Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever . Psalm 107:1
Enjoy the holiday and your loved ones.
Remember, faith works!
New! Free Videos up at Faithworks Art Studio Courses!
Hi! I put up some new FREE videos for y’all over at the classroom. I wanted to show two very basic skills/techniques- transferring images using graphite
and creating with line and wash.
Both of these are handy tools for any artist to know. Have fun and play with line and wash using ink pens, fountain pens, markers. You’ll be surprised with how easy and fun a technique it is!
Remember, faith works!
Pumpkin Possibilities
I thought I would put up a quick post showing some of the ‘pumpkin possibilities’ I created during the making of my free Pen and Ink Pumpkin mini e-course.
The course is about how to use waterproof ink with watercolor, but a fun variation is using a NON-waterproof ink and pulling out some tone with a water brush.
The pumpkin above was drawn on Fabriano Tiziano paper in a Fauxdori journal. I used a black Tombow dual- ended brush marker and pulled out some tone with a water brush. I added in a few highlights with a White Carbothello pastel pencil.
Another possibility is to use NON-waterproof ink pens.
Above, I used Noodler’s Kiowa Pecan ink in a Noodler’s creeper fountain pen and pulled out some tone using a water brush. The shiny bit is where it is still wet.
The same drawing after adding watercolor and restating the ink lines.
Another fun pumpkin possibility is to use a waterproof brush pen like the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen to create bold, graphic lines…
I hope you have fun exploring pumpkin possibilities and getting to know your artist’s tools!
Remember, faith works!
Praise the Lord, there are Pumpkins Everywhere!
PTL, my free Pen and Ink Pumpkin class went live Friday and guess what I’m still drawing? Yep, pumpkins.
Even better, betcha can’t guess where we went Saturday. The pumpkin patch!!! The kiddos had a blast tromping through the fields searching for the perfect pumpkins. I brought along my faithful little camera and got pics of them and more pumpkins to draw from. Now I can’t say I don’t know what a pumpkin leaf looks like! I loved the little colorful gourds/mini pumpkins and thought the stacked ones looked like the pumpkin version of snowmen soo…
I give you Pumpkins in Prayer, or Pumpkins Praising the Lord! I love alliteration, don’t you? I drew this in a Circa sketchbook I bought from Glenn Vilppu’s site ages ago. It’s a neat little set up with discs on both sides, one for paper and the other for a plastic page that supplies velcro onto. Great for sketching in the field if you want a larger sheet of paper to work on. Vilppu still sells them here .
When I made this sketch I used the same principles I teach in my Pen and Ink Pumpkin class. It is just drawing multiple pumpkins one atop the other. Breaking complex subjects down into their component parts makes them easy to tackle. I encourage you to get creative and enjoy pumpkin season!!
Remember, faith works!
My Pen and Ink Pumpkin Mini E-course is Finally Finished!
Yay!!! My first e-course, a FREE four video mini class on painting a pumpkin using pen and ink with watercolor is finally live!!
I would do the happy dance but I am too exhausted!! Guess what the kiddos want to do tomorrow (today since it is 4 in the morning)? Go. To. The. Pumpkin. Patch. Aaackkk! Not more pumpkins! Although it might not be so bad if I find a cute one, and a gourd or two, maybe some colorful ears of corn….
To get started painting your own pen and ink pumpkin, head over to the Course Directory and register to access the free class.
Remember, faith works!
I’m baaaack!
Hi folks, I’m back! No, contrary to the rumors I did not drive off into the rainbow, umm sunset.
Driving home from Colorado through Kansas and into a rainbow!!!
Instead, I have been insanely busy. I’ve been enjoying spending time with our oldest, R1, while he is back home, taking a couple of vacations before the kiddos head off to school, working on a pair of big personal projects, and helping DH finish out the basement in our nonexistent spare time. Whew! I got tired just typing that! To re-energize, here is a photo of a surprise we saw on one of our trips:
Hang in there, baby!
Way better than the overdone cat poster, huh? It was late in the evening and we had finished hiking the Fern Lake trail in RMNP and were headed back to our truck when we found this fellow. He was just off the road up in a tree munching apples. Awesome!!! I love this trail, it spends a lot of time near the river and the Pool is a great spot for lunch. We always seem to find an animal surprise on this trail also. This is the second bear we have seen along Fern Lake trail along with some moose on the river bank and the odd deer. Oh, I can’t forget the chipmunks begging for a piece of lunch at the Pool. They’re cute but don’t feed ’em.
Well, that’s all for now. I’ll be checking in again soon, until then…
Remember, faith works!
Using Liquitex Clear Gesso for Bible Journaling- Product Review
Are you confused about using clear gesso for your Bible journaling? Join the club! The subject of clear gesso and how to use it in a Bible for Bible or faith journaling comes up a LOT. To help clear up the confusion I am going to share with you my experiment using Liquitex Clear Gesso in my Bible.
First, why do I want to use clear gesso for my Bible journaling? What is it going to do for me?
- Gesso is used as a primer to prepare a surface before painting or drawing on it. Gesso gives thin pages more heft and makes them feel a bit thicker and stronger- a nice plus when you are working with thin Bible pages.
- Gesso adds texture and ‘tooth’ to a surface. That means it will help paints, colored pencils, etc. stick to the slick Bible pages better. Gesso allows for a smoother application of your chosen media.
- Finally, gesso can decrease the ghosting and bleed through common to thin pages- a big plus for Bible journaling.
OK, so using clear gesso for Bible journaling has a lot of advantages. What clear gesso should I use? Some of the most commonly available brands are:
- Prima Marketing Art Basics Clear Gesso – Everyone raves about this product. It was designed for art journaling and is acid free and not as gritty or ‘toothy’ as other clear gessos. Unfortunately, it is currently out of stock everywhere. I placed an order for it through Amazon and weeks later their system cancelled it due to the seller not shipping. I’ve emailed Prima regarding future availability of the product but have yet to receive a response.
- Cheap Joe’s Really Good Clear Gesso – On my to buy and try list. Cheap Joe’s website states it is acid free. Robert Burridge reviews it as having a “smooth, satin feel when dried.” Also, that it dries clear.
- Winsor and Newton Clear Gesso – The reviews on this state that it is very fluid, goes on transparent, but has more grit or tooth than the Art Basics.
- Liquitex Clear Gesso – Easy to purchase, available at local Hobby Lobby, Michael’s. Similiar to Winsor Newton Clear Gesso. Fluid, transparent but gets a little ‘milky’ with multiple coats, gritty and toothy.
How do I apply and use clear gesso?
Because it was easily available, I purchased and did a test run in my Bible (an Executive Midsize Notetaker) with the Liquitex Clear Gesso.
I applied the Liquitex Clear Gesso to the right column with a cheap brush (don’t use a good brush for this, and always protect the page below with wax paper or heavy paper). I scraped off the excess with a plastic card. The gesso caused the page to ripple some but not terribly. The gesso left the page feeling very rough, almost like fine sandpaper.
I used a four-way nail buffer to sand it smoother. Unfortunately, I ripped the page doing this. Lesson learned- go slowly in small sections, hold the edge of the page down with your fingers and buff gently between them to avoid lifting and ripping the edge of the page.
To test the difference between how the left (untreated) column and right (gessoed) column reacted to watercolor I used Daniel Smith Ultramarine Blue and Quinacridone Gold watercolor. The watercolor behaved fairly normal on the right column that was treated with Liquitex Clear Gesso. The watercolor paints flowed smoothly, blended well, showed granulation typical of the Ultramarine Blue, and had some rippling. On the left (untreated) side the paints sat on the surface of the page beading up. The paints did not blend into each other very well and the paper rippled badly. On the plus side, it was very easy to lift of the watercolor that I accidently got on the facing, non-gessoed page.
After the watercolor paints had dried, I folded my wax paper sheet over the painted page and placed my Bible under a stack of books overnight. The overnight pressing flattened out almost all the ripples in the right (gessoed) column. The left (untreated) column was smoother than before pressing but nowhere near as flat as the gessoed side.
It is hard to see here, but neither side had any bleed through. However; the untreated side, now the right column in this picture, had slightly more ghosting.
So, will I be using clear gesso when I do Bible journaling? Yes. The benefits with watercolor definitely outweigh the hassle of prepping pages with clear gesso.
Will I continue using Liquitex Clear Gesso for my pages? Only until I can get something with less grit. I am not overly fond of the sand paper feel of the unbuffed gesso and I will most definitely not use the Liquitex Clear Gesso without buffing it smoother first.
I hope this answers your questions about using clear gesso for Bible Journaling.
Remember, faith works!
Travel Trailer Trials and Tribulations
It’s that time of year again, time to get the travel trailer ready for trips. That also means it’s time for Murphy and his law to toss some travel trailer trials and tribulations at us….
It all started so innocently, Dearest Hubby and his family went camping and hiking in Colorado every summer with a little pop-up camper. After our family stayed in a cabin and hiked the same trails, DH thought it would be nice to get our own camper and be able to stay closer to the trail heads. I agreed but only if our camper had hard sides (for at least the illusion of security against two-legged predators) and a real bathroom with real walls ( I wanted to get closer with the family camping but not that close). DH wanted something easy to pull and easy to park. We saw Trailmanors at an RV show and they looked perfect. We bought a 3124KB. It tows like a dream at only 24 ft closed and opens to 31 ft; sleeps all six of us with a king bed in back, queen in front, a sofa that pulls out into a bed, and a second sofa that converts to a bed; has a kitchen; and a real bathroom.
photos from Trailmanor site
Pretty nifty, right? It has been a great introduction into camping and traveling with a camper. We have had a few trials with it. Learning to backup and park it has been a hoot! Like all ultra-light trailers it has required its share of maintenance, but that is to be expected. What came as the biggest surprise and lesson in Murphy’s law was our last trip. On our trip to Canada we went through Wyoming on what had to be the bumpiest, roughest road in the US. When we opened the camper we found the road had been sooo bumpy that it had bounced the microwave right out of its spot, breaking its metal retaining straps. OK, not a big deal as I don’t cook on vacations. I mean vacations are for relaxing, right? We just shuffled the microwave between the counter and the floor as we popped the camper up and down and enjoyed our trip. On the way home Murphy struck again. We had not one but two tires blow out on a long, hot highway in the middle of Nowhere, Nebraska. Fortunately, we barely felt it in the truck and were able to control the rig easily and pull off to the side of the highway. Unfortunately, the whipping tire sheared off our plumbing connections. Bummer, but easy to fix once we got home and at least the valves were all intact.
Betcha can’t guess what our ongoing, yearly trial with the trailer is. For the past three years, no matter what we try, birds have decided to nest in the storage compartment of the bumper. Last year when DH opened the bumper it was like a scene from a Hitchcock movie with panicked birds zooming past him as they fled their nest in the bumper. DH filled the corners and drain holes with expanding foam to keep them out. We weren’t surprised to hear chirping coming from the bumper when we started getting the trailer ready for travel this year. When DH opened the bumper (carefully and sloooowly) he discovered two nests complete with baby birdies, one on either side of the bumper. Awww!
Cute, but we couldn’t travel with them tucked into the bumper. The birdies had to go. Since they weren’t flying out I thought their chances for surviving moving their nests and after was pretty slim. R3 was determined to save all her babies and insisted on being the one who moved them. Armed with a large trowel and thick rubber gloves she began to gently scoop them out. Well, the birds were older than we thought and most took flight out of the bumper as soon as she began. The rest waited until she scooped them out and then launched themselves off the trowel and into the air. Yay!!!! After scrubbing and Lysoling everything, we sealed the drain holes in the bumper with steel wool this time and hopefully won’t have to deal with birds next year.
Yes, having a travel trailer comes with a unique set of challenges, but it is worth it. We can get close to trail heads, stay in pretty campgrounds, and we don’t have to lug suitcases and pack/unpack in hotels. More importantly, we make memories sitting around campfires eating s’mores and playing card games together around the table until late at night. Much better than staring at the tv in a hotel room or cabin.
Remember, faith works!
Celebrate Adventures
The last few weeks have been very busy here at the Pearce Place, full of celebrations and adventures.
One of the things taking up most of my time has been my adventures, or rather misadventures, with my wonky eyes. I have a condition that causes a layer in the retina, the Bruch’s membrane, to mineralize and crack. From there it proceeds like wet macular degeneration- fragile new blood vessels grow, leak or bleed, scars form and vision is lost. I went in for a six month checkup with the retina specialist and got a clean bill of health. One year since my last Lucentis injection and my eyes were stable. Time to celebrate!!!! Unfortunately, about a week later I noticed a frosted glass blob in my vision. Yippee! Another visit with the R.S.. I repeated all the fun tests again and sure enough he found subretinal fluid- bummer. I had to have more Lucentis, but it had been over a year so insurance had to reapprove it meaning I couldn’t get a shot that day. I have very light sensitive eyes and my eyes stay dilated well into the day after a visit, so I’ve spent quite a few days lately sitting indoors wearing sunglasses and being bored. Just part of the adventure!
Keeping our spirits high and our tummies full has been the birthday celebrations of R2 and R3.
R2 is two years and two days older than his sister, R3. His favorite color has always been orange, he loooooves barbeque so we celebrated his b-day with his Grams at Summit barbeque.
R4’s current favorite color is blue and she loves pasta and insisted we go to Zio’s to celebrate. For a birthday treat she spent the day shopping with her Grams. She had a blast. Unfortunately, as she was pulling Grams’ car into the garage she miscalculated and now the car door must be repaired. Adventures and celebrations go hand in hand, and not always as we plan….
Happy Birthdays kiddos!!
Along with eye appointments and birthdays the past few weeks, we also celebrated the wonderful adventures inherent in owning and maintaining a travel trailer. But that is a whole other story and post….
Remember, faith works!
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Sunny Bunny
I asked my daughter, R3, for help titling this little guy and she immediately said “Sunny Bunny”. Awesome! That was exactly the feeling I was trying for when I painted him. It has been rainy and gloomy here and the whole family came down with the plague. Blechhhh!
There is nothing better than splashing a bunch of bright sunny paint around to get rid of the gloomies! And for me nothing says Spring better than a nice sunny bunny!
Remember, faith works!!
