Gelli Print Birds

Those of us who enjoy using our Gelli Plates know that it's very easy to accumulate an enormous pile of them very quickly.  So, what to do....what to do.....make some birds, of course.

(Excuse the photos.  They are actually much more colorful.)

I started out by attaching the, cut up, gelli prints to a 10" X 10" canvas with Liquitex Matte Medium.

I used the Donna Downey Mini Numbers Repeat stencil and latch hook rug mesh with black paint, randomly, around the canvas.

Then, using a white charcoal pencil, I sketched my birds.

I painted around the birds with Pool Blue craft paint.

More stencilling with Donna Downey Scribble Script, a chickenwire type stencil, bubble wrap and a rubber stamp to create more background texture.

I outlined the birds with a Stabilo All pencil, then went over it with a water brush.  Painted the eyes with gesso and pool blue.  Shaded with a charcoal pencil. Then painted the edges of the canvas with black paint and ran a line of black charcoal to define the edges.

This is a quick and easy project.  I'd like to try some different animals.

Peace,

Cyndi

My Greeting Card Series

I made a couple collages awhile back.  They're hanging on my wall and I've been looking at them thinking what great cards they would be.

    AND

So, I made little miniature collages on blank cards.  I used paper that I had stamped, washi tape, book pages, and cut out pictures.  I glued everything down with a glue stick.  Then, I sponged some pan pastel around the edges.  I am pretty pleased with them.

 

 

I think that they would make cute postcards too.

As I write this post, I'm realizing that my ipad camera might not be cutting it anymore.  I have 2 other cameras, but it is just so easy to use my ipad and the pictures used to be so crisp.  But, as  you can see, above, they aren't looking so good.  Oh well!!

A Bedroom with a View

I am very fortunate to live in a natural setting. My husband and I live on 5 acres in north Florida. When my husband purchased the property 35 years ago, there wasn't a tree in sight. Over the years, he planted cedars, sycamores, magnolias, oaks, and pines. Now our yard is home to lots of birds, squirrels, rabbits, turtles, a couple racoons, a fox, and our chickens. We have also had a couple cows, 6 goats, and a pig. (the pig was before my time).

Every day, I enjoy my morning coffee from my bedroom balcony. It's much more entertaining than TV. There are so many birds and they are so close to me in the tree branches. This morning I saw 2 beautiful little birds that I had never seen before. Tiny little birds with bright blue backs and bright red fronts - adorable. Then I heard the familiar knocking sound so I knew that there was a woodpecker nearby. Actually, there were two. I have two types of woodpeckers in my yard - the small brown ones and the large "woody woodpecker" ones. This morning I had two "woody woodpeckers" about 12 inches tall with large, bright red plumes. They were going crazy on the same tree. Bark was flying everywhere.

Then "the three stooges" came onto the scene. I have lots of squirrels all the time, but there are 3 squirrels in particular that seem to hang together in the mornings and they are crazy little daredevils. They will hang by one tiny fingernail off the end of a branch to reach a nut. They fly from tree to tree without any hesitation at all. I guess they are just as used to the trees as I am to my house.

The first time that I visited New York City, I knew that I had lived there in another life. Everything felt so familiar to me. I just automatically knew which way to go. I have always wanted to live there. But, if I lived in NYC, I would never experience the joy that I feel every morning from the porch off my bedroom.

Have a beautiful Saturday!

The View from my Room