Artful Prayer in Mini Session

My thoughts have been going in the direction of art journaling a lot lately. For one thing I'm working on a really big project that involves my art journal. But more on that later.   But also I have been preparing to teach at a retreat this weekend and also another one next weekend. I will be teaching a mini session of my Artful Prayer Workshop at each of them.   For the Artful Prayer Workshop we use only artist pencils of various kinds and markers.  I love what I call "paint and paste" work.  But I find that when I work on something with that approach, I get so caught up in the technique of it that I fail at the journaling part.  But when working with the slow medium of artist pencils, my mind has the freedom and space to move forward with my prayer time.

You know I am a self professed paper snob. I have trouble finding a journal made just right with just the right paper to work with my various pencil supplies.  So I've made journals for the weekend participants.  Each one is different so they can choose and be unique.  When I teach classes I'm all about making choices and about being your unique self.

Here is a smidgen sneak peek at a small part of the example for the weekend class.  But one of the things I insist on whether my students are 5 or 75 is that no one can just copy mine.  I teach concepts and techniques not projects.  They must find a way to make it their own.  

 My penmanship is less that ideal.  And sometimes I have students who are naturals when it comes to lovely lettering.  I am not.  And I find that for me to spend too much time focusing on the penmanship can ruin the prayerful mood of the moment.  So, I just don't worry about it.

 

I've also been playing lately with Jennifer Frith's approach to journaling with a weekly calendar.  Its kind of fun and I am thinking about ways to incorporate it into my regular format.  Here are some of my first attempts.  These were created in a hardbound Moleskine using graphite, Derwent Inktense, and Faber Castell Pitt markers.

Wind and Honey Creations
Creative Pencils - Online Drawing Lessons

Invitation to Artful Prayer

I would like to invite you to Artful Prayer, the Journaling workshop I will be teaching at The Graceful Artist. It is an ongoing video workshop blending art journaling and prayer.  We will have discussions and the opportunity to ask questions.

We will be looking at ways to enrich your prayer life and to create a mixed-media look with the simplicity of artist's pencils.

I would love for you to join me.


 
Wind and Honey Creations
Creative Pencils - Online Drawing Lessons

Happy Birthday to Me!

Oh, you're gonna be SO jealous! Hahaha!!! 

Its my birthday month and the Poet bought me some drawers for my pencils! I couldn't be happier. Forget the diamonds. Just give me some quaint old junk to hold my pencils and I'm a happy girl. These drawers used to be part of a cabinet for a dentist to store his tools in. I wonder if the rest of the cabinet was destroyed in a fire because there was some black discoloration on the side.  But that was no problem since I would be painting it anyway.

 

So, here's what they look like full of pencils and in their spot on the desk.  This takes up a little more space than the pencil holder I have been using.  But actually, it is much better as the pencils can lay safely flat.  This is better for protecting those fragile leads.  And I can see what colors are there without having to take them out by the handful at a time.

This picture shows what they looked like when we got them home.  The finish is kinda boring, but with lots of potential.  I have this great weakness for lots of drawers!  Notice that the top is missing.  I think this was a part of a much larger piece.  But, the missing top is easily remedied. 

 Look at the insides of the drawers!  Don't they just shout the need for pencils?!  

 

My painting hopes were to make the drawers look like they were painted white many years ago and had endured much wear bringing a roughness to the paint.   What do you think?  Did I get that look?

I know that chalk paint is so popular right now.  I love the look.  But I have tons and tons of paint and I am determined to use up what I have before I buy more.
I'm pretty sure these knobs are original.  Well, there are 2 like the bottom one shown here that look like replacements.  However, they also look old.  I think they were replaced many many years ago.

So, here they are all finished, loaded, and in their new home on my desk.  Happy Birthday to Me!

Wind and Honey Creations

Fun Gifts In The Mail

I was the winner of a recent drawing held by Lesa of Percolating Today.   I was so excited when she contacted me.  I never win anything.  And I have a great weakness for boxes and containers and cigar boxes in particular.

This purse is so cute with the modern beaded Miami design on one side and the original cigar label on the other.  The handle is a very nice shiny silver color and the corners are too. 

 

Lesa filled the inside with a big bag of CHOCOLATE!  There was actually more than this but it didn't last long enough for the camera.  

And look what I can do now!  Its perfect for taking some pencils along.  I love it!  Thank you Lesa. 


 
Wind and Honey Creations

Grow Your Blog Party

Dancing Swan

Today I am joining the Grow Your Blog Party hosted by Vicki at 2 Bags Full.   I will begin by telling you the obvious.  I am Elizabeth Johnson of Wind and Honey Creations and Creative Pencils.   Wind and Honey is the name under which I create my own personal art.  I have used that name for almost 25 years now.  --I was but a toddler when I started.  Hahahahaha!!!!!

This has nothing to do with anything.  I just thought is was pretty.

 I have created a variety of types of art.  But in my wanderings, I always end up coming home to my first love, artist's pencils.  The sparkle and excitement of paint and glitter call to me.  But bringing life to a blank piece of paper with nothing but a simple pencil is what makes my heart sing.  Somehow when I've drawn something I love, it feels as if a part of that subject is then in my heart in a way that cannot ever be removed.   My passionate first and forever subject of choice is animals.  I love them all -- domestic and wild.  I strive to capture each one's unique personality and show it to the world. 

Just some of my pencils

Mattie

Creative Pencils is the name under which I teach drawing 

workshops.   I first began teaching in my local community 14 years ago.  I started with children and eventually grew up to adult classes.  I have taught almost as many media as I have experimented with.  But, as with my own art, I always return home to my pencils.  I have taught many students my right-brained approach to drawing.  And it has been a delight to watch them blossom and discover they could do something they thought they could not.  I love watching the look on their faces as they begin to realize they are actually drawing.  Last year I opened an online site called Creative Pencils where I teach online with a video format.  That has been quite an adventure.  

Lydia

I began blogging when I had a shop on Etsy some years ago and it was suggested that it would be a good thing to do.  Oh my!  I had no clue what I was doing or what to say or what to do!  But I stumbled in anyway.  Through visiting other blogs and basically following what I saw in others, I found this to be an enjoyable place to be.  I much prefer blog hopping to spending hours on other social media.  When I visit blogs I feel I've spend time in someone's living room or had tea in their quaint gift shop.  I hope my blog communicates that kind of warm atmosphere too.  And, although I do brag on my students here, and I do show my work here, my blog has become much more than just a place to promote my business.  It has become a place to visit friends and share my world.  

Kenya

As to my personal life, I have been married over 30 years to a man that spends his free time writing poetry.  And yes, ladies, some of those poems have been written to me.  I have to say, its pretty nice. 

I have 2 grown children.  My son is a chef and my daughter is a sculpture artist.   They are the delights of my life. 

I have 2 cats and a Great Pyrenees who grace my home with warm snuggles, lots of laughter, and constant studio supervision.  

Thank you for visiting me here today.  I am giving away a prize!  Fun, fun!  And anyone can participate.  I will hold a drawing on February 1, 2013 using the names of those that comment here.  The winner will receive a Giclee fine art print of my Dancing Swan created with mixed media pencils.  It is the image at the top of this post.   It is 10" x 8" and will come ready for you to mat and frame as you wish to coordinate with your own personal decor. 

 
Wind and Honey Creations

A Look Into My World

Christian the Lion

I spent a week in Missouri recently.  I took along with me the book A Lion Called Christian by Anthony Bourke, John Rendell, and George Adamson.  I've loved the story of Christian as shown on Youtube for a few years now.  And I've watched each version of it many times.  So the story in the book was no surprise.  But there were many details in the book that I had not known before about Christian's relationship with his two legged friends.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  It inspired this journal page created with watercolor paint and Derwent water soluable sketching pencils.

The story of Christian the lion is set in the late 60's in England where two Australian young men purchased a lion cub from Harrods Department store.  Can you imagine?  They raised him for many months living in their home with them. The three of them loved each other dearly.  When Christian was around a year old, John and Anthony (Ace) transported him to Africa where George Adamson, of the Born Free story, helped Christian learn how to live free and wild as was appropriate for him.  The video shows the reunion when John and Ace visited Christian a year later after living as a wild lion.  He had not forgotten them.  Rather, he greeted them with hugs and kisses.

Here is one of the many videos about Christian.  There are better ones but this one tells the story well, and I love the addition of the Whitney Houston song.

Wind and Honey Creations

My Studio in a Box

A while back I showed a tiny traveling portfolio and drawing board that I created for ACEO's . I promised to show other ways to travel with your art supplies. Today I am showing pictures of my art box. This box started out as a fishing tackle box. I have had it for 10 years. It is sturdy and handy. But it was just a bit too masculine for me. So I embellished it. I know that shocks you that I would do that. : ) Since this box will never be for sale, I was able to use some images from magazines that I can never use in my art due to copyright laws. Technically, this should not work over plastic. But I tend to ignore rules when they get in my way. So, I just used ModPodge and glued away. When I was finished I covered it all with several coats of Liquitex Matte Varnish. In 4 years of lugging this box around to classes and on trips, the images remain intact. If you ever decide to look for a tackle box like this, be sure and take an unsharpened pencil along with you. Many of them do not have spaces quite long enough for the pencils. This is a Plano box. The wonderful thing about this box is that I can fit all of my many kinds of pencils and colored pencils in it, grab a pad of paper, and I'm off for a day or a week. By the way, that isn't chocolates. The chocolate tin has more pencils in it. And the round tin is my traveling trash can for sharpening shavings.