Gully Grove Studio

Hey Mickey I'm a little behind in updating my blog. Still making daily Geisha's. This time the word prompts were, Disney and Journal. A tricky combination. I eventually settled on a sketchbook journal page, of a trip to Disneyland, Tokyo. It seemed appropriate. Originally, I was going to settle for just the Mickey ears. Google revealed however, all Japanese women, donning the Mickey ears, were also wearing a bow: aka, Minnie Mouse style. So we stuck with tradition. Imaginary day at Disney! I printed a vintage ticket to Disneyland, Tokyo, as her souvenir for the day too. And of course, had to draw a picture of the Mickey McMansion, out front. I guess it helps create the Disney experience, but found it to be all rather kitsch. That's the nature of doing a challenge though - persevering through the ups and downs. Next word prompts are; Purple and Bridge. Until next time...

Seeing double? Geisha #2 is unintentionally, two Geisha. The same one - just split in half. As my random word prompts were, Mirror and Contrast. The mirror element created duplicates. Using colours for my contrast: orange and blue. Sunset over a body of water, immediately came to mind. Normally I prefer to use more neutral colours, but Inktense pencils and blocks, are hardly subtle. Because they're based on the vibrant pigments of ink. I haven't used mine for a while, but they were handy in this case. I enjoyed sitting at my drawing table, quietly colouring. Sunshine on my shoulder, makes me hap-py I mirrored the sunset in the Geisha's black hair. I don't know how a picture will go, until I'm doing it. With no reference for a sunset falling on their forms, I had to imagine one. The trick was to pick up the colours from the sunset, reflecting on the water, and use it on them. So much of this, was inspired from the word prompts. As I found myself pr

Mark-making Geisha remake #1 was a bit of a surprise. This time around, the random word prompts were, "Bubbles" and "Stencil". She came out looking more like The Queen of Hearts, from Alice in Wonderland. I didn't mind though. Part of the fun of creating, is being surprised by what develops. I'm probably going to make a lot of unconventional paintings, through exploring what is possible. Sometimes it's just fun to play with paint too! I must confess to feeling a tad nervous, as I hadn't been in the studio for a few weeks. Nonetheless, dreaming of starting this series, since the end of last year. Getting that ball rolling, felt intimidating. Start, I did though! Close-up I chose to paint some bubbles, but also used some bubble-wrap, as the "stencil" element (lower, left-hand corner). I used mostly acrylic paint, but also water-soluble crayons. Some paintings just roll off the brush, but this one felt a struggle. Not for any

It starts here... Once upon a time, I created an art blog, called  Make-do-studio.  It's the kind of blog you start, when first finding your way as an artist. I enjoyed my beginnings there. But like all first homes, you inevitably outgrow them. I now have a devoted space for my studio, and what better namesake than the property we've lived, since 2017. This new chapter, is where I set challenges for myself, and develop a cohesive body of work. Many fun and meaningful ideas, to explore. Let's jump right in with my Geisha Gauntlet! I'm not sure if I'll be running the gauntlet, or throwing it down. Either way, it's going to be intense. It's about a Geisha. A special one, created back in 2018. It was part of a course, designed to make your art, more abstract. While I loved my Geisha, it's not what I imagined "abstract" to be. The thing about art is, you can always remake it. This is what the Geisha challenge, is all about. Setting