Selena Inspired Mixed Media Art

Hi everyone!!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Mother's Day.  I've been busy working on a new canvas and I'm finally ready to share it with you.  This piece is inspired by a beautiful photo I found on Pinterest of the late Tejano music singer Selena.

Selena Quintanilla Perez 1971 - 1995

This is my interpenetration of the photo.  I decided to give her angel wings which proved to be a challenge for me but first let me show you how I started.

I'm using a 12x24" canvas.  I added scraps of blueprints, book text and joint tape backing to the background using matte gel medium.

 Next I applied a thin layer of gesso and then chose my paint colors.

Using the photo as a guide, I sketched her out.

I always start with the flesh tones and then start adding the eyes and hair.  I go keep going over the colors with highlights and shadows until I get a look that I like.

I've never done angel wings but I really wanted to add them so I decided to just go for it.

It took me about four tries before I was happy with the wings.  I wanted share pics of my first two tries but I couldn't get the files to save properly.  This was my 3rd attempt and my guys kept telling me it looked like she was wearing a feather boa, lol.  So I went back to the drawing board.

I followed my son's advice and added a top bone then varied the sizes of the feathers.  Of course he still had constructive criticism to share, lol.  He even drew examples for me to follow :D

I think she turned out gorgeous!

I added hidden sugar skulls like this one in her bangle.

For even more texture, I stamped roses, flourishes and musical notes to the background.

Here's a look at the two together.

I'm not sure if anyone would recognize this as Selena but that's okay because she's a stunner either way.  Thanks so much for stopping by today and remember:

Keep Calm
and
Bidi Bidi
Bom Bom!!

Light the World

I just finished up tonight's painting.  Its a 11x14 canvas and the sentiment is "You are the Light of the World".  I started this painting yesterday and I had no idea what I was gonna paint so I picked out a yellow color and immediately thought, I need circles.  Then I thought green would be a good backdrop for my circles, from there I just started looking through my stash of scraps and found left over pieces of sheet music (I can't throw any scraps away, no matter how small, I always think I can use it somewhere).  I added the doily that I used as a stamp on my last painting and the embellishment on top.  The button is an earing I found at a garage sale.  I stamped on part of the sentiment and wrote in "Light".  That's it, I have to say I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

I used Golden Fluid Acrylics: Green Gold & Yellow Oxide, Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic: Indian Yellow & Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue, Grumbacher Gouache: Burnt Sienna, Cray-Pass Oil Pastel: Teal and Higgins Black Magic Ink

Added the scraps of sheet music I used on another painting and attached them using Golden Gel Medium

I added the doily I used to stamp my last painting and flower I cut from My Mind's Eye Laundry Line.  I inked the edges of the flowes with Tim  Holz Distress Ink: Vintage Photo

The embellishment is from Me & My Big Ideas, Soft Spoken

The wheel is an earing I found at a garage sale

Thanks for looking!!

My Very 1st Art Journal Page

Good Morning!  I hope you're enjoying your Saturday.  I've got a busy day of errands ahead of me but I wanted to share some art with you before I head out.  This is the very 1st art journal page I ever did and it was my 1st try at mixed media art.  I used patterned scrapbook paper from my scraps stash, rubons, india ink, acrylic and gouache paints.

Have a Wonderful Day!!

Do What You Love

Finally finished this painting up.   The sentiment was inspired by my new friend Christina.  It's a 11x14 canvas, I used a piece of tile that I found in our backyard, a doily, printed packing tape, vintage sheet music, acrylics, gouache, gel medium, cardstock and rubons.  Christina thanks for the inspiration, I hope you like it:

   I used Golden Fluid Acrylics:Quinacridone Magenta & Primary Magenta then I added in Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic in Naphthol Crimson

This is Golden Fluid Acrylic: Titanium White

I used printed packing tape that I found in Michael's Dollar area and sealed it with Golden Regular Gel Matte.

   

 I add some Creative Imaginations rubons and some Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic in Ivory Black

This is the broken piece of tile I found.  I thought the back had an interesting pattern so I added some Golden Fluid Acrylic in Yellow Oxide with my brayer and stamped it on my canvas

I also used a doily as a stamp with my Ivory Black paint and bubble wrap with Gumbacher Gouache in Cerulean Blue

The letters are rubons that I put on white cardstock and inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink is Black Soot then attached with Golden Gel Medium

Thanks for checking it out!

Getting a little painting in tonight

I was feeling inspired after our Scout awards banquet so I started on a new project.  This is what I have so far, I'm waiting for the gel medium to dry.  I started by applying white gesso to the canvas with a palette knife then I used a q-tip to draw some designs into the gesso.  Next I used some Liquitex soft body acrylic (color: unbleached titanium) and finally applied pieces of sheet music.  I wanted to just transfer the print but it wasn't working for me tonight so I just tore it up and glued them on instead.  Not sure where I'm going from here but I'm sure I'll figure it out once my glue dries up ;o)

I used the gel medium to adhere the sheet music

Finally Friday - Pennies From Heaven

Happy Friday!  Where the heck did the week go?! 

Well, weekends are usually family time and I don't really get to paint or scrap so I thought I dig into my art journal for today's post.  This is a page I did back in August soon after I started to dabble into Mixed Media Art.  It was inspired by my niece Sarah who plays the sax and is section leader for the Goin Band (Texas Tech University - "Wreck 'Em Tech").  I used the sheet music from one of her final exams in my background and the heart pin belonged to my Mother, whom she looks a lot like.  The sentiment is from the lyrics of  "Pennies from Heaven"

Life is Beautiful

Tonight I'm just having fun!  I thought my last few paintings were a little dark so I wanted to brighten things up a bit.  These are colors that make me happy and I REALLY love.

Hand painted scrolls were done free hand

This is Golden's Cobalt Teal fluid Acrylics then layered with Cerulean Blue Gouache

I really wanted to just stop here cuz I really loved the blues.  I thought about just adding a sentiment and calling it a day but I ended up adding more, lol.

     

Love

I'm on a roll!  I got another one done :o) This one has some cardboard, a manila tag that I painted, fabric stickers, scrapbook paper and rub ons.

Well, I think that's it for today cuz the laundry isn't gonna fold itself and my guys are out of socks!

Blessings

I was working on this painting on Thursday when we received the call from our son saying the baby was coming and they were already at the hospital.  We grabbed our stuff, picked up our youngest from school and then went straight to the hospital.  It was a long night and finally at 3:00 am our grand daughter was born.  She's the first girl in our family so we are all very excited.  Our son gave my husband the perfect birthday gift.  Unfortunately she's having a bit of trouble and is in the NICU, but luckily it's nothing major and she should be released very soon.  With all the excitement of her birth and my husband's birthday, I hadn't had a chance to get back to painting until today.  In light of everything that's happened over the last few days, I knew my sentiment had to be "Blessings" in honor of our newest addition :o)

I used a page from an old hymn book we found at an antique shop, scraps of scrapbooking paper and buttons that belonged to my Mom.



The hymn is "The Lord Bless You and Keep You".  I also used a stamp that reads, " For He Will Command his Angels concerning You to Guard You in all your Ways" Psalms 91:11





The hearts are actually the negative space of 12x12 scrapbook paper.  The orange paper was is in my scrap stash.