creative jewish mom

A Peek Inside My New Landscape Format Sketchbook

I just love the idea of a creative practice that involves a sketchbook, or even multiple sketchbooks and while I have yet to actually develop a consistent sketchbook routine, there is always hope? I am starting to realize that patience and persistence are key when it comes to developing yourself or your skills, be it in a creative arena, to not, so rather than sigh about the lack of progress in the landscape sketchbook that I purchased last year, I'll share with you what I have accomplished, which is certainly a start. Now if I can just figure out how to fill some more pages.......but in the meantime, here's a little peek inside my landscape format sketchbook!

Use Magnetic Poster Hangers To Display Your Art!

The Jewish Holiday Season is now officially over in Israel, while folks in the rest of the world are currently celebrating the holiday of Simchat Torah. Packing away the Succah is always a bit sad for me, as I just love the holiday of Succot, especially when celebrated here in Northern Israel, nothing quite like it, truly! I was able to get my famlly to give me a day to take some more photographs before the Succah disappears into boxes, and first I thought I'd share with you an amazing way to simply display your art with no committment. Introducing magnetic poster hangers! I have been aware of this product for some time now, so when I spotted the wooden poster hangers in the gift shop in The Nordic Museum in Stockholm I just had to purchase 2 sets. Little did I know they'd come in handy in our Succah, as I used them to add some color to a blank wall via a little collection of my floral paintings. You know, those paintings that I worked on for a few months a whole year ago, sigh......In any case whether or not I'm successful at picking up where I left off at the end of last January at painting #77, it was truly wonderful to add some artful color to our celebration! I just saw that Ikea is selling something similar, with clamps I believe rather than magnets, so either way, do add some poster hangers to your home (or Succah), you'll be glad you did!

Simple Seven Species Ink Paintings For The Succah

Last year I added some seven species paintings to our Succah decor, but didn't have time to share then with you as they were created the night before the holiday. The good news is that I came across the photos and I now present to you a creative way to get the symbolism of the seven holy species into your Succah and have fun painting at the same time! I made my paintings to go inside these ornate Moroccan frames, while you can make yours to fit into any frames you might have on hand. Okay, shall we get painting? Lets do it........

White Gouache Illustration On Watercolor Wash

As you can see, I am just loving the idea of illustrating with gouache, and so I have one more simple technique that produces great results. Ready? One of the benefits of gouache, as opposed to watercolor paint, is that is is opaque, meaning you can layer one color over another, yes indeed! So, one simple way to take advantage of this attribute is to make a beautiful background with either watercolor paint or gouache, though or course something rich, like my blue backgroud, and then paint lovely details on top of this background with white gouache. And if you want to take it one step further, add some ink details, and voila, you've created something wonderful! Need a bit more information to make this happen? Let do it........

Simple Gouache Illustrations With Ink Details

Yesterday I shared with you some simple botanical illustrations using gouache, and today I am sharing some more results in my little gouache painting series. Introducing gouache and ink floral illustrations! I painted these in New York a few weeks ago having just spent two plus glorious weeks in Sweden. And now I can see that all those fields of tiny wild flowers certainly did make on impression on me, as these suddenly look like Swedish summer, or at least my version of it! What I learned here is that very simple gouache shapes or a simple painting that doesn't quite hit the mark can be transformed by adding black ink via a fine-lined permanent marker. So go ahead, paint a bunch of wonky flowers and then transform them with some inkm shall we?

Simple Botanical Illustrations With Gouache

I packed a journal as well as gouache and watercolor paints in my suitcase as we headed off for our summer adventures, with great hopes of painting and sketching. As it turned out the travel adventures were so captivating that I used up my creative energy simply drinking it all in, especially during our 2 1/2 amazing weeks in Sweden! I did paint a bit, though not nearly as much as I had planned, but of course I have plenty of photos to use as inspiration should the need start bubbling up from within now that we are home. I will share my few journal paintings soon, but first I'd like to show you what I did finally have time for once we founds ourselves with family in the USA for 5 days: a little introduction to painting with gouache and watercolor. Gouache is chalky and opaque, yet can also be used like water color paint, so it is very versatile, and no surprise the paint traditionally used by pattern designers to create artwork for textile design. Gouache is also pigment dense and comes in small tubes, so perfect for  travel as well. To give credit where credit is due, my paintings are the result of a lovely 30 day online workshop by Carolyn Gavin on creative bug. Lets take a closer look!

Toilet Paper Tube Castle Craft

We are on a roll with the recycling crafts for Purim, and I couldn't be more pleased, especially since we still have a week to keep on crafting for the festive holiday! Introducing toilet paper tube castle craft, which you can make to use as a centerpiece, a scene on a sideboard, or even as a simple toy. I generally save toilet paper tubes for crafting, but this time only had five on hand, so may castle is considerably smaller than I would have preferred. I'd love to see a castle that is a few stories high, and maybe with some little rooves and flags, but with the lack of supplies on hand I went for something very basic, which is also good! What do castles have to do with Purim? Well truthfully European castles do not have anything to do with Purim, since the Purim story took place in Shushan, Iran, but certainly there was a palace where our hero Queen Esther resided, so you know anything loosely castle/palace is relevant to Purim. Now that we have clarified that, lets get crafting!

Cardboard Fish Centerpiece For Purim, Or Just For Fun!

The cardboard fish centerpieces I made for our community Purim party were a hit, and now I get to use them to decorate our house for Purim, coming up quickly next week. I don't think I'll use all ten of them, then again, a school of fish swimming down my Purim table could be lots of fun, right? I'll get out the blue tablecloths and take it from there.....maybe I'll make some milk carton boats or use some plastic ones and do a whole ocean themed table.......I guess it all depends on how quickly the costumes go this year, and how many guests we'll be having. At this moment I'm so happy to have some new decorations and a theme to work with, and Purim  isn't for another nine days or so (next Wednesday night, with the festive meal happening on Thursday.) And so for once the holiday may just come in without having to loose any sleep, yippee! Want to make some quick cardboard fish centerpieces? Lets get started......

Recycled Cardboard Fish Are The Perfect Purim Craft!

I'm loving crafting with recycled cardboard boxes lately, there is something truly satisfying about creating something new from a cardboard box (hopefully) bound for the recycling pile. And to top it off, there is just something about black and white paint together with the cardboard box color that looks amazing. Enough said, introducing my recycled cardboard fish, just in time for Purim, and the Jewish month of Adar, which is the sign of the fish! You can use these fun cardboard fish in so many ways, and this can be a craft for all ages if one makes fish shapes for everyone to paint and/or decorate. Even a collage of findings on a fish shape could be amazing, or a fish shaped welcome sign for your Purim party! I actually made these fish to use as centerpieces for a Purim party tonight, and I'll be sharing the tutorial for making stand up fish centerpieces with you shortly. In the mean time, get inspired by my fun recycled cardboard fish, and enjoy!

Paint A Garden On A Milk Carton Craft

Not every craft has to have a specific end point in sight, sometimes just getting out some milk cartons and painting gardens on them can be a great creative activity that leads to? And actually, now that Spring is in the air, a row of milk carton houses with blooming gardens could be a fun craft. I'll admit, when I painted these milk cartons with a little friend I had in mind making a Chanukah village, but that never happened, so now the milk cartons are hanging out waiting for their future use, maybe a village filled with greenery and flowers for Shavuous?In any case, just getting out the paints and paint brushes and painting on a 3D object is a great way to loosen up and have some fun, I know I did!

Keep on reading for some tips for painting milk cartons.....