painting

Entry 49: It is What it is

Hey Crew!

Welcome back! How are you all doing? I totally lost track of time yesterday and forgot to post my #BlackoutFridays post again! So that means another 2 for 1 this coming Friday. I am sorry to let you down. Everything has been turned upside down and I am trying to keep up with it all. Thank you for staying with me and supporting me. Now back to the content you came for!

Aries the Headstrong One

Basic facts about this Sign

  • Birth Dates: March 21 – April 19
  • Ruling Planet: Mars
  • Element: Fire
  • Symbol: Ram
  • Aries are stubborn and forward moving Signs. They know what they want and will do everything in their power to reach their goals. They are also high energy Signs that need to keep going.

When I think of Aries I first think of the Greek God of War. In a way Aries are just as headstrong and passionate as the God. I thought a volcano would encompass the power and the grace of this Sign. Painting lava was a lot of fun! There isn’t a set rule to how lava flows or acts, so you can go bananas when painting it. What do you guys think?

Two more Signs left! I have been having a lot of fun this this series. And I am so pumped for the next series too! We are cooking now. Tomorrow is Comic Sunday, don’t miss out! Monday we are going to be talking about promotion and how that all correlates with us. Tuesday is calling for an epic beast to show up. I can’t wait. Wednesday is the last part in the new branding identity quest. And next Saturday we are going to be catching some horns. Teheheh… I am so funny sometimes. 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 33: Sagittarius the Optimist

Hey Crew!

Welcome back! How are you guys doing? Have you been liking all the new content this week? Things are really starting to heat up around here. 29 more days until classes start! I’m super excited to get back to school. I have always been that strange kid that loves school. I think it is mostly about the structure and the social interactions that is appealing to me. I am lucky that my graduate schooling is online, but there are major concerns going on about reopening schools around the nation. Do what is best for the health of you and your family. Contact your government officials and tell them your concerns. And if they don’t listen the first time, basically blow up their phones. Call, write, email, text, protest, do what you can to get their attention. Don’t let them blackmail your schools and community with withholding money because all they want is the adults to go back to work. You and your family’s health is your #1 priority. Don’t listen to the lies. You can get your education anytime and in a bunch of different ways, but you can’t bring the dead back to life. Stay strong. That concludes today’s rant, now back to the art!

Sagittarius the Optimist

Basic Facts:

  • Birth Dates: November 22 – December 21
  • Element: Fire
  • Ruling Planet: Jupiter
  • Symbol: Centaur
  • This Sign is the poster child of optimism. They can also be very blunt and straight to the point. They can turn any sort of negative event into a positive on. Plus they always seem to be the funny one in the friend group.

When you think of fire what do you think of? Campfire, arson, fireworks, candles, fireplaces, or etc? I could not come up with a composition that was compatible with the rest of the Series. Then when I was taking my pupper out for potty time, I figured it out. Fireflies. (Or Lightning Bugs if you are from the South and Midwest.) I thought it would be a cute little funny. The Magic of Art helped with making it look like they are actually glowing. But in the final piece I added of highlights in Photoshop to make them pop a little bit more. I also love how much Jupiter takes up the canvas. I wanted to make sure to emphasize the size of Jupiter compare to the other Signs. What do you guys think?

So we are half way done with the Zodiac Series! The next Sign is a goat mermaid…? How that makes sense, I still don’t know. Come back tomorrow for a Special Announcement! Sundays are going to be fun days! Make sure you also remember to take a self care day. The summer is coming to a close and things are going to get more chaotic. Remember you can’t control the world, but you can control YOUR world. Kick out the toxic things in your life. Choose a day out of the week just to vibe and do you. It is the little things that go a long way. Remember to stay safe and to stay sane.

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 🌙

Day 15……..

Captain’s Log: Entry 2

I just noticed that it has been 15 DAYS since my FIRST entry. I could make a thousand and one excuses to my inept at my time management skills, bbbbuuuuutttttttt………. I am about 110% sure that you all can see right through it. In all honesty, your Captain isn’t as (for lack of a better way to put it) put together as she was as a Greenhorn in school. Probably has something to do with the rabbit hole of an abyss that I fell down once I left the structure of my schooling. And that is a WHOLE other topic in and of itself. (Please let me know if you want me to write a passage about my struggles after leaving school.) Please note, this has just been a series of some choppy waters, and nothing too serious. I’ll get better and more consistent. Please stick with your Captain.

On a lighter note, I have been doing some art! And before you ask, unfortunately it is not the redo project that I spoke of last time. I got a bit distracted, but it is much better than nothing. My sister has been bugging me to make her a piece for her new place. After weeks of her asking me if I made it yet, I FINALLY DID IT! And it turned out really good!

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My phone camera is appalling. I tried to fix it up with Photoshop, but there is just no saving it. I just wanted to make sure everything is visible. But in reality it is like a baby blue color and dry brushed and it has a feeling of movement. (Maybe I’ll get a better picture of it later and post it on my Insta or somewhere.)

My sister and I went to the craft store just to look around for some ideas and maybe a brush or some paint. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA….. Please note: I can never go into a craft store and not feel like buying everything in sight! That conflicts with my dragon side who likes to hoard all my money. It also doesn’t help that my sister loves to shop and enables me in to spending money. The struggle is real. So, we found this cute wooden cut out of a whale’s tail and I had ideas for it. Have any of you guys seen/heard of this new (at least new to me) painting technique where you layer different colors of paint and add a flow medium? It makes the paint react strangely and look like it is breaking apart. It is super cool. And my description is not doing it justice. (I’ll leave some links** at the end for more information.)  It sort of has like a marbling effect. So, I tried it out on this piece of wood and it came out AMAZING! My sister loves it!

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Again, my phone’s camera is the absolute worst! The colors are baby pink, white, champagne, gold, and rose gold. The metallic colors have a lovely shine to them. With the reaction to the flow medium it makes the paint act like actual whale’s skin! Someday I’ll have a fancy phone with a decent camera.

In other news, I am still planning to do the redo project. I’ll probably do it this weekend. Sounds like a solid plan, right? I think so. But we shall see come Monday and if I make a new entry then. I just have to relearn how to discipline myself again. I thought I was the master at self discipline and time management. HA, I am completely at like a middle school level again. Please stick with me and all my crazy scheduling until I get better. I promise it won’t be for long.

Before I forget! I reactivated my Instragram! And I now have a Twitch account! I am still doing research for the Twitch platform, so I don’t think I’ll be streaming for a bit. I have to make a new Twitter, due to the fact I don’t remember my password for the life of me and the email address I used to open it is deactivated, and I don’t have a cell number to connect with it for security measures. It might be a bit for the Twitter, but I will get one up again ASAP. I am still up in the air about Facebook. I’ll need more time to think about activating a page on that platform. And if there are any other platforms that you think I should post to/join, please let me know! The more ways I can connect with people the merrier.

One last comment from your Captain! The skys look clear, and the seas calm. There seems to be land on the horizon! Our first quest awaits us! Let’s hope more want to join our adventures and shenanigans! Full sail ahead Crew!

Your Captain,

Suzanna

 

** Links for painting technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgb8jW0JzIU

https://wtop.com/arts/2018/02/try-acrylic-pour-painting-and-go-with-the-flow/

(Pretty much, just Google “painting technique with flow medium”. There are just sooooo many good videos and articles about it, we would be here all day!) 🙂