Ronda Palazzari Designs

Create Daily: Watercolor

i think in part of creating daily that time to exploring one medium is always good.  By immersing yourself completely you can learn so much about it, how it reacts, how to make it work for you, what you like, what you don't like, etc.  It's all part of learning & growing.  i am currently diving into watercolors.  i am using mostly tube watercolors right now trying to push my self creatively.  Here are some of my pieces i created recently.

Stabilo Pencil & Tube Watercolors: "Unfinished Girl" is in fact finished.  I love her transition from pencil to outlined and not yet filled in as if she is a work in progress.  Aren't we all?  The monochromatic background is so striking against her.  it represents the chaos in her life that helps build who she is but doesn't always have to be a part of her. 

Tube Watercolors: "Empties" is pouring out all her colorful emotions.  She is so filled with them they spill out of her.  i like that you can see the pencil marks still around her face.  On this piece i didn't use the typical wet on wet technique and you can really tell with her hair.  i might try this same girl again with wet on wet to see how she looks. 

Tube Watercolor + Black Pen: "Patience" started off not with a drawing but color randomly on the page.  i just painted colors here & there with no rhyme or reason, trying to let go of control.  After it was dry, i decided to use my favorite black pen and draw a figure right on top.  When i was working on her i didn't care about placement of the colors, it was just a pen drawing in my mind.  This allowed me such freedom from worry, it felt good to let go. 

Gelli Printing: Mine

I have been running hard lately.  Right before vacation i was working very hard so i could go on vacation.  My time in Doha i was still working right up until we left for the cruise.  After the much needed cruise, i cranked out 24 layouts & two mini albums.  I then hopped a plane for Vegas and worked the show from morning til late in the evenings.  i came home and taught a big weekend class titled Art in Action. Add in household chores (gah my laundry is piling up), birthday planning (the kiddos), doctor's visits, school registration, teaching sunday school, and implementation of a new program at church along with my regular duties as chair of Education.  In other words, i'm a wee bit tired.

In the midst of my to-do lists, including cleaning up the messy desk (& room) pictured above, i decided to just sit down and create for myself.  i really needed this time for me. it's amazing how it can take the stress right out of me.

Since my new (& older) stencils were sitting on my desk, i decided to break out my Gelli Arts Printing plate.  [insert PURE HAPPINESS].  i had no destination in mind.  i wanted to play around with some acrylic inks, new & old stencils, india ink, and acrylic paints with my plate.

i kept adding layer after layer of mediums with the printing plate.  i love the effect and the depth it create.  Once i finished the layers of prints, i added a few stenciled shapes on top along with some india ink scribbles. [insert PURE HAPPINESS].  it was the best thing i could have done for me that day.  And a good reminder to take that time i need, to build it into my schedule.

 

 

Captured, Hearts & Arrows, and Ceiling Tile

 
Are you ready to see some more new stencils?  They are already hitting the stores, both Brick & Morter and online inlcuding Bluemoon Scrapbooking.  I have already shared:

• Fancy Feathers & Giraffe Print
• Climbing Vine & Moroccan Tiles
• Mix Tape, And So On, & Squiggles
• Sweet Home, Raindrops, and Switchback
• Abstract Leaves, Dots & Dashes, and Well Rounded 

Today's stencils include Captured (TCW 392), Hearts & Arrows (TCW 396), and Ceiling Tile (TCW 393). 

Captured is a great mulit-use stencil.  I love the individual shapes on this stencil.  The picture frames can also be made to look like smart phones as well.  Each of these images on the 12x12 stencil can fit neatly into Project Life Pages as well.  Use the tiny shapes inside the frames as accents to any project. 

Here's a look at both sizes.  Wouldn't the camera make a great mini album cover?

On my Stars layout, i used both sizes of the frames.  Some are watercolor images while Anthony's photo was placed in the center one as my focal image.  Around the edges i used light modeling paste for my stars as a great accent. 

Hearts & Arrows is a great border stencil.  With so many options to add to any of your projects.  You can use them in a row or indvidual pieces.  I could use this one on every creation. 

On these two tags you see the 6x6 and 12x12 versions.  The 6x6 is Wendy Vecchi's clear embossing paste and the 12x12 is black acrylic paint with modeling paste. 

On my sweet layout, i used the 6x6 stencil both directly on the layout as well as on some deli paper.  I love how these borders add so much to my page. 

Ceiling Tile is a great intricate stencil.  It reminds me of old abbeys with beautiful stained glass windows or victorian homes with those tin ceilings.  I completely adore this stencil. 

 

Of course it comes in both sizes and you can see how lovely it looks in color. 

The Gift layout was lots of fun to create.  I love the colors bursting through the back of the layout.  The stencil image is actually the white acrylic paint.  Doesn't it look like stained glass? 

I've updated my shop page on my website with all the new stencils.  The links are clickable as you will find most, if not all, of my stencils at BlueMoon Scrapbooking. 

Art in Action: Color & Design Theory Weekend

This past weekend i was teaching up at Rocky Mountain Memories in beautiful Estes Park.  If you have never been to Estes, it is so worth the trip to this incredible mountain town.  In the summertime, it is teeming with tourist since it sits right next to the Rocky Mountaint National Park.  While i have spent time in Estes & the national park, this weekend i was in Cheryl's quaint store (it has so much character) teaching all about Color & Design Theory. 

The first day was all about Color.  Although Color is part of Design Elements, it deserves a day of its own because there is so much information involved in Color Theory.  We spent the day talking all about colors, their relationships, and created a custom color wheel to not only help understand colors but also mixing. 

it was a good but as they said "tedious" day, mixing does take some time especially when you have to fill out all the papers i gave them.  Even though they had to work hard, they really enjoyed the class and they felt like they learned a lot.  i am all about filling their heads with good knowledge that will really help in all their arts.

Along with all the knowledge i was feeding them, i had many examples with me to help them visual the color relationships.  I love my version of a  Mondrian style painting using my Ceiling Tile stencil. 

The next day was Design Theory, teaching all about Design Elements and Principles of Design and how it applies to their art of choice.  i admit that i completely love teaching these kinds of classes.  i really enjoy seeing the light bulbs buzzing brightly above their heads when things click. 

They also had a chance to dig through and play with some of my new stencils.  We finished the day by talking about some of their pieces they wanted to fix.  Armed with their new knowledge, i loved the way they dissected their designs.  They thought about what they liked, what they didn't like, and how to rescue pieces.

Interested in having me come teach at your store or event?  I would love to inspire your students.  Contact me at [email protected].