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My goal is to spread the joy and ease of the creative life through weekly posts, how-to videos, personal stories, photos, bits of inspiration, & my greatest passion, art journaling.

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    Friday
    03Jul

    {things i have learned: june 23 - july 3}

    DateFriday, July 3, 2009 at 08:38PM

     

    1. Smearing a bit of gesso over stick-on letters makes them look "aged" or "grunged." This is an improvement, since their stark blackness made me not want to use them in my artwork. Now, I can finally use the sheets and sheets I have hanging around the studio!

    2. It is July! What does July mean to you? I think of hot summer days, water wars as a child, juicy watermellon, smelling like chlorine from swimming too much, hanging out with friends, road trips, old commutes with no air conditioning, the opressive heat of a Chicago summer, the Taste!, fireworks, sparklers, and the 4th. I think I'll journal all about that on this journal page.

    3. Endings are sad. A piece I've been working on is nearly finished, and I'm sad to see the end. When I started, I used my standard "write 1000 words a day!" ploy to keep me going even when I was dead tired. But now, it's less about getting the standard day's words out and more about writing the final list of scenes down. Three remain. The entire thing's topping off at 30,000 words; and no, it's not art related. If you've managed to find my LiveJournal, I'm pretty sure you know what it's about. ;) Yay for re-writes, though!

    4. I love sewing onto canvas! This is my second painting with buttons sewn on, but now, I'm sewing the thicker pieces to the canvas! I don't know where this came from, but I want to stitch, stitch, stitch! I have to run out and get some more embroidery thread, as my stash has been used up and I need new colors!8"x8" mixed-media on canvas. available.

    5. My journal pages kill pens. I have purchased a disposable fountain pen to see if that will work on the pages. If not, I have been writing with pencil lately and it's not all that bad!

    6. I meet the best people through blogging and creating videos. An email I recieved a few days ago has lead to a conversation that is helping to boost my confidance about possibly authoring a book. This is a topic I know nothing about; must do some research this week.

    Authorkira | Comment5 Comments |
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    Wednesday
    01Jul

    {vid: doodles and colors}

    DateWednesday, July 1, 2009 at 05:20PM
    Authorkira | Comment8 Comments |
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    Tuesday
    30Jun

    {OOOPS is okay!}

    DateTuesday, June 30, 2009 at 01:32PM

    walking -- journaled

    After doing this journal page (on one of my journal jumps released last week), I figured out what I was going to film for this week's video.

    So, I sat down, aligned the camera, and started doing my thing. I got totally into it, singing along to the music playing in the background. It was a little hard to write from an angle, but the handwriting looks really cool, so yay!

    But when I finished and looked up at the display, it was flashing TAPE END. OH NO! When did the tape end? How much of my doodling did I get? Will it still work as a vid?

    It cut off the rest of me writing, but you get all the drawing! And coloring! Oh, the hazards of making vids....

    I've been so busy with online stuff, life stuff, scanning-for-the-zine stuff, I haven't painted in DAYS. I spend all this time in the studio, but never get my hands messy. Sometimes, the life of an artist is administrative, not creative, but it's killin' me. In order to create more, I need to do more, but then I'm not creating! At least I worked in my journal today. Isn't that what really matters?

    Authorkira | Comment3 Comments |
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    Wednesday
    24Jun

    {introducing journal girl designs!}

    DateWednesday, June 24, 2009 at 11:35AM

    journal girl designs

    I am please and excited to announce my newest venture into digital products! The lovely Roben-Marie of Paperbag Studios asked me to create journal jumps for her shop -- 8"x10" printable journal pages all ready for you to collage and journal on. I've been waiting weeks to let you all see what I've created, and hope to be making more in the future!

    Check out this post on the Paperbag Studios blog for all the juicy info.

    Authorkira | Comment5 Comments |
    in
    Tuesday
    23Jun

    {being mindful when playing in the studio}

    DateTuesday, June 23, 2009 at 07:37PM

    the journey. 6"x9" mixed media. available.

    How are ya? Things going well?

    Here in the Kira Studio, I've been working away on journal pages, little paintings, and other assemblage projects. I'm trying to get things scanned and cataloged before it's all packed away. One of the issues I'm having is that I have too many paintings just hanging around! Well, not really -- they're tucked in a box with my completed journals. While I ADORE painting, they certainly do take up more space than a journal page!

    I've also been thinking a lot about the products and supplies I use and their impact on the environment as well as myself. After posting one of my videos, Kelly Kilmer emailed me, concerned about how I use my hands to paint a lot. She warned me of the dangerous chemicals in some of the colors, told me which ones to avoid (cadmium and chromium) and suggested I use a hand barrier cream that would protect my hands (and is a damn nice moisturizer!).

    Yesterday, I read through Karen Michel's book, Green Guide for Artists, surprised by some of the chemicals and compounds in the stuff I use! Like petroilum as a binder in acrylics, the dangers of some pigments, and VOCs. While I don't think I'll go as far as her and make my own paints, etc, I am now working next to an open window, using the barrier cream, and really paying attention to what I'm using.

    I think this may be a complication created by not ever taking an art class to learn these basics. I want to have fun and try new things, but I also want to be mindful of what's going on my skin, what I'm breathing in, and what's going into the air. I think we ALL can take steps to do this -- stay healthy and creative, my dears!

    flower-glow

    I've uploaded a BUNCH of paintings to flickr. All but one is available for purchase, price negotiable (ie, what you can afford!). They really, really love living here, but want to explore the world, too!

    Authorkira | Comment2 Comments |
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