Mini Wax Canvas

Look at my teeny-tiny wax canvas!  

This critter is only 2" x 4".

Colored directly onto the canvas with some cheap-o crayons.  If I were to do this again I'd use better quality crayons - they would have more pigment. 

Melted the first layer with my heat gun.  The wax is shiny cause it is still hot.

Added more colors and kinda swirled it a bit -  

Finished off with some India Ink droplets and a book quote.  It is residing in the living room keeping company with some shells, rocks, a geode and a tiny pinecone.

Linking to Art Every Day Month

Worried girl. . .

She was striving to keep her unnecessary worrying under control.

Today I decided to give myself a challenge - use ONLY Stabilo pencils on a girl.

This makes for a limited palette since they only come in gray, black, red, orange, blue, brown, yellow and green.  I use these pencils a lot since they are water soluble and great for little tweaks on my pictures.

Yellow may not make for an ideal skin tone but once the water and more layers were added she turned out  better than I had anticipated.  Although it was a big temptation to add some highlights with a white pen, I kept only to the 7 pencils and 2 paintbrushes. 

Finished up by collaging her with some old ephemera on a book page.

Linking to Sunday Sketches,

Creative Every Day, and

Mandarin Orange Monday

Urban Angst

The topic at Illustration Friday this week is URBAN and I am squeaking in at the last minute with an art journal spread that is very different for me. 

Started with a pencil sketch in my ledger journal inspired by a computer screen that we saw at the Science Center in St. Louis.  Connor definitely thought I was weird for taking pictures of signage when others were taking pictures of fossils, etc.

Changed things up with patterned paper for the colorful buildings. . . 

Glued it all down and painted the middle with gesso/white paint, some stamping and stenciling.  Topped if off with a painted silhouette that

was cut from a Gap ad in a magazine and spray painted black.  Later I'll cut the middle girl out from the left side and use her on another project. 

Quote from Lemony Snicket - seems to be a favorite source of wisdom lately. 

This is definitely fun and edgy for the likes of me. 

Linking to Illustration Friday - URBAN,

Art Journal Every Day,

Paint Party Friday, and

Artists in Blogland