How Does Your Creative Process Work?

My Journey  Exploring the Creative Process

I have decided that I want to work on my (lack of )  watercolor skills!  I thought simple projects would fit the bill....and so the humble postcard it is.   I mainly get my ideas for watercolors from what's around me...or good ol' Pinterest!  Until I learn the techniques...I will need to study other works and then go from there.

These are my favorite from the last bunch that I did.  I did spray them with a water color sealer. Warning:  It takes a few weeks before the odor evaporates,  These were painted on Cotton Arches and credit goes to Pinterest.

I'm trying not to waste my watercolor paper and so I "practice up" first.  My first attempt at the study  is in my  mixed-media sketchbook.  After sketching the picture,  I work on painting it.

I do another run of the same painting in my Traveler's notebook.  

Haha...I make mistakes everywhere!   Seems I don't know how to spell "December"!

But, three attempts is not always a charm!  My post cards of my winter catus...turned out to be quite disappointing.  I totally forgot what perspective I was working on...haha!   I even  tried covering up my mistake with a label!  It's all good...I send them to my twin sister and ya know what?  She doesn't care!!! ;-)

I thought I would share with you some of the books that I find helpful for learning to sketch and watercolor techniques.  This book is definitely a keeper!  You won't waste a cent on this book.  It's also a great primer on plein air painting as well.  I am not in the practice of carrying around a sketchbook, or doing a "sketch-a-day" but I would love to start getting into that habit. What about you?  Do you add watercolor or other medium to your snailmail?  

A Sketch A Day

Will Keep

Mistakes

Away!

Pam 

Envelope Watercolors...Autumn

The air is cold and crisp.  The trees are losing their leaves faster than I can rake them up, and I find myself drinking hot tea by the gallons... It's time to get out the paints and start dabbling away.  First, I must caution you.  I am a complete amateur, I really don't know what I am doing...but hey!  Watercolor is a friend to all.  I must warn you also, that trying to do any blending on regular paper is next to impossible.  If you try your hand at watercolor (and I completely urge you to do so...) you might find yourself a bit frustrated because if you work on anything but watercolor  paper you will have a big puddle of wavy paper.  So, this is about the best I could do with the paper envelopes I had.  I did find a link to watercolor envelopes, but they were outside of my budget for now.  If anyone wants to go in halvsies let me know!  :-)  

Here is one going out to Sheryl!  The nice thing about pumpkins...they are so naturally irregular that they are very forgiving to budding artists. :) I love the postage on this letter!

 

 

 This particular study.... I'm pretty sure that I overworked it a bit.  Ah...there is always next time!

I love this sweet little watercolor birdie with its cauliflower bloom  on it's breast!  haha.  Oh the joys of watercolor!  I think that the postage on the birdie envelope is my favorite!

Here is some of my top pics of  washi tape that I am using right now on outgoing snailmail!

 

 I do almost all of my work at my desk.  It's not usually so neat and clean, I think I dumped everything onto the floor for this picture  so you wouldn't see how messy I really am.  

Well, I think that wraps up the autumn themed snail mail that I sent out this week.   What are you sending out?

Happy Snail Mailing,

Pam

P.S.

Free Shipping on all my letter writing kits through December!!!

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Add Some Quick Mail Box Happiness With PostCrossing!

Is your mailbox sad these days?  You peer into the metal box....only to find, ugh, junk mail? Well, one way to quickly make that sad little mail box happy again is to sign on to postcrossing.com. 

Be sure to have your international postage on hand.  I have been a member for awhile, although, with long dry spells.  It doesn't matter, you can pick right back up again, anytime.  I have 8 going out right now, all heading to Germany, Russia, and the good ol' USA.  

I had to go online (Amazon.com) to purchase some postcards as my stash is still somewhere in my moving boxes...I still have not found them, but these will do for now.  So get busy and turn that sad little mailbox into a happy one!


Happy Snailmailing,

Pam

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Mish Mash of EVERYTHING Snail Mail!

 Sister Mail, Lords and Ladies, Philately, Watercolor boo- boos, and a Camper friend!

Here are a few of my outgoing of lately.  The Map Envelope is on its way to the Netherlands to a Lord and Lady couple; the Watercolor is Sister mail; and the kawaii Hello Kitty is to a trusty pen pal.

These beauties came from Global Pen Pal.  She is an antique hound, so she keeps an eye out for vintage postage.    I love that I had need seen one of them...the Lacemaking USA stamp.  

A recent outgoing to Global PenPal couldn't just have a Forever stamp.  I had a red and blue color scheme going on this envelope, so I looked for some cool blue stamps.  I think they fit the bill!

When you have a  collage going on with your envelope, don't forget to put a little extra postage, or in this case , I also put the envelope in a clear cello bag envelope, then I placed the stamps on the cello bag so they could be cancelled.

This arrived from Amelia.  Doesn't she have some nice art work  on this envelope?  She also included a quill feather.  She is a entrepreneur...and quite young.  She has an  Etsy Store and is such a "go-getter",  wonderfully talented and hard working.

I love the stamp...one of the new florals that are out.  I think it looks like it BELONGS there.

See the glaring mistakes?  Why did I feel the need to outline the rock?  Haha.  Ok, this picture is going to stay on the small scale...not extra large.  

Some more watercolor, with some really atrocious errors (notice the thumb placement?  I'm covering a big mistake there), but it was my first attempt at this study.  My oldest daughter and her family just recently moved to a very rural area with a lovely stream.  I tried to capture that as best I could.  In reality it is a much more shaded, darker area than I have depicted  here.  I sent it, mistakes and all to my sister, who will soon be here on a visit.  My sister and I have started a water color exchange project.  She has wanted to experiment with watercolors and I have too, so it makes a nice challenge. 

** See below comments.  If you mail a letter portrait instead of  landscape you would need to add extra postage.  I forgot to do this as you can see, but thankfully, the letter made it just fine.  I did send out a previous water color envelope (portrait) that was held up at the post office until the receiver went and paid the extra postage.  Talk about embarrassment!

Isn't this charming?  I love the vibrant colors and peaceful scene.  Thanks, sis!

Happy Snail Mailing!

Pam

Chicken Mail

It All Started With Washi Tape....

It may have actually started with my rooster rubber stamp, now that I think of it.  But regardless, I ordered this adorable chicken washi tape off of Etsy...and I was definitely inspired.  Then I had to get some chicken stamps, and that was quickly solved by  my friend , Patrick at EdelweissPost and scored big time with a nice selection of stamps.

This went out to Sharon, who is a new pen pal, but she might not be too happy with my very tardy response. She discovered my blog and I am tickled that she is a fan.   However, she and I do possess quite a few similar interest, and one of those is watercolor, so I thought she might enjoy this.  Sharon, let me know if this arrived or not.  (Leave a comment??)

Oh, and in case you don't think I know, I do.  I recently viewed a video on Pinterest entitled : "5 Mistakes that Water Color Beginners Make", and yes, I have made all 5 and maybe many, many more.   (Where did all the white go?)    ;-) Hmmm...but it was a very well executed and I learned so much!  I hope to start paying attention to those "rules" or suggestions the next time I pick up my brush.   But the important thing here is to have fun, try new things, and send some mail, hopefully more quickly than I have been lately.

Cluck, cluck....

Send some good mail today!

Happy Snail Mailing,

Pam

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