Category Archives: Art Groups & Activities

Soul Art Invitation

Mingus Friday May 5, 2017.

Soul Art 2016, watercolor, oil pastel on Yupo.

Laura Hollick’s International Soul Art Day takes place on May 25th. This will mark my fifth year participating. It is an all day virtual event. Laura guides you through a thought-provoking journey, to help you connect to spirit and insights.

Ready for a day of fun? Open to everyone, you can join in as your schedule allows. Choose a favorite medium, or try a new one. It is empowering to know that you are connected with so many kindred spirits. Thriving in the energy that is artistic expression.

A couple of days ago I decided to clean out my stored artworks. I am recycling what I can. Six boards of different sizes are gessoed and ready to go. Twenty 6 x 6 pieces of Yupo are washed and standing by. I even “washed” pieces of Arches. I figure that I can gesso them as well. So I guess I am ready for Soul Art. Don’t you find it interesting that the thought came to me, just before the invitation did?

I hope you will consider taking part in this creative cluster. Visit the link above for a short video introduction. Click on the images for a look back at my Soul Art Experiences.

Soul Art 2015. 9 x 12 watercolor on paper. © Sheila Delgado 2015

Soul Art 2013. Acrylic on paper. Sheila Delgado

Splatter Stripe. Watercolor/digital surface design. © 2017 Sheila Delgado

Splatter stripe has been “favorited” by many of the designers on Spoonflower. A few that I really admire as well. (Very cool!) I am going to take that as a good sign. Fingers crossed! Still a few more days to vote!

Happy weekend everyone!

Something Silly This Way Comes

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Something Silly Made. Mixed media. 2017 Sheila Delgado

In her recent newsletter, Carla Sonheim invited us to follow her lead and make something. Sitting next to me on the desk were the watercolors I painted for the Seaing is Believing surface design. I reached for my scissors, and a few minutes later I had a wonky bouquet.

I glued the pieces on the back of a failed painting. Added some stems, a bit of patchy sky. I scanned it into the computer, and added outlines digitally. I was hoping the shadows from each piece would be visible. Proof of the “made”.

I don’t have a Wacom, and trying to draw with the mouse is a chore. The lines came out crooked and I had to start over a few times. But they suit the silly and imperfect arrangement. Check out Carla’s 30-day blog project for some mid-week inspiration.

LAST LYA

Question mark. Kathy McIntire’s colorful card arrived, and made me panic for a minute, wondering if I had sent one in return. Whew! I did. Checked my list.

Kathy McIntire LYA side swap.

Kathy shared a mini gallery of her work. I’m not sure, but I think the flower is a felted piece. Isn’t this card fun? On the back Kathy shared a bit of her story. Wife, mother, grandmother, friend, volunteer, beach lover and artist. She loves sharing art with others, whether it is mail art, swapping, teaching or selling. She works in glass, clay, textiles and mixed media assemblage. So lucky that Kathy shared her art with me!

Kathy is part of The International Union of Mail Artist’s. Take a look at her Facebook page for some really fabulous postcards. Kathy is also doing some wonderful work for adults with disabilities. So awesome Kathy! And that leads to a connection with Kathy. I worked with United Cerebral Palsy in San Diego. Just a little something. I miss that job, and the people!

Thanks so much Kathy for sharing your thoughts and fabulous art with me! I wish you the best of luck with your inspirational “‘lil bizness”! Such a gift for your community!

Blessings-shiraz

Seaing is Believing

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This week the Spoonflower design challenge is to use watercolors (or digital watercolor brushes) to create a whimsical surface patterns inspired by fantasy creature motifs. I know that the Seahorse is a real creature, but to me they have always seemed magical.

I used both digital watercolor brushes and hand-painted watercolor for this design. You can see the digital brush layers on some of the Sand Dollars. The Seahorses are all hand-painted.

Voting begins today. This challenge sponsored by Skillshare. The top winners will take home Spoonflower credit and a Skillshare Premium subscription to start learning everything from how to create a surface design using motifs to “The Basics of Photoshop”, “Hand Lettering” and so much more! And, for the first time ever, all submissions into May’s design challenges are automatically entered to win the grand prize full of design goodies worth over $1000!

Here is a closer look.

I drew some dots, and circles and spots, and used them to suggest air bubbles, sand and pebbles. The watercolor was applied using a clipping mask. Here is a short video that shows how it is done. I know some of this may be too complicated, for those of you that do not use Photoshop, but the basic principal is easy to understand. It is just like cut and paste from the olden days!

I started by deciding on a palette, sunset hues.

Sunset palette

I am working on a companion piece as well. This will be on a smaller scale than you see here. This collection will lend itself to quilting or children’s clothing projects. I will also do this using different colors for the background.

Sand Dollars. Digital surface design. © 2017 Sheila Delgado

Thanks so much for taking the time to vote, I can’t make top ten without you!

LYA Side Swap

Val van der Poel.

I received this wonderful watercolor from my good friend Val in BC Canada. Val works in many mediums, and she is consistently learning and growing her skills in new areas. She works in paper quilling, watercolors, acrylics, oils, pen & ink, charcoal, mixed media and, recently, fabric art.

Not only that, she teaches too! I can always count on Val to give a sincere evaluation of my work. Be sure to visit her site and treat yourself to her fabulous work!

On the back of the card:

This is what I feel about art;
“Art is a Gift. Whether you make it, give it or receive it, I hope you will cherish it!”

Wonderful thought. And yes, I do cherish your card! Hugs and best wishes to you as well Val. Thanks so much for sharing your work with me. Your mountains are inspiring, and your pines and poppies are perfect! Love this view!