A Winner!

Thank you all for participating in my giveaway of Gina Armfield's new mixed-media journaling DVD. Gina's fabulous new book No Excuses Art Journaling is now available for pre-order on Amazon. It will transform your life! Please come back to see me as I continue to share more art and inspiration and for future giveaways! Congratulations to CJD for winning!

No More Excuses - A Giveaway!

As some of you know, I am a big fan of Gina Armfield's No More Excuses method and I am happy to announce my participation in her upcoming book, No Excuses Art Journaling, due out in December 2013! This method has literally changed my creativity and productivity into a daily practice. Gina helps you create a daily practice of working in a calendar as a journal, with prompts and inspiration to keep the creativity flowing. NME gives you the structure, and then you get to make it your own! My calendar journals have become home to memories and tidbits, lettering samples, quotes, watercolor, illustration and photography. Bit by bit, I watch my journal grow and by the end of the year I have a potent, creative record of the journey.

If you haven't started your NME journal yet, now is the time! Gina is releasing 2 DVDs to accompany her book, demonstrating just how to incorporate drawing & watercolor as well as mixed-media collage into your work! And I am giving away Gina's Mixed-Media Collage DVD to get you started! Just post a comment stating what you love or are looking forward to about the No Excuses Approach and I will randomly select a winner at the end of the week!

Please take a closer look at the No Excuses Art Journaling site, where you can catch Gina's interview, clips of her DVD's, ordering info, as well as updates on her workshops and book release. For a deeper glimpse into Gina's artwork take a look here!

Be sure to check out the rest of the Blog Release Party for more giveaways and inspiration:

May 20 - Dion Dior
May 22 - Serena Barton
May 23 - Chris Kalina
May 24 - Kelly Kilmer
May 28 - Pam Garrison
May 29 - Jennifer Joanou
May 30 - Tracie Huskamp
May 31 - Leslie Riley

Field Notes

I'm taking Juliana Coles' Field Notes class right now and so far I am having a great time. I am working in two journals, one is a preexisting sketchbook and for the other I am working in a novel with cute nautical and map illustrations. Working right over the printed text is liberating, and I find that it keeps me from getting too precious with the page. Another great tool for that is fat pens and markers. It really helps! Maybe these sketches are a little rough around the edges, but I kinda like that. The whole concept for the class is to get out and about, sketch more, and to create a practice. A PRACTICE people! I still have to reign in my own expectations and remember that it is just a page. If I don't like it I can do another drawing, as many as I like! The beauty of sketching is that my drawings really need to simmer, when I come back I always like it better than when I was trying to strong-arm it into some vision in my head. Have journal, will travel.

This is my favorite! My studio, with all that I love and use. (in progress)

A view of my backyard