Acrylic

Entry 42: Time to Rebel

Hey Crew!

Welcome back! How was everyone’s week? Anyone have any good news to share? As for your Captain, it has been the same old, same old. Although, I have been slacking on my self care routine. I have just been grinding so much with my art and prepping for school, I have forgotten to take a moment to breathe. I have tried to convince myself that the hour and a half plus at the gym is enough. But I can tell I am loosing focus and motivation. I need to be better. I have to take care of my mind, body, and soul to be my very best. Don’t forget your self care routine too! We all need some time to disconnect from everything. I think I need to hide my phone from myself. Isn’t there an app that helps with limiting your time on your phone? I need to do some research. I’ll be sure to share what I have found if you are also curious. Now, on to the show!

Aquarius the Rebellious One

Basic Facts about this Sign

  • Birth dates: January 20 – February 18
  • Ruling Planets: Saturn and Uranus
  • Element: Air
  • Symbol: Water Bearer
  • Color: Blue
  • Aquarius is the rebel among the Signs. They hate to conform to the norms. They are free-spirits and hate to be caged. They often are the one that don’t follow mainstream fashion or music.

I sold out. I totally struggled with how to represent Air in this one. So, I caved and made clouds. I mean, it kind of works, right? Like Aquarius is the Water Bearer and clouds carry water all over, so it isn’t too bad…? Figuring out how to represent an invisible force in a still frame visual art piece is a challenge. Also, I didn’t think regular grey clouds would be too interesting, so I made them blue for this Sign. If you also notice in the video, I was struggling with the coloring of Saturn. It started way too much like the Sun. So I had to let that layer dry and go back to it later. The good thing about acrylics, they are very forgiving. I think it ended looking a whole lot better. How do you guys think it all came out?

So we only have 4 more Signs to go! I’m so excited! We have come so far with all the improvements and growth. I am pumped for the next Series. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see tomorrow’s Sunday’s Special. Monday we are going to talk more in depth about school. Tuesday is another Fan-Art day! I wonder what I’ll do for that? Finally, Wednesday is calling for Part 2 of updating my branding identity. This week looks packed! But I promise I am going to take some time for my self care. I want you to also take some time for yourself. Remember to stay safe and to stay sane.

Until next time,

Suzanna 🌙

Entry 38: Time to Leap into the Sea

Hey Crew!

Welcome back! How are you guys doing? So I made a new goal for myself to read at least 1 book per month. I want to make sure that I am taking some time to myself just to unwind. If you guys want to know what I am currently reading, check out Pirate Games. We can start a little book club. I think that would be too cute. But anyways, on with the show!

The Driven Capricorn

Basic facts about this Sign:

  • Birth dates: December 22 – January 19
  • Ruling Planet: Saturn
  • Element: Earth
  • Symbol: Sea Goat
  • These Signs are super driven, responsible, and practical. However, these Signs can be super insecure. So be kind to your Capricorns, sometimes they just need a little pep talk to remember how awesome they are.

So as you can tell, I was playing around with camera angles while filming. Do you think it is too much or not enough? I am still new to filming and I thank you bearing with me as I figure it all out. Anyway, Capricorns are represented by Sea-Goats… Why and how does that make any sense? Even though they are an Earth element, I knew I had to have the sea in the piece some where. And then I remember goats can be found climbing cliff faces and BAM idea! This is the first time that my cliffs actually look like cliffs and all I can say is: Art is Magical. What do you think of the overall piece?

Did you see where I put the hidden Sign? //sneaky-sneaky//

Can you guys believe we are over the halfway point for the Zodiacs!? Holy cow! Our next Sign is a spontaneous barrel of water. HAHAHA… I crack myself up! Don’t forget to check out my IG for updates on the Arteza Awards project and for tomorrow’s Comic Sunday. See you Monday when we discuss mind over matter and what that means as an artist. Remember to stay safe and to stay sane.

Until next time,

Suzanna 🌙

Entry 29: Scorpio the Mysterious

Hey Crew!

Sorry that this post is a little late. All this week I have been preoccupied with my sick cat. But luckily the vets have patched him up and he is on the road to recovery. How have you guys been? Are you just as surprised as me that it is already August? One more month until classes start. Oh boy. Things are starting to get real now. Is there anything that you guys are looking forward to in August and/or September?

Scorpios Have Come to Town

Basic Facts about Scorpios

  • Birth Dates: October 23 – November 22
  • Element: Water
  • Ruling Planets: Mars & Pluto
  • Symbol: Scorpion
  • Scorpios feel the most and deeply. They are calm and cool by nature. They are unstoppable go getters.

To see more of the Zodiacs check out my YouTube channel 🙂

We are coming full circle with the elements for the Signs. It took me a while to come up with a plan to incorporate water again and not have it look like Cancer. I was also very nervous to do I bird eye view of the reflective surface of water with water ripples. But it came out WAY better than I thought it would have! I also love how Mars and Pluto came out. What do you guys think? I hope you guys enjoyed watching how this piece came together. Did you also catch where I put the hidden scorpion? I’m so sneaky. Tehehe.

So that wraps up this Sign. Things are going to be looking a little different from now on. Be sure to come back on Monday to see what is up. Are you ready to rock ‘n’ roll? It is going to be an epic adventure. See you then!

Until next time,

Suzanna🌙

Entry 27: Musical Scales

Hey Crew!

How are you guys? Sorry about earlier in the week. I am feeling a lot better. Some times you just have to feel your feelings. It is ok to cry, to scream, to break something, to feel empty; just don’t stay there. Staying in the darkness only brings more darkness and despair. Find the small flicker of light and move towards it. Even if you have to crawl, try to get there. Know that you are not the only one in the darkness, I get sent there a lot. So just reach out, I’ll help you get through it.

I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone.

Robin Williams

Libra The Scales

Basic Facts about this Sign:

  • Birth dates: September 23 – October 22
  • Element: Air
  • Ruling Planet: Venus
  • Symbol: Scales
  • Flower: Rose
  • Libras have the balancing game on lock. They are romantics at heart. These Signs hate being alone. They are very intelligent and love music.

I think the most challenging part of this piece was figuring out how to depict wind. I am still not sure how I made the translucent wind trail. Magic I tell you! By the way, Venus looks so much like a pearl! So milky and creamy looking. I also forgot to add the stars in until I was about to start editing! I’m a dingus. And the original hiding place for the Scales didn’t actually show up and I just figured it out now… The struggle is real. You also might be wondering about all the texture on the canvas. I haven’t played with acrylics as much as I used to and totally forgot about gessoing the canvas. I was also under the impression that the canvas boards I got were pre-gessoed. Lies I tell you. And gessoing the canvas is an art form all in itself. I like having a textured canvas, so it doesn’t bother me. It makes the piece have a unique character. So I am not going to apologize for it or try to smooth out the gesso more in the future. I know naturally, my technique will get better, but I don’t want to loose the added depth to the piece.

What do you guys think? Do you have any critics for me? I promise I have thick skin for proper and helpful critics. Let me know, ok?

So I guess that wraps ups Libra for the Zodiac Series! I’m going to use this last week of July to get ahead with projects and planning. There are going to be some new things coming starting in August. I hope you guys are ready! Time to change my mind set. I hope to see you all on Monday with an update on a different project. And I don’t think you guys are ready for this. It is too cute! Next Saturday is August 1st. Then only a month until classes start. Things are looking up! Let’s keep this ship sailing with the wind!

Until next time,

Suzanna 🌙

Entry 25: Long Live the Maiden

Hey Crew!

How is everyone doing? I can’t believe that it is already the middle of July. I feel like I am getting whip-lash with time, like time is either going by dead slow or lighting fast. The struggle is real. Anyways, back to the art!

Virgo the Maiden

Basic Facts about Virgo

  • Birth Dates: August 23 – September 22
  • Ruling Planet: Mercury
  • Element: Earth
  • Symbol: The Maiden
  • Virgos are the logical type. Always thinking and planning ahead. Loyal friends and great people to ask advice from.

So apparently, Mercury is really pretty! It is defiantly worth a second for a Google Image search. I wanted to have Mercury as the focal point. I am also really digging the texture that the sponge adds to the piece. What do you guys think?

Trees. Trees are the freaking worst. I have just accept it as fact. The struggle is real. But I think it came out OK. There are 2 more Earth signs to go after this. More trees or something else? You’ll just have to come back and find out for yourself.

I think I have solved the problem of the constellations. Do you agree? Have you spotted the hidden Maiden? I think I made it a bit trickier this time. 😉

I think that is all for today. I am going to go take a nap. Remember to take care of yourself. If your body is telling you you need a nap, take that nap. Remember to get of food and drink some water. If the weather is nice, head outside for some fresh air and sunshine! Even if it is just for ten minutes. Your mental and physical health comes first. Remember to stay safe and stay sane!

Until Next Time,

Suzanna 🌙

Entry 23: The Leader has Arrived

Hey Crew!

Welcome back everyone! How are things? I still can’t believe that it is July. I feel like I have lost 10 years of my life and have no idea where it went. Why did humans have to invent time? Like why did we need to start recording daylight passing and such? I feel like we would be better off not knowing. The dream. Having an existential crisis? Check!

Leo the Lion

Basic Facts about Leo:

  • Birth dates: July 23 – August 22
  • Element: Fire
  • Ruling Planet: The Sun
  • Symbol: The Lion
  • Leos are natural born leaders. They are confident and passionate in their life. They are warmhearted, in love with life, and always up for a good time.

I thought that it would be fun to make the focal point of the piece to be the Sun. I also thought it would be cool to make it look like the actual Sun and how it is on fire. It was a lot of fun working with the make-up sponge. It gave the piece movement and life. It literally looks like it is pulsating. I am still trying to figure out the placement and treatment of the constellation. When I do my roughs it always looks good and well formatted. I am not sure what is going wrong in that respect. I was also having fun with this color shifting paint. As you can see in the video, when I move the piece it has shiny bit sand just adds another level. I love how this turned out!

When I brought the final picture into Photoshop, I normally just make sure it is cropped right and that the colors of the piece shine through like it does in real life, but I kind of got distracted with editing. And I definitely like it better this way. What do you guys think? Did you find the little Lion that is hiding?

This series is so much fun! I’m glad you are with me on this journey. Be sure to come back on Monday for a big announcement! I hope you remember what I said last Monday. Is there a Sign that you guys want to see next week in particular? Or should we stick to the order I have chosen? Let me know what you think! As always, remember to stay safe and to stay sane! See you soon!

Until Next Time,

Suzanna 🌙

Entry 21: Look to the Stars

Hey Crew!

How are you guys doing? It feels like every day I wake up and there is more chaos in the world. We are finally in July, but it feels like it has been years. The struggle of 2020. Anyways, it is finally summer! What are you guys looking forward to do this summer? I know most things have been canceled for this summer, so that is a bummer. One of my goals for the summer is to go to the Drive-Ins. I think this is a good time to research your town/city and see what kind of things that is going on. I know living in one place for so long you think you know everything about the place, but trust me you will be surprised. I recommend contacting your local parks and rec offices, they can give you a list of hiking trails, water activities, and local events that are still going on. Also contact your local library, they are a good source of workshops and other activities. Take a drive to a new part of town that you haven’t been to and see what is around. Just some suggestions. Take this time to unplug more and enjoy nature. I also have made a new page called “Pirate Games”. I’ll be posting new activities and things to do together. I am also always open to suggestions as well. Let’s take back the rest of 2020 and kick butt!

A New Series is Here!

I am so excited for this new series! Welcome the Zodiacs into the Crew! Each week I’ll be presenting you a different Sign. The mediums are all going to be acrylic on canvas board. This is going to be a bit of a challenge for me because I tend to work in watercolor or markers. I hope you are ready!

We are starting off strong with Cancer. Little known fact, your Captain falls under the Cancer Sign.

Here are some basic facts about Cancer:

  • Birth dates for Cancer: June 21 – July 21
  • Element: Water
  • Ruling Planet: The Moon
  • Symbol: The Crab
  • Just like the crab, a Cancer has a tough exterior, but is super soft on the inside. This Sign is the “mothering and nurturing” Sign. Just like the tides, your mood rises and falls with the Moon. But these are just basic traits for Cancer. There is always more than meets the eye.

When I was starting this piece I was a little nervous it wasn’t going to come out the way that I wanted. I haven’t played with acrylic for a while and kind of forgot how things worked. At the same time it was freeing not knowing how things were going to work out. As you could see I was using a make-up sponge wedge to add some texture and dimension. I just ripped up the flat end of the sponge to give it some depth and texture. It gave it some unpredictability and a really nice surprise.

One thing that is going to change in the future pieces is the Constellation. I think making it more subtle and smaller will help with the balance of the composition. I am excited to see how the other Signs are going to turn out! I hope you are too. By the way, I hid a Crab within the painting, did you find it?

What are your thoughts on the new series? I hope this gives you something to look forward to for the next 12 weeks. I know this is helping me to stay in the present day. I hope you stop by on Monday for a chat about what things are going to looking like for us in July. I promise it’ll be better than it sounds like right now. This is our time, let’s make it count!

Until Next Time,

Captain Suzanna 🌙