More YOU:create creations...

so i've been playing around with watercolors lately, as i shared last week...but i have this vision i want to create & i'm not quite sure *how* to accomplish the look i'm aiming for. So i've been practicing various techniques on a smaller scale until i get it perfect for my largest canvas yet. this image started out as a train wreck. i can't even tell you how close it came to decorating the garbage can & never premiering for YOU:create but i just kept adding colors & features. then...i got truly inspired!

i made the camera with strips of newspaper, did a translucent grey wash, then added some shimmer & rock salt for the 'flash'...then layer it with a picture of one of my favorite nephews...

i was also lucky enough to find this word in the newspaper...so, i might have over done the shimmer...but that just proves why GOOD. LIGHTING. is imperative to good artwork:

then there is the self portrait i've been working on for years...taking a break from watercolor while delving back into the world of graphite & charcoal. still unfinished. shocking.

and those are my creations for this week! i'm really loving the inspiration that YOU:create provides for me! I've already started next weeks project...and while not watercolor related, it will be fun!!

YOU::Create ...

My friend Sara has instituted this amazing concept You:Create on her blog...it's been going on for six weeks & i've been too intimidated to post anything but perusing everyone's crafts and creations definitely had me creating at home! so now here are all my creations at once...sorry, Sara ;)

This first one was actually inspired by my nephew, you can read more about him here . One of the nights I was lucky enough to babysit him we were using his bathtub crayons to practice shapes...he ended up scribbling this little pic (I had to edit it a bit to darken the image so it was easily visible):

 it kinda looked like a proud robot to me...I know, I see really interesting things. So I decided to try & recreate the image with watercolor:

Next up I was inspired by some of my favorite things...:

Then I moved onto a picture inspired by the BP Oilspill & a t-shirt I had seen in NOLA:

This one started out as a practice session of washes, I was experimenting with various shades of blue & how they would blend into each other:

Now that I had a little water color experience under my belt I moved onto some of my canvases. For this painting I used a variation of colors & washes, some iridescent coloring, & rock salt for texture:

Now this last one is possibly one for the a fore mentioned nephew...his mother asked for a non-girlie painting. However, we vary greatly on what we consider non-girlie, so I'll have to see what she thinks of this one:

Now, I just need to get inspired to get back to acrylics & finish a painting I have owed to our cousin Steph for about three years now...