Creative Dawn

Hello all, hope that the new year brings you lots of creative ideas! So, since I currently work at a fabric store, I see lots of cool fabrics and get inspired almost daily.  About a month or so ago this awesome jungle fabric came in and I decided that it was a must have.  My first idea was to use it for painting inspiration and that is exactly what it was used for.  This coffee table was a purchase from a thrift store for 2.99 and it had seen better days.  The top was scuffed and scratched so it was perfect for the Creative Dawn touch.  It only needed a bit of light sanding before painting.  I did not trace or make stencils for this project.  It is all free hand.  :)  I turned out great and it is a wonder whimsical piece to add to my decor.  Now to figure out what to do with the fabric...maybe pillows...hmm.  But that will probably be another post.

I'm back!!!  It has been nice to take a break from the daily posting but I am always working on new creative endeavors.  Here is the peacock drawing that was mentioned on one of my later posts.  I was browsing the Internet the other day looking for inspiration and had forgotten that peacocks are so incredibly gorgeous!  WOW!  My drawing is stylized and interesting but nothing compares to the beauty of the real thing.  Trust me, if you have a chance, look up pictures of this majestic bird, it is worth your time.

Earlier today I decided that butterflies would be my drawing for the day.  After a small shopping trip on my lunch break, I knew that it was meant to be.  There was a calendar for next year filled with pictures of gorgeous butterflies and it was only a dollar.  This was my inspiration!  Once I got home, the doodling started.  For whatever reason making the wings mismatched seemed like a good idea.  The results were definitely to my liking.  Being an artist always gets interesting responses from people.  The most common thing that is asked is can you draw me something.  Well, at work tonight I was chatting with one of the other employees and she loves peacocks so she asked me to draw one for her to hang in her room.  That is a request that is possible!  So not in the next few days but in the future you can look for that drawing.  It could be a really fun thing to draw especially with my style.  The designs on the feathers...

I don't even remember how long ago this was purchased or from where, but it has been collecting dust for quite a while.  When this blog was first started I dug it out to paint, but the inspiration never came.  A few days ago an idea FINALLY came to me.  Instead of painting the outside of this wooden briefcase, why not paint the inside.  It is all wood and the interior isn't as glossy so it would take to painting very well.  This design is one that just popped into my head, it is very random but I like it.  There is no need to attach a hanger to this because the handle will be perfect.  

I love to look at fashion magazines and briefly attended FIDM in Los Angeles to study design.  One of my absolute favorite shows is Project Runway, I may have mentioned this in some past post.  Every season I am inspired by the designers and would love to be on a show like that but, I sew like crap!  OK not that bad but my sewing ability would get me eliminated right away.  My talent more so lies in the designing part not the execution.  This is a drawing that I did last night, gowns are my favorite to sketch.   Here is also a cool display that was created by me at work.  This is entirely draped and pinned on the mannequins and my boss really liked it so that is a good thing.  Actually, the latest addition to my responsibilities at work has been the displays.  No one else likes to do it which is great for me! 

It was an awesome relaxing day off.  A bit of laundry was a nesseccity but after that it was veg out time.  My husband and I took a wonderful walk at the little park and lake by our home and afterwards we sat outside for a while.  Because it was such a beautiful afternoon I brought my painting stuff outside as well.  Two projects got finished today which was great.  The hard part was deciding which one to post today.  In the end the tray won.  Both tomorrows and todays items were purchased at the Goodwill.  That is truly one of my favorite places to shop.  You never know what you will find! OK, so this tray had a nice sunflower design on it.  I debated whether or not to just keep it as is but in the end my creative juices started to flow and this is the idea that came of it.  Just a side note, last night I was dreaming colors and patterns, my head is full of designs so hopefully the last week of the 365 days will be a awesome. ...

This idea is from in a magazine that was in the break room at work.  It is called Southern Lady and it would not be a normal choice for me to buy, but it was there and it looked interesting.  It is a simple idea for felt, yes felt, napkin rings.  The pattern is easy and very pretty, but I had to put my own spin on it.  The original is no sew and quick but my decision was to make a more complex design that was sewn together.  The design is a hibiscus flower and fits in perfectly with much of my decor.  This is another idea that could be easily adapted to different design that are seasonal or just other flowers It is great to be able to take an idea and make it work for you.  Look around you, the world is an inspiring place.  Learn from others and take it one step farther!  

So, lately I have been checking out different magazines and websites for inspiration.  That is what led to this doll.  I was perusing through a stuffed toy magazine and could not believe all of the creativity in this medium.  Zombie animals, brightly colored aliens and many more fun designs.  My effort is not the best doll ever but she is funny and cute.  She's my little Punk Rock Girl!  Which is a song by the Dead Milkmen and was stuck in my head the entire time I was stitching her together.  The other song that I was thinking of was Sheena is a Punk Rocker by the Ramones.    So there you have it, my attempt at doll making.  I am now giggling because of the silliness of this felt punk doll.  You gotta laugh at yourself sometimes.  :) Have a great night/day!!!

So, I cannot find the original picture of this horse, but he was off white with little red flower decorations.  This wooden statue is about 14 inches tall.  At first, this horse was going to be black with bright colored accents but it just wasn't working so I set it aside waiting for a creativity to strike.  He has been sitting in my to do pile for a few months.  Then a few days ago this idea came to mind.  I really love this style inspired by Van Gogh, it is fun to do and the results are always interesting.  The tail on the horse didn't work with my painting style so, I cut it off used a piece of artificial wreath instead.  How's that for creativity?! I think that carousel horses are beautiful and each one has it's own personality.  There is a wonderful carousel near my home.  I had the opportunity at one time to see some of the horses as they were restored.  If you ever have the chance to really look at th...

  Another frame!  This one I didn't change because it was cool to begin with.  The person who originally had this added cabinet handles to the sides to make a nifty little serving tray.  What a great idea, why didn't I think of that?  Since the frame was ready to go, I just removed the picture and replaced it with my own.  This drawing came together quickly, the hardest part was deciding which words to use.   They are hope, imagine, create, dream and give.   It would be great as a tray but it also works as a wall hanging or I could just hang it on the wall until it was needed for serving.  Oh, by the way this is another Goodwill find, this was 1.99 and it is an 8 X 10 frame. 

Yesterday I posted the larger of the two wooden plates painted in a stained glass style.  This is the smaller of the two.  The same technique was used but the design is different and so is the color scheme.  When painting these I used three different main colors and then added white to get the lighter shades of each of them.  This has inspired a few more ideas for future projects.  It would be fun to paint a window sized piece in this fashion.  It would probably take at least a week to do something like that, but the results would be awesome!

Another day of blogging!  Soon, I will be down to three monthes left!  There are so many new ideas and styles that have come from this experience.  I love the fact that even after so many years of being an artist I can still learn and grow.  I try to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music. - Joan Miro Doodling creates the most interesting designs.  This particular picture reminds me of the artist Joan Miro.  The shapes are similar to his style.  I really like this drawing because to me it is both simple and complex.  What I would like to do is to recreate this or something like it in a large painting.  I can picture the finish project in my head. 

When I was a kid, my mom used to take ceramic classes, it was a popular thing to do in the seventies.  This type of statue called the smiley were everywhere and came in every theme possible.  Most of the statues were of a sports theme and people painted them for high school grads and for sports fans in the appropriate team colors.  There were also ones depicting different professions or hobbies.  This statue is a housewife and definitely not a modern portrayal of women now days.  This one I found at the Goodwill awhile ago partially painted.  Originally I was going to just paint it in normal colors but the other day a better idea came to mind.  The idea was to paint it in a random pattern but I wasn't sure what would work.  After painting it in a solid color, I decided to use Van Gogh type of brush strokes.  It is very different and I don't think that anyone in the seventies would have come up with this for their smiley.  

Lately, I have been wanting to do larger paintings and drawings but was unable to find anything budget friendly in a large scale.  I started looking around my home for anything that would work and then realized that the perfect piece was my nightstand table top.  This was purchased at Ikea a few years ago and is the removable top to small dresser that I use as a bedside table.  The design influence is obvious, definitely one of my favorites, Pablo Picasso.  It started from doodling my initial 'D' and grew from there.  If you look at the eyes you may be able to see a letter 'D'.  As the doodle grew, it started to resemble something in the Picasso style so I went with it.  This is a great piece to add to my decor and I am excited about it.  Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions - Pablo Picasso

I was looking at a magazine and started to doodle because of a picture that inspired me.  It was a peacock design with a seventies style and it was really cool.  I tried different techniques but ended up using some of my standby design element.  The green paper really enhanced the picture and after adding the white then paisley borders it stood out even more.  It is in a way complex but so simple.  In the back of my mind there are a few more ideas involving this type of bird design.  Maybe in felt...hmm...  Just kidding about the felt, but I just had to mention it.  LOL Side note for the day, being in the state of hockey, Minnesota, it was sad when I heard the news about Derek Boogaard.  It was fun to watch him when he was with the Wild and will be greatly missed.  Thanks for the memories.

I said this in my Easter post as well, for the first time in a long time I am off work today.  It was always a stressful day to work but I do miss the organizing and the creativity that was involved.  The bloody Mary bar was the funnest part to decorate.  Now I may actually see my mom on mother's day WOW!!!  This post was something that I made for my Mother in law.  She loved it so much I had to make one for her mom.  It was inspired by a bargain rack find at Hancock Fabrics.  It is really simple but sometimes it's the small things that mean the most. To all of the mom's and mom's to be out there hope you have a great day!  Kick back, relax and take time for yourselves.

Since the puzzle piece necklaces are so popular, I decided to try something else.  My collection of can tabs has been growing and figured that they could easily be made into jewelry.  The backs of the tabs can be sharp so I ended up using two of them back to back to avoid scratching your neck.  This was such a fast project it took about 35 minutes to make.  The gold rings are a larger size and are perfect for the openings in the tabs.  I used gold because I didn't have any silver, but the color contrast is really nice.  I love it that now you can mix and match different metals, anything goes!  Along with the cut out designs, jewelry making has become another new thing that I am enjoying working on.  This blog has really inspired me go beyond painting, drawing and crafting.  There are definitely more ideas for jewelry to come, wait and see!

Here is yet another idea that came about when I was trying to fall asleep.  It was originally different in my head.  The design was a single rectangle that was divided into six smaller designs.  The frame is what dictated the layout.  Once the drawing was finished, I stood back and looked at it.  To me it had the feel of Frank Lloyd Wright a great architectural designer and someone that was way ahead of his time.  If any of you are not familiar with his work I highly recommend that you check it out.  I have a book of some of his stained glass designs and they are spectacular.  At one time when I was visiting a friend in Oak Park Illinois I got the privilege of touring one of the homes that he designed.  As a creative person this was a high point in my life.  He has beautiful clean lines but it also has a lot of intricacy in it.  I cannot stress enough that this is something that you should google or go to the library and check o...

Weird combination I know, but today music my inspiration.  Basically there are many types of music that appeal to me.  I do however have a few bands that top my list, The Beatles, The Who, Jimmy Buffett and my absolute favorite, Foo Fighters.  I was excited a few years ago we got to see them even though we did have nose bleed seats the show was still AWESOME!  New album out soon too, cannot wait.  I had to listen to Everlong while driving today, love that song!  So how is this inspiring?  Try not to be inspired by music.  Whatever your preference is, music can change your attitude.  It can get you tapping your toes, singing in your car and can bring a smile to your face.  I miss having a job with music in the background because it helps you get through the day.  How do you feel when you hear that one song?  It washes away the negativity and gets you going!  Am I rambling?  Probably, ...

I am just going to put this out there, anyone, can you hire me for one of my dream jobs that were listed in some past posts?  It's gotta happen!  Artist for hire!  Anyone?!  It was one of those days at my regular job.  A day when you are in your car before the clock is even one minute past your punch out time.  What do you do?  Happy hour!  Wow was that beer good today. :) OK, OK here is my post.  Art, my stress reliever.  The small powder room in my home needed a bit of decorating so, I decided to go with a girly theme.  To start with I drew three pictures of perfume bottles.  This was really fun and it got me thinking about making more things like this.  Beauty products come in all shapes and sizes and some of them really lend themselves to my style of artwork.  I'll have to see what other things would work for this decor.  Just when you think all of your ideas are exhausted a new one is born.   ...