March 22 Challenge (Week Thirteen) – Drawn with a friend.

This week's challenge was to have a friend draw on your page as a starting point.

I gave Courtney my sheet of cardstock and a .05 technical pen; and she created this lovely angel in the lower lefthand corner.

Added to that inspiration are partial lyrics to the song, 'Angel' by Sarah McLachlan. It seemed fitting since creating art is my true therapy – helping me to let go of the anxiety of her recent injury.  If you didn't know – this is our current living room scene.

The lyrics I chose seemed to convey exactly how I feel about making art, at the end of the day.

there's always some reason
to feel not good enough
and it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
oh beautiful release
memories seep from my veins
let me be empty
and weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight

Courtney was injured last weekend in an accident at color guard practice.  Her ankle is broken.  After surgery and 4 days in the hospital – she is home with us and we are making her as comfortable as possible until we get a real cast on her leg, tomorrow.

Here is the page I created in my art journal based on the challenge. 

To start, I had her draw in the open area of a printed cardstock design.  I framed her angel drawing with a torn book page and outlined it with a 6B graphite pencil.  I drew my angel with Copic Multiliner and then went around the edge with BV25/BV23 to shadow, as well as the graphite pencil, smudged.

I painted in her hair with Maya Gold paint by Viva Decor. I added white highlights with a white china marker.

I colored her skin with a simple combination of YR00 for the skin, R34, R85 for her lips.  RV93 for her cheeks.  BG13 and Y28 for shading.  E29 and another one (sorry, didn't take good notes) for her eyes.

I stamped an intricate doily design with Imagine Crafts' Memento Luxe in Elderberry (purple), and highlighted the design with a white china marker.

I painted her wings with a couple colors of spray ink. (schparkley!)  I put a torn piece of sewing pattern paper across her bodice and used a sage green spray ink to color it.  A bead of 3-in-1 glue was applied to the edge, and I sprinkled vintage blue glitter and beads to adhere to it.

A bit of ochre and turquoise ink smudged around the edges frames the piece.

I wrote the lyrics with the same .05 technical pen that Courtney used in her drawing.  I wrote 'angel' with a black china marker.

Tomorrow we visit the doctor for her first post op appointment.  Hoping for all good news and for her to be able to return to school this week.  Hopefully I will also be able to return to doing my videos and blogs for The Technique Hump.  Stay tuned! We have more encaustic medium / painting to do.

Thanks for looking!