When you smile, the stars dance in their heavens.

When I had the joy of opening up the Shooting Stars Stencil package from Artistcellar and playing with it in my studio one thought kept returning to my mind. It wasn't as much an image as it was a sentiment. When I look at the Shooting Stars Stencil it looks to me like the stars are dancing. The sentiment I kept thinking of was, "When you smile, the stars dance in their heavens."

After much thought, I realized that I wanted to make others smile. So, I sketched out one of the things that makes me smile. A dog, and a smiling dog is even better. :)

I used my regular sketching pencils and Bristol Smooth paper. I thought this dog's smile could put a smile on a young child's face. So, I decided to keep with the whimsical theme and paint my dog in bright colors.

For this 12 x 12 wood panel I used, Silks Acrylic Glazes, bleeding tissue paper, Shooting Stars Stencil, black pens, white pens, gesso, gel medium, home made Silks Acrylic Glazes Spray Paints (the tutorial is provided below,) punchinella, and white acrylic paint.

 The truth is...When you smile, the stars dance in their heavens. 

 Tammy Dial Gray  www.facebook.com/ArtistTammyDialGray

Good Friday

Good Friday is a hard day for me as a Christian.  It is the day I remember that my sins cost the world and ultimately my Savior a lot of pain.  Even though I usually remember this day rather quietly, the pain of it is with me.

I created this simple piece as I processed the pain of Good Friday.  I wanted to show the darkness of my sins and the pain that they cause.

The process I used is as follows:

1. I mixed Sunshine and Spicy Tomato Silks Acrylic Glazes and painted the entire piece of water color paper.  I let that layer dry.

2. I used a Stabilo black pencil to outline the image of the cross.  I decided to not make the cross a precisely lined image as the very point of the piece was my imperfection next to God's perfection.

3. I then used a palette knife to drizzle Golden Tar Gel all over the piece.  I let that dry.

4. Next, I used Golden Black Gesso and painted the entire piece except the cross.  I quickly wiped off the gesso from the parts of the piece where the tar gel was applied.  The effect allows the red and gold color of the base coat to come show up through the clear tar gel.  The students in my Mixed Media class said that it reminds them of blood in a special effects sort of way.

5. Finally, I used a damp baby wipe and Viva Decor Inca Gold and went over the cross portion to add highlights to that portion of the piece.

May you feel God's presence and grace with you today and always,
Tammy Dial Gray