A PROJECT FOR YEARS AND YEARS!

Probably about 20 years I submitted an idea for a writer for his fictional children's book.  He didn't accept it.  I thought he was really picky but, oh well, that's life.  So I threw the drawing into a drawer.  Who knows what ever happened to his book.  I just looked him up and he died this year!

Anyway, I have pulled that thing out of the drawer many many times thinking it was a fun drawing.  I've always loved Arthur Rackham's illustrations.  If you have never looked at them you should.  Just Google and enjoy to your little heart's delight. I keep getting sidetracked but I really have been influenced by those wonderful early 20th century illustrators-that's why I mentioned him.  My drawing has a kind of Arthur Rackham feel to it-although his are darker in their mood.  About  a year ago I decided I was going to actually doing something with this.  So I put colored pencils in front of me while I'm working and if I have some down time for a few minutes I put a few marks on this drawing.  It's been slow, careful, going but fun in a satisfying way.  If you look at how the 'Mona Lisa' was painted you'll learn that that was a 'picked at painting', also,-for many years.

I just thought I'd show some of the progress and then again in a while. It's going to look a lot different when I'm finished.

IF ROSES WERE POLKA DOTTED, ETC.

 "Perky Petals"  Julie Jacobsen

Well, here's another of my doodles that I did in church.  I love patterns and, I guess, that would be an Asian influence in my art.  Plus I love flowers and drawing them.  Good combination, I think.  What do you think?

More Sharpie fun!

 "Ivy's Midsummer Daydream"  Julie Jacobsen

I am just loving Sharpies!  I wanted to do a fun picture for my granddaughter and I went back to my old sketch book from quite a few years ago for inspiration.  I hope you enjoy this.  It was very fun!

It's done! THE TABLE PAINTING (well it's really marker)!

"Breathing Colors" - Julie Jacobsen

Okay.  I had sooooooo much fun with this!  I was in danger of "eating my painting".  Meaning overworking it.  I could have gone on forever.  I just loved the malleable aspects of the Sharpie pens.  If you do it on unfinished canvas cloth then you can get all sorts of dry brush effects, along with the think applications that you associate with markers.  Plus!  They're transparent and you can layer them!  What more could you want?  Well, I'm hoping for permanence.   I did a test a while back with them.  I drew a marker on a scrap of canvas and left it out in the brilliant sun for a few days and I couldn't see any difference.  So I feel like it should be great in the house.  Plus if it does fade I can paint over it with paint.  It's canvas, right?  Why not.

What I like about this is that it almost gives a stained glass quality to it.  Flipping it on the wrong side it looks pretty interesting too.  

I have to do more of these!!!!!  Hope you like it!

Now, I find that honesty is the best policy.  I found a photo of the birds on the internet.  So, if I wanted to make a million dollars on this design I would have to get permission from the photographer.  I'm not planning on doing that.  But if I did want to do that I would have to just redo this and use a photo of some birds that I took myself or get the required permission.

THE TABLE PAINTING (REALLY A MARKER PEN) CONT......

Table painting (marker) - Julie Jacobsen

Ooooooh!  Now the very fun part!  I love working with Sharpies on canvas.  By the way-this is just unprepared canvas material that I bought at the fabric shop.  There's no sense using expensive prepped stuff.  Anyway, I love doing this and I think Chris likes it too.  I was sure to include lots of his favorite color, yellow, so he'll enjoy having it on the table for a while.  Then when I'm sick of it-I can do another.  I know.  It would be easier to just go buy some material with a print on it but it wouldn't be as fun, would it?

My New Project....a TABLE PAINTING!

Original Drawing - Julie Jacobsen

The new project!  Have you ever heard of a painting that sits in the middle of the table?  Neither had I.  I Googled it and I can find fabric on the table but no actual paintings.  So this will go in the middle and I'm going to do it with Sharpies, again-just like my calendar and shoes I did a few years back.  So imagine a vase, plant or something in the center.  It will have a protective finish-just in case.  I'm playing around with this and intend on having fun!

The Finished "Fix"!

"Pink Lilies" Julie Jacobsen

So, if you look back a few posts you'll see this painting as I was starting to fix it.  I sure like it a lot better now and I'm calling it done-finally!  I could still pick at it but I think I'll be "eating my painting" as my mom used to say.  It just feels a lot better to me.  Now for my next one...........