Fun for free – Du plaisir gratuit

03 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment

by MissKoolAid in art, inspiration Tags: , , , , ,

Every year, at the end of September, there is a Province-wide event called “Les Journées de la Culture” during which many artists and cultural organizations “…offer free activities so citizens can explore the hidden side of art and culture.” There are so many things to do during those three days that I never know where to start and I usually end up not participating at all. But this time around, I saw that there was a free print demonstration and workshop from an artist that my mother and I know and appreciate (she’s a book binder.) So we decided to show up Sunday morning. We even brought some old printing blocks we had bought at a flea market some years ago and to our surprise, Cécile set them up on a smaller press and we were able to print them for the first time! The other visitors also took turns printing our images (which was a treat for the Dawson students, I’m sure!) We really enjoyed the experience and hope to visit Cécile again soon to make some cards with our beautiful Christmas tree printing block!

Chaque année, à la fin Septembre, il y a un événement provincial intitulé “Les Journées de la Culture” pendant lequel des artistes et organismes culturels “…décident d’offrir gratuitement à leur entourage des activités favorisant l’exploration de la face cachée des arts et de la culture.” Il y a tant de choses à faire pendant ces trois jours que je ne sais jamais par où commencer et généralement, je ne fais rien du tout. Mais cette fois-ci, j’ai vu qu’il y avait une démonstration et un atelier gratuit d’impression typographique par une artiste que ma mère et moi connaissons et apprécions (elle est relieure.) Alors nous avons décidé d’y aller Dimanche matin. Nous avons même apporté de vieux blocs d’imprimerie trouvés dans un marché aux puces il y a plusieurs années et à notre grande surprise, Cécile les a montés sur une presse et nous avons pu les imprimer pour la première fois! Les autres visiteurs ont aussi pu s’amuser à les imprimer (ce qui fut un grand plaisir pour les étudiants de Dawson, j’en suis certaine!) Nous avons beaucoup aimé l’expérience et espérons visiter Cécile à nouveau pour faire des cartes avec notre magnifique bloc d’impression du sapin de Noël!

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Local craft fair – Foire artisanale locale

26 Sep 2011 3 Comments

by MissKoolAid in inspiration Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

For the past few years, I’ve been reading about a local craft fair called Puces Pop and I’ve wanted to go since I first found out about it. But every time it was happening, something else came up and I couldn’t go. This time around, my mom, my best friend and I finally made it. And, though it was extremely hot in the church basement where the event was taking place, I’m really glad to have finally seen what it was. I really loved it. I didn’t think to take photos during the fair but I did take a photo of my purchases: cake pops from Craque pop; headband and ring from Instant Crimson; stuffed cat from Velvet Moustache; zipper earrings from Mimico; and finally, an 8″x8″ print from Jane Heller (whom I’ve been following on Etsy for over a year now.) It was so fun to be able to support local artists and to chat with them about their creations. Who knows, maybe one day I will be behind one of those tables!

Depuis quelques années, je lis à propos d’une foire artisanale locale intitulée Puces Pop et je voulais y aller dès que j’en ai pris connaissance. Mais chaque fois que c’était le moment d’y aller, il se passait quelque chose qui m’empêchait d’y aller. Cette fois-ci, ma mère, ma meilleure amie et moi y sommes finalement allées. Et, même s’il faisait extrêmement chaud dans le sous-sol de l’église où avait lieu l’événement, je suis vraiment contente d’avoir finallement vu ce qu’il en était. J’ai beaucoup aimé ça. Je n’ai pas pensé à prendre des photos pendant la foire mais j’ai pris une photo de mes achats: gâteaux pop de Craque Pop; serre-tête et bague de Instant Crimson; toutou chat de Velvet Moustache; boucles d’oreilles “zip” de Mimico; et finalement, une photo de 20.3cm x 20.3cm de Jane Heller (que je suivais sur Etsy depuis plus d’un an déjà.) C’était vraiment amusant d’encourager des artistes locaux et de discuter avec eux à propos de leurs créations. Qui sait, peut-être que je serai un jour derrière une de ces tables!

Growing artist – Artiste grandissante

03 Jun 2011 4 Comments

by MissKoolAid in inspiration Tags: , , , ,

This beautiful drawing was done by one of our students last week. She created it without any model, straight from her imagination. And you want to know the most amazing part? She is a kindergarten student! Only 5 or 6 years old! Such talent at such a young age… I hope she’ll keep drawing and develop her talents further. I, for one, will always encourage her to create art.

Ce magnifique dessin a été fait par une de nos élèves la semaine passée. Elle l’a créé sans modèle,  sorti de son imagination. Et vous voulez savoir ce qui est le plus surprenant? Elle est une élève de la maternelle! Âgée de seulement 5 ou 6 ans! Tant de talents en si bas âge… J’espère qu’elle continuera à dessiner et développera encore plus ses talents. Moi, je l’encouragerai toujours à créer des oeuvres.

>Vintage craft books – Livres d’artisanat vintages

27 Apr 2011 2 Comments

by MissKoolAid in inspiration Tags: , , , , , ,

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I love looking at old craft books. I have a few in my collection. I got the ones shown in this photo from my grandmother this past weekend. And I just had to show you these projects from the McCall’s Needlework & Crafts from 1970. My favourite is the patchwork skirt with the knit white bikini as a close second!
J’aime regardé les vieux livres d’artisanat. J’en ai quelques-uns dans ma collection. J’ai reçu ceux photographiés ici de ma grand-mère pendant la fin de semaine. Et je me devais de vous montrer ces projets provenant du McCall’s Needlework & Crafts de 1970. Mon préféré est la jupe en patchwork avec le bikini tricoté en deuxième place!
 

>Colour exploration – Exploration de couleur

14 May 2010 4 Comments

by MissKoolAid in art journal, inspiration Tags: , ,

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Inspired by Hanna, and wanting to use up some of the bought journals I have, I decided to start a colour exploration journal for the colour red. I took out a bunch of my pens, pencils, markers, acrylics, watercolours, images and papers, all of them red. The journal is a work in progress as I want to collect more red things and do some journaling about the colour over time. I’m also thinking of doing exploration journals for other colours in the future. Which colour would you pick to explore?
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Inspirée par Hanna, et voulant utiliser des journaux achetés, j’ai décidé de commencer un journal sur l’exploration de la couleur rouge. J’ai sorti une panoplie de crayons, stylos, feutres, acryliques, aquarelles, images et papiers, tous rouge. Le journal est un projet en cours pour lequel je veux collectionner plus de choses rouges et faire de l’écriture à propos de la couleur au fil du temps. Je pense aussi à faire des journaux d’exploration pour d’autres couleur à l’avenir. Quelle couleur choisiriez-vous d’explorer?

>Inside the artist’s studio

14 Sep 2008 3 Comments

by MissKoolAid in art, inspiration, project Tags: , ,

>So. This is where the magic happens. My living room/studio. It’s small and I have way too much stuff for it but I’ve gotten used to it in the past 5 (closer to 6) years.

Now. I’ve already talked about my belief in signs and messages from the Universe. And this summer, I received a message in the form of a new-to-me blog. She calls herself the Mermaid and lives in a cottage near a beach. She teaches “fat, messy journal” classes to young girls in her home during summer. And the way she writes… it got me thinking…

I could do this. I could teach “fat, messy journal” classes of my own during summer. Yes, my apartment is small but with a bit of de-cluttering and reorganizing, I really think I could make my living room kid-friendly. All through this year I’ve been taking small steps to de-clutter my life. And I’ve been experimenting with new art techniques. I’ve also been reading about organization more (and seeing Violette‘s posts on this subject and the progress she’s making with this is very inspiring.) I already have access to kids so that won’t be an issue when it’s time to get started. I even have 2 girls in mind to “test drive” this new project. Thoughts and ideas are swirming in my mind day and night (making it hard to fall asleep but that’s a whole different post that I won’t bore you with!)

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be an artist and to teach kids (without actually being a school teacher.) So I think, no, I KNOW that this is one of those dreams that can and WILL actually come true! I’m very excited about this and will do everything in my power to make it happen. And I’ll keep you all updated on my progress.

On a different note…

Yesterday, I was at my parents’ house to take care of the dogs for a few hours and decided to make 2 cards (I hate the term “greeting card” but that’s what they are, not ATCs.) They are both very similar: same colours, same stamps. The differences are: this one has 4 birds while the other has 2 AND this card has punched flowers with a bit of Gold Liquid Pearl while the other has Turquoise Sticklers on all the leaves of the tree. They both came out great. The other card is for an ATCSforALL member who lost family members last week. The one you see here is for a 5 year old girl, Ellie Bouchard, who is going through chemo because of a brain tumor. If you want to brighten this little girl’s day, go to her website to find the address where you can mail her a card or anything else that you think she might like.

Before I go, I also wanted to share with you this video (found through iHanna‘s blog.) It makes me happy and I could watch it over and over.

>Welcome love

04 Aug 2008 7 Comments

by MissKoolAid in art journal, inspiration

>Some time ago, Brandy sent me a blank journal in a beautiful cover that she made herself. I had put it aside with all my other blank journals, waiting until I finished the other one that I was already working in. Well, when I got sick of working in that one, I pulled Brandy’s journal out and began drawing in it. The first drawing is only pencil but I plan to eventually colour it in. This is the second entry in that journal and it was done late at night. I was about to fall asleep when this image appeared in my head and I just had to put it to paper before forgetting about it. The page came out exactly as I had envisioned it which doesn’t happen all that often. I simply drew with a regular HB pencil and then added colour with my basic watercolour kit and my AquaPainter brush (you fill the handle with water and just go from there. I love it!) I used Micron pens for the heart border and the letters, a gold gel pen for the outer border of the heart and finally, the next day, I used my date stamp with StazOn ink to complete the page.

While working in my journal, on my ATCs and Chunky pages lately, I’ve challenged myself to use less colours. I try to stick to the primary (red, blue and yellow) and secondary (purple, green and orange) colours with some black and white. I find that sometimes, less is more.

If you haven’t already, go read Judi‘s latest blog post. It’s uplifting and inspiring. Definitely made me smile. I wasn’t feeling down or creatively blocked at all when I read her post but it STILL helped me to get ready to create. And create I did! Yesterday, I spent the whole day working on ATCs, chunky pages and skinny pages while watching DVDs from my collection. And this afternoon will probably be the same!

Get inspired! Get creative! Have fun!

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