Abstract Painting Series 01 - 11 x 15 inches on Watercolor Paper

Last night I started playing with some acrylic metallic paints with the same squeegee technique... this is what I came up with, I will work again with these paint colors on a couple of 12 x 12 inch gallery wrapped canvases next.

Abstract Painting Series 01 - Two 12 x 12 inch canvas

Here are the two 12 x 12 inch canvases I told you I was working on. I think they turned out pretty good. This is a photo, and not the best, I will try and find time later to scan them... but you get the basic idea from this. :)

Digital Art - Making Dinner

Several of the artist's blogs that I follow were either talking about Ipad apps, or digital art today, and it got me itching to play in photoshop for a little while this evening. Here is the original photo I took last year...

and here is what I did to it in photoshop:

I was going for a "color illustration feel" for this... like you would have found in a magazine back in the 1930's. I like the way it came out... I created this with several duplicate layers of the original photo, applying different filters and effects, and finally blending them together. That took care of that little itch... I'm ready to paint again tomorrow, if I have time.  :)

2nd Painting in series

This is the 2nd painting in the new series I am working on. Again I used the squeegee and same color palette as the first painting. I really like the way these are looking. Today I will switch over from paper to stretched canvas and see how that goes, I have a package of six 12 x 12 inch canvases that I got for Christmas that have been waiting for me to break open. (And I won't have to worry about framing them). :)

Here is what the two paintings look like together... I think they would look great hung together in one frame with two windows don't you?

Doodle All The Day!

(Click to see at a larger size)

Well, I started working on this last night while Jeff was watching tv, stayed up until 2am to get all the lines drawn in, don't ask, I just couldn't stop myself, it was like I HAD to get those lines in!... and worked on shading it off and on all day today. It's done, and it will be a long time before I do something like this again! However, I do think it's pretty cool, so it was worth it.

Art Nouveau Tree Doodle

Again, my thoughts turned to friends as I was looking for a stained glass window pattern to play with as a doodle. I found a fun Art Nouveau stained glass pattern of a Tree and thought of my friend Helen. This doodle was not quite as easy to work with, I did not want to loose all the wonderful details of the pattern itself... and then again, I also didn't want to give it so much thought that it became "work" rather than an enjoyable relaxing doodle. I had fun with this, and am happy with the way it came out.  :)

My little chickadee

I was looking for a pattern today to use as a foundation for a doodle, my friend Jean was on my mind, and I know how she loves birds, so I started looking for a bird pattern. I came across this cute little chickadee and thought it was just perfect for her. Check your email Jean, I sent you a high resolution scan. :)

Mixed Media Abstract Painting 1-20-12

I started working on this painting last night, I had made random strokes on the background with Titanium White, Unbleached Titanium and Cadmium Red Deep Hue (Liquitex Basics Acrylic Color Paints). This morning, I was checking out Matthew G Beall's Art blog, where he had posted a short video of himself painting... it inspired me to try working with a squeegee, and boy did I have fun! I added some black acrylic paint and moved it around the paper with the squeegee, then I let that dry... then I added some more of the Unbleached Titanium, moved that around the paper with the squeegee and let that dry. Then I added spots of the original three colors and moved them around the paper at the same time with the squeegee. After that dried, I did some work with a pencil, and then lastly added some Liquitex Black Lava and Liquitex White Flakes to give it some texture... I LOVE the way this came out, and I will be switching out one of my framed pieces I have hanging in my office with this new painting!

One thing I am wondering,  do you think it needs a going over the whole thing with a medium gel to even it out... the medium textures have a gel coating to them, and the rest of the painting looks flat... what do you think?

I wish I could come up with a cool name for this... any ideas?

4 New zentangle tiles

Here are four new zentangle tiles I created last night and this evening. I'm really excited about the two on the right. I had an idea to use stained glass window patterns as the foundation for the drawings, the two drawings on the right used them, and I really like the way they came out. Now I am going to start a new painting. :)

The Creator - Mixed Media Collage by Deb Ammerman

Well, it's finished... and I even used the "crackle" that I was slightly intimidated to use for fear it would spoil the painting, or worse yet, not work at all, and I would have a big brown glob at the bottom of my page... but it did work, and I LOVE how it looks! I love the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, it was in with one of the "Stampin' Up" sets I had from years ago, only it was too small, so I created a new copy with my computer and used that instead. I used acrylic paint instead of ink with the stamps up at the top, and then I added some pencil shading. I am so pleased with the way this came out. I'm so glad this actually turned into "something", and didn't just become a "cover me up with gesso and start all over again!" :)

4 new zen-tangle drawings

Pattern Credits: Lotus Pods by Margaret Bremner, Ixorus and Drupe by Zentangle, Baton by Carole Ohl, Antidots and 2-N-5 by Anita Roby-Lavery

I did a couple of these Zentangle "tiles" last night and this evening, they go pretty fast because they are only 3.5 x 3.5 inches. I am having so much fun with these, I really like adding the pencil shading to give them depth. 

Mixed Media Collage 04

My watercolor painting has officially become a mixed media collage as of last night. I did add some spashes of green watercolor, then came some of the Liquitex White Flakes and some straw (That I impulsively tore off the back of a decorative scarecrow I keep in my office... don't ask me, it just happened and I like it!) Not sure where this is going next, but it has been an interesting process so far... :)

Zentangle Tile

 This is my first Zentangle Tile. I found the patterns I used at a few of the ZCT blogs, The Bright Owl, Enthusiastic Artist , Shelly Beauch. and Lara Williams.


This morning, I made some 3.5 x 3.5 inch "tiles" out of vellum bristol board, and cut the corners off with this nifty little corner cutter thing I bought years ago for traditional scrapbooking projects. I am strongly considering becoming a Zentangle Certified Teacher at some time in the future, so I am going to spend the next few months exploring different web sites and learning as many of the patterns as I can... if after a few months, I am still as excited about the possibility of teaching the methods to others in workshops, I will purchase the starter kit, and start saving my pennies to become a ZCT.

Watercolor Painting in Progress 02

I had a little more time to myself last night, so I experimented with some "dripping" on the watercolor painting I showed you yesterday. I added some burnt umber, a little bit more of the crimson red and more water... I think it's coming along nicely. I might use this as a background for a collage... not sure yet... going to let it sit for a while.

Watercolor Painting in Progress

I had a little bit of time to myself this afternoon, so I was playing around with some watercolor paint on the watercolor block my Dad got me for Christmas. It was an exercise in mastering brush strokes, and seeing how the water paint and paper all played together. I added just a hint of crimson red, otherwise, it was only yellow ocher and water. I'm not sure where this is going yet, but I did have fun with it.

It's been a Busy week...

It's been a busy, busy week, two publications off to press, and two more in the works to go out on Monday... I've put in a ton of time, and am really feeling my age! Working 14 and 15 hour days used to be a whole lot easier than it is now! Matthew was thrilled to have a snow day from school today, and there is no school on Monday for the holiday, so he gets a really long weekend! I happened to look out my window this afternoon and saw the deer out by the pine trees in the front yard... grabbed my camera and got a couple of ok snap shots... the one posted here was my favorite. Hope you are all having a great week!

First Snow - First Collage 2012

 "First Snow" Collage by Deb Ammerman

I am so excited to show you my first collage for 2012, which is called "First Snow". First of all, I have to tell you about this product I found, I'm sure that you are going to laugh at me, because you have all probably seen these before, but it's new to me, so I got really excited when I saw them.It's a canvas I found that had a board under the canvas, and wooden sides. It's called The artist Panel for Oil and Acrylics. Cradled 3/4" Profile Canvas Texture 6"x12"... It's am Ampersand Product.... I am going to get more of these for sure! I have one more of them to play with that I got with a gift card from Christmas.

I used some water-colored paper from a painting I started, didn't like, but liked parts of it that I saved for collages, some beveled card stock and homemade papers from my scrap-booking supply stock, you will also see some of the black lava and white flakes paper that I used in a previous collage. I painted the canvas black with acrylic paint, and then coated everything with Golden Medium Polymer Medium (Gloss) and then ironed it all onto the canvas... I think I still need to get a varnish to cover the whole thing, but then it will be a ready to hang work, no frame needed! How cool is that!

Expressive Drawing - Lesson 2b - Detail

After I spray-fixed the beegeebees out of this, I scanned in a portion of it to show you the wonderful texture and markings up close from all the layers of paint and charcoal that are under the surface... I love the way it looks!

Expressive Drawing - Lesson 2b

  Expressive Drawing by Steven Aimone - Lesson 2b drawing by Deb Ammerman - Click to view larger

I've been working on this lesson (2b) from the Expressive Drawing book by Steven Aimone since last night and just finished it up this evening. I am glad that I "slept on it", because I really wasn't feeling very happy about it until I worked on it again tonight, adding the swirls, but I don't think I would have thought of it last night, and probably would have "obliterated" the whole thing with white paint and started over, after a good night's sleep, I had fun with this again, and feel good about the way it came out. :)

The photo really doesn't do this justice... tomorrow, after I spray this with some fixative, I might scan a portion of it to show you the wonderful texture that is built up under all those charcoal smudges, marks and strokes.

Expressive Drawing - Lesson 2

This is the drawing I did for Lesson 2 in Expressive Drawing by Steven Aimone. I had so much fun with this. I don't want to go into the details of what the lessons are, because I know some of you have the book but have not started to read it, and I don't want to spoil the fun for you. I will tell you that what ever you do with the lesson, your drawing will look nothing like mine. I created this with charcoal and white acrylic paint.... It was a blast!

What Has The Cat Gotten Into Now - Finished

It's 3am, and I just finished "What has the cat gotten into now"... It sure is easy to lose track of time when you're having fun! I'm off to catch some Zzzz's now.... btw, there has to be a mouse in there some where, don't you think? LOL... yes, there is... did you find it?

Expressive Drawing - Lesson 1

 (Expressive Drawing by Steven Aimore - Lesson 1 painting by Deb Ammerman)

I was recently reading a post by Karin Lynn Cumming at her blog, where she was talking about the books she purchased, I wrote the names down and headed for Barnes & Noble last night to use a gift card I got for Christmas. Of the two books she was talking about, only one of them was in stock, so it made my choice simple! I couldn't wait to get started on the first lesson as soon as I read what it was! I had such a great time with this! I need to get a bigger pad of paper for these lessons, but I used what I had on hand last night to create the abstract acrylic painting you see next to the book. We're meeting my Dad for dinner tonight so I will run into the art supply store and pick up a larger size pad of paper! I am so excited about this book! I even made Jeff do the first lesson! I could tell he was having fun by all the laughing he was doing!

 Here is the progress I have made on "What has the cat gotten into now" last night. I still have a ways to go on this... but I am having fun. :)

Watercolor Background for Marker Drawing

I started playing with some watercolors last night to use as a background for a new drawing. This is the watercolor background, and my basic shapes I created that I will work from... I will show you the finished drawing when I am done with it. :)

Abstract - Mother Nature

This was a quick 5 x 5 inch drawing I did tonight while I waited for a painting I am working on to dry. This drawing became Mother Nature very early on, so I brought her out.... do you see her? I really like the way this turned out. :)

Playing with Zentangles

I spent quite a bit of time yesterday looking at how to draw some more of the zentangle patterns (I found on the web) yesterday, this is the "sampler page" I created.

Happy New Year! Finished Mixed Medium

 (Click image to see at a larger size)

I hope you all are enjoying the first day of the new year as much as I am! I just finished the mixed medium piece I was working on yesterday with the soft pastel and medium gel background I showed you in my last post. First of all, I need to give credit to a site I have recently been exploring called Zentangle. Some of the patterns you will see in this drawing were shared most graciously at their site, so a big "Thank You" goes out to Zentangle and some of the Certified Zentangle® Teachers (Shelly Beauch, and the Enthusiastic Artist)  who share their work so freely on their own blogs... you will find a couple of the teachers blog links and the link to Zentangle in my blog list... great places to find inspiration, be sure to check them out! I also spent some time looking at the painting "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt for inspiration for this work.

Experimenting again :)

I started a new painting tonight. I wanted to see what would happen if I worked with soft pastels and painted over it with gel medium... This photo is horrid, and I will try to get a better one in the day-light, but I really like the way the pastel responded to the gel medium.... it's very shiny and the colors are vivid. Tomorrow I am going to see how the pastels respond to a mat gel rather than the gloss. I am not done with this yet, but it was fun to experiment. I also used some of the Liquitex white opaque flakes, and some violet liquid metal acrylic paint on this.

A TRIP to the store...

Yesterday I took a trip to a store to return a gift I purchased for someone who already had the same thing I bought for them... well, at least I know they would have liked it... anyway, as I was walking from the parking lot to the store I did not see the little step between the sidewalk and pavement, my foot connected and down I went! I am really feeling my age today... I guess I really am in my late 40's now! My body knows it, but my mind just refuses to agree! Jeff likes to remind me that I am pushing 50, but that is because he is already in his! I remember when I was a kid and would take a fall, it was over in a couple hours, but I am so sore now. I told the manager at the store that they need to fix the sidewalk and repaint it yellow... he filled out a report in case I needed to seek medical attention, but I think my pride is hurt more than my palms, knees and left arm. Oh well, the bruises will fade and another nice hot shower will help... tons of work to do today... I better get back at it. See ya all later.

I got an email newsletter from Robert Glenn today that I subscribe to.... Loved this paragraph, so I am saving it here, and it really goes with my trip story ... don't you think?? I should have stayed home and painted!


"The studio is an extension of the sandbox and the kindergarten playroom. It has a dynamic unlike any office or factory. It's a room at the service of a dreamer on her way to becoming a master. Wandering from project to project, she moves in a private soup kitchen where there's always something on simmer. With something to get on with--something to finish, something to start--even the tiniest of workrooms has within it the building blocks of talent. Stay out on the streets at your peril." - Robert Glenn

Collage - Tack Down Technique

I learned about a technique for doing collage work from Laura Lein-Svencner (See her collage Techiques Page) that I wanted to try. Here is a link to the technique... Collage Fusing Method by Johnathan Talbot It works great, but there are a couple of things I think I did wrong. Number 1... because I was using a stretched canvas, I think I should have put a book or something under it to give it support while I was ironing, 2. I think I should have ironed each element down individually, I laid out all my pieces and ironed them at the same time, I think it would have been better to do one layer at a time. Anyway, it was a great learning experience, and I think the next project will work much better.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I gave a few artworks away for Christmas this year...  and here is the big news, I sent the one that had 4 small openings in one frame to my brother-in-law in Seattle, and now he wants to commission me to do a 2' x 4' collage mural for him! I will give him the "Family Discount"! It sure feels good when someone likes the work you do and wants more! :)

Inspiration

Last night, I started to paint, no matter what I did, it was horrid... I would paint, then gesso over, paint and scratch, gesso again... I quickly remembered why brown was one of my least favorite colors when I was younger, as my painting would once more turn to a solid blob of brown. Finally, I gave up, let the thing be brown and went to bed.

(Inspiration Wall - Top: Collage by Laura Lein-Svencer,
Middle: Marker Drawing by Lynne Taezsch,
Bottom: Masterpiece by my Neice Brooklyn)

This morning, when I woke up I was looking at the collage by Laura Lein-Svencner that Jeff bought for me when we were in Chicago (Which I opened on Christmas day, another wonderful gift from my hubby), which I now have hanging on the wall here in my office (my inspiration wall)... and I thought, if I add some Liquitex Black Lava and White Flakes Texture Gels, I could use this brown blob as an element on a collage... so I applied the gels, and now I have a paper to work with on a new collage when the time comes... Some times, I just need to get away and let inspiration take it's time.

Abstract Painting - Mixed Media

 Click to see the image larger

I scanned in this painting that I was playing with last night so you can see what it really looks like... the photo I took last night was yuck... anyway... as I told you last night, I used the Liquitex Gel Mediums on this... Black Lava and White Flakes, I also used a product by tulip Slick Dimensional Fabric Paint - Black to "draw" with. I plan to keep the bottle when it is empty to mix up black acrylic paint and liquitex medium String Gel, that I will use to "draw" with... but I wanted to use up the product, and I was just experimenting with the gels to see what they looked like. I also used some metallic paint.

Here you can see up-close what the Liquitex White Flakes and Black Lava look like. I had so much fun playing with this... I can't wait to play again! :)