Fussing, not much Doing

Been quiet lately since day job work rolled in.

Here's what it looks like:

 
(Wandering Island ©Kenji Tsuruta 2011)

Meanwhile I'm going nuts trying to figure out what kinds of crafty things I can sell at the local comic book swap meet. I'm going to try something new and it may not work out, but oh well. The swap meet being two weeks is adding to some pressure, but then again, it's a deadline to motivate me.

In other crafting, I tried some Prisme paints and that didn't go too well. For whatever reason the paint didn't bubble. It threw a wrench in my plans and I promptly avoided the craft room for a week.

When things don't go as planned, I tend to run away, but I also spend that time evaluating and making a plan B. Well, I figured that maybe the paint wasn't warm enough and I put them in my pocket all day before using them again. It's not looking like cold paint is the problem either. :sigh:

In more positive news, I finally found an online art course that inspired me! Looking to jumpstart my creative juices, I've been poking around for some free courses. I was really excited about one on creative lettering for journals and was disappointed that it was basically links to a series of videos that talked about a paid course the person is offering. The instructor didn't offer anything free as promised. I was disillusioned (and wanted my 45 minutes back).

So when I saw the Strathmore Paper course on journaling, I was a little skeptical, but figured, why not? Holymoly, it was inspiring! The instructor reminded me of some of my classmates from art school and captured the energy I'm trying to get back. The first thing he did was trick out his sketchbook with a blotter/bookmark that doubled as a pen holder. He also super-thinned acrylic paint to make it easier to prime pages with. I've been struggling to lay down the acrylic with the right consistency and this might solve some of my problems.

Anyway, if this sounds like your cup of tea, definitely check it out. You have to register, but it's free. https://www.strathmoreartist.com/artist-studio/groups/workshop-1-2016/

Now I gotta find jars to make acrylic wash with...