Day 29 - Nicolette.....

We are shaped by our thoughts... we become what we think... when the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves .....Buddha

Thank you my friends for your thoughts and tips

on the watercolor paper and gesso...

I drew Nicolette on the back of another face...

with no gesso...yay...

sprayed the page lightly with water before I started...

it made all the difference...

I have actually never heard of a water color block before...

so watched a video on youtube...

and will definitely be on the lookout for one now...

I have only just begun using watercolors recently...

love their softness...

so thank you again...

for answering my questions :))

well... here she is...

the last little face in the challenge...

what an incredibly fun month it has been...

a BIG thank you to Martha...

for organizing this challenge second time round...

and to YOU... my friends...

for all your visits, comments and encouragement...

YOU made the fun even greater :))

thank you so much... you guys ROCK...

and a little recap of the month...

week one...

week two...

week three...

and week four...

my little book is now bursting with color...

I just need to finish the cover...

do you have a favorite???

well... I will be back again soon...

I have loved every minute...

I've found lots of wonderful new blogs...

and been constantly inspired by the amazing work that

everyone has shared...

I really want to continue creating a little art everyday...

not necessarily a face a day... but something...

so thank you again...

and remember to check out the beautiful work of the

lovely 136 people participating...

BIG hugs...

Jenny x

Day 28 - Juliette.....

I am always doing that which I cannot do...

 in order that I may learn how to do it...

.....Pablo Picasso

My second last face in this wonderful 29 faces challenge...

this little one is Juliette...

she is drawn onto a smaller piece of watercolor paper...

which I will stick into my book...

One thing I have found in the past month...

is that I like the look of the watercolor paint better

on pages that do not have gesso...

I am using 300 gsm (140 lb) hot press watercolor paper....

and even with that weight... I am finding I still get an

indentation on the back...

and so... 

I have been painting a layer of gesso onto the reverse of each page...

which works fine... but I don't love the finished result as much...

I am thinking I can add book paper, maps or paint a background first...

and so now I am wondering...

do you have a preference... 

do your prefer watercolor over gesso or not...

do you gesso every page...

what works for you...

well, my friends... one lucky last face to go...

seriously this month seems to have flashed past in the blink of an eye...

but I will be back tomorrow to finish off...

Hugs

Jenny x

Day 27 - Mason....

 

A man should look for what is...

and not what he thinks should be...

.....Albert Einstein

Martha challenged us to do something a little different today...

and having never drawn a man before...

I thought I would give it a try...

 my sketching seems to have been replaced...

by a quick outline before adding color...

and so I thought I would try sketching him as well...

but it seems I have set the rooster among the hens... 

because ever since Mason arrived...

the girls have been acting a little crazy...

and as Cerise is still more than a little annoyed with yesterday's happenings...

he has promised to take her out for coffee...

 funnily enough... ever since then...

we don't seem to be able to wipe the smile off her face...lol...

Happy Monday...

Jenny x

Day 26 - Cerise.....

All the world's a stage .....William Shakespeare

OK... so technically when I got up from drawing yesterday...

I did tell Cerise that I would be back later in the afternoon

to finish coloring her... 

then my grandson arrived... 

and we got chatting... and laughing... 

and watched the footy together...

before we knew it... it was late...

and so he decided to stay over for the night...

and well... 

Cerise was kinda forgotten :(

I apologized this morning...

but she wasn't having a bar of it...

she said she had waited all afternoon and night

 for me to return...

and she had missed out on some serious beauty sleep...

when I mentioned that she was being a little dramatic...

she replied... she was an actress...

and that being dramatic was all part of the package...

Off for a family afternoon tea...

and then I'll be back for some blog catch ups...

hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday...

the sun is shining... 

and the warmth is streaming through the windows...

a beautiful sunshiny day...

Jenny x

Days 24 and 25.....

Those who danced

were thought to be quite insane

 by those who could not hear the music

.....Monet

This is Vonnie...

 she is a little camera shy...

and she is in a rush...

you see it is Friday night...

and she is about to hit the night club...

with her two besties... Jess and Francie...

they all love nothing better...

after a busy working week...

 than to go dancing...

and for Vonnie... it is ALL about the dancing...

she may have the odd cocktail or two... 

but usually it is a softdrink or water...

and she's not there to try and meet someone either...

she's there for the music...

and because dancing makes her feel alive...

so completely free... relaxed and blissful...

 on the dance floor...

she can be herself...

and for Vonnie... there is nothing quite like that...

and do you remember Freya...

the little bird I painted in week one of the challenge...

well... I wanted to make some prints from her...

but in a size that would fit into a standard frame...

so today... I had a little play with drawing her...

as an 8 x 10...

so here she is... Freya... take two...

I still like the original... and it was fun to try her again...

lots of background layers happening...

 I'm happy with the way she re- emerged :))

and it also means that I have caught up... yay!!

and also that there are only four more faces to go...

seriously... where did May go...

it was the perfect day to sit inside in the warmth and art today though...

 so cold and rainy outside...

winter is almost upon us... or perhaps it is already here...

happy weekend everyone...

Hugs

Jenny x

Day 23 - Grace.....

Dreams are necessary to life

.....Anais Nin

A wavy haired girl...

this one is Grace...

I really enjoyed drawing her today...

Hugs

Jenny x

Day 22 - Mae... and Alice...

Everybody is like a magnet... 

you attract to yourself reflections of that which you are...

 if you're friendly... then everybody else seems to be friendly too...

.....Dr David Hawkins

Had a fun day today... 

finishing Alice... and drawing Mae...

added black gesso to the background...

to make her really stand out...

and here is Alice...

for some reason... I don't know why...

she reminds me a little of Julie Bowen

who plays Claire Dunphy in the sitcom 'Modern Family'...
I really do love that show...

and a recap of the past week...
with just one more week to go...
what a wonderful challenge it has been...

thank you again for your visits...
Hugs
Jenny x