The Mother of Creativity

5:35 AM

I am positive that the mother of creativity is "necessity." And the father is "oops." Think about it. It's when we create an "oops" or make a mistake (gasp!) and we're pushed waaaaaay out of our comfort zones that we seem to learn the most!

We're beginning to see tulips in the stores here in Florida and I decided I wanted to capture just a simple, single bud in my long, skinny sketchbook. And I did. Done.
At some point, I managed to get the ink wet....oops. I didn't even know I had done it! The photo above shows it after I tried adding white gouache and white acrylic. Both made the ink bleed even worse. It doesn't show in the image above, but there's ink above the tulip as well.

It was just a sketch in my sketchbook, right? No big deal. Lesson learned. Make sure to use permanent ink next time. Except it was bugging me. Big time. (I liked my tulip! And then I didn't.)

To salvage the page, necessity stepped in with her treasure chest of creativity.

I decided to take the "Well, why not?" approach and use this as an opportunity to play and see what would happen. I pulled out different papers, stamps, ink pads, and any other tools I thought I might need. I had been looking at Toni Kelly's beautiful art here and Kate Johnson's brown paper here, and decided to use a brown lunch bag as my "patch."
Once I had the brown paper down on the page, the white of the watercolor paper was too white. I went to town with my stamps, texturing tools, and dip pen. No more white paper.

Quite the difference, don't you think?

There are several things I wish I'd done differently, but I an assure you that I'll be trying more of this as it was just plain fun! And I also have a page that I like in my sketchbook rather than one that was bugging me.

BTW, anybody interested in an "Imaginary Visit to the Garden?" Let me know in the comments!

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21 Creative Thought(s)

  1. ...I love how your new tulip evolved. I had visited Toni Kelly's site yesterday and saw her new project she's working on and immediately thought of that style when I saw yours! How cool...

    A visit to the Garden sounds good to me!! Count me in...

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  2. Laure - that's a great rescue - it appeals to the crafter in me. That said, I actually like the ink run on the original - it was a rainy day after all!

    I'm unsure about the 'imaginary garden' reference as the link doesn't work, I'm afraid. x

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  3. Thanks, Kelly!

    Thank you, Gillian, I had thought about the "rain reference" as well, but it was bugging me. There is no link—yet! My apologies for the confusion!!

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  4. I laughed out loud when I read that the father of creativity is "oops"--truer words were never spoken (written). I absolutely love what you did to the page after your "mistake." It's gorgeous, and looks like it was fun to do.

    I think an Imaginary Trip to the garden is a great idea, too!

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  5. Too funny, KJ, somehow, I knew you'd catch that subtle "observation!!"

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  6. You do know the rest of that song.. Rainy days and Mondays.. IS.."always get me down"..The new page saying SPRING is much more upbeat then the first. :)))
    Either way its a lovely tulip. But I too have found the OOPS mistakes to make some very fun and great Art.

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  7. Love your tulip. Great way to turn an oops into a wonderful page. A trip to the garden sounds wonderful, especially since I love flowers but hate to actually garden.

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  8. It turned out wonderful!! You are right about the 'oops', makes me try things that I wouldn't otherwise.

    Garden? I think you just pushed my buttons! Please let me know more.

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  9. I love the original tulip with the runny ink! That is just what has happened to me so many times - picking up a non-waterproof pen. You'd think I'd learn,lol. I love the saying about the oops as it is so true. Your fix is terrific. It's such a different piece than the original. I love them both!

    Yes, I would love an imaginary trip to the garden. As you know, I live in the desert so we don't get many blooms in reality!

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  10. Love the idea of an imaginary trip to a garden.

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  11. Cute story that I can really relate to - always sticking my hand in something wet and not realizing it.

    I'm definitely interested in an Imaginary trip to the garden. Great idea!

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  12. Thanks, everyone, for the comments—looks like we'll be visiting the garden! I'll get details out soon.

    Yes, Cris, and when I painted the tulip that was on my mind!

    Thanks, Tyanne!

    Thank you, Teri!

    Timaree, maybe we just have to learn the hard way!

    Thanks for letting me know, Tammy!

    Thank you, Claire!

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  13. Hi Laure! I saw your blog post first thing this morning on my iPod. Naturally I love the new look and I also loved the original look. You just might have to dedicate a sketchbook to trying layering techniques just like you did here. It just may be a spring board for some creative ideas. I know you are just filled with them.

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  14. It would be really cool to do garden paintings. I would be interested. I would love it so much if included were some tulips like what you just painted. Tulips are my favorite flower.
    I was looking at your website that has your gallery and I would love love love so much to learn how to paint crystal, with a garden flower or fruit in it of course. Glass is one element I've never had instruction on.
    I love your gallery. Your dogs are precious

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  15. P.S. I'll put in a plug for blueberries -- I remember you had some posted once and I almost jumped out of my chair - I was so taken with them!! (I also love raspberries and blackberries and boysenberries...... )

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  16. I love your tulip too - what a great way to turn something that was bothering you into something you like. And YES, I'd love an imaginary trip to the garden. As someone else said, I love flowers but don't like to garden.

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  17. Hi Laure, Great job on the tulip...it's just gorgeous. Love the creativity patch!

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  18. Jumpin' Joe! Great save! The original is just lovely, the save brings it to a whole new level. I think your garden trip is timed perfectly for those interested in creating a garden journal for the new season. Great way to jump start their efforts!

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  19. Classic! Love it. Actually, when I first saw the wet ink, I thought--"oh, 'rainy days' and I thought you did it on purpose to fit your theme. Your work on it is delightful, though.

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  20. I really like both tulips but agree with Gillian...the rainy day reference and the ink run were perfect together!!! Either way, they're both awesome pieces!

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  21. Hey great save Laure! I went with the thought of it being a raindrop that smeared your ink too...I think I'd like a trip to the garden in my glaringly empty journal. That would be a beautiful way to welcome Spring! Count me in.

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