A nut for journals, I started a self-portrait-a-day and learned a few things. I like to create each one in a new medium. My first surprise was working in black Akua intaglio ink from Speedball. You just roll this ink on a Gelli plate, put a soft cloth on your finger and wipe. You can work with semi-stiff brushes as well on this monotype.A beautiful demonstration of this is Art Professor Demos Gelli Plates & Monotype Printmaking - YouTube.I highly recommend the viewing on YouTube by Art Prof: Create and Critique. So Pro! Eager to use the medium and clean up with only baby wipes, I messed up the nose and mouth. Solution: paint on a mask. I need some shadows and a design for the fabric. (Click to enlarge)
Next I thought I would try a watercolor as the first piece in my journal. I find watercolor not easy, but I did this in about ten minutes before bedtime with my little acryla gouache portable paint kit. I felt free, and I thought it a sweet effort. You don't want all portraits to look the same and certainly not like me!
The important thing is to leave paper and tools out so you can do art work ten minutes a day. I had a block about going into the studio to paint. Then I read something that made me think it is more important to paint or draw lots (quantity over quality) and not worry about what anyone thinks. This has been so much fun to just create and not worry about any comments. Periodically, quality will appear! Waiting, waiting! I have also started to work on some stitching-on-paintings projects to share later.
