Watercolor Pencils

I just love watercolor pencils. Why did it take me so long to discover these gems? I love their ease of use; especially since I have always wanted to learn watercolor, but never had the patience or opportunity. Now I feel as if I can get the watercolor effect with the ease of a pencil...this is great! My next purchase will surely be a paintbrush with a water reservoir so that I can take along my watercolor journal and pencils when I travel.

Thanks to Pam for inspiring this "Trio of Pears." I agree with her...pears are great fun to draw. And now they can even be done in watercolor...yippee!

© Nancy Lefko

My New Moleskine

I received a brand new Watercolor Moleskine in the mail the other day. I could hardly wait to open it and have fun experimenting. But with lots to do, it wasn't until today that I had a chance to play.

After an acrylic wash I stamped an image and followed that with cone flowers using my new watercolor pencils....what fun!! (I had a feeling I would like the watercolor pencils and I was right.) I added a bit of Prismacolor pencil and finished it off with some sketchy Pitt pen and added in the journaling. I'm hooked.

I have to thank my dear friend Pam Carriker for opening up to me the world of art journaling. I never thought much about journaling before I took Pam's class, but I truly enjoy this art form. It is such a pleasure to create art simply for the fun of it without wondering if it will "sell." It's great fun to create art that is all mine. I have three journals going now and I do believe I'll be happily journaling for years to come.

© Nancy Lefko

Illustration Friday ~ Fleeting

The prompt from Illustration Friday this week made me think of how swiftly time passes...I guess that is most noticeable in our children and how quickly they grow. It made me remember to enjoy every moment of every day, no matter how mundane, as life is far too FLEETING and we'd best enjoy the ride while we can.

Collage available in my Etsy shop. **SOLD**

© Nancy Lefko

Mixed Media Monday ~ Stripes and Polka Dots

I'm getting better...it's only Tuesday and I have my piece for the Mixed Media Monday challenge all finished! It was easy with stripes and polka dots as the prompt. Anyone who has seen my earlier work knows that my gals often wear the signature striped stockings; I knew in an instant that those would be featured in my piece for this challenge. I decided to go "really tall" and give this gal some extra long gams. She was so much fun to make that I might have to give her some friends the next time I get time in my studio :)

Available in my Etsy shop.

© Nancy Lefko

Mind Wide Open Challenge ~ Moments

I absolutely love the monthly challenges at Mind Wide Open. Each month Gail supplies the most wonderful image for inspiration and it always stirs my muse. I used this month's image and prompt as inspiration for a journal page. With college fast approaching for my oldest son, I find myself consumed with thoughts of my young fleeing the nest...hence the theme of this journal page.

It would be time well spent for you to take a look at the entrants at Mind Wide Open when they are posted tomorrow. There is always a wealth of beautiful artwork there to enjoy.

© Nancy Lefko

New Workshop ~ Registration Open

Spring is here and so is a new collage workshop I am offering at Creative Workshops. It's the time of year to use beautiful springtime fabrics and luscious paint colors in a PAINTED FABRIC COLLAGE WORKSHOP. Registration is now open for this three session class that will commence on May 25, 2009. For those of you unfamiliar with the classes at Creative Workshops, they are designed for you to participate in at your own pace...which is wonderfully convenient. I am a student at Creative Workshops, as well as a teacher, and I enjoy the ability to "attend" class when it fits MY schedule. If you are like me in that respect, pop on over to Creative Workshops and take a look at the wonderful classes that are offered.

Below I have included specific information about my new workshop. Come on over and play!

Workshop Description:
Do you share my love of patchwork, paint and collage? If so, you are in the right place. In this three session workshop we will combine techniques and materials to create pieces of art suitable for framing or fashioning into wall-hangings.

This class will be a combination of images, written instructions, printable pdf's and video.

Supply List:
* 1/2 yard fabric (for background and backing)
* 1/4 yard total of 3 or 4 coordinating fabrics
* scraps of muslin fabric
* 1/2 yard Heat Bond®
* 1/2 yard fusible interfacing (mid-weight)
* clear gesso
* fluid acrylic paints
* FABRIC paintbrushes, variety of sizes (I use Loew Cornell, sold in pkg. of 4 at JoAnn's)
* foam brush
* charcoal pencil (medium hardness)
* white gel pen
* blending stump
* small alphabet stamps
* Staz-On® ink (black)
* sewing machine and black thread (optional) or black embroidery floss
and sewing needle
* 2B (regular) pencil
* brayer
* bubble wrap®
* grosgrain ribbon (optional)
* buttons (optional)
* iron
* ironing board

Workshop begins May 25, 2009
Fee: $38.00

© Nancy Lefko

Mixed Media Monday ~ Come Fly with Me

It took me all week to get into my studio and complete my piece for Mixed Media Monday; actually the first piece I have ever created for this particular challenge. I am so late I considered not posting my link on their site, but thought, "what the heck; better late than never." This mixed media collage which uses paints, paper and charcoal is entitled, "Set Free Your Dreams." Please take a look at the wonderful art posted by others at this inspiring site.

Collage available in my Etsy shop.

© Nancy Lefko

Thank You, QueenBe

My sincere thanks to my friend, Carol, aka QueenBe, for posting on her blog an interview with me. Carol and I met through an Etsy group of like-minded artists and we have developed a special friendship. I am honored that Carol chose me as one of her blog interviewees and I hope you will take the time to visit Carol's blog and Etsy shop for the treats this talented lady has to offer.

Thanks so much, Carol.

image © Carol Berger

Melange Team on Etsy

I have the true pleasure of being part of a wonderful group of Mixed Media Artists known as the Melange Team on Etsy. It was pure serendipity when I met many of these ladies on a forum discussing mixed media/collage techniques. Since that first visit our group has grown and we now have a brand new blog thanks to the talents of many of our members. We communicate daily at the forum and also at our Yahoo group and share our lives as well as our art. I feel so blessed to have these marvelous friends in my life and they bring me such joy. They are also among the most talented artists one could ever meet. Stop by our team Etsy shop for a treat...there is much to behold.

More Shades of Grey

Can you tell I'm enjoying my journaling class? This has been the perfect creative outlet for me lately. Too many things on my mind, and too many things to do, have made it near impossible to devote any time to my mixed media/collage work. But it has been so easy for me to grab my journal and let the creativity flow through these marvelous Pitt Brush Pens. And I truly love the feel of my Moleskine sketchbook...what a wonderful combination. You can join in on Pam Carriker's wonderful class if you visit the link in the previous post.



© Nancy Lefko

Shades of Grey Journal Workshop

I am currently enrolled in Pam Carriker's "Shades of Grey Journal Workshop," over at Creative Workshops ...an awesome place to be, if you haven't yet checked out that site.

We are having fun with Pitt pens and have been set loose to doodle with abandon! I was always a doodler in my younger years...on my notebooks in school and as I recall, I doodled relentlessly on the notes that papered our family bulletin board. It was mounted on the wall alongside the phone and as I whiled away the hours, tethered to the phone, I doodled on every available scrap of paper or business card on the bulletin board. It pleased my dad to no end :)

Imagine my delight in a class that actually encourages DOODLING! It is carefree, relaxing and creative all at once...the trifecta of art.

Pam's class offers instruction with the Pitt brush tip pens and also water soluble crayons...two wonderful tools that are sure to enhance anyone's artwork. Come on over to the workshop and join in the fun!




© Nancy Lefko

Home

Some of you who visit regularly may look at this collage and say, "hey, that looks familiar." And you'd be right. I was so smitten with the image in the piece I had created for the Australian Fire Relief Fundraiser, that I just had to make a similar collage for my shop. There's something about this child hugging her doll and the feeling of home that makes me feel safe.

Available in my Etsy shop. **SOLD**

© Nancy Lefko

Illustration Friday ~ Legendary

"Marjorie's parties were LEGENDARY. 'We partied like crazy people,' she bragged."

The above collage is my submission for this week's Illustration Friday prompt. I hope you'll forgive me for pulling from the archives, but I couldn't resist...this collage immediately popped into my head when I saw the topic.

Note cards with this image are available in my CafePress shop.

© Nancy Lefko

Workshop Starts Tomorrow !!!

I happily await my students for the start of my Mixed Media/Collage Backgrounds Workshop at Creative Workshops. I am anticipating much fun and look forward to meeting new friends. It is not too late to join, in fact you can join at any point during the 5 week workshop as all lessons remain accessible throughout the class and beyond.

Hope to see you there !

© Nancy Lefko

Mind Wide Open Challenge ~ Journey

My entry for this month's Mind Wide Open Challenge honors the "gypsy" in your soul. She's in there...and she comes out when you have the wanderlust or desire for adventure. She's there to help you JOURNEY to those places you want to go, but may be hesitant....to help you take those risks that seem too overwhelming. Have faith in yourself...your "gypsy" will guide you.

Available in my Etsy shop.

© Nancy Lefko