Sunday, October 2, 2011

Has Anybody Seen My Mojo??


Talented artist and friend Joanna Monroe gave me sage advice the other day, when I bemoaned to her the fact that my get-up-and-go probably got up and went somewhere; she suggested that I try to make something small, such as an art card, so that I would feel as though I was creating something instead of simply wishing I were. I turned to one of my Zentangle® books by Suzanne McNeill for some inspiration, took out my drawing tools and scissors, and traveled back to kindergarten with my muse in tow.
I drafted a flower shape with leaves and enlarged it on my printer to a size appropriate for filling with tangles.
Using a Micron pen (and a pencil for shading), I drew some of my favorite designs in each petal.  I copied the flower onto white card stock and cut it out; the leaves were drawn onto green card stock and cut out as well.
I then cut three pieces of white and black card stock in graduated sizes, ranging from 4” by 6” to 4.5” by 6.5”, and glued them together to form a bordered background.
I backed a piece of black-and-white dotted fabric with Wonder-Under® and ironed it to a larger piece of card stock; after trimming, this was glued to the bordered background.
I assembled the flower and leaves and glued them in place, adding some hand-drawn tendrils to the empty spaces (the flower looked lonely . . .).
Some beads were sewn to a decorative button, and this was glued in place.
My little creation made me smile and seemed to wake up my sleeping muse.
Joanna, you are a wise woman – and a good friend.  Thank you.
Diane

12 comments:

Bee said...

I LOVE your art card! Your work is always an inspiration to me and the idea of working on a small piece as a way to wake up your sleeping muse is wonderful! I too, get bogged down when I don't have time to finish something....anything! A small project like this is just the ticket!

Robbie said...

WOW! How cool!! And you shared your process with us!! Thanks.

connie said...

What beautiful Card! What a wise creative friend you have!

Calicojoan said...

The card is adorable, and I love the advise you got. I am going to have to file it away in my memory banks somewhere, for when I need it! Thanks for sharing that great tip and your card! :-)

Calicojoan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Dotty One said...

Ooooh - so pretty. I love the card.
Your friend is so right - once you make yourself get involved in something (however small) the creative juices start flowing again! I must remeber this for next time I lose my mojo!

Quilt Rat said...

I think giving yourself permission to "PLAY" is the BEST gift you can give to yourself...I'll bet it left you with a wonderful feeling at the end of the day and made you anxious to return for more.
I LOVED seeing the step by step process.......okay so....did you find your mojo?

The card is S-P-M-B-O-F-F-I-A :-)

Tangled Stitch said...

I love the card and the beautiful designs and your friend was definitely right about starting small.

Joanna Monroe said...

Thank you for your kind words, Diane. Your card is beautiful as is all your work. It appears that your muse is perched right there on your shoulder with no intention of going on vacation any time soon. My muse is AWOL even after many small pieces. I hope her vacation ends and she returns soon.

imquilternity said...

Oh wow! I always love what you do, but I especially love this card. Black and white polka dots are my favorite...no matter where they are used! :) I played around with "doodling" the other day (I don't dare call mine Zentangles) but mine weren't nearly as interesting!

Chris Daly said...

So glad to see you finding inspiration again. Such a pretty piece! Wishing you many creative days soon.

Victoria said...

What a wonderful example of creativity! I get in those lost-my-mojo slumps as well, and will have to remember your friends sage advice!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...