A Crown of Lotus Blossoms with Kirsten

As school is winding down for the year this art teacher is trying to finish strong. Thank goodness for my art journal and Artistcellar stencils to help me decompress after a hectic day at school.

Here are the supplies I used:

• Dylusions Art journal
• Prismacolor colored pencils
• Black paint pen
• Moonlight Gelly Roll Pens
• Faber-Castell Pitt Pen in Gold
• Faber-Castell Pitt Pen: Artist Four-Pen Set
• Distress Crayon in Mustard Seed
• Fire Coral Stencil (12x12)
• Lotus Stencil from the Tibet Series

I found a page in my journal where I had already used the Fire Coral Stencil with Dina Wakley acrylic paints to create a background that also had the remains of a failed portrait. I had "erased" the painting with isopropyl alcohol and abandoned the page but there was still evidence from pencil marks of what the face looked like.

I decided to resurrect her and place a lotus blossom crown on her head as well as resurrect a supply I don't use very often: colored pencils.

I used a black paint pen to draw the face and features back in and then used black pens of various widths from the Artist Four-Pen Set to create details, form and texture. The Lotus Blossom was applied with gesso and when that was dry it was oulined with the black paint pen and then filed in with a Gold Pitt pen and the petals colored in with Moonlight Gelly-Roll pens.

To add color to the hair and skin tone I layered Prismacolor pencils until I was happy with the result. A distress crayon was used to create subtle rays of light in the background.

I am very pleased with the result. She turned out beautifully! It was relaxing (to me) to add little details and layer colors to my heart's content. My colored pencils were like getting together with an old friend and finding out nothing had changed between us. Since this is in my art journal I do not consider her completely finished. One day I might be flipping through the art journal and inspiration could hit once again where I add more to her story. Always a work in progress, just like all of us!

I hope you have a creative week and you say Hello again to a supply you haven't seen (err, used) in awhile. :)

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