Updating Those Canvas Bags

If you're like me, over the years you've collected little tote bags...some have logos - some are plain .. but they all seem to pop up here and there.

Now, I'm not one to recycle (SSSHHHH!!!) but while cleaning up my basement, I kept moving a pile of canvas bags from one chair to another ... and I just decided I'd join the wave of bag toting ditching the plastic grocery tote folks.

I normally start with a pencil sketch ... I'e used transfer pencils, charcoal pencils and reg ol' number 2 pencils.

Now I know there are tons of fabric paints out there on the market ... but I ditched those long ago in favor of plain acrylic paint. These bags will be used to tote groceries to and from ... and will most likely rarely see the washing machine. The first layers, I'll scrub in to my fabric with water and glazing medium. I've found glazing medium to work wonderfully in sealing the paint into the fabric, while keeping the painted surface pliable.

Shading on fabric, at least for me, is just as easy as on paper. This is where I left off with my tote last night ... I'll post the finished bag soon!

Here is a pic of another canvas messenger bag that I painted last weekend .. . I love painting on fabric - and painting on canvas is actually my favorite.

For Sherise ... Painting Faces

This is for Sherise who commented on my double canvas post regarding painting with acrylics and darker skintones. I haven't done a video in a while - I need to get back to them - but here is a video I have on my youtube channel where I'm painting a face :

Double Canvas in Progress

Can you believe we are beginning the sixth month of the year!!!! I know I need to kick some things up a notch - the year is 1/2 way complete!! ...so not one to let time go a-wasting ... I'm working on my double canvas today - and so far so good.

Have a great weekend everyone~

Custom Order Completed!

A few months back I received an email from a fellow small business owner - she loved my painted journals and wanted to know if I could paint her logo on a journal for her. In exchange, she would send me some of her products - the equivalent value. I LOVE to barter, so I said yes. I posted my step by steps here ... but refrained from posting the finished jurnal - as I wanted Adachi to be the first person to see it. She received the journal today - and happy to say - she loved it!

Today, I received my products from her ... and they are YUMMY~!!

You can see more of her products on her site, ANKH HOLISTIC HEALERS Developing relationships with fellow business owners is very rewarding and it's a wonderful way to share not only your services and/or products - but your knowledge, craft and ideas.

Keeping The Creative Fires Burning

I started something new ... this time I am painting on 2 5x7 canvas boards. I have an inkling of what I want the finished canvas' to look like ... but I am learning to just let it flow. Basecoating with Jo Sonja and a little glazing medium:

Doing a quick sketch with my charcoal pencil:

Melancholy ....

Her name is Melancholy ... and she is currently on my painting table. I promised myself this year that I would be truer to my art ... dig deeper ... be freer ... not there yet .. but getting there. It's all in her eyes, isn't it? :)

Something Fun Update

Around Mother's Day I posted my initial progress with an old surface I had laying around HERE. UPDATE:  I think I am closed to finished with this piece ... I messed up the front near the hydrangea and covered it up with all the colors that were on my palette ... and here is how I left off...

Here is the inside ...

Many are telling me they wouldn't want to cover up the design with paper plates ... I'm thinking it would be nice to hang on a wall and use the racks to drape something?...I dunno... what do you think?