So, I don't know what rock I've been hiding under but I never heard of #MerMay before and I love mermaids!! So, knowing my record for lack of finishing a monthly draw a day goal, I'll give this a shot and see how far I get. Again, doing it on my iPad using Sketchbook and the prompts:
I put the "prompt" out there, you'll just have to give it a go as to where I took it..sometimes to a whole unrecognizable level, lol But in my head there was a idea/story attached....just trust me on that. 😜
#1 Snooty
#2 Precocious
#3 Racy
#4 Star Wars
#5 fluid
#6 Rocked
#7 Pirate
#8 Masculine
#9 Wander
#10 Sweetheart #11 Rebel
#12 strange
OK, so I peaked at the Mer-nana, lol I just have to admit I don't do well at drawing the same subject matter day in and day out, but I did learn some new features and how to use them on my iPad so I still think it's a win! Linking up to Paint Party Friday
Hahnemühle sent me a wonderful set of 30 Cold Pressed watercolor postcards that came in this beautiful limited edition tin, perfect for both wet and dry techniques. I love sending out postcards much like snail mail art where the outside can be enjoyed by every person who touches the card.
I thought delving into some Etegami would be perfect.
Now I am not going to even pretend that they are true Etegami but more like a nod to Etegami, lol
(Etegami principles that I kinda used are all noted in red.)
A simple, hand-painted image — outlines in black ink and filled in with watercolor.
Now, anyone who knows me, knows I love to outline so this part was easy enough. I did use my bamboo pen and tried to not be precise and to not worry about any bleeding since the
Motto of etegami – heta de ii, heta ga ii translated means
"Clumsiness is no problem.
Clumsy makes it better.”
Something that sounds simple but is one of the hardest things for me to achieve. I would have started over after the india ink bled under the stencil but then I wouldn't have used my supplies in the way that I did and for this I just smiled.
Generally, use no more than three colors.
Etegami always includes words and I love to add words to my art although I do try and write them as best I can, Etegami forgives less than perfect lettering.
“Etegami (e=”picture” tegami=”letter”)
are simple drawings accompanied by a few apt words, done on a soft absorbent postcards. They are meant to be mailed off to one’s friends, not hoarded. They often depict some ordinary item from everyday life.
In Japan, people do not sign; They use stamps.
They are called Han or Hanko, and every individual in Japan has one.
Jerry’s Artarama ( looks like a better deal ) The postcards are excellent quality and they came with the address field on the other side so they make for a very professional presentation. I've been in love with the Hahnemüle watercolor paper for awhile now and their watercolor postcards are equal in quality. The artist on the cover of the tin is Alexa Dila, urban sketcher from Berlin, Germany
And if anyone wants to see pictures of Blossom,
my fiberglass bear I painted for charity please visit here 😊
The pictures were all taken before Blossom got her shiny polycoat but I just wanted to show her off a bit. :)
I like to use as much symbolism as I can so here is a little more in depth pictures and what the symbols mean:
The bee symbolizes community, brightness and personal power. Follow the bee to discover your new destination.
Butterflies are deep and powerful representations of life:
endurance, change, hope
gnomes are subterranean spirits who guard the earth's treasures
fairies symbolize the paranormal powers of the spirit or the extraordinary capacities of the imagination: to create in the imagination what can never be realized in the actual world.
mushrooms also represent rapid growth and good fortune
feathers generally symbolize an ascension and spiritual evolution to a higher plane
StencilGirl® stencils really helped make the process faster and more creative!
Tonight is a busy night, we get to reveal our bears that we worked on for 2 months! It's a fairly big event with both local and tourists coming out to see the 2018 bears which will grace the sidewalks of our downtown area for the summer before being auctioned off for charity.
Here is a little sneak peek of my bear and yes, I used my stencil, the Musical Notes Mandala on it. I just couldn't resist!
And if you leave me a comment, I'll send one lucky winner the stencil!
I'll be posting more pictures of the bears later this week, but before I go let me announce the winner from last week!
Congratulations Amy Martin!
Send me your address with Music Geek in the subject to
I would like to thank everyone for leaving me such wonderful comments about my new line of stencils, you all made my day! This is a dream come true for me to be designing stencils and I would love to hear from you. What stencil would you like to see me design next? Leave me a comment and I will send you my Music Geek stencil :) as a thank you!
My winner from last week is:
Elon QP
Thanks Elon for leaving me a comment over on my Youtube channel, please send me your address information at sandeesetliff@yahoo.com with TEACUP in the subject line and I will send you the teacup and doily stencils.
I need to apologize to everyone from last week, I didn't get to comment at all, but it has been a whirlwind of activity with the new stencil release! You can go here to see them all.
Tea has existed as a beverage since 2000 B.C. The brewing, serving, and drinking of tea are time-honored rituals throughout the world. Tea improves mental clarity and focus which bolsters our creative juices. It also promotes a calming sensation, and it makes you quite meditative. You can use this tea cup in your art journal or send it to someone on a homemade card. The little tea bag tag is perfect for a sentiment or a design.
Doilies back in the 19th century were practical to protect the furniture from scratches and wear, were conversation pieces and of course showed the talent and taste of the lady of the house. Still practical, you can continue to repeat this design for backgrounds tobuild up layers of texture and pattern in art journaling, mixed media, or use with the tea cup stencil to create a cozy setting.
Until the early 20th century, tea was sold loose. Tea bags were invented quite by accident in 1904 when Thomas Sullivan, an enterprising merchant, wrapped samples of tea leaves in silk bags and sent them to prospective customers, some of whom dipped the bags directly into boiling water. Use the tea bag tag for journaling or for writing a sentiment. Great for both art journaling or for homemade cards.
It happens to nearly everyone: You hear a bit of a pop song on your way to work and it gets "stuck" in your head all day.Whether you are a music enthusiast or not, the best way you can express your feelings, anger, love, passion, joy and other kinds of feelings is simply through music. Use this stencil to express your emotions creatively in your art journal/mixed media works of art.
Music can bring people in our world together in many ways. Rhythm and music abound in nature all around us – the rhythmic drumming of the surf, the measured meter of rain, the winds, the melodic tunes of song birds and is anatural means of self expression. Mandalas offer balancing visual elements, symbolizing unity and harmony. Painting, coloring or drawing mandalas allows for our creative brain to come out and play.
Music can reach almost any emotion in us and bring it out and music can help us to express ourselves creatively.Music is in everything around us and you can use this stencil to incorporate the way music touches you whether by journaling inside the circle or by using it in your art journaling/mixed media to create subliminal messages because music helps us find the words we sometimes can't say.
Leave me a comment on the StencilGirl® blog for an extra chance to win!
