APRIL RE-DIRECT & THE JOY OF ART

Ever since I was a little girl, i always wanted to an artist. To see this world thru the lens of beauty and color has been  GIFT.

life has taken A  is taken a turn Drs. say I have a deep brain tumor. So to consolidate I'll just be WRITING on my one privateBLOG, just me my life so I'm redirecting any interest TO other blog so have WRITE it once it's been so much fun being AN being an artist. I ALWAYS FELT LIKE IT WAS MY ONE LITTLE GIFT TO GIVE TO OTHERS TO ADD A LITTLE SUNSHINE TO THEIR LIVES…

Seeing color and patterns the Swirls in hidden images THAT ARE more real then We think we see on the surface the inner beauty OF hearts animals gorgeous nature and sharing that with each otheR.

 I I never did dark art I guess I just wanted TO  promote the goodNESS…GOD is a good God and I feel he wants to add BEAUTY AND LOVE to OUR LIVES

here's a blog link because you want to see what's up lately

https://lorettasjourney.blogspot.com/

by way using A CLUNKY Little dictation app so please forgive formatting and typos oh and I don't think IT likes me….. IT KEEPS SIGNING  me PIRANHA      HAHAHA

Sketchbook Skool: Unleash Your Imagination!

This 3rd week at Sketchbook Skool our teacher was Mattias Adolfsson. His "specialty" is drawing from imagination. His 1st homework assignment for us, after his excellent teaching videos, was to sketch a memory from our 1st day of school.

Say what?? That was in 1956!! 

But, I did come up with a memory. It was my Mom having to push me from behind, with me digging my heels in to resist. School was not a "fun" memory for me, but as a family we've laughed at this incident over the years.

So... here is my memory. Not of the actual event, but rather the feelings of a little girl, self-conscious in orthopedic shoes, with no friends, starting this strange new place called School.

And for those who aren't familiar with Vincent Van Gogh... he was known for the black crows he painted in the sky of his last painting, right before his suicide. Yeah... this memory was a day of "drama" for that little 5 year old. 

 

First, the inked line drawing (can click any to enlarge):

Next, the shading, done with Inktense 

watercolor pencil and waterbrush:

And lastly, the finished drawing:

"No! No! No! No!"

9 x 12 sketchbook

Sakura Micron pens, watercolors, 

waterbrush, watercolor pencils, 

and colored pencils

Here are a couple of close ups:

This weeks homework was a challenge, but I thoroughly enjoyed the teaching from Mattias about making drawings from our imagination. Highly recommended!

Happy sketching,

Retta

Art as Therapy... A Fun How-To Project

At times, we all have emotions we need to process. Some of us are very visual, and find it helpful to just relax and doodle. There's not a lot of planning to it. It's stress free, and it can allow our mind to relax and just feel. We're not out to impress anybody with our oh-so-serious art. It's just casual fun.

That's the approach I took after my Dad died in March of 2011. I wanted to contribute a personalized photo to a collection being put together in his memory. 

I picked out a favorite of photo of me and Dad from when I was about 3 years old... and doodled on it! Mine was done digitally. I found an old black and white photograph, scanned it in, cropped it, changed it to sepia tone, and then did my doodling in Photoshop Elements.

But you could use Sharpies or whatever you like on a printed photo (can click photo to enlarge).

Loretta and Dad, 1954

As I doodled, I let the good memories bubble to the surface... and yes, shed a few tears. There was symbolism for me in the design, with the hearts, thorns, stars, spirals, etc. It was all so therapeutic, and I felt like Dad would have liked the finished personalized photo.

Naturally, it doesn't have to be for such a serious event! It can be for anything... a wedding photo, a birthday, anniversary, a loved one, a favorite memory, or just because! 

There is something about doing this to a photo that makes it feel special. It made me feel connected to my Dad, and to good memories.

If you try this, I would love to hear about it. :-)

Happy doodling,

Retta

Bicycling Kitties & Making Art With Personal Meaning

Sometimes we make art that looks light and fun, yet it actually came from a deep place of meaning for us. This illustration I did a few years ago is a good example of that. 

I had read a book by Dr Phil McGraw, The Ultimate Weight Solution. What he wrote resonated with me, and helped me make many changes in my life. One thing it did was to help me see that I really WAS responsible for my own choices, and had the power to be the captain of my own life. 

Dr Phil has a good-ol-boy Texas way of talking and writing... very colorful, lots of word pictures. And as I read, I started imagining illustrations to go with the book. Alas... this is the only one I actually made. The original was done with ink and watercolors.

(can click to enlarge)

Did you notice that I've since 

dropped the "kat" from Retta? :-)

I appreciated the truth in the quote underneath the cat: 

"When you begin to see that your particular weight struggles may have little to do with anything outside yourself, your power to change is enormous... Start recognizing that you actively influence positive events in your life. Start pedaling on your own personal power."

The truth in those sentences apply not only to health, but to my art as well. I am pursuing my dreams... pedaling on my own personal power. And that DOES feel empowering!

Here cropped out the image of the cat in Photoshop, squaring the edges with the clone tool. I plan to include it in my future Zazzle shop, for use in cards or posters or whatever people would like to use it for.

Happy meaningful painting,

Retta

Memories

I think it's about time I got caught up here, and to start off, I'd like to share a painting that is special to me. It is the very first painting of mine that was ever framed.

I painted it, in oils, when I was 15 years old. It was a rough time... and all that emotion and passion flowed out of me to the canvas through that brush.

My Mom recognized something in it... and took me to Aaron Brothers, in downtown Los Angeles, California, to have it professionally framed. It was quite the experience for me.

(can click to enlarge)

Happy Painting,

Retta

Lonely Dignity...

Jim was driving along the highway through Eagle Point here in Southern Oregon when he saw this old wooden historic home. It was originally built in 1870 by a civil war veteran. Jim said: "The dramatic lighting gave it a feeling of lonely dignity."



Enjoy,
Retta
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Coos Bay, Oregon

We took a trip over to Coos Bay, Oregon in October. Here are a few of my favorite photos Jim took.

Don't know why, but this old crumbling dock intrigues me...it makes me think about times past...memories...the passage of time...my Mom and Dad loved living on the coast...fishing off the docks early in the morning....it stirs up bittersweet emotions...I plan to do a painting of it in the future.

Rettakat
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