Challenges and Restraint

Diva Challenge #271: Beads of Courage

This week Laura's challenge is inspired by the Beads of Courage Project and its fundraising Color Run. She introduced a watercolor technique I've not seen before, called "Hefty Hack" where you apply color onto a plastic bag (I used a small sheet of acetate), spritz or brush your white tile with a little water, then lay the tile onto the watercolor then lift it off. If you want you can add droplets of color and/or sprinkle with some salt (let it dry and then rub the salt off).

The Color Run

I OCD'd ran with this new watercolor technique, creating a whole new set of tiles and ATC's. By complete coincidence, one of my Facebook groups just posted a new swap challenge where one of the options is to use color and salt-Excellent!

Made by Joey #117: Circle String Challenge #2

Pattern: "Socc" with Mr. E and Tipple

Last week, as I was writing my post, it occurred to me to try using coffee rings as my strings, I mean, you'd think that was a no brainer for this blog but sometimes one can't see the forest for the trees. 

Anyhoo, I set up 5 watercolor ATC's last week using different sized cups...

...then added the smaller circles with a shot glass to this one when the string was presented on Monday. I'm really looking forward to these challenges.

A personal challenge of mine is trying to exercise restraint. I like to fill up space. It's my thing. It's my style. Nothing wrong in that. Mostly. Sometimes things get murky because I have to shadow and highlight everything. That became clearly evident when I found myself working these to death:

Tangle within a Tangle swap series 1-4

Big Skye/Little Skye

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with them, but there were a couple (not shown) that I pretty much covered up all of the blue background. So when I completed this new set of watercolors I decided to embrace "The Elegance of Limitations", as Rick Roberts says, so that the colors and texture weren't obliterated.

This restraint was also brought about by yet another swap group I started participating in last week. It's called the Travelling Tangles Project. I start a tile or ATC then post and offer it up to someone else to swap and finish (or I can request to finish someone else's offering). 

For the Travelling Tangles Project

Microns, markers, colored pencil and white gel pen on watercolor

I sent these out last week after creating a set of watercolor tiles breaking out of my usual color palette of earthtone/Renaissance browns and blues.

I'm pondering a series of posts inspired by my involvement in swaps. I belong to several groups now (the first one I've been doing for a year now) and I see comments all the time by newbies who fear that they're "not good enough" to participate, I know I was one of them. I'm hoping to try to encourage lurking members to participate, because there's no better way to improve your art than by doing it with purpose.

The most valuable lesson I learned: The sooner you get original art into your hands, the better. Then study, copy and practice, practice, practice. By copying, I mean teach yourself technique. I will go into this in a future post. Stay tuned!

If any of you are interested in doing a personal swap, please don't hesitate to email me at michelewynne1 (at) gmail (dot) com. or PM me at my facebook page. Let me know if there's a tile or ATC you've seen here that you would like to swap for.

Who wouldn't love to open up your mailbox and find this:

 These made their way into my mailbox today, each across a different ocean, from two friends at the Travelling Tangles Project, one from Singapore, the other from Germany.
I'll post the results next week.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Your generous and thoughtful comments delight and inspire me.