint the reds of the holiday season, the buds of Spring, and the blooms of summer!

There is no such thing as too much knowledge when it comes to watercolors and the occasional refresher color chart will make you glad you decide to play a little!

So, what are you painting for Autumn? Please share!

Falling Into Autumn

As I visit friends around the blogosphere, I see signs of Autumn everywhere. Fires in fireplaces, folks in sweaters and jackets and Autumn's bounty have begun to show up in images posted over at Flickr and on the blogs. 

Watercolor and Ink
3.5 x 8.5 inches

It is not yet Autumn here in Florida though we have had a few low-humidity days that makes it feel as if Autumn is just around the corner. There's also been a change in the light quality that indicates the seasons are grudgingly giving over to change. 

The art pictured above is a piece I created a few years ago. So far, we haven't had much in the way of color, but we do have a bountiful crop of acorns! I'll be working with artists in An Imaginary Visit To Autumn starting October 18th. We'll be focusing on capturing the rich, varied hues that make this time of year such a pleasure to capture in our sketchbooks!

If you're interested in joining us, please click here for more information. 

Ever Wonder Why?

Taking Flight
Watercolor
Pineapple Journal
5.5 x 5.5 inches

Who among us has not wished they could do something, like sketching or painting, with ease? 

How about draw or use color the way another artist does? 

And the perennial favorite, wished we could draw/paint/sketch just like _________________ (fill in the blank with the name of the current "art hero/heroine").

How many times have you thought about quitting, threatened to quit or actually taken the steps to quit because the process was a struggle, the work didn't turn out right, or worse, didn't turn out like that lovely piece of work in your mind or like your favorite hero/heroine's work? Again.

I've quit.

I've lost track of the number of times I've quit "art." 

But…one thing stays the same….sooner or later, I hear the siren's call and I have to pick up pen, pencil, brush and paper all over again. 

If you've quit, what made you come back?

Ever wonder why we do this "quitting" only to come back? And why do some of us quit over and over again?

Any thoughts you'd like to share on why or what you've learned? 

Making the Most Out of Downtime (House Renovations)

It would seem that I'm going to get more "mileage" out of this house renovation than expected—both figuratively and literally. 

The project has"tentatively" expanded again, however, I'll be saving those details until we actually see if the product is going to work the way we want it to. But because the product is on clearance, I took myself over to the next county to pick up more boards—you've no idea how upset I would be if this works and we didn't have enough materials! It would NOT be pretty. 

It seemed only fair that if I were picking up the boards that I should have a little fun along the way. Since I had to pass a Hobby Lobby on my way to the store...I just had to stop on my way back! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), they didn't really have anything that spoke to me. 

Part of the problem was that I was hungry. There happened to be a cute little place called Firehouse Subs in the same shopping center and they were busy, busy, busy. It's a chain sub shop—you may even have one in your neighborhood. At this location, when you walk in the door, all the workers call out, "Welcome to Firehouse!" There is one woman who works there and she has a very strong northeastern (New York?) accent. It's always a treat to hear her!

"Welcome to Firehouse!"
Watercolor and Non-Permanent Ink
5.5" x 11"
Pineapple Sketchbook

I decided to do some sketching while I waited for my "Hook and Ladder" sub. One of the sandwich makers happened by as I was sketching and asked what I was doing. I replied I was sketching. She glanced at my sketch and then asked what I was sketching. I pointed to the wall with the "retired" fireman's jacket, pants, and boots. The hat was imaginary. I added it for balance. She glanced at the wall and back at the page and said, "That's pretty good...actually."

Her response made my day. I smiled the better part of the afternoon! 

I didn't have time to add color at the restaurant, so I did it last night from memory. I had used a non-waterproof pen to sketch and wasn't sure at the time if I would add color or not. 

I had lit a "autumn-season-smell-good-type of candle and as I was dousing the match in a stream of water, decided to set it aside to use later on my sketch. Once some of the water had dried, I used it to add "soot marks" to the fireman's outfit. I then used my finger to rub it in a little more. 

No one but me will ever know what I did, but that's okay. It was a fun way to add a touch of texture to the sketch!

Wishing y'all an awesome weekend...I will be embroiled in a home renovation. What will you be doing?