This site is about my life in the art studio. It includes drawings, paintings, knitting and cross stitch and fun art techniques. I will also include recipes and yoga and book reviews. This is a lifestyle blog with intentional and simple living ideas.
This is an art therapy technique that helps with calmness and relaxation for those with anxiety and stress. I have started an online counseling and art therapy practice and I have been developing YouTube videos to show different types of art therapy tasks
Supplies
Watercolor
Watercolor paper
Brushes
Container for water
Paper towel
Ink pens
Start by painting with watercolors shapes symbols and anything that you would like it could be realistic trying it could be abstract. The idea is for this painting to be calming and relaxing.
Using a hair dryer can speed up the process of drying time for you to use the ink pens. But this art task can be divided into two days if you want to spend time painting for one day let it dry and then return back the next day to add the details with the ink pen
Once you are finished then you could add details using the ink pens. The ink pens can be black or it could be color ink pens.
I have not been posting for awhile. Simply because I needed a break. Most of my free time has been cross stitching. My goal is to finish Derby by February.
Also my hours at work has increased slightly as new clients are calling. I have a goal to pay off some bills this early part of the year. I will need to consider buying a car later next year.
With that being said, I decided to not move. It saddens me but I need to focus on my long term goal. The long term goal is to not work as a counselor in my 60’s, and find other work to do. Or to work from home full time in 5 years. If I got another 30 year loan, then I would have no choice but work more hours and for a longer time.
Therefore, I am staying at my townhouse. And plan on finishing updating the bathroom and kitchen.
Since it is getting colder out the neighbors have stayed inside. I’m looking forward to the cold months ahead because there’s less chance my neighbors will harass me. (I am being harassed because I’m on the HOA board) trust me we made positive changes, gave owners more freedom. Someone people are just mean and hateful and don’t want others to have freedom and happiness.
Sunday, I finished a column on Derby early. I decided to close up the house early and found my way to a canvas. Afterwards I did yoga, read the Bible and read some paragraphs about chakras. Then I went to bed at 8:30! I have been exhausted and really need the sleep. I hope this extra sleep will decrease the inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis.
Here’s the beginning of the painting. I believe it will change drastically. It might not even look like this next time you see the update.
I have items on Etsy shop. Paintings and knit headbands and scarfs that’s great for the winter.
This past week I was unable to find time and energy to read The Creative Cure by Jacob Nordby. I didn’t even attempt it one little bit.
It was an emotional week knowing someone I respected and absolutely adored died from a long battle of cancer. My heart will break forever.
Sleeping was barely there, basically the death of this person brought me back to being 24 years old when my mom died. Her son is in his 20’s and what he has to do made my memories vivid.
After I saw two clients this morning, I went to the craft store. I tossed in many bottles of acrylic paint, canvases and paint brushes. I am set for awhile. I also bought a stand for all my painting supplies.
My studio is now organized, a little better. Not exactly what I want but definitely able to sit at the table without feeling I’m in a tight space.
Watercolor paint was calling me. But I knew I couldn’t do anything with detail. My brain is emotional my heart is emotional and I’m so exhausted my eyes hurt.
Doodle painting! That’s mindless but mindful for what I need.
Here’s the result:
Supplies Needed:
Watercolor paint
Brushes
Water
Towels
Paper/journal
Gel pens
First use the watercolor paints and paint any shape with multiple colors on the paper.
Then take the gel pens and doodle on top of your doodle painting. Use multiple colors of gel pens if you desire. (I used only a black gel pen for my doodle)
Some close-ups
I feel relaxed. Maybe I’ll do another one before I go to bed. I’m going to try to cross stitch for the rest of the day. It’s a Hulu or Netflix night with my legs up on the ottoman.
Even my cats and dogs want to take a nap now.
I’ll be back to blog more about the book I’m reading.
The last part of chapter 4 of The Creative Cure, by Jacob Nordby, is more about intuition but he added exercises to connect with emotions.
He writes on page 67, “Cultivating your intuition is a lifelong process best approached with curiosity, imagination, and even playfulness.”
He writes more about traumatic experiences and how it can close off our joy. page 73, “healing from trauma is also healing the connection to your inner creative self, which often involves giving your feelings expression in the outer world.”
He explains unhealed trauma and the diagnosis that are connected to it, such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction etc.
exercise
page 77, he has a practice exercise about making big decisions.
write one sentence or a word that describes the issue: Do I leave my career and find something less stressful to do?
where do I feel this in my body: my head and chest
pretend I am looking at a picture and relax my eyes, allowing things to get fuzzy: think about What would bring me joy in this situation?
Daydream…then at the end say aloud :”Let it be so.”
next exercise
pg 81, Relax body for a few minutes and ask How am I feeling right now?
write one word that describes how you are feeling: Numb
where do you feel this emotion in your body? chest,
give the emotion a color or shape, temperature, texture- color: light gray, shape: blob, temperature luke warm, texture-smooth
write mental story about these emotions:
If you read my previous post, a person I know, died from a long battle with cancer. I couldn’t stop crying, I drove home crying, I sat on my sofa crying. I went to bed sad and my physical pain increased. I had a hard time talking to the family member, because I was hurt. I was hurt by the feelings he is going through, as I lived them when I was his age. Everything returned to me. To watch someone die of cancer, or any illness, it a trauma. But to be at the side of someone’s bed and watch them die and see them hemorrhage is a trauma that will never be forgotten. I am numbed by so many health issues of people around me. I tend to be alone when I hear “bad” news, I never have anyone to talk to me about it as it is happening, I have to wake up alone with it. And go on with my day as if I didn’t hear about anything traumatic. I am always alone dealing with emotional issues. I am tired and need to escape away from work and death and illness. It’s taking away my creativity.
Both images on this post is in my shop on etsy: 4pawsartstudio
I’m trying to get myself back to making watercolor pictures.
Watercolors are relaxing and soothing for me.
I found out someone I know is not doing well. She has been fighting cancer for several years. That day was difficult to hear the worst news. I took myself to the art studio and grabbed my watercolors.
I thought about life, spirituality, death and what heaven is like.
This is what came out of my emotions and thoughts.
‘Ann’ June 2021, try to keep fighting.
I pray that she will not be in pain anymore and that her angels will guide her to her next journey. And I pray her son will find himself closer to his spiritual belief and let God guide him.
It really is true, you don’t know what you have until you are looking directly at the end.
Put some water on a brush and brush the paper. Work in small areas at a time.
Then take a color soft pastels and color it onto the water. Take your brush and blend it into the paper. Add another color next to it and blend.
Other variation is to dip the pastel into the jar of water and color onto the paper.
Or take the soft pastel and color on the paper and use the brush with water on it to blend it.
Continue until you feel it is completed. Let dry and option is to go over it with dry soft pastels or markers, pens or anything multi-media you want to add to it.
4pawsartstudio 
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