(source)

A couple weeks ago I showed you a few shaving cream paintings that I did, and last week while I was doing the project with my art campers I decided to photograph the process (which I had to do quickly since I had 20 kids anxious & excited for their turn to make their own!)

I started out with a tupperware container and added enough shaving cream to cover the bottom.

It looks messy because… it is a messy project, haha.  And there was paint everywhere from the first 15 kids who did it, but feel free to use a cleaner container!  Trays also work perfectly, and baking pans, etc.  Just use whatever you have =)

Next I smooth out the shaving cream to make a flat surface.  For this step (and a later step) I just use a firm piece of cardboard, but other tutorials suggested squeegees.  But I don’t have one, and the cardboard works just fine.

Once the shaving cream is smooth, use a paint brush to flick paints of different colors all over the surface Jackson Pollock style.  Go crazy.

Once you have that done, take the back of your paint brush or a toothpick or… anything really and swirl the paint around.  Try to go straight through the larger clumps of paint to break them up.  I’ve found that the kids will go crazy with this part, and that it’s important to go slowly and focus on swirling and not mixing.  If you mix it all together, it’s just going to turn into brown/gray shaving cream and not look very pretty.

Once it looks how you want it, press your piece of paper (any kind will work, but if it’s too thin it might get too damp) straight onto it and make sure that the entire sheet comes into contact with the shaving cream by gently and evenly pressing it down (but don’t squish it!)  Then peel it off and put it onto a hard surface.

Looks cool, right?!  Okay so then you take the cardboard or squeegee from before, hold down one side of the paper, and scrape off all the shaving cream.

It’s magic, I know.  I don’t understand how it works.

Here are a few more photos…

Woo!  Any questions?!  It’s a really quick & easy process, with awesome results.  Let me know if you try it out =)

Have a good week!

(source)

Summertiiiiiiime!  I really don’t want it to end =(  I moved my stuff to the apartment I will be living in for the fall semester and it just reminded me that it’s going to be coldcoldcold when I am living there.  So I thought I’d share a summertime photo =)

(PS… right before I took this photo, the hot air balloon actually touched down COMPLETELY on the water.  A couple boats went to see if they needed rescuing!  But after a minute or two they were back up again.  So crazy.)

Have a good week!

I’m starting a new biweekly series!  It’s called Girl Crush Confessions.  We all have them… there are just certain actresses, musicians, others in the spotlight, and even women in our day-to-day lives who just have SOMEthing about them that makes you wish you could be more like them, or dress the way that they do, or take on a certain personality trait of theirs, etc.  It’s not so much about trying to BE that person, but identifying what it is about her that is so appealing, or impressive, or whatever it is, and then… I don’t know.  Taking on that energy & confidence.

Not only is this going to turn into an inspirational and visual sort of resource to refer to, but I’m also going to use it as a way to practice drawing faces.  Drawing is NOT my forte, and drawing faces is such a frustrating task, that I want to turn this into a way for me to attempt a new & different face every two weeks.  I’m a little nervous about committing to this!  But here we go =)

Look for the first post coming up soon, and also let me know if there are any women that you feel particularly inspired by.  I have a pretty long list of names so far, but I know there are several that I’m forgetting.

I hope you all like it!  I’m excited/anxious to get started =)

(source)

I LOVE seahorses.  I don’t know why, they’re so weird, I just do.  And I recently found one that I made a couple years ago, soo I thought I would share =)

Do you like it??  It took FOREVER and then I didn’t even end up turning it in (it was for a class) but I still really like it.  Here are a few more seahorse pictures I found…

(1 2 3)

And a gorgeous print from Etsy…

(paper moth)

I remember when I was little researching how to take care of them cause I wanted some of my own, but it’s really complicated (they need the current in the water to be regulated… or something.  I don’t remember.)  Maybe someday?!

My flower painting, which I have been working on off & on for a while now, is not so much about flowers anymore (see how it started here.)  Here are a couple more in progress pictures…

And where it is now…

I don’t know.  I’m not sure how I feel about it right now, I’m just kind of… stuck.  Which means I will probably leave it alone for another few weeks and then get back to it!  Ideas/suggestions/thoughts??

Hope you are all having an amazing weekend =)

(source)

The big project I mentioned a couple days ago is actually the first commissioned art piece I have ever done (which is very exciting/scary) and it is painting a mural in the bedroom of an adorable little 4-year-old girl.

Shall I document the process here?  I think I just might =) even though I am very nervous as to how it is going to come out.

I have never thought of myself as a painter, and have never had any painting instruction despite having a Fine Arts degree.  I know color theory, elements of art & design, and am generally creative and have an artistic eye, but this whole project is absolutely terrifying.  And for some reason, I still REALLY want to do it.  Paint a mural?!  That will be so cool.

I was thinking flowers, bright colors, cool designs, etc., things that would look really cool and be very simple.  And then I found out that she wants a beach scene, complete with sailboats and sandcastles and palm trees, etc etc.  So that is what I am doing.  And here is what I have so far:

I still have to add in all the objects on the beach (the things mentioned above, as well as crabs and buckets and shovels and beach towels, and and and…. a dolphin jumping out of the water!) but this is where I am now.  This is just a small mock up painting, and I am going to have to figure out how it is going to translate onto three bedroom walls about a million times this size.  It will definitely be incredibly challenging, but I am very excited about it and am anxious to get started.

So if you have any tips or experiences on painting on such a large scale, please share!  I will be documenting my progress on this project, which will hopefully get started in the next couple weeks.