"Hibiscus" Twinks on Yupo

"Hibiscus" Twinkling H2O's on Yupo

I recently took Twinks on Yupo a course by Jodi Ohl. I learned about using the amazing substrate of Yupo paper.  Jodi shares many tips and tricks in the class.

For this piece, I mixed together Golden's Tar Gel and Self Leveling Gel and put it in a small bottle that I was able to "draw" the main shape of the hibiscus with.  After that layer was dry, I painted the page using Twinkling H2O watercolor paints which are made by Luminarte.  When the paint layers were completely dry I used a damp paper towel and the Sea Foam Stencil from the Water Series and wiped away the paint leaving the circles in the background of the piece.    Finally, I used my Faber-Castell Pitt Pen: Artist Four-Pen Set and doodled all around the piece.

Quirky Birds Mini Book

"Quirky Birds" for Lifebook 2013. I used selected lyrics from Annie Lennox — Little Bird. This was so much fun! This is mixed media on watercolor paper. It folds like an accordion book.

The lyrics I picked start with the bird on the top left:
I look up to the little bird
That glides across the sky

But this little bird's fallen out of that nest now
I've got a feeling that it might have been blessed
So I've just got to put these wings to test

For I am just a troubled soul
Who's weighted...
Weighted to the ground
Give me the strength to carry on
Till I can lay this burden down

So I've just got to put these wings to test

Here are some close ups:

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

Now Offering Private Classes

I am now offering Private Classes in both Mixed Media and Intricate Doodles.  The classes will be tailored to your current experience level, schedule and personal interests.  Private classes can be accessed online through a private Skype, Google+ Hangout or Facebook Video chat.  Private classes are also offered in the Gainesville area.  Contact me for additional information and to schedule sessions at TammyDialGray@aol.com.

 https://www.facebook.com/ArtistTammyDialGray

My Hope is in You: Intricate Doodle Tutorial

I enjoy making intricate doodles and I love the Cathedral Series Stencils so I decided to combine these two loves to create today's project.

Techniques for creating the Paris Cathedral Intricate Doodle: 1. Trace the Paris Cathedral Stencil onto an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper using a black pen.  (I decided to use an 8.5" x 11" inch piece of paper so that I could easily print out copies of of my finished artwork to use for homemade calendars or other projects.)

2. Color the page using water soluble pencils and blend the colors with a Sekura Koi WaterBrush.

3. Add doodles using black and white pens.

4. Finish the project by adding a title strip.  I made mine using Photoshop.  I used http://translate.google.com/ to translate my title into French to go with the Paris theme.

Flower of Life Mandala

This mandala took about 20 hours to finish.  I hope you enjoy it.  xo

29 Faces 2.4.13 "A Woman Before Her Time"

I had a ton of fun using the following stencils from Artistcellar: the brand new Flower of Life, Steampunk Lace, Paris Cathedral and Runes Textures. I also used Derwent Inktense Pencils, Silks Acrylic Glazes, pan pastels, water soluble graphite, and a black pen.

Compass, Too Mandala: The 2nd in my Compass Series

I created this while praying for my family to go in the right directions for our lives, our growth, our love and our faith.

Whirlwind of Dreams and Opportunities

Since the Design Team announcement for Artistcellar, I have been quietly working on my pieces for my weekly contributions to their site.  I will have posts up both on their site and on my blog every Wednesday starting the first week in February.  I am utilizing their amazing collection of exclusive stencils.  Similar to the way I have used them in the background of this piece and each of my posts includes a tutorial.

At the same time, I started teaching Intricate Doodles at The Doris an art gallery in my town.  For the Intricate Doodles class, I am working to create a greater variety of colored pieces to teach my students how to use color in their work.  Both of these projects take time.  An intricate doodle like this one takes me about 15 hours.

I thought that the opportunity to teach and to work for Artistcellar was exciting enough and then The Doris requested that I submit pieces for a gallery show they are doing this weekend and for the month of February at the Florida Community Design Center in the Chamber of Commerce Building.  So, for the first time in my adult life, I have three art pieces in a gallery show.

The show opens with Artwalk this Friday night.  I am in the amazing company of the Artists' in Residence at The Doris and some of the other art teachers like my beautiful friend and Mosaic Artist Limor Ben-Naim Herb.  

As I spoke with Turbado Marabou, one of the incredible Artists In Residence at The Doris, he expressed interest in the Artistcellar stencils.  It was a surreal moment as my online art world and my local art world came together.  I will be sharing with Turbado the amazing line of Artistcellar stencils and I hope to discover his methods for using them in his work.

To say that I am amazed that all of this is happening at once is an understatement.  I am also extremely grateful for each of these opportunities to express myself through my art.  So, while I might be more quiet than normal, I am in my studio working away and bursting with excitement that I am able to participate in the art world both locally and online.  I am immensely grateful for your generous support.