On The Bench - CPS Inspiration

There's so much to be inspired by in the latest Jan/Feb 2014 Cloth Paper Scissors mixed media magazine!

Joanne Sharpe's article "Embrace Your Own Handwriting" MADE me do it; get out my pencil and markers to see what 'inner fonts' I would express. She says, "A journal is a must! Practice is essential in making letter art and it's important that you have a comfortable place to play, invent, and explore."

There are quite a few great creative and interview articles in this magazine issue, but the other how-to that made me get out my art supplies and start to play was "Graffiti Doodle Houses" by Jodi Ohl. I love Jodi's bright colors and mixed up imagery, so the artwork I created below is an ode to both her work and trying my hand at Joanne's personalized lettering technique.

Oops! Now I see I misspelled courageous. No spell check in journal land...

And the last excellent article to share with you from the magazine is from one of my favorite artists, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, about finding balance when working for yourself from a home-studio. She says people, "seem to think that working from home might tempt me to lie on the couch all day. In reality, I have the opposite problem: I find it difficult to set limits and end the workday." Me too! It's so hard for me sometimes to pull away from the art bubble zone... then I hear my daughters whine they are hungry for dinner and I have to snap out of it! Julie gives some great hints about working with to-do lists and how to manage your cyber-life so it doesn't encroach on your much needed create time. That's my cue! Gotta run... ;)

Happy Arting!   Tristina