I'll bet you can hardly imagine...

...what's on my blog this week, right?  Ha!  Creative JumpStart 2020 projects it is!

When I saw Kae Pea's video, I knew I'd just love the process and I was bang on with that.  This was so much fun to do, and who could argue with the intensity of the colour?  :D

Rachel Greig's prompts for this journal page were pure delight, and I got to use a lot of the rec centre wristbands I've collected - bonus!

I just love abstract works, and Mary Beth Shaw's tutorial was wonderful.  My results?  Not so much!  :D  I'll be working this one til it dies or sings and then I can start anew.  

Cheiron Brandon did a great video on landscape; if you don't think outer space includes landscape, look and think again!  What fun!

James Luke Burke got right into my brain as well, working in a series with the same theme.  I enjoyed this a great deal, and really loved the top one in the series.  I have to say that I am thoroughly addicted to dryer sheets, no matter where and how they show up.

I've not shown you all of the results from this year's fabulous Creative Jumpstart 2020, I'm sure you've got the drift now.  If you've not signed on and started these, I highly encourage it!  And whatever you're doing, you know I'm a firm believer in create, create, CREATE!  See you next week!

You knew that more and more...

....Creative Jumpstart 2020 projects were in store for you today, right?  'Cause you're brilliant and you're paying attention!  :D 

Gwen Lafleur is a fabulous artist, and it's no surprise that I loved her video and process.  This journal page in my small (6" x 4") black paper journal was the result.

Nancy Curry's video was a ton of fun.  While I didn't have the LP record I should have been working on, these CD's were a fun start and I learned a ton doing them.  There is much more to her project than shown here, and now that I have the tools to get a good start, I am beyond pumped.  Watch this space!

You all know how crazy I am about altered books, journals, and mini books, right?  Well the video by Rae Missigman was pure delight, and I can see many more of these appearing in my future.

I'm a self-admitted pattern freak and a gel print geek.  Absolute truth!  So the making-patterns-with-the-gel-plate video by Tania Ahmed was so up my alley that I could have built it (the alley, that is).  What fun, and because I totally trashed a gel plate while attempting a technique in a previous video, I could chop it into pieces to use.  More to come... :D

Andrea Chebeleu did a great video and had me working on a canvas (because I didn't have the 'correct' materials she worked on.  I had a blast with this, and suspect that I'll be playing with many more in this fashion.

I just love the variety of styles and videos presented in Creative JumpStart 2020 - it's like a cornucopia of luscious creativity!  More next week, and do let me know what you're up to in the comments below, adding links if you choose!

Would you like...

...to see some more of my Creative JumpStart 2020 projects?  I hope so, 'cause that's what we're up to again today.

I just loved the video by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, as usual.   Her prompting to follow the 'what if's' is so closely aligned with my own process I feel like she could be hard-wired to my brain.

Carolyn Dube's video of creating art tape was a blast, and quite addicting I might add.  There are probably more than a few of these strips in my stash now.

I just loved the process shown by Marlene Meijer-van Nierkirk; it was simple as promised and oh. so. rich.

The video presented by Riika Kovasin was great fun.  Doing a journal page with some constraints produced this spread.  What I like about it was that it utilized what was on the table, and that included the failed pieces from Natalie's video.  I so love using everything up!

Jodi Ohl encouraged me to try another drawing (and you know how much I love that...ha!).  I really must do more, and more.....and more.

It would be hard for me to explain how much I enjoyed Creative Jumpstart 2020, so I'll just keep on showing you, shall I?  Check in next week for more!  And in the meantime, your comments can tell me how you're jumpstarting your 2020!

You probably suspect...

...that I've been lollygagging artistically over the past few months, but that is not remotely the case.

January was filled with Creative Jumpstart 2020 and when I say filled, I mean FILLED.  If you'd like to kick-start your creative year, I'd highly recommend it.  Organised by Natalie Kalbach, it includes video lessons by 31 well-known creatives.  Best part?  You can download them and keep them on file to refer to them later, as long as you do so before November 15/20.  It's not too late to get in on the fun, so I encourage you to hop over there and DO IT!

I had a ton of fun with the videos, and very much enjoyed each of them for the unique slant on creating. 

Here are some of the lessons I did manage to finish without too much in the way of error or outright fails.  The starter video by Natalie herself was a dead loss due to a major disagreement between some cardboard, a rubber stamp and yours truly, so it's on the back burner to try again.  Keep prompting me if you don't see it in the next month or so!!

I loved making this mini book from Tina Walker's video - it was a unique way to create the background and the book form itself.  

The above journal spread was the result of Marieke Blokland's video, and it's one of my best self portraits, don't you think?  Those of you who know me are aware of my cookie hound character.

If I'd bet on a lesson that I'd hate, the jewelry drawing one by Jane LaFazio would have won hands down.  WRONG!  It was a blast to do, and reminded me that actual drawing could be fun.

The return to colour theory by Andrea Gomoll (do these look like landscapes to you?) was a great exercise.

Painting emotions by Iris Fritschi-Cussens was another fun one.  I'm not much for painting faces at all, so this journal spread was a big stretch...and back to the drawing board.  ;-)

I'll share some more of these next week, and in the meantime, I'd love to hear how you're expanding your creative vision (post a link in your comment if you like!). 

I am not overly fond...

... of camouflage.  Well, let's tell the whole truth; it really nauseates me.  Camouflage speaks to me of killing - people, animals, hope.  That being the case, I thought I'd work on changing my mind about it when I heard of an upcoming need for paintings to support a good cause.  Here's the result of my mental meanderings about it.

'Midnight Garden Camouflage' 8" x 8" (ish) © Win Dinn  2020

A new addition to the Midnight Garden series, it portrays five soldiers shooting it out in a garden.  I'm currently in search of some miniature flowers to finish it off - they'll be coming out of the weapons when I find them.

It started with a panel, gessoed black and stencilled with flowers, above.  I used white gesso on a series of toy soldiers, and created some supports for the flowers.

I was testing placement of the soldiers above, and eventually moved the little guy from the bottom right to the right hand side of the panel...he liked it better there since he could more easily see what was coming from behind.

Here are some closeup shots.

I'm pretty sure that by the time I add the last of the flowers, my distaste for camouflage will have near disappeared (as long as it appears in a garden, at least).  

How about you - what have you been up to this week?  Tell me in the comments below, and feel free to add a link!