Girls Rule

I absolutely never say "girls rule," as I have a son and a husband and I feel like the rest of that little sentiment (boys drool) is just mean...however! Just two days ago, Vice-President Kamala Harris was sworn in and for the very first time, a woman is in the White House, 2nd-in-command of the country and shattering glass ceilings forever. GIRLS RULE, BABY!

Okay, I think I got that out of my system for now. I am just so proud of this moment in our history that I could burst. But, instead, I'll share some girl art I've done in my Whimsical Girl Art Journal.

On this page, I used Tombow Markers on the flowers and added small amounts of water. The green is all colored pencils, as is the woman. I haven't doodled nearly enough on this page but I expect some quote that I like will end up here.

And for this page, I used Tombow Markers and white Uniball gel pen to doodle the heck out of these ladies. I used light water on these images too, which turns the marker into watercolor paint.

I love this image and even though I didn't have any earth colors or good skin color markers, I have some now, so I can make even more varied skin tones or hair tones. I might go back in and see how it works to layer some of these new colors on here. Very often I forget you can do that with watercolor paints.

Hope you're feeling as hopeful as I am with the new leadership in the White House!

Happy Friday,

Chark

Women's History Month

Although it's odd that we have to have a month to highlight women in history (just as we have a month to honor black people in history), I think it's awesome. When I saw Hidden Figures, the movie, I was astounded that I was fifty years old and had never heard of these women and their contribution to the NASA program. It is an amazing story and a great movie. One day, the history books will be more inclusive, but until then...

Have a Happy 

To celebrate, I've decided to share some coloring I've done of a woman in my Whimsical Girl art journal from a talented woman named Jane Davenport. Here's the drawing.

And here's my colored version, using Prismacolor Pencils. I love those pencils...I have Polychromos and like those too and find them less waxy but Prismas have beautiful colors and I just like how I can get dark coverage, even though I wear those babies down! I used blue marker on her dress and White Uniball for hair highlights.

And here's the close-up.

Okay, here's a little story of how I stopped tearing down other women. One day when I was being jealous of something another woman had achieved, I realized she didn't take it from me, she didn't stop me from having my own success, and that it was stupid to envy her. That was kind of an eye-opener. It doesn't mean I won't snark about someone's Oscar dress that's hideous, lol, but it's said in fun. 

We need to lift each other up, celebrate success of others and be happy when someone is happy. We succeed when we all achieve. We benefit from the success of women in our society. And so I love this fabulous quote, from a fabulous young woman, Malala Yousafzai, who was thrust into the spotlight and is now working for other women. You can see her story here.

Here's a link to some very cool Women's History books as well, with books I have read and books I want to read...maybe you'll find something good too.

Happy Friday!

Chark

Ballerina Girl

Here's my ballerina from the Jane Davenport art journal. I enjoyed coloring with my Prismacolor pencils, but now I'm wondering if I should use the colorful paper in the journal to decoupage to the dress instead. Hmmm....

If you want your own journal to color/doodle in/decoupage, here's the link. I'm loving mine and you can search "whimsical girls" in my sidebar to find more pages.

And here's the Lionel Richie video that inspired my post title. Ah, the 80s...weren't they fab? I know I enjoyed them! Go Class of '86!

Happy Wednesday!

Chark

The Three Amigos

Today I have a page I colored up in the Whimsical Girls Art Journal by Jane Davenport. I'm thoroughly enjoying doodling and coloring this book. There are different types of paper for different media and this page I used Prismacolor Pencils...my favorite coloring medium right now.

Here's the page as I started doodling. The lighting was bad, but I wanted to show what it looks like before you start (well, mostly before you start).

And here's the page finished—The Three Amigas. I could've colored my doodles in the back, but I liked it like this.

Whenever I see three girls, it reminds me of my sisters and myself, but I didn't color these girls up like my real sibs. They'd all have gray hair! Our oldest sister actually has the least gray, but I'm not bitter...really :)

And here's a clip (hence the post title) from one of the goofiest movies I loved in the 80s...The Three Amigos starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase. My hubby and I still quote this movie. And it has my favorite swear of all time, "son of a motherless goat."

Happy Monday!  Tuesday!

Chark

Freebie Friday and More Whimsy

Hey, friends, can't believe it's July already...April and May were all about getting ready for the son's high school graduation...and then suddenly June has already passed! I hope this month and next seem a little slower before the deadlines and pressures of college rear their heads. Still, it has been a lovely summer. We enjoyed the grad party and seeing tons of relatives and friends, dinner at night on the patio, new car buying and no alarm clock going off at 6 a.m. So no complaints from me!

Today I thought I'd share another page in my Jane Davenport Whimsical Girl journal, which has been all kinds of fun to play with. Here's the before page.

And here's the during...I'm not finished yet. But I have worn down a lot of Prismacolor Pencils in blues and purples! Not sure what else I will do with this one, but I don't feel like it's finished yet.

To help you get some coloring in this weekend, I've included links to some free digi art. The first one is this little teacup pig from Homemaker's Hutch.

The second is this summer scene from Get Drawings...they have a lot of images for free to color and some already colored.

And if you're looking for a fun summer project to make, this watermelon bowl from Dream a Little Bigger is so cute!

Okay, people, let's get out there and enjoy July to the fullest!

Happy Friday!
Chark