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.

Purse Materials

I've looked and I've looked and I'm not finding the bag we want—anywhere! At any price. So Sam* has decided that nothing was going to do unless she made another bag to suit her preferences as closely as possible.

She's a little insufferable when she gets like that. No is not an option.

I finally gave in yesterday and we have begun to build "the" new bag. The image above is a peek at the materials we'll be using. It won't be larger than the other bag we've made (you can see it here) height and width-wise, but this bag will be deeper. We need a little more room for camera lenses as well as sketchbooks, cameras, phones, umbrellas and a water bottle.

Sam has also insisted on a few other modifications. Time will tell if they're going to work out or not. Like I said, no is not an option. She knows best.

I've heard that one before too!

What fun things did your muse convince you to try this weekend?

Front Detail Click to enlarge

Inside Front Click to enlarge

Outside Front Click to enlarge

Pockets Galore! Click to enlarge

More Inside Pockets Click to enlarge

Outside Pocket Detail Click to enlarge

Bag Back Click to enlarge

Sam's been a busy gal! We just finished this art bag up last weekend. It's colorful, fun and functions super well—just what the muse wanted (almost)! For new subscriber's to the blog, Sam is my muse. She makes periodic appearances on the blog. Usually when she's gotten me into a mess of trouble!

The overall size of the bag is 10 inches tall and 9 inches wide by 2.5 inches deep. Style-wise it's called a vertical messenger bag. It has a padded pocket so I can easily carry an iPad tablet as well as a 10" x 7" sketchbook with room left over for supplies, keys, iPhone and the like.

The back pocket is handy for an umbrella, maps, and souvenirs. The strap is adjustable so that the bag can be worn cross-body as well as over the shoulder.

And while this bag is close, it's not yet quite right and so the muse has been playing in her fabric stash, putting together some new ideas for a fall colored bag with a few modifications on to this one.

The girl just doesn't know when to quit!!

The Bag Saga continues....

Bag Prototype I Watercolor and Ink

Sam* got loose at the fabric store the other day and decided we just have to have a new bag for our big adventure!** I'm not even going to tell you how much material we came home with, but let me just say that if we make up all the material she just had to have, we'll have a coordinating bag for every outfit in the closet!

But I digress and Sam is giving me that look that tells me I need to get back on subject....the bag you see in the sketch above is actually made. It is missing the handle(s) and the flap is not sewn on yet. That won't be done until after handles are complete.

Sam wanted to use the two materials, the blue stripe and paisley....until we returned home and she found the green stripe in our stash to use as the lining. Of course, the whole point of this is to create a bag that's not too big and not too little and has just the right size/amount/type of pockets.

Much debate ensued with regard to what was big enough and what was too big. It turns out this one may be a bit too small. Which thrills Sam no end as she gets to make more bags. When and where we're going to find the time, I have no idea, but that small detail doesn't bother Sam. She has no concept of time.

Must be nice.

*Welcome to new readers and followers! For those of you unfamiliar with Sam, she is my muse, alter ego and all around troublemaker that gets me into worlds of trouble....and loads of fun!

**Big announcement about the big adventure Sam is excited about later this week!