tupdate (=tam + update) ;)

i'm wearing pink lipstick today. pinker than usual that is. my lipstick normally, tends to veer towards reddy/ orange. i know, you really wanted to know that, didn't you? ;)

quick update on status of art stuff.

1. i'm working on my new online art course! yes, yes, World of Whimsy II is coming to a server near you! (it is basically a repeat of WOW I, but there is extra material there too!). registration opens very soon and more info will be published soon too. the actual course starts on July 19th! keep an eye out! :) It will run, as usual, on my ning site.

2. i've finally set up my bamboo wacom tablet! I created this little face with it today (see below here). it's a very fun thing to do, but takes A LOT of getting used to. it's not easy as I keep wanting to do things that I do with my pencil and pad (like rotating it) but you can't do that. it's fun though to be able to use things like smudge and layers (in photoshop), that's really helpful. i look forward to playing more with this thing.



3. after about a million years, i've finally been able to work a little in some new moleskines! it's still all very low key, while dylan sleeps on my lap, but i'm happy with what's come out!







4. i don't think i posted my version of 'vincent (starry starry night)' yet. i recorded it before going away to holland. i'm pleased with how it came out. i liked doing the harmonies (took me a while to find a nice melody, but managed in the end). hope you like!





in other news.

so, andy has been away for 3 weeks now, coming back on saturday (yayyyyy). it is SO hard to look after a 10 month old all by yourself for so long. i don't know how single mums do it. my respect for them has tripled in the last 3 weeks!

dylan is both exhausting and amazing.

in the last 3 weeks he's cut 2 teeth, started to crawl "properly", is pulling himself up on the couch and other furniture all the time and eats like a horse!

he has also FINALLY started to sleep properly again. for the last three months he'd been waking up pretty much every 2 hours driving me to commit all sorts of crimes against humanity, but since about a week he's suddenly standardly sleeping from 9-5 and then another 2 - 3 hours! and no; i'm not giving him alcohol or valium! so i'm thrilled about that.

he's got these hilarious goofy grins going, loves to bounce up and down on your lap and flirts with anyone he sees!

he's also terribly shouty at times which can be frustrating, but it's something we have to go through i suppose. (yesterday i was getting hugely irritated by it).

i am able to write this blog post at the moment as we have our childminder, julia, round. she comes round sort of 2-3 days a week to look after him while i do my work. it feels great to have a bit of a breather.

don't get me wrong; it is wonderful to have this little baby boy in the house, but when all you do for 3 weeks is look after a child; you lose yourself a bit and it's so important not to lose touch with yourself and have a bit of a break! so, i'm celebrating this little break. :)

here some pics and vids of the little man!

oh, i did this hilarious little video of him discovering a toilet roll;







(you can see his one tooth in the middle pic if you open it up)

another one, taken only yesterday;



dylan @ 10 months old - now enjoys crawling, climbing the stairs, has two emerging teeth and knows how to shout a whole lot. :)

and me;



tam @ 34 years old - can't get a break but thinks it's all worth it! ;)

***

i hope everyone reading this is well. big hugs. x

last day in holland

last day in holland

my brother screeches; 'on a dark desert high wayyyy, cool wind in my hai-air ...', i sing along, loudly, out of tune; 'warm smell of colitas, rising up through the ai-hai-haiaiiar ...' my mother laughs, my dad giggles, and dylan is snorring through the whole thing, deeply asleep in his car seat.

we're on our way to utrecht, a fun and pretty town in the province of the same name; utrecht (apparently london is as big as it - you realise how small holland is when you're told that one of its provinces is the same size as london). we were here 2 years ago as well, when my brother was [eventually not] diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma (a terrible story, at first the docs told us all he had cancer only to find out it was glandular fever in the end ...). it was great to get back there under happier circumstances, although andy was still missing, of course.

the weather is weird. it's warm one minute, breezy cold the next, we keep taking our coats on and off and walk into the shopping center by the central station. everyone is in a happy mood, it's a real connected feeling to be back with my parents and brother. i am almost starting to forget the events from the week before. events in which everyone regressed to their old parent/ child roles and difficult, difficult stuff arose.

we walk into a clothes shop and i pick up some things to try on. i like what i see (for a change) and my mum offers to buy them for me, 'a late present for your birthday' she whispers. she is very generous that way, always has been. i enjoy how she is trying to contribute to me and trying to connect. there is a warmth there, with her, that i will never forget.



we break for a coffee (in my case an apple juice, don't do coffee) and dylbee gets his lunch. we mosey on and it feels familiar, together, warm, happy.

because i had decided that morning that i'd eaten enough unhealthy food in the last 2 weeks, i decline the belgium fries that all 3 of them order, instead i push dylan around some more because he's getting 'shouty', clearly, he doesn't want to sit in his pram anymore.

bellies full with fries (apart from mine), we carry on and end up in some other shops where goods are examined and then purchased and consumed. the sunny weather has picked up again, i take off my coat once more while i contemplate if i should buy a nice pair of birkenstock's or not. been thinking about them for years. i like them, but also find them a tad un-elegant. such was indeed, the mundane thinking, yet very very cosy pre-occupation, of the day. ha.

wisely, i decide against the birkenstock's seeing that they rub against one of my toe knuckles (yes, toes do have knuckles) and knowing full well that i'll end up in my ugg's or flip flops again anyway.

dylan is becoming more and more shouty, so i decide to pick him up and carry him on my neck, like a proper toddler. he seems to enjoy it, but most other people's heart rates in the vicinity pick up some speed with worry for his demise. i, on the other hand, am the mother who will not falter in creating the safest circumstances for her child ever (read; she had him on her neck with her IRON fists around his little arms), and so was not worried but a tad achy around the neck area. i take him down soon after.

dylan decides to protest loudly each time we try putting him back in the pram so we all take turns carrying his 12 kilo heavy body around all the way back to the car.

my dad is teasing my brother and they spend some time in a shop buying cool t-shirts. once again i internally notice how this day makes me feel connected, safe, it reminds me of when we were kids on a happy day out with happy parents, calm, relaxed, connected.

we end our day in a road-side restaurant. the food disappoints, but the giggles remain. we drop my brother off at his house, i buy some 'krenten bollen' for dylan in a supermarket while my mum bounces him up and down on her lap once more. my dad sits calmy in the car.

i'm gonna try to remember this day, and only this day, when thinking back of this whole trip in the future.

♥

listen to the whispers

i'm in holland at the moment.

~

family















missing piece;



he's in lebanon, but he belongs with us.

♥

Nina and The Polar Bear

hallo the world. :-)

meet nina & the polar bear, my new piece of mixed media art;





and here be the pretty picture of it;









i really like the polar bear. :)

both the original and prints of this piece are for sale in my ETSY SHOP.

oxox

the universe pays attention to you

i had an epiphany the other day. i was tidying our bedroom busying myself with the mundanities (yet profundities) of doing the laundry. i was musing over a depression i'd been experiencing a month ago. on and off i still felt pangs of the same emotions coming up once in a while. the depression with feelings of anxiety, dread and fear was often caused by worrying about illness and death, either my own or my loved ones'. i stood in front of the closet, hanging up one of my garments and realised that one of the things that made me so sad about death is the seeming 'aloneness' of it all. it seems such an 'alone' experience, and so definitive. death seems cold, empty, alone and meaningless. it's as if with you ceasing to exist, so does your relevance.

then, my eye caught the stunning sky above the south downs (our view from the back of the house is amazing). there was a big grey cloud with a big crack in it and the sun was shining through it with a fierce radiance. it was odd, but at the same time of my viewing the sun shining through, i thought to myself; you think you are alone when you or someone else dies and that you are not longer relevant, but what if this simply isn't the case? what if, each time someone dies, the whole universe pays attention?

and as that thought flooded me, and as i imagined how every soul that died was carefully being cared for and noticed and relevant (to the universe) as they passed, hairs rose up all over my body and i felt so calm and at peace with that thought. it was true epiphany moment for me and gave me such solace.

so now i choose to believe that. when we die; the whole universe pays attention. :-)

***

so hallow! how are you? i haven't been around foreverages i know. we've been having a very tough 2 months with dylan who has just become worse and worse with his sleep habits. this week we are finally seeing some improvement, but for the last 2 months he's just been waking up every 2 hours or so again driving me slowly but surely utterly, deeply insane. my only saving grace was andy who'd take him from 6 in the morning which allowed me to sleep until 10 getting another 4 hours or so. it has seriously been a nightmare.

on top of that i have all sorts of work related tasks that i can't seem to find the time for. we now have a childminder come round to the house 2-3 days a week, but even with her coming i find it hard to get things done! crazy.

anyway, i managed to do a little bit of art here and there. i'm working on a cute little owl, a wall hanging and did the above mixed media piece which was fun doing. i've also finally set up my piano and hope to record a song soon. but everything is just taking so much longer to organise and do.

but but but, even though having little dylan completely earthquaking our life around, look at his smooshie face and how wonderful he is!!! ->>



he's now pretty much crawling and getting all over the place. he's also doing a lot of babababab dadadada -ing very talkative and just a very delightful little creature (apart from his sleeping probs but we're getting there).

here are some more recent pics of his (he is 9 months now! time flies like crazy!) ->







and here is a pic of the three of us (we hardly had any of us 3, finally here is one);



in other news; andy has to go to lebanon for work in june, he'll be away for 4 whole weeks. :( no fun for us particularly because he won't be able to follow all the changes dylan will undergo, but it's good for the work experience and needing the money... dylan and i will go to holland for 2-3 weeks which is fun as we'll get to see all the family again. :)

so that's me in a nutshell more or less!

hope to write a bit more frequently again, but not sure if it's doable, let's see. hope everyone is well out there. ♥

5 Art Tips

5 Tips for making art that makes you happy.

So I am the first to exclaim that there is no such thing as 'right' or 'wrong' art, nor is there 'good' or 'bad' art, there isn't even 'beautiful' or 'ugly' art. These are all subjective judgements which hold no inherent definitive 'truth' within them. Art is never just ugly or beautiful as that is merely the business of whoever is looking at the piece of art (eye of the beholder and all that jazz). To one person a particular piece of art is beautiful to another it might be dull and uninteresting. But perhaps I am stating the obvious here.

My point is; there is no right or wrong in art, anything goes. In May of 1961 Italian artist Piero Manzoni sold his shit (and I don't mean this metaphorically, nope it was his actual poo or poop) in a tin ("Merda d'artista") as 'art' and in October 2008, tin #083 (he had created 90 tins) was offered for sale at Sotheby's with an estimate of GBP 50-70,000. Clearly, in the eye of one beholder, that shit was super hot! ;)

So we're probably all agreed that there is no definitive truth about what makes art good or bad or beautiful or ugly. And art isn't really about that, the judgements & labels, nope, it isn't.

What is making art about then? Well, to me, making art is about the beautiful process of expression and creation and getting in touch with your inner world and then externalising it. Making art, is about feeling the excitement of materialising that which wasn't before you did what you did. And it's about making yourself feel happy, inspired, excited, peaceful, awed and giddy. Sometimes art is about healing, sometimes it's about expression, sometimes it's about making statements, sometimes it's about reaching out.

It is an emotional, tactile and spiritual process designed to lift you up. It's wonderful if it also makes others happy, and if someone experiences your piece of art as beautiful that may make you even happier, but the primary purpose of art is to make you happy!

The following 5 art tips have helped me make art that made me happy.

Perhaps they'll help you make art that makes you happy too! :D x (These tips are also not definitive or 'set in stone', but I've noticed they've helped me enjoy my art more and more over the years!)

1. Consider your composition.

Yup, I know it sounds boring but composition can really make a difference to how your brain perceives a piece of art. One of the 'rules' (don't like that word but that's how they refer to it) that is quite helpful with this is the 'rule of thirds'.

The rule of thirds is a compositional rule that divides your art space into 9 equal parts. The idea is to place the elements of interest in your piece of art along the lines drawn (see figure below) or right by the tension points (see the crosses).



For instance, this composition is a lot less interesting (not so happy making to most brains);



than for instance this one;



When your brain perceives a piece of art that follows the rule of thirds it will have a happier/ more interesting experience than if the rule isn't followed (that said; sometimes when this rule is broken, electric awesomeness ensues and your brain goes ecstatic! ;)). So DO play with this and see what happens for you.

2. Use your negative space effectively.

By negative space I mean those parts of your piece that don't contain the main focal points (ie: the background). This concept really builds on the rules of thirds in that it incorporates ideas of composition as well as using all space (including the background) effectively.

An example of using negative space in such a way that is (for me) less happy making;



this one might seem obvious, but I have seen a lot of people do this; draw/ paint 1 very small focal element, place it in the middle of the page, rather low too, and then are left with a huge amount of background/ negative space to fill. When I look at a piece of art like that, it doesn't quite inspire me (or make me happy) unless it was done very purposefully and the artist had a real intention to make all the negative space stand out. (ie: the background might be even more significant than the main focal element).

If you do want to use just mostly 1 main focal element, make sure not to leave out too much negative space, unless you have a specific purpose for it. (For instance; you may have a spectacular mixed media background in mind or you may want to create a beautiful night sky). If the background is in itself a significant part of the piece, then by all means make your other main element as tiny as possible, but if you want your character to be the main focus of your piece; avoid too much negative space.

If your painting only has 1 main focal element, use up most of your canvas, like so;



see how little negative space is left?

If you have several main focal elements, aim to work with the rule of thirds and also avoid too much negative background space by adding in other interesting elements, an example;

3. Give care and attention to details of your art work.

In the past I have often created a piece on which I had worked for hours if not days, only to find myself unhappy with it at the end. I could never quite figure out why until I realised that only one part of my painting had been given the love, care and attention that the whole piece needed. I often would get so immersed in painting the face, body, clothing of a person, only to finish off the background, the corners, perhaps hands or small elements in the background very sloppily. No love, no care, no attention to the detail of my painting. Even though the main focal element may have looked exactly as I had intended, shiny, purdy, making me happy, there was something missing in the overall piece.

Give care & attention to every inch of your painting. The final piece will feel so much more finished & loved and it will make you much happier.

Note: I am not saying: add a lot of detail to your painting. I am saying; pay attention to every detail of your painting. There may not be much detail in it, but DO pay careful attention to that which IS in it. Make sure to spend as much time on small (seemingly insignificant) parts of your painting as you would on the seemingly more significant parts!

4. Consider your colour choices.

Ok, I must admit, pleasing colour combinations come quite naturally to me. But there have been times when a painting irked me, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why until I realised that; composition was pleasing, detail was great, negative space sorted, but eugh the colours!

Three tips on how to choose colour combinations that bring harmony to your piece:

5. Send a message/ tell a story.

I enjoy bringing depth and meaning to my art. Luckily, most art, whatever has been created, can usually spark someone's imagination, even the simplest still-life or static portrait. But isn't it so much more fulfilling if you've reached deep inside of you, searched your soul, dug deep and connected with that inner longing or yearning that wanted to tell a story or convey a passionate message? Yep yep, for me it is! :-)

It is this final 'touch' that makes me feel most satisfied when finishing a piece. I could be telling a story to children about three girls have a teaparty with cupcakes, or I can be conveying the tender love one feels when embarking upon motherhood. I may express what needs are met or unmet in delicate brush strokes or I may be reaching out to angels and asking for support and hope.

This is where the artist is also the poet, the healer, the goddess and the universe.

Send a message, sing a song, whisper a poem, tell your story.




Hope you enjoyed these 5 art tips!

If you don't follow any of the above rules and your art already makes you uber happy; then obviously; IGNORE everything I said! :-) All that matters is that your art makes YOU happy! :) But if you're not always that happy with your art, consider a few of these tips and see how you go. :) Remember that you are awesome all the way! ♥

If you want to learn more from me, you can buy my art workshops HERE.

Follow me on twitter HERE.

♥
Tam x

And the winner issssss .....

And the winner of the Fabulous Faces DVD is .....

Number 13 -> Lorrie Mello (elbowgrease)

(not such an unlucky number now eh! ;))



Congratulations Lorrie - please send me your mailing address: willowing [at] gmai.com!

People who were put in the draw;

On blogger;

1. Phoenix xox
2. Evangeline
3. Pat
4. Kelley
5. Vicki
6. Kitty
7. Loz
8. Brigitte aka Scrappassie
9. Sunny Crittenden
10. Odd Sox
11. Debra
12. kunstzinnigdagboek
13. Lorrie Mello (elbowgrease)
14. Kimberly Myck-Rawson
15. Greta
16. Nolwenn
17. Marcie
18. elena
19. kim
20. Amanda's Altered World
21. Violet Parr
22. Odd Chick
23. elaina
24. Mishi

On twitter (I lost most RTs for some reason!! :( I tried to get everyone who RT-ed to send me their names again, but don't think everyone who RT-ed in the first place read those tweets, my apologies if you got missed out of this draw, I don't know why twitter made my RTs disappear!).

25. Marylin
26. Rhomany
27. Rainbowztwit
28. Rischa
29. Deb
30. Malene1986
31. Kathleen Tanguy
32. Sandra Lisenba Conko

On livejournal;

33. lj user = writemethesea
34. lj user = folkchick3
35. lj user = carnivalnights

Fabulous Faces - Now Available on DVD!

Hullo all!

My portrait course Fabulous Faces is now available on DVD! :)

In honour of the launch I will be giving away 1 copy for free!!!

To win;

1. Follow this blog.
2. Leave a comment on this blog to be entered into the draw! (If you've already bought the course and you win the draw, I will refund your money).

The draw will be held on Monday 26th April!

Fabulous Faces DVD - Course Information

*Fabulous Faces* Mixed Media Portrait Art Workshop Now Available on DVD! Have you always wanted to create pretty portraits? Are you fascinated with drawing faces but can't quite get them to look the way you want? Then this might be the course for you! Learn how to draw and shade a front facing portrait as well as a 3 quarter and a profile one! In addition you'll be learning about adding extra elements to your piece and background integration as well!
front sleeve DVD cover	Student Feedback: "I loved this class. Not only was the work presented in an easy to understand set of PDFs and, more importantly, wonderfully made videos...but Tam, as instructor, comes across as a truly caring and nurturing person. I've never before taken an on-line class where I felt as if I was in the same room as the instructor...and that she really wanted her students to succeed and feel good about themselves. Thanks Tam, for a wonderful learning experience." -Irene Watts Las Vegas, NV USA Scroll down to read what other students have said about the course. $55 + shipping

What You're Buying
Please note: the DVD you are buying is a DATA DVD. The file format of the videos on the DVD is in .mov. This means you cannot watch the files on your TV unless your DVD player specfically plays the above mentioned file format. The files on the DVD can be played on PCs or MACs using either Quicktime (.mov files) or VLC Player.I strongly recommend Quicktime for .mov files though as the VLC player tends to distort the videos ever so slightly. You get 2 DVD discs which contain 9 .mov files (about 9 hours of lessons in total) and 7 PDF files. A supply list and course outline is also included on the DVD in PDF format. The DVD case has a professionally printed sleeve covering it.
April, 2010 This course ran on my ning network from 25th January 2010 - 7th Marcy 2010 for 105 students. Though I might run this course again at some point, I’ve decided to make the course available on DVD so that those who missed out can follow the course as well minus the interaction with myself and other students. Technical requirements: the .mov files play best in the software program Quicktime. You can also play them in VLC player but I noticed that VLC distorts my videos slightly so I highly recommend playing them in Quicktime (this programme can be downloaded for free off the internet).
	The DVDs contains 9 video files covering 6 weeks of mixed media portrait art lessons. Pls note that I have NOT taken out little chats or comments which related to events or circumstances happening at the time. On the disc you will find 7 PDFs that look at the methods and techniques that were covered in the videos and some of them list exercises and/or homework. The course goes over 3 diferent portrait positions (front facing/ 3 quarter & profile) and also looks at adding extra elements and background integration. Course skill level: Beginner & Intermediate

Course Outline

Student Feedback (with permission)
"If you've never had ART training before but would like to try out to see if you can bring out that little artsy side of yourself, you'll be amazed how far you can go with Willowing's course. She runs this online Art workshops in a very safe and encouraging environment. She gives you extensive content full of information in her high quality videos and you get to network with students. She gives special attention to every single student in a caring manner. It's really amazing and I highly recommend taking one of her workshop." - Sung-Hee (Regina) Hong Toronto, Ontario, Canada	"A very well put together course, covering many aspects of portraiture in an easy to understand way, with a direct line to the instructor for tips, tricks, and helpful critiques. " - Emily Earl, Chatsworth, CA
"the course was the reason why a stayed awake till 1pm... to watch the new video ;) step-by-step tutorial on how to draw faces and a guide on how to use different materials" - Nicole Walther Germany	"Hummm... Enlightening. Wonderful and useful advice. More like a guide to help you explore your creativity no limits. Tam is generous with her time, her positive communication skills. Overall... I'll take another course with her in a snap!" - Isabelle Lauzier, Montreal, Quebec Canada
"You're gonna learn to draw portraits easily and without stress because Tam is a lovely girl who takes time to explain and give all the details you need." - Peggy Petit Paris, France	"Fabulous Faces is a brilliant course, if you are interested in drawing and painting then you really should do this course." - Julie Stenning, Forest of Dean, UK
"One of my biggest handicaps with drawing the human body has always been faces, so I have always stayed away from faces. This course has given me the freedom to try, make mistakes and try again, to the point where I am now comfortable to draw faces. The teaching was comprehensive, and very easy to understand. This was also the next best thing to being in a classroom. Learning at my own pace meant no pressure, and feedback always encouraging. A very pleasurable course." - Kelly, Japan	"I was amazed how much I learned so fast. The shading help and drawing tips were exactly what I needed. Tam is an awsome teacher and lots of fun." -Kathryn Bernier, Bangor Maine, USA
BUY THE FABULOUS FACES COURSE NOW! $55 + shipping