At any given moment you have the power to say: this is not how the story is going to end

WOW!  Now that's some title.

The title is however, very descriptive to the piece I started last night.  You may recall I recently purchased a set of Pan Pastels.  I've been playing with them a little in my art journal but still felt there was more I could do.  So, yesterday I got brave and pulled out a canvas.  I had seen an inspiration piece on the Facebook wall of Melissa Bolton.  I wanted to recreate something similar in blues, grays, and a taupe color.

I first prepared a canvas board with some Golden Gesso.  I thought I remembered Christy Tomlinson saying the Pan Pastels would move best on a prepared surface.  I did this but I wasn't getting the lush color I was expecting.  Take a look.  This is actually after applying the three colors.

It's a bit lacking isn't it.  Then I thought, well lets activate the pastels.  I spritzed the area with some water, just a little at time and spread the media with a wide brush.  Still not a very lush rich pigment I was wanting.  I gave up and switched gears a little.  Pulling down some aqua blue acrylic paint I went to town.  This started working like I wanted.  I lost some of the taupe so I pulled down a home made distress ink spray in my mini mister and applied some randomly, but it got too dark.  Out came a little  Studio Calico Mr. Huey's cream paint spray.  Spray, dab, spray, dab, spritz with water, spray, you get the idea.  Now this is what it looks like.

The inspiration piece had a butterfly and I was unusually attracted to this little creature.  (usually butterflies are not so much my thing.)  I soo-o can not draw or free hand paint, but I get crazy with a stencil!  I remembered I had cut a really large butterfly with my Cricut on a previous project and had the smarts to save the 'scrap' to use as a stencil.  I pulled it out and pounced a butterfly in the corner with the watered down, lightened aqua acrylic paint.  I then used my Faber-Castell pens to add some texture to the piece.  Take a look see.

It's still needing something.  The inspiration piece had a layer sitting over the butterfly but just barely.  I was scared to mess this up now but at the same time I wasn't exactly thrilled with the looks of my butterfly.  So more spraying, dabbing, spritzing took place keeping with the same three colors only difference this time is I was spraying a little Glimmer Mist - Patina which matched the aqua perfectly.  I then did what I refer to as a Donna Downey dribble which is were the media dribbles/runs down your project.  I really liked how it turned out.  About this time the hubby pops his head in my room and is totally amazed!  Yea score one for me! (see he doesn't always get it.)

I was on a role now, my mojo was flowing.  I wanted more and more but I wanted to remain true to my inspiration.  The only other item on the inspiration was a quote in the center of the piece but I felt mine was still missing something.  I turned a tight circle in my space (because that's all I can do) my eyes land on what is quickly becoming my favorite stencil.  Out with a little acrylic paint and a dry natural sponge.  I ever so lightly stipple some white paint with the stencil.  Then it hits me I need to finish the edges like I would a scrapbook feature by inking the edges, only I use the white paint and sponge.

Ta-Da!

 This lovely is 12x16

I haven't decided if I want to add the quote now or not.  Hubby says it looks wonderful as is, I think so too but I really liked the quote:

"At any given moment you have the power to say: this is not how the story is going to end." 

I'm going to walk away for a day or so and then decide.  However,  my mojo was flowing and I wasn't stopping here.

I decided to try another smaller canvas with the pan pastels only this time I wouldn't prepare with Gesso, maybe I got it backwards.  Guess what, apparently I did!  I still didn't get the rich lush color but it was much closer and I didn't have to add the aqua acryclic paint.  It worked so well, I pulled down a third canvas.  Hey!  I was thinking these are going to hang somewhere in my home and I needed the odd number for a grouping. 

Again, more spraying, dabbing, spritzing took place keeping with the same three colors only difference this time I used a different stencil.  The burst seemed too large for the smaller canvases but I sort of wish I had tried it anyway, oh well, maybe next time.  I traced some butterflies this time and painted them in with my Faber-Castell pens and highlighted with a white paint pen and white gel pen.

Take a look at the finished project.  I think they still need something but I really don't want to add flowers.  What do you think?

These little sweeties are each 5x7

So that's how I spent my early evening yesterday and today.  My husband keeps suggesting I sell whatever it is I create.  I keep telling him, someday.  Right now I feel I'm learning how to make my art.  I find inspirational pieces everywhere and I don't want to just 'copy' the original artist I want to learn how they did 'that' and recreate the technique in my style-whatever that maybe.  It's fun!  I hope you enjoyed following along my creative process. 

~ hugs of love.