cozy house

This winter is unrelenting here in upstate New York.  We've spent many a cozy day hunkered down as snow piles up outside.  I've been watercoloring in my journals with really bright colorful illustrations, just to keep myself out of the winter blahs funk.   "Love being home where it's safe and cozy"….A crooked little house, unattended details, just some color love.  Spring will come.  It always does.

Whimsical Wednesday….

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do'"

One of my absolute most favorite quotes by Rumi.  My friend Rena Askey gave me a beautiful card with this message.  This is another art journal piece.  I first loosely painted the outlines with black acrylic ink and then filled in with watercolor.  I'm having a great time experimenting and painting with some new color palettes.

…and as promised, enjoy your Whimsical Wednesday!

coloring in photoshop

I took this ink sketch in my art journal and scanned it into my computer.  

Then headed over to Photoshop...

…then did the "magic wand and paint can" thing to color the areas.  You know how much i love to color!!

 Really like how this came out! I am such a dinosaur.  My kids know so much more about computer graphics than i do!  My art training consisted of extensive drawing and painting, as that's where my specialty was.  I'm an artist, an illustrator.  I never learned much on the computer, as i was always working by hand with pens and brushes, paints and inks.  Sad to admit that i am so illiterate about much of the Photoshop possibilities.  My goal is to keep the hand drawn feel of my work, while bringing it into a new dimension.  I love to play and learn, and my skills are coming along.

 It is amazing to me how artwork can be manipulated into so many things.  That's cool.

a "rework of art"...

Months ago i created these chunky whimsical flowers with Liquid Pearl outlines filled in with watercolor.  I loved looking at them and holding them, they're a pretty good size.  Kind of like paper dolls, i knew they had some purpose, maybe card embellishments?

I wanted to cherish them someplace, that's the purpose of my art journals, to experiment with new things and have a place where it's easily referenced.  I love flipping through my journals and revisiting the art.  These beautiful blooms needed a special place, so i "reworked" their original purpose and added them to my journal in a four page spread.  They are modpodged to the pages, outlined with oil crayons and surrounded by fun colors and paint textures.

 I made my own black and white bars on cardstock with my black Copic marker, and added the lettering and quotes with the same pen.  The Copic didn't really mind the Modpodge at all!

I just love how the spread came out.  Very bold and colorful, not for the "pastel" of heart!  Arranging the original flowers into my journal makes for a happy "rework of art"!

Whimsical Wednesdays….

I have a new blog treat for you.  Every Wednesday i PROMISE to post an original illustrated whimsical inspiration.  That's where and why "Whimspirations" originated!  

Here's  the first in a series of "Whimsical Wednesdays", 

some fun art and special messages created to touch your heart and soul! 

"Everyday Masterpiece" ©joanne sharpe

 Thanks for looking, i love when you're here.  Enjoy your visits!

an artful heart

 It's Valentine's Day and hearts are everywhere!  It inspired me to gather together a collection of my artsy hearts.  I love hearts and put them in a lot (most!) of my work.  I love the shape, the symbolism, the emotion it generates.  So here's a collection of some of my illustrations, doodles, journal pages, paintings, collage and more.  All for the "heart of it".  

 …stamp idea sketches...

Copic marker art journal doodles….

 …handpainted wood signs ready for lettering….

 pen and ink doodles...

inky blingy sparkly art journal pages….

painted ornaments at Christmas...

"artful cardmaker" stamps….

juicy art journal pages...

 acrylic painting and collage...

my artsy hearts make my butterfly wings...

doodles, inspirations and pastel pages….

I really am lucky that "what i love is what i do"!!  

pretty palette

 This winter is awwwwwwwful!  I think we have had three days of sunshine in Rochester in the past 3 months!!!  Arggghh!  It's hard to be bright and cheery, when you are buried under snow and peering only into cloudy, overcast skies.  I need sunshine bad!  But luckily i can play with my paints and brighten my world as bright as i want.  So here are some new color palette that i am exploring.

 It's the back page of my "Joy Journal".  Acrylic paints with my signature white paint pen.  Happy!!

go red...

Here's a "Go Red" girl for Women's Heart Month.  It's a journal illustration i did while vacationing in Cedar Key, Florida in Valentine's Day 2010.  It was freezing when we were there, so there was lots of time to be inside journaling and creating.  I drew the outlines with a Copic multiliner and colored it in with my sketch markers.

My "Queen of Hearts"…i just love her!