A little help from my friends!

I am ever so thankful for a virtual BOATLOAD of creative friends! January felt like it lasted 72 days this year, I've not been in a creative place in my head, and I was struggling to figure out something you gals might want to read about!

Luckily I signed up for Creative Jumpstart this year and boy did it do the trick!! I love the format of daily short videos and our fabulous Mary Beth Shaw is one of the instructors. Watching those helped get me out of my funk and inspired.

Another dear friend, Andrea Chebeleu, who owns and operates A Work of Heart Studio in San Jose, CA is an instructor in the series showcasing her project going all mixed media on a zippered canvas bag.

She and I love sharing class curriculums with each other as we are on opposite sides of the country and run the same kind of businesses.  I had a stash of canvas bags from previous conversations with her and thought my take on gussying one up might be a fun project.

Debi Adams is yet another special buddy, and when her line of mushroom-themed stencils came out, I swooned.  Aren't they adorable?!?!

Check your local art/craft store for the bags otherwise they are readily available on Amazon.

In a rare moment of restraint (for me) I chose a neutral color palette with my fav Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paints. I used Debi's Tall Skinny Mushrooms L749 for one side of the pouch and chose a little trio of mushrooms from her ATC Mixup: Toadstools L748 for the other side. I highlighted with the eggshell color after stenciling with the neutral browns.

And, being me, I had to add a little stitching. I choose the mushroom with the longest stem and outlined it with backstitch with variegated floss. I used a little satin stitch on the cap.

On the opposite side, I decorated the mushroom caps using a different color and stitch for each one. I made French Knots, Cross Stitches and tiny Seed stitches on give them a little oomph.

On my second pouch, I decided I'd like a little color and used a scraper to spread on teals and greens on both sides. Using another ATC from Debi's Toadstool Mixup L738, I stenciled the same way, but also added highlights using a white pen. When adding highlights, I always try to imagine where the light source is and from what direction it's hitting my subject. I also added a few cross stitches to one cap.

On the other side of the painted pouch, I decided to use another friend's stencil, Valerie Sjodin's gorgeous Leafy Doodle Border L736. She was so clever in designing it! I used eggshell on top on my teal background for the top, the neutral on the green with the leaves, then went back to Debi's ATC sampler for the "Groovy" which finished it up quite well!

What a treat to borrow ideas and inspirations from so many creative friends. Now, to fill those pouches with art supplies.... xoxoxo

Carry It: Zippered Art Pouch

Hi Friend! If you ask me, you can never have too many art pouches. I use them for my pens, pencils, misc art supplies, even to store and carry smaller stencils. So when I was presented with the Carry It challenge, I just knew it was the perfect opportunity to create another art pouch.

I found a pack of these blank, zippered pouches on Amazon, a while back so I used one of these. I started by taping off the zipper and hardware to keep it paint free.

Next, I busted out my biggest gel plate. This one measures 12x14 and is perfect for a job of this size. I first gave one side a base layer of color by pressing it down onto my gel plate, just as if it was a piece of paper. I did the same thing to the pouch strap.

Then I just flipped it over and painted the other side by pressing it down onto my gel plate again.

With both sides colored, it was time for my favorite step... stenciling! I used the Create Face stencil by Pam Carriker to create my focal point. This stencil measures 6x6 so it was the perfect size for the project.

 After stenciling on the face and hair, I stenciled on the body, using the same stencil. I also added some background texture using the Thicket Background stencil by Trish McKinney.

 To add a little more interest to my art pouch, I used Vintage Typewriter Numbers by Carolyn Dube and Hash Marks by Marybeth Shaw.

To add just a bit more contrast, I used my fave white Sharpie for a little mark making.

Lastly, I stenciled the pouch strap, again using the Thicket Background stencil.

And done! All that was left to do was add a few art supplies and toss my new art pouch into my bag for some art on the go.

Thanks for following along. Wishing you a week full of art and full of whimsy.
xo,
Belen
Art & Whimsy

Carry it: Silvia's Watercolor Pouch DIY

Hello, Silvia here, with a quick project to carry watercolor gear wherever you need or want to go.  

I recently took a series of classes to learn how to better use Golden paints and mediums with Amy Shawley Paquette.  They got me very excited to improve my skills and be able to work wherever the mood struck.

This plain pouch was the perfect size for a palette, 4x4 board, brushes, and a water container.

I used the Soulful Scribbles Dots Dash Stencil by Traci Bautista and a foam roller to apply two colors (turquoise and magenta) that I let mix on the roller and across the stencil.

After stenciling both sides, I then sprayed both sides with TintIT fuschia and chartreuse. 

Then I took paint markers and added dots and outlines.

I hope this inspires you to take on your own decorative project to carry your art supplies. 

Best wishes and Happy Trails,

Silvia

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