Tag: painting

100 days in my studio

What would 100 days of a creative practice look like?

On 18 February the #100day project began again. (which was the day after my birthday so it also feels like a New Year project for me!)

The 100 day project is a creative marathon I’ve taken part in every year since 2017. Up until now I began each 100 days with a clear idea of what I hoped to achieve.

In 2023 I made 100 spiral images. In 2017 I filled a book with 100 drawings inspired from the photos in my phone. Each year has had a theme… until now.

thoughts on themelessness

This year I had no idea… maybe collage? that felt limiting, I know I want to spend more time stitching in the next couple of months and could incorporate that… but I’ve already got so many projects to juggle…

I thrive by having a lot going on so I can butterfly between them and keep my attention energised, but it doesn’t take much to disrupt the *just enough* chaos levels and I fall into overwhelm and inertia.

So I began posting some of what I’d been making through the day and by around day 4 I figured that I’d fallen on my theme without realising it: 100 days in my studio.

So far I’ve shared bits from the Book of Days, the TWELVTY project, a collaged landscapes series I’m developing, some color swatching, digital edits for a new illustration project to name just some!

If you’d like to follow along in real time, join me on Instagram where i’m posting daily. If that isn’t your thing, I’ll be back with a run down of the first couple of weeks, and what I’ve learned from it.

Are you doing the 100 day project? Or have you done it before? Tell me your thoughts about it in the comments, I’m intrigued by everyone’s perspective on this crazy epic ride!

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

Get monthly-ish Studio Musings Newsletter.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

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Birthday FLASH SALE!

“50% off everything in my Etsy store until Monday! Check it out.”

HALF PRICE everything in my Etsy Store until Monday!

art postcards, zines, stickers, everything!!

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

Get monthly-ish Studio Musings Newsletter.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

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TWELVTY-ONE: yellow-ish

Mixy presents TWELVTY 2024, a year-long color exploration through watercolor and mixed media.

In my year full of color, I usually begin with Yellow, then trip clockwise around this color wheel a month and a color at a time.

What’s happening in TWELVTY 2024?

I dug out this lovely little square watercolour sketchbook from my stash.

It has about 30 pages, just right for 2 spreads per month/per colour. 

I like to break the ice by noodling some sort of title on the front cover, I can go back and add more as and when the whims of fate decide.

My “This Color: This Month” rule has loosey-goosey-ed up as I’m in Color/Month 1 and we’re well into February.

Also I don’t think it’s ‘finished’, so I’m open to adding some more bits in the future.

Already the whole thing feels way more relaxed!!

Up to now Yellow has been a vivid array of sunflower, egg yolk and banana yellow, this time I’m looking at the subtler edges of what I call YELLOWISH, with ochre, Naples yellow, gold and cream. 

That’s the plan today, watch this space to see if I can keep this far out from my loudest-colored-comfort-zone! 

BIG bold yellows from yester year!

+ Contrast!

I also relaxed the just one colour  aspect this time. This time I’m experimenting with each color being accompanied with flashes of something from way over the other side of the color wheel.

Here’s how I kicked off this year’s 12 color project!

Yellow-ish Page 1

This watercolour paper is handmade and heavily textured, it takes wet media like a dream.

  • Starting out with water soluble markers (Tombow, Ecoline) 
  • Then water soluble pastels (Neocolor II), then water to blend
  • Followed by gouache (white, Naples Yellow, Yellow Ochre).
  • For a bit of darker contrast I used a fountain pen with a mix of black ink and water.
  • Water soluble pencil, then some collage pieces.
  • Finally highlighting squiggles in gold & yellow marker pen.

More updates soon!

Be first to see where this project leads me next by signing up to my monthly newsletter.

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

Get monthly-ish Studio Musings Newsletter.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

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TWELVE years since TWELVTY!

Well, can we have a big “YIKES” to acknowledge that 12 years have elapsed since my very first 12 colours in 12 months project?!?!

I had to double check my numbers, but it’s for real. TWELVE years indeed!

What is TWELVTY?

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, 2012 was a tough year for me…

my home life had been turned upside down, and creativity kept me afloat.

At the time I’d recently discovered fibre artist Marlene Glickman

Her piece “Day by Day” appealed to every part of my colour-hungry soul.

Making color and design decisions is sometimes difficult so I challenge myself to use only one color from the color wheel each month during my daily design exercises. A box sits on my worktable containing all the supplies I collected at the beginning of the month in one color.

From this I choose bits and pieces creating a 5″ x 5″ design/collage/drawing. The small format offers me the chance to explore a design and decide whether or not to enlarge it or expand on an idea. I also keep a journal for sketches, fabric swatches and working out future ideas and larger pieces. 

Marlene Glickman 1948-2023

A Year Full of Colour

On Marlene’s advice, I decided to dedicate a sketchbook to single colour experiments, with one colour each month for a year. This is how it turned out (excuse the wonky video – this was new to me!)

the original 12 colors in 12 months art journal from 2012

Over the years I revisited this idea, and reimaging the monthly format. For a few years I ran a year long class sharing my process and guiding other creatives in their own 12 colour projects.

3d mixed media sculpture of a color wheel

TWELVTY 2024

I can’t let this 12 year marker go uncelebrated, so this year I’ve got a new twist on the old idea in mind. Catch this month’s studio newsletter to see what I’ve been making, and find out how this year will be a wee bit different!

Is this something you’d like to join in with?
Comment below to LMK, I’ve got so many ideas to share!

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

Get monthly-ish Studio Musings Newsletter.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

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Letting go of the butterfly

It’s curious to relive the visual journey. There’s nothing like filming the process to relive the ‘why did I do that?’ moments.

Time Lapse Compilation: part 3

If you’ve been here before, you’ll know that lately I’ve been documenting my art journaling process through a series of time lapse videos.

It’s curious to relive a visual journey. There’s nothing like filming the process to relive the ‘why did I do that?’ moments. These came up a lot early on but I’m noticing a desensitising effect with practice, and letting go of expectations. Process is process.

Nonetheless, the push and pull of loving/hating the direction it’s taking remains real. It took a really long time for me to catch on where this one wanted me to lead it.

The irony of the words that fell onto this page is not lost on me, from an interview with
Sabrina Ward Harrison: “Splendidly Imperfect and Alive”.

This video is a compilation of little time lapse videos taken over a few weeks of back-and-forth-ing on this spread.

The more time I spend in art making, the more I find parallels between a creative practice and all the other everyday-everythings. Seems to me, how we make tends to mirror how we live – bravely – messily – stubbornly – inconsistently… all of these are here!

Releasing the butterfly

This particular spread got so sticky because I reeeally didn’t want to lose that butterfly. I painted and drew around him until I had such a mess there was no other option, ultimately burying him under a new layer of paint to ease the intensity of so much going on.  I was resisting letting go.

I’ll post the next in this series soon. To catch it ahead of everyone else + get monthly-ish updates on my other colorful studio antics, join up for my newsletter here.

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Time Shrinkage

Today we reached the quarter way mark, day 25 of the #100dayproject.

To celebrate I’ve joined up the videos of the first layers of the first canvas I began working on. It’s still a work in progress, but already it’s been through so many evolutions.

The 100 Day Project 2018

I like an outrageously crazy challenge as much as the next person.

I’ve been known to dive into some over ambitious projects without thinking it all the way through (for risk of talking myself all the way out in the process).

But even I know while I’m not in my studio every day, finding time for painting every day for 100 days isn’t realistic.  I listened to my inner adult, and together we came up with a plan:

My 100 day project is to paint as often as I can, and post an update every day for 100 days.

To make that possible and prepare I let these paintings take over a long weekend at the start of the month in order to get ahead.

(Best. Weekend. Ever!)

If you haven’t seen the posts, I’ve been  time-lapsing the process to share on Instagram.

This filming shrinks down the rate of progress to just 10%, making a half hour of painting flash by in 30 seconds! It’s fascinating to watch it back, to literally watch over my own shoulder as I paint. I follow my instincts and don’t plan what I’ll paint, so the images evolve out of nowhere, and then recede back under the newer layers.

Today we reached the quarter way mark, day 25.

To celebrate I’ve joined up the videos of the first layers of the first canvas I began working on. It’s still a work in progress, but already it’s been through so many evolutions.

 

I’ll be making little videos like these for all 5 paintings as I go along.

If you’d like an exclusive preview of these, and other things I’m making, join up for my email newsletters. At the time of typing, they go out just once or twice a month, so I won’t be flooding our inbox!

 

Flashback: Color, Color, Color!

IMG_9429Last year I had the great pleasure of producing an online class for 21 Secrets all about color. (If you know my art – you’ll know this is my thing!)

In the class I teach you how to make a really fun variation on a color wheel, using collage and mixed media painting techniques, to inspire new ways of combining colors in your mixed media art. This would be fab as a school holiday project for creative little ones!

And another 23 teachers (yes – this time there are more than the usual 21) share how they use color in their art.

This week there’s a Flashback Sale!

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From 1am PST on Monday July 3rd
(CLICK HERE for time zone conversion)
to 11:59pm PST on Wednesday, July 5th 

You can grab Color, Color, Color! For just $77
(a discount of $21).

Click Here & Enter Coupon Code: FLASHBACK

 

(By purchasing through the links in this post, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)  

 

All through this summer I’m offering a special discount in my Etsy Shop to all the folks on my mailing list – so clickety-hop aboard today if you want to snag a bargain!

penngregory_Mailchimp12TEtsyBanner

(and I’ll send you my ebook A Year full of Color as a thank you for joining)

yearfullofcolorbypenngregory_page_01

 

What 3 months of color looks like…

These are the art journal pages from the first three months of Twelvty: This is the story so far.

January: Yellow

 

When I look at these pages I’m whisked back the to adventures and explorations of the first month of this year long adventure. Using just one color brings out nuances and subtleties too quiet to hear above the sound of other colors. 

I chose yellow as a starting place in the color wheel because it is simple, it is small. 

There’s not much space or contrast in yellow – take it darker and you have shades of ochre, tan into browns. Only a smidge lighter before you hit white. No room to step either way before falling into yellow-orange or yellow-green, and they have their own months in Twevlty.

Yellow is compact with well defined parameters. 

 

February: Yellow-Green

Yellow-green: the first tertiary color we explored – and suddenly there’s a depth of tone to play with. Luscious lime to opulent olive.  Chartreuse. Char-freaking-treuse, people! 

And here’s the beginning of the “is it or isn’t it?” questions that will bob up all through this year. When does it stop being yellow and start being green? Where’s the spot in the middle? We’re navigating a continuum, there are no strict boundaries. It’s all part of the fun 😉

March: Green

Another month, another step round, deeper into greens. Each collage scrap and cut out shape here has a story and will serve to remind me of ideas that were born and then took a turn I didn’t foresee. I’m only the vehicle through which these ideas come to being, sometimes I forget this and try to control them. But, like water,  they find their own way.

 

This book is the place a leave seeds of ideas to incubate: reminders to a me-in-the-future. We’re nearing the end of a month of blue-green as I type this to you, and about to dive into the ocean of blue for May. Check back to see the cool bluey loveliness that emerges!

 

Would you like to get sporadic updates on my thoughts and drawings delivered right to your inbox? Hop onto my email list right here.

(and I’ll send you my ebook A Year full of Color as a thank you for joining)

Your email is utterly safe to me. It will be wrapped up in blankets. I will bring it tea and biscuits on Wednesdays.

that time again! (1 of 2)

Looking back at things I made in 12 months makes the year stretch back further. January feels like a lifetime ago now…

My 2016 in art journalling has looked like this

January

February

March

April

May

June

The tail of the year, the time to look back & look forward, funny cos in so many ways it’s an arbitrary number, tomorrow will still be tomorrow whatever we call it. But I enjoy the process of evaluating where I am in this life from time to time, so now’s as good as any!

Join me tomorrow and I’ll show you the second half of my 2016 in art journaling.

Want to make 2017 brighter and more colorful?

Join me in TWELVTY!  beginning January 1st.

Can’t wait that long? sign up below and get a lovingly hand crafted ebook all about color right now!!  

…then join TWELVTY…obvs! 😉 

yearfullofcolorbypenngregory_page_01

Be well, my friends, Much love to you all X

**********************************

(Your email is absolutely safe with me, I’ll just pop by and check up on it time to time, feed it biscuits, plump up its cushions, that sort of thing.)

 

 

 

New Color Fuelled Excitements!

I’ve got big plans brewing and I want to tell you all about them!

Beginning with (drum roll and accompanying cooing noises, if you will)

“TWELVTY”

ok, that’s a working title… I’ll tell you a little more about it and perhaps you’ll have some better ideas on a name!

So here’s the thing: 5 years ago I did this personal project called 12 in 12 and it looked like this:

edit20121217_0595
GASP! I know! it was so much fun to make!

It’s an art journal of mixed media, painting and doodles, collage, stitching and things that I worked on all through the year. Each month had a 2 or 3 pages, but just one colour. Beginning in January with Red-Purply-Magenta, I cycled around the colour wheel landing back to Red in December. 12 colours in 12 months.

I loved it for so many reasons. While I continued to play with all the colors in my other art, I kept focussed on the month’s ONE COLOR in this book. All month long.

It was a discipline. And it made me reach for the other colors more mindfully in the rest of my work.

Even now, years on, I look back through it and those pages flood my mind with ideas and inspiration.

It also tuned my eyes into color in my surrounding much more keenly. Look around you now: how many blue things can you see? Look again. Are they brighter now you’re actively noticing them? It’s so simple, so effective.The more we look, the more we see. 

color_penngregory_01
Take Nine: 21 Secrets Color, Color, Color !

I revisited this idea recently in my 21 Secrets class Take Nine. And it’s awoken something in me that’s just overflowing with ideas.

At least a yearful of them.

So, here we go:

I’m going to re-imagine this project in 2017 and I’d love you to join me.  

This time it’s going to extend beyond one art journal. It’s going to include all the aspects of art making I use and incorporate everything new I pick up in the year, off the top of my head I already know it will have:

  • painting & drawing
  • photography & video
  • textiles, stitching, beadwork
  • sculpture & 3D makings
  • …. oooh! we’ll have to wait and see what else!

Each month I’ll record what I’m making and share these videos with you, AND at the end of the month I’ll be selling the pieces I make in my (soon to be opened) Etsy Store. 

AND There will be giveaways and prize draws through the year too. I’m formulating the details and honing the plans all the while: there will be much more on all of this soon!

Sign up here for updates by email if you want to keep in the loop with all things TWELVTY

Edit:: It’s here!! Find out more HERE & SIGN UP if you want to join the adventure!! 

I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Meanwhile, I wish you all a fabulous, bright and colorful week!

Much love X

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