Tweet, Tweet

| Christina Lorraine Young (a.k.a. seena)

Do you ever feel like being creative, but are too tired or wired to start from scratch? Then you force yourself and you end up hating what you’ve done? The flow just isn’t there? I like to be prepared for those moments, because I hate hating my creations. There are no mistakes in art I keep telling my daughter, but tired and wired (at least for me) only strengthens my inner critic.

When I sit at my art desk and am not sure where to start, I like to play with stamps and create some custom artwork. Below I used Dina Wakley’s bird stamps and Dyan Reaveley’s leaf border stamps. I added branches with Golden acrylic ink in Quinacridone / Nickel Azo Gold #2301, one of my all-time favourite colours. I got a lot of oohs and ahhs as I was working on it, but I promise you it’s really quite simple to do! And man, do I love these birds!

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Now the birds are singing. Planning to add branches under the birds.

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Prepping for Travel, Part 2

| Christina Lorraine Young (a.k.a. seena)

Once I got all that stamping out of my system I still had to narrow down my resources. Thankfully, I wasn’t flying so I could load up my suitcase. I like things to be organized or they get lost easily.  I found matching toiletry bags which hold the basics. Then I have a large tote for notebooks and paper as well as pens organized in lots of cases!

What containers do you use when you are making art on the move? I’d love to know what works for you!

Prepping for Travel, Part 1

| Christina Lorraine Young (a.k.a. seena)

I’ll be away from home for a bit and, as I’m sure you can relate, I can’t go a day without making art. Being spoiled with a studio at home, how does one decide what precious resources to bring along? When inspiration strikes, the needed supplies must be at hand.

I got a new art journal (Moleskin) for 50% off on the weekend (ridiculous bargain!!) and wanted to bring it with me. Here are some (bad) photos of some images I’m laying down so I don’t have to bring every stamp with me. There are still plenty of blank pages for when none of my stamping inspires me!

Check back to see how I’m packing my inks and other art supplies. How do you prep for making art when on the move? Share your tips in the comment section below!

Just Wandering?

| Christina Lorraine Young (a.k.a. seena)

I made my own art journal using hot press water-colour paper and it’s wonderful to work in. The video tutorial, by the wonderful Teesha Moore, is on my Youtube channel. I find that higher quality acrylic paints (Golden, Tri-Art) are easier to write on because my pens don’t get caked up in paint so they write fluidly on the acrylic background. I’d love it if you’d leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Under the Sea

| Christina Lorraine Young (a.k.a. seena)

Do you have a plan when you sit down for some creative time? I usually don’t. This time, however, I knew I wanted to use this fish stamp. My first inking though, was upside down. That’s the silver fish. Since it’s one of my art journals, it’s a little hard to throw out. I was challenged to come up with an idea. What to do? Give her a mate and have them pucker up. (I drew in the pucker.) The rest of the page just flowed (pardon the water pun) after that. I think my favourite part is the glossy bubbles.

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Is It Crap?

| Christina Lorraine Young (a.k.a. seena)

Funny thing about art. It’s subjective. That’s why, I think, it takes so much courage to be an artist. You confront the blank page with colour and line and say here. Here is what I think is beautiful/cool/interesting/uplifting/inspiring/worthy. Someone else will look at that exact same piece and say, ‘that’s crap.’ I looked at the piece below that I created in my art journal and said  it: crap. I started off experimenting with some ideas, hated them, and then kept trying to ‘fix’ it with what turned out to be many layers of, well, layers.

Here’s the funny thing. A few people (not everyone, mind you) have looked at this page that I think is crap and shared that it’s one of their favourites. WHAT?? So I ask you, do you love it or hate it? Indulge my curiosity. Take my poll below and weigh in. No hard feelings, I promise.

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