Tag Archives: derivan matisse

Ring in the New Year with New Stencils!!!

January 6, 2015 By in art at the speed of life Tags: , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments

I’m very excited to announce that my new line of stencils with Stencil Girl Products is now available! 

Gross Anatomy 6 x 6″ Stencils
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Inside My Head

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One Breath at a Time

S274-1Listen to Your Heart

These stencils reflect on personal struggles of the past year and will add powerful imagery to your art journaling and other mixed media work.

Here is a stepped out look at creating a journal spread with one of my new stencils

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This page started off on a partially stenciled background using my Acrylic Inks and a copy of a sketch adhered with Mixed Media Adhesive, to give a nice matte finish to the page. Then I traced the stencil design with a Pitt Artist Pen. Using a small sponge dauber I applied Liquid Frisket through the stencil. Let it dry. The Liquid Frisket will mask off the stencil design to preserve the colors underneath.

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I adhered more imagery using Mixed Media Adhesive and chose my color palette for the page. I’m using my Fluid Matt Sheer Acrylics in the following analogous color palette, Turquoise, Rain, Olive, Celedon and using a complementary color to Turquoise, Mustard Seed.

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Because I’ve masked off the stencil design I can freely paint over the top of it with layers of color.

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Using a Liquid Frisket removal tool, I can easily pull off the masking to reveal the page underneath.

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I love how it went slightly outside the lines of the stencil design. This gives more interest to the page.

DSC02187The completed journal page using paints to define the face and imagery.

Here are some more pages done using my new stencils

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My Favorite Paint Tools

September 27, 2014 By in art, art at the speed of life Tags: , , , , , , , , , 12 Comments

I wanted to share with you some of my favorite tools that I use my Fluid Matt Sheer Acrylics and Acrylic Inks with.

First off, when using a new paint for the first time, I always like to do a a color wheel and or swatch test. This allows me to see the color full strength and what it looks like washed out.

Here is a color wheel and swatch test for my Acrylic Inks, using a Montana Marker.
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I love these markers! They come in a variety of marker tips and you can get them empty to refill yourself. I’ve yet to have one dry up on me using my Acrylic Inks! You do have to remember to cap them though because as with any marker it would dry up left uncapped. They also have a mixing ball in them perfect for mixing the heavy pigment load in these inks with the binders.

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These are Mini Misters by Ranger and I love them with my Acrylic Inks as well. I especially love that you can get these nifty ‘stadium seating’ type caddies for them that hold all of my colors in them. I bought an extra caddy for my Montana Markers (above) too! This keeps them on my work table with easy access.

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I’m using my Stencil Girl Color Wheel Stencil and I always have a little Pocket Color Wheel guide around to help with mixing and color combinations.

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The porcelain palette has 12 wells that can hold each of my colors of Fluid Matt Sheer Acrylics. It’s important to have a palette with wells for them as they are very fluid.

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Most of you that have taken past workshops from me or read my books know how I love to use Bingo Daubers with paint in them. I’ve been doing this since I taught pre school 20 years ago! These daubers are from Rock Art and are by far my favorite ones. They never clog up with my paints and believe me they have been put through major testing in workshops! For several years I mixed my own paints with the recipe I share in my book Creating Art at the Speed of Life, and it’s so excited to have my new paints available that were based off of that recipe and in my custom color palette. I spent several weeks mixing colors to get just the right ones to use in my line. My biggest goal was that the paint colors played well together and these really do.

DSC02138For those who’ve taken my workshops this past year and had a chance to play with these paints and inks first hand, you know that my go to color is Mustard Seed. It honestly goes with every other color on my palette! So if you’re looking to try out my line I would suggest getting one or two of your favorite colors and Mustard Seed. This will give you some gorgeous color play.

These journal page backgrounds were done on hot press watercolor paper prepped with gesso, using Stencil Girl stencils and my inks.

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From upper left to right:

Nightfall-Mustard Seed

Turquoise-Mustard Seed

Rain-Mustard Seed

Turquoise-Mustard Seed-Golden Rod

Celedon-Turquoise-Mustard Seed

Royal Purple-Mustard Seed

Nightfall-Mustard Seed

Magenta-Poppy-Mustard Seed

 

My Big Announcement!!!

May 6, 2013 By in art at the speed of life Tags: , , , 17 Comments

I get emails daily asking where to purchase my mixed-media line of products with Derivan Matisse and I’m so thrilled to finally be able to announce that Jerry's Artarama will now be carrying them!!! I’m excited to be working with a top art supply chain that carries the supplies we need/want and has both easy online access as well as stores across the country. This has been a long-time in the works and I’m honored to have my products offered through such a fine, long-standing establishment.

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Press releases and more news/events will follow so stay tuned!

Last Chances

August 15, 2012 By in art at the speed of life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments

Sad to leave friends Mary Beth Shaw and Joanne Sharpe after Art Unraveled but so glad I’ll be seeing them again soon at Art Is!!!

School is starting and I’m left scratching my head as to where the summer went?! I’m sure a lot of you can totally relate to that feeling.

BFF Nancy Lefko and I met for the first time IRL at Art Is last year after being online buddies for years!

I feel the same way when going to teach at art retreats. There is so much planning (already sending in proposals for next year) and build up before the retreats then you get there and have such an amazing time with art friends that you only once or if you’re lucky a few times a year, and the time is over in a blink.

 

It leaves you looking forward with great eagerness to the next venue when you can see your friends again!

Hamming it up with Kecia Frazee Deveney and Michael DeMeng at Art Is last year

Art Is…You is coming up in October. I’m looking forward to it with both eagerness and a touch of sadness as it’s the last big retreat of 2012 and I know I’m going to have an amazing time there.

On the subject of ‘making’ new friends, I’m really excited to be teaching my Busting Out-Self Portrait Journaling workshop at Art Is. This is the only place I’m offering this fun and personal workshop. Not only will we explore journaling techniques in 3D, we will also learn how to shade portraits in the easiest way possible. All of the face painting techniques can be applied to flat work but working on an actually dimensional face will allow you to see where shadows fall from front, side, and 3/4 views. It’s a great way to learn as we start with some cool long-necked wig forms and build layers similar to that of a journal page and then continue on to paint a portrait with all of the facial features already in place!

There’s still room in this workshop and I hope if you haven’t yet decided which workshop you are going to take, you’ll consider joining me for Busting Out!

 

You’ll also have a travel buddy for the trip home;-)

I’m also teaching Get the Lead Out! with some cool techniques using my Liquid Pencil Sketching Inks. This workshop is loaded with fun products (that you’ll get in your class kits) and fun new techniques to do everything from still life to portraits to journal pages!

 

If you haven’t yet stopped by to leave a comment to win one of my new stamps from my Poetic Portraits line there’s still time! I’m giving away 1 stamp for every 50 comments, giving away 4 so far and I want to give away more so spread the word!

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