Paintovers Revisited!

Here is the latest in my series of bridal paintovers. You can click on the image to get a closer look. Oh, how I wish I lived closer to Lisa Bebi, the artist who introduced these fun paintings! I saw in her blog, "Pimp My Spleen" (see sidebar) that she held a class on this technique. I would have LOVED to take part in that! But, she lives in California so it would be a bit far to attend. And, in the latest issue of Somerset Studio I saw that she is hosting an art retreat in Italy with another artist! Oh, how fun that would be... Someday I would love to go on a little art retreat somewhere. But first I would have to overcome my fear of flying! :) For an art retreat, I may just be able to endure it ...

These are a lot of fun to play with. I have a whole folder of bridal images (that's my latest obsession for paintovers) so I'll be posting them as they are completed. I'm really loving these metallic paints that I picked up in Wisconsin, so I thought I would jazz up her eye makeup with those.

Today I hope to work on glamour doll's gown. I found some gorgeous sapphire blue taffeta yesterday. I kept staring at her trying to figure out what color would do her justice, and she kept whispering, "I want deep blue..." but I didn't have any. I showed her all of the other gorgeous colors, but she kept shaking her head NO and whispering, "deep blue". So, I promised to look for some blue material when I was out yesterday. Then she insisted on taffeta. What? In this small town? We'll see... Lo and behold, there was some absolutely fabulous sapphire blue taffeta at JoAnn's Fabric. Now, we are all set to try and configure a little glamour gown. Wish me luck.

On the Artella site (see sidebar) I have some dear e-friends who always comment nicely on my work. One of the artists there, Harqn2, suggested I make my own doll out of my swirly girl paintover. I may just take her up on her suggestions for how to accomplish that. She also told me that once you start making dolls they become addictive. She has created some beautiful art dolls, so she knows what she's talking about. There is such an abundance of talent at Artella. Check out their galleries sometime; beautiful work and a wonderfully supportive bunch of artists. They are a Godsend! There is also a daily Musepaper containing all things artistic. So much fun! I read it every morning with my coffee. And sometimes, yours truly is even featured on the front page. :)

A quick shout-out goes to my absolute GEM of a mother-in-law Lydia! Hi, Lydia!! I hear she's been spreading the word about my blog to her friends. Thank you so much! Lydia is a tremendous quilter. She has created such beautiful works of art with her quilts. I am fortunate enough to have a few of her beautiful creations. The crowning jewel is a Monet-inspired masterpiece that I will post on the blog in the next day or two. I must take a photo that will do it justice! Maybe hubby can help with the technical part of that. It's absolutely breathtaking and was one of my mom's favorite pieces to ooh and ahh over while she was alive.

Well, time to get to work. Thank you for your kind notes and e-mails. I love hearing from you. Stay tuned for glamour girl's debut and a little fairy that I'm working on...

Bridal Bling

This is my latest adventure in bridal paintovers. You can click on the photo and see a larger version. It's sort of a cross between paper dolls and painting. I wanted a three dimensional effect with the bride so I mounted her torso on a chipboard circle. I made the "dress" the other day. It's just rows of ivory ribbon! Not bad for a first attempt at what I had imagined in my head. Sometimes that's the problem. I see something in my mind, but translating that to the real world is where the challenge lies! If I were a seamstress I wouldn't have so many challenges.

I am starting a series of these. I made a trip to the fabric store and found some gorgeous finds in the bridal section. So, I have added to my fabric stash and plan to make more elaborate "dresses" as I go along. I just wanted to see how the mechanics of all this would work; mounting the dress to a backing, then mounting the whole thing on a canvas board. I'm pretty happy with this first go around.

The second photo shows more detail. I used Swarovski crystals in the bride's jewelry. I found a real pretty pale pink stone in the jewelry section of the art store. I loved that shade and thought it went well with the background colors. I wanted the chandelier to look like it was turned on a low setting. I think it's pretty realistic! I had been hunting for a chandelier image and wanted it to have sort of a mod look. This one was perfect.

So, that's my first attempt of many to come. The bridal theme is really inspiring me now. So many pretty gowns to emulate, paint, etc. And, of course, I'm still working on Ella's next appearance. Hope to have it done by tomorrow. I will post it as soon as I'm finished. I'm still taking my time with it. For now, I must get back to the studio.