Doodle art mania has been happening here in the studio lately. I took some watercolor paper and cut it down into postcard rectangles. Then I watered down the surface and added acrylic paints and inks to get some background to doodle on.

I made a YouTube video of the process. Each postcard is unique, and I doodled where I saw movement in the background paint. You can find the video HERE.

The whole process is straightforward, and all you have to do is add your own doodling style to the background. I used permanent markers for the doodle: Sakura Micron03 black, and Faber Castell Pitt artist pen brushes. I also used Posca pens and Elmer’s Paint Pens. At the end, I sprayed the surface with acrylic varnish.

I’ve also been making Santos cage dolls, but I have to make those in stages since the epoxy clay takes 24 hours to dry. It’s not easy to work with, but the clay is so strong when dry that I like to use it for larger projects. Normally, I use polymer clay, which you can use for this, but the armature has to be able to stand the oven temperature.

In my last blog post, I wrote about the process of making a cage doll. I finished that project, so here’s a picture:

It turned out okay in the end. 🙂

I look back on the month of March and realize I made a lot of items even though my creativity seemed so slow. I made a truly funky chicken sculpture and some cute cat sculptures.

At Michael’s, I found some rustic-looking wood panels that were painted white. I figured they would look cute with a metal hanger and my handmade clay beads. I painted a couple of flower bouquets, and the hangers looked cuter than the hemp string Michael’s offered as a hanging mechanism. What do you think?

The first one sold right away, and I’m grateful for that. I have many repeat customers in my etsy shop, and I can’t be anything but grateful!

My shop has many new goodies, Earth and Faery.

Despite my resistance, I make the choice to paint or make something in my studio every day. I used to get excited when I saw clean, drying paint brushes by my sink–oh, the possibilities–but these days, I’m happy if something turns out well.

New procedures are always scary, but think of the knowledge gained from venturing onto unknown paths! 🙂 Creativity is an ongoing lifetime exploration.

When all else fails, doodle something…

Let’s make more art stuff in April. That’s my intention. Maybe I’ll try something new. I bought the book Plaster Studio by Stephanie Lee and Judy Wise. I’m going to try my hand at making a bowl with plaster strips. Maybe I’ll have a picture for my next blog post.

I have some perennial polymer clay classes you can check out HERE.

I wish you lots of inspiration this spring!

Lots of love,