Simply Bark Out LOVE!

Happy Monday everyone!

R-Chee & I had so much FUN making a new collage today!

After our new friend appeared before our eyes we heard him bark out a message that we had to collage!

"Simply Bark Out Love"

Wax Crayons, Ink & Collage on paper

Melissa Langer ~ 2015

To create him...

I lightly painted a coat of gesso on a junk mail postcard mailer and let some of the background still show through.

After the gesso dried, I painted a light wash of watercolor over the gesso to add some color and let it pool to form water stained blobs to find a character in to bring out.

After turning the page this way and that to create some interesting shapes, I let it dry and pulled out my pencil and found a little dog to color in!

I pulled out my Neocolor 1 & 2 Wax crayons and started coloring him in.

He started to come to life and I finished his features with a bit of outlining with a black ink permanent marker.

The final step was to get out my old magazines and paste and cut out letters to form a message he was loudly barking from his heart to me...

"Simply Bark Out LOVE"

Ta Da!

That was FUN!

What FUN things are you doing this week?

Please leave me a note and let me know!

R-Chee & I would love to hear all about them!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

The Blob Book is Complete!

Happy Monday everyone!

I am so excited to show you the last two inside pages and the front & back covers of my BLOB Book that is now complete!

I started it last Fall in October 2012 at my Sister's Art Retreat!

Melanie and I took a wonderful Drawing Workshop with Carla Sonheim through Art Camp for Women.

Here are all of my posts showing all of the drawings in my magical Blob Book that I just LOVE.

October 2012

November 2012

March 2013

June 2013

It was so FUN to see these splashes of paint show me shapes to trace and color in whenever I wanted to just relax and create!

Each character seemed to just arrive and say hello every time I pulled out my pencils, markers and glitter glue pens!

Here is the page you saw above that I made using a simple set of kid's watercolor paints!

All you do is lightly swirl, splatter or swish the paint on a piece of watercolor paper leaving space for the white paper to show.

You do not have to lay a lot of swishes down, and it is best to really water down your colors to keep them light and transparent for you to be able to see your creatures in your blobs.

Then I just let them dry, folded the pages and cut random scallops on the edges to make a FUN edges instead of hard corners.

It also made the pages different sizes from each other which allows you to draw creatures that actually are partly on one page and partly on the one underneath if you would like!

Then you just take your pencil and find the creatures in your blobs and trace around them.

There are no rules!

You add any faces, expressions and colors & textures that you want when you color them in!

I just used colored pencils, watercolor paints, markers, and glitter glue pens to color mine in.

It was so FUN, easy and relaxing to do!

Front Cover

Back Cover

Ta Da!

My first Blob Book is complete!

I cannot wait to make more!

I love that I did not rush through this process and just let the book evolve over 6 months.

If I would have done it all at once, each page would have looked the same!

But by spreading it out, I was able to have a clean slate each time I sat down and pick up new colors, markers and even glitter at the end!

These are things I never would have done if I did it all at once!

Now my book is even richer and, in my mind and heart, has a whole life and story on each page that I created!

Thank you so much for always looking at what I am making!

It is so FUN to share it with you!

You really make my world a very special place to be!

xoxoxo

Melissa

A Wonderful Wednesday Afternoon ~ New Whimsical Blobs!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

R-Chee and I had so much FUN today when we pulled out our set of kid's markers, colored pencils, glitter glue pens and water color paints!

We found lots of whimsical creatures to outline & bring to life in my blob book that I started last Fall in Carla Sonheim's workshop offered through Art Camp for Women.

We had a wonderful day together!

Relax and just make some art from your heart today!

It is so FUN to create something you enjoy in the garden, kitchen, studio or sandbox!

Just Play a bit today!

It will make you happy!

That is the greatest gift we can give to anyone...

A smile & some cheer!

Speaking of creating, smiles, cheer and art...

My twin, Melanie, & I are going on a sister's art retreat together this weekend!

Yipppeee!

We leave on Friday so I will be back blogging next week to show you what we made!

We are going to make more batik paintings and pillows together, crochet and read a book we got just for this weekend to start together and have a summer book club!

What FUN things are you doing this weekend?

Please leave us a note and let us know! 

We cannot wait to hear all about it!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

PostCard Book 2 ~ Ooodles of Doodling FUN!

Happy Monday everyone!

I had so much FUN this weekend making a book out of the regular old postcards I got in the mail from companies advertising their services and upcoming events.

I love to save ones that are different sizes to use for a rainy day.

I learned how to make these books from the super talented Carla Sonheim in the art retreat Melanie and I took last last Fall by Art Camp for Women.

Here is Melanie's book, and here is mine from our class.

She also has the complete drawing and book project instructions in her new gorgeous book, Drawing & Painting Imaginary Animals.

Melanie and I loved making these books so much that I have been just waiting for a quiet weekend to sit down and make another one!

These animals and books are so magical because you never know what you are going to see, make & create on every page!

I was even surprised that this book evolved to be vertical in orientation instead of horizontal although the pages do whimsically spin from vertical to horizontal within the book too!

You do not have to buy any expensive art materials to make these.

As I described above, the postcards were free in the mail, and I just used some of my gesso, kid's dry watercolors, a white paint marker, colored pencils and a black sharpie marker to make all of these amazing creatures.

The black tape I used was actually just regular old electrical tape I found in Fred's tool box!

How fun is that?

The whole book has a wonderful flow and unfolded in the photos series documented for you below.

What a FUN way to spend the weekend!

I felt like a little kid again.

R-Chee slept on my feet while I colored. :)

Please let me know if you make one of these books too!

I would LOVE to see!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee