This is what I do.

Hi! I'm Venetia. I do a ton of stuff here at Atomic Venetia.



I make altered items like this

I make art like this.

 I share my sketchbook like this.

 I share scrapbook sketches like this.

 I art journal like this.

 I review products and books like this.





















 I make tutorials like this.

 This is me. I make stuff and write about stuff.

 

I like to think I am pretty cool, but I have a couple of minis that keep me in my place. See how unimpressive I am to her? She knows I am goofy, clumsy, and silly. If you aren't a follower of my blog, please join. I'd love the company.


~Take Care
Venetia

Sketchbook Peek- Budgie

This little guy is going to end up in my art journal, but for now, I wanted to give you a sneak peek of what is to come.  What are you working on at the moment?

~Venetia

 

Magnolia

Magnolia, Drawing 2013.

 

 

Flowers are one of my favorite subjects to draw. Magnolias remind me of being very young in Mississippi. They are truly a southern flower, and something them makes me think of proper Southern culture and manners.

 

My grandmother had a huge fireplace with a Magnolia painting above the mantle. I always wanted my own to hang, but never got around to getting or making one. Of course now, the TV is above my mantle, so I would have to rethink my whole living room in order to continue to aspire to one over the mantle.

 

Sometimes, I really miss the south. The food, the manners, the culture. When I visit I love it, until I see fire ants, mosquitoes, and the other critters they worry about that I do not. I die of heat and sun exposure when I visit.  I also realize how liberal the northwest is compared to the south when I visit. It's funny, because I have evolved into an acclimated Pacific Northwesterner.

 

~Venetia

 

 



Art Journal- Be yourself

Sometimes, I find inspirational quotes pithy. "Be yourself, everyone else is taken," for example. Some days you don't want to be yourself, because life is busy, or difficult, or sad. I explored this with this journal page.

I wanted something fun and bright, but I wanted the sentiment to reflect that sometimes, being yourself isn't the easiest choice. I like the color on this one.
~Venetia

Art Journal- Stress

Last week sucked. Sunday, there was a gas leak. Monday, the Furnace shot a fireball across the basement, and we found out it is toast. Thursday, my car got backed in to. Friday, my tire had a tear.  Seriously, last week. I'm over you. 

Naturally, any sort of hectic mess brings stress, and last week really took a toll.  I took it out on my art journal and ended up with this messy, angry frustrated page. Which pretty much summed up the week.

See my poor car? The girls are loving reminding me about how the truck bonked my car and then it broke. The daily reminder is much appreciated girls, I hadn't noticed my driver's mirror missing.

Here's to a better week!
~Venetia

Journaling- 25 great prompts

We all get "it".  It goes by many names:
-Stuck
-Lost my mojo
-Uninspired
-Frustrated
- (insert yours here)

Journaling prompts are a good way to get away from "it", whether scrapbooking, painting, journaling, sketching, or writing. Prompts take away everything so you can focus on something.

It's not Cheating- or finding cheap supplies

In art and crafts, there is always a new product/gadget to spend money on.  I have a few items that aren't supposed to be craft supplies that I use all the time.

1. Nail files: I pick up the rough grit black nail files from Sally Beauty Supply.  They're under a buck, and washable, so if they gum up, I rinse them and they are as good as new. I use these to smooth edges, and distress paper.

2. Manicure set: Occasionally, Big Lots carries this little manicure kit.  I picked up mine for $6. It is a great distressing tool.

3. Bubble Wrap: If you need texture when painting, bubble wrap, foil, and cling wrap are all great options for adding some dimension. Just paint the wrap and use it like a stamp, crumple it first if it is the foil or cling wrap

4. Paper plates: These and sandwich baggies work great as palattes when I am painting just a small area, or decoupaging something.

5. Baby wipes: I use these to clean, to smudge, to lift color, and I seem to grab them every time I craft. 

What have you found that is thrifty?
~Venetia

Book Review: Art Journal Freedom

I just finished reading Art Journal Freedom  by Dina Wakley. The book is a thorough introduction to art journaling. She begins by sharing her favorite supplies, and then explores an art concept each chapter with examples, challenges, and technique how to's.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. I found it to be a useful resource and I learned about some new techniques I have not tried.

Her writing style is accessible, and she is detailed in her explanations and instructions. If you are familiar with the elements of design and the principles of design, there isn't anything groundbreaking in the book, however Wakley does a great job of constructing and deconstructing the concepts to give the reader an idea of how they work. If you are interested in learning some design concepts, this is a well presented introduction.

She shares her techniques and offers step-by-step instructions on how she created pages. There are a variety of techniques shared, and a person who feels like they cannot draw would be able to create art journal pages inspired by the book.

The book is loaded with full color images, and is beautiful. Overall, I think it was a good read. This is a great starting point for people interested in Art Journaling. If you are more familiar with it, you may find this to be a helpful inspiration piece, with challenges in each chapter.

~Venetia

Sketchbook peek- 13 Things

I've been using 13 a lot this year because well, it is 2013. I figure that I can dwell on the unluckiness of the number or embrace it. Since my word of the year is "Joy" embracing it seemed the best choice. This sketch is an idea, and it may move into my Atomic Project binder, or it may become a scrapbook page, I haven't really decided.

I love lists. They're fun. I use lists to keep myself straight at work, and I need to do them more at home. I love seeing other people's lists because I find new ideas or products I like. Fashion Police is an addiction of mine, because it is just a long list of what people are wearing, and fashion is a great place to see new trends. I also love those "best beauty products under $5" lists. Around the holidays, I pour over the best gifts for (men, women, kids) lists, and I love to critique the women's ones. For the most part, don't buy me that junk.

This list is a random snapshot of me today. My favorite, I want lobster. Seriously, I want some. Now. Please?? The wishful one, I'm buying a computer soon.

What would your list of 13 things be?

~Venetia

Top Ten List: Art Supplies

Daniel Smith Acrylics
and Multi Media Brushes

I always love the glimpses of what people have in their purses, or favorite lists and the like. I think it is a great way to find hidden gems, because often, what we love the most aren't necessarily the most expensive things. Here is my top ten list of art supplies, and examples of stuff I made with some of them


1. Palomino Blackwing Wooden Pencils: Palomino rebooted the famed Blackwing pencil in two different versions. The Palomino Blackwing 602 is truer to the original and the Palomino Blackwing is the improved version. I'll save the tale and comparison for a full review, but these pencils write beautifully with the feel of gliding across the paper.

2. and 3. I love sketchbooks, and my two current favorites are the Molskine and Bee Paper's The Only Sketchbook You'll Ever Need. I love the feel of the bound Molskine, but I love the paper in the Bee Paper.

4. Heritage Artist Palette: I love this palette for the flexibility of being able to use watercolors wet, or allowing them to dry to create a custom set for travel.

5. and 6. Daniel Smith Acrylic and Watercolor paint: these are hands-down the best paints I have used. Daniel Smith is a Seattle company, and their house brand items have never disappointed me. Their colors are true, and mix beautifully.

Prismacolor Pencils

7. Daniel Smith Multi-Media Brushes: This set is perfect for me because it is versatile for both watercolor and acrylic paints. I love that the set was inexpensive for the quality, and made for mixed media.

8. Prismacolor Colored Pencils: Prismacolor pencils are vibrant, mix well, and offer a wide selection of colors. They are my favorite colored pencil.

9. and 10. Stabilo Point 88 and Micron Pens: I love the rich black ink on the Stablio, and the Microns offer versatility in point type and sizes.

Those are my top ten right now, what would yours be?

~Venetia

The Bic Mark-It is a great marker for general use.  The line is strong, and the black color is quite dark.  I appreciated the low odor of this marker, as it allows for longer use on a project without a headache from the fumes.  The grip is nice squishy, and the tip wears well.  Due to the amount of pressure I put on writing utensils, I tend to get that odd fuzz ball on the tip of my markers.  If you write like me, you know exactly what I am talking about.  If you don't, then I might sound like a nutjob.              

This marker does have quite a bit of bleed through, which I expect with any marker, however if bleed through is a huge issue for you, then pass this bad boy by. I wouldn't use this as a daily marker, but it does give Sharpie, my favorite marker, a good go.  The color is super black, which I like. My Starbucks has retractable versions of these, which is pretty cool, especially if you are writing on stuff all day.

Pro:

Color

Line

Grip

 

Cons:

Bleed through

 

Overall Rating 3/5

 

 

Sketchbook- Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler-or Forcing Inspiration

"I do want to express myself, okay. And I don't need 37 pieces of flair to do it. " ~ Office Space

I seem to run hot or cold on inspiration, and as I have said before, forcing contstraints is a great way to get out of "Stuck". I found myself feeling stuck recently, and failed at finding inspiration pieces to help. Even my typical sketchbook "theme" exercises were dead ending. I was frustrated. After days of not drawing went by, I decided to give myself an ultimatium. I had to draw something, sketch something right now. Of course, I found myself at a loss, and half ideas tumbled about. The circular "I could... no, but I could... no." Silence. Repeat. trap began within my mind.

"I believe the ratio of people to cake is too big" ~Office Space

Frustrated. I told myself "Self, you better think of something, or I'm going to make you draw this stapler." Begin debating the pro's and con's of subjects (Use whiny inside your head voice here):
My daughter... people are hard to draw (which is the point, but lazy was winning)
Flowers... I've done those to death, and have spent a lot of time on that lately.
Landscape... its dark, and I would have to find a photo

This continued for a bit, and I finally told myself that I had to draw the stupid stapler. Which began the stream of Office Space quotes in my head. Drawing a stapler turned out to be harder than it seemed, and a great exercise in perspective and shading. So now I have a drawing of a stapler. And that is how a stapler got me unstuck, which I find funny.

"I could put... strychnine in the guacamole. " ~Office Space

~Venetia

My experience supporting a future artist

My youngest, Budgie, is three and a half.  She loves to draw and paint. Her preferred medium is marker, because she gets terribly upset when she gets dirty, but she likes the saturated color that you get with a wet medium (marker, paint). It has been interesting to watch her grow as a small artist.  For a while, she was in a literalist phase. I would ask her about her drawings, and her reply would be "I drew pink" or whatever color she used. I found myself contemplating whether she was literal, or gifted, as the concept of pink as a subject is pretty advanced. She has always been precisely verbal, so when she says something, she means it, and pronounces it perfectly. I settled on literal. She has since evolved into drawing symbolic pictures of family. Everyone is round, has two arms and legs, and a bellybutton. In her world, the bellybutton is important.

Bridget loves using my supplies, but is eager to have her own as well.  This three and a half year old got a crayola set with a plastic molded tray for each marker and crayon for Christmas, and the markers and crayons are still precisely in each spot, almost two months later. It is that important to her. She has filled numerous sketchbooks, much to my chagrin, as they are usually intended for mommy, but I am glad she is happy to create her own images.

The other day, she came home from daycare with a grocery bag full of her work. "This is my collection" she proudly announced, and proceeded to pour over every piece with me explaining each one. "This is my name, this is my skeleton, this is a bus." The collection was incredibly important to her, and an unholy mess. Every time she reviewed it, glitter spread further throughout the house, turning it into a sparkly princess paradise. After watching her with her collection, I decided she needed a book.  I had an old Creative Memories album lying about, and we proceeded to put all her work into the album.  When we finished, she proudly kept pouring over each page. Anyone who comes into our home must now view her collection.

The importance to her is real, and by honoring that, I am helping her to become her own artist. So many people have stories of passions in their youth squashed by an adult minimizing the importance of what a child is spending their time on. Let's stop the business of killing dreams, and let them grow, a small gesture of support means the world to a child. Find what they need, take the time to let them know that their ideas matter, because they do.
 

Doodles, sketching to set the mind free

Sketching and doodling sets the mind free. Here is a photo of me killing time and playing with a pen in my sketchbook. nothing here is amazing, it is pretty much a hot mess. The lettering is awful, the designs squished and unbalanced, and overall it is just a technique dump. As atrocious as this is, the time and unattachment to the work develops skill, and allows me to play with creative ideas. See that rose in the middle? It evolved into the finished work I shared a week or so ago.  At the time I did this, I had no idea it would evolve. There was no expectation for an outcome. Letting go of having to make something allows you to create. 

 Not everything created is a masterpiece.  DaVinci, Picasso, and many great artists (if not all) had notebooks of ideas and sketches that developed into the finished works we are familiar with today.  If the notion of creating is only to complete something perfect, then creativity is lost.  Perfection is the role of machines, and factories.  The human spirit is comfortable with imperfection, and taking time to explore with no risk is an endeavor where the time spent brings volumes in the improvement of your creativity.  Play with techique, media, concepts, feelings, and energy.  Sit down, take 10 minutes, and just play. 

Product Review: Stabilo Bionic

 

 

This is my favorite pen, the Stablio Bionic. I adore this pen, despite its flaws. This pen is my go-tothat I miss dearly when I cannot find it at the bottom of my bag or drawer.

Product Review: Ohto Fude Ball Liquid Ink Rollerball Pen

The Ohto Fude Ball Liquid Ink Rollerball pen is a fun pen for sketching, artwork, and crafting. They were designed as a rollerball alternative for decorative envelopes given out in Japan. This, This, and This  are great blog posts explaining traditions with gorgeous examples. Typically, these are decorated with a brush pen, but the Ohto is supposed to give a brush look to a rollerball. This pen is a very thick 1.5mm, and the ink is dark black.

I wouldn't suggest this for anything but an art/craft pen. It gives beautiful lines, but it is so large that you really wouldn't want to use it for an everyday pen, unless you write extra large. To give perspective, I tend to write pretty large, and it was too bold for me for daily use, and I rarely say that about pens.

Pros: The ink flows nicely, and I think the lines are gorgeous. 

Cons: I dislike the grip on the pen, but it is fine for artistic and occasional use.

Rating: 4/5

Roses for Monday

I have been playing with line and contour lately. My inspiration is Art Deco designs from the 1920's and these really large contrast paintings that were on the wall of my high school that had to have been painted in the late 1970's or early 1980's. I find Art Deco designs gorgeous, and the contrast paintings at my high school, I'll abide by not saying anything if I can't be nice.

It is fascinating how line and contrast interact. I have many pre-sketches of this work, and subtle differences in each bring a different feel to the image. Sorting out ideas in a sketchbook helped me put together the elements. I'm working on a post about how I use sketchbooks in art and scrapbooking later this week.

~Venetia

Supplies:
Stabilo Point .88 Fineliner
Bristol Paper

Essay: My journey as an artist

I am an artist. Simple as the sentence may be, it encompasses years of my internal struggle. As a child, I was an artist, and I didn’t see it. Like many children, I enjoyed drawing, painting, and coloring. I was always making something. Recently, my mother told me about how I would enter every poster contest in elementary school, place, and earn a ribbon every single time. She said it got to the point it was a joke between the adults in the PTA. I remember making the posters, but I don’t remember winning, and was shocked that I was getting recognition at an early age. Similarly, my parents always told me how much talent I have, and I discounted it until I went through a bin of work from elementary school, and I saw the details of the drawings I made. My jaded adult-self had to admit there was clear talent in those early pictures. Frankly, I am probably one of the few people on the planet who disappointed their parents by not going to art school.

In high school, I was an artist, and I didn’t see it. I kept sketches, and drawings, and read about art and artists. Saturdays were oil painting classes, and I would spend hours in a run-down recreation center enjoying painting with adults twice my age. I had a full arsenal of supplies, and I used them regularly. I would paint en plein air with my mentor, a local artist, who somehow found the grace to encourage a learning artist, allowing me to follow him about painting landscapes in local parks. My first boyfriend dumped me, and as a mollifying statement said, “I’m sorry, but you’re going to be a great artist one day.” My second boyfriend dumped me, and contritely said “I’d still like to see your gallery opening one day.” In intense moments of teenage love and angst, in the process of hurting me, those closest to me avowed my standing as an artist, and I didn’t believe them. Being told I was an artist felt like a consolation prize. I minimized the fact that in ending relationships, those leaving felt it important to affirm my art.

In college, I was an artist and didn’t see it. I took ceramics, painting, drawing, art history, numerous art and culture courses, art and censorship, and anything remotely related to art. I interned at Tacoma Art Museum. I had sketchbooks, and a portfolio. I desperately wanted to study graphic design, but I didn’t. I allowed fear to rule my decisions. I convinced myself  that I wouldn’t make it. Meanwhile, I drew pictures of my first “real” love as we sat on the couch watching TV. Our romance was unpredictable and tenuous. In one of our many intense arguments leading to an off-again in our relationship, he gave me the apologetic “I know you’re going to be a great artist one day.”

As an adult, I continued to create, research, and view art, and took up scrapbooking as a hobby. Creating things was as much a part of my life as work, raising my daughter, or making dinner. Despite life surrounding me with friendships changing or ending, illness, death, and the burden of maturity, I was an artist, and I didn’t see it.

My world crashed around me at my daughter’s 3-year well-child visit. The pediatrician noted her behavior, and in a serious tone he had never used with me, asked “You know that’s not normal, right?” For three years, I adored my opinionated, sensitive, fragile daughter and her long outbursts and screaming fits. As an infant, her first night home, someone sneezed, and she screamed. Every time someone coughed or sneezed, she screamed. She hated taking off her coat, she loved wearing her Tigger costume, even though it was 90 degrees outside and August. For three years, I adapted to her needs. In rare instances, her fits scared me; the doctor in the emergency room sent me home with a printed handout about how to deal with a fussy child, which made me feel stupid. Suddenly, behavior that I had become accustomed to as normal was not, and my perfect little girl, wasn’t. My heart broke, my soul withered, and I went into a deep depression. For once in my life, I was no longer an artist. Beginning that day, everything sat untouched.

Depression took its toll. My life fell apart, I lost myself. Eventually, I got help, and things slowly got better.  I divorced. I remarried. My daughter, diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder, responded well to occupational therapy. She entered Kindergarten and exceled, she was an amazing big sister to her new little sister, and she exited therapy. Art was out of my life.

Over wine one evening, a friend, who had known me for 15 years, realized I hadn’t made anything as we were conversing about losing ourselves, pondering whether midlife crises ever happened in one’s thirties. She asked, “Are you serious? I can’t remember a time when you weren’t creating.” Her face darkened with the realization of how far astray we had wandered from ourselves. Despite clarity, nothing changed.

On a summer’s day, Heather, who is also an artist, shoved paper and glue at me, pulled up a scrapbook sketch, and told me to make something. As soon as I finished, she made me post the layout online, and share with a Facebook group for commenting. With that, I began to create. Scrapbooking became collage, collage became altered art, and altered art became mixed media, which brought me back to drawing and painting. I started a blog, and I started studying contemporary designers and artists. I still never dared to call myself an artist, despite others pointing out that I am.

I longed to be an artist. I kept reading, hoping to learn and became inspired. I found insight in “Linchpin”, “Ignore Everybody” and “Steal Like an Artist”. One night, I thought about the definition of artist. In my mind, artist indicated fame, even though I knew many artists were not famous or even understood in their time. I had a romanticized vision of an artist having a studio, and attending their gallery openings sipping flutes of champagne. I considered this, and some realizations became apparent.

I have a studio. Well, maybe I don’t have a studio, but I have a house, and my art is important enough to have space for work and supplies in the corner of the living area full time. Granted, I share the table space with my girls. They color and play at the table, and I create at the table. My dining room table is a mess of crayon marks, dried glue, dried paint, stickers, and pen marks created equally by my girls and me. It looks awful, and I love it. When I entertain, I cover the evidence with a tablecloth, and put the supplies away more orderly.  Mainly, it is the area where we create: a shared studio.

I don’t have showings, and I am not famous. Honestly, not admitting that I was an artist kept me from pursuing the chance to show work. The non-existent credential that I thought needed to be a real artist and participate in the art world was a barrier set up by my mind. Granted, I need to learn how to navigate the world of showings, but I also need to look at the resources I have around me, and just do the work. I need to follow up on the Art Walk showing that I offered to me last spring for this year.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized I am an artist, and that I could say it, unapologetically. The only person I ever needed to justify anything to was myself. My whole adult life, I have kept myself from it. I am enough, and I am an artist. This revelation brought a surge of joy.  

Still, I looked for validation. I texted my friend. “Am I an artist?” Heather is a friend that will hold no punches when a real question is asked. She is also an artist.

 

 

This text conversation confirmed everything. First, I am a dumbass. For years, I have had affirmation that I am an artist, and I didn’t see it. Second, I have let fear drive my ambitions. What I haven’t done has always come from a fear of not being enough. I saw Heather that night, and we chatted a little about my revelations. “I thought if I called myself an artist that I would be saying I was like artists like Picasso, Matisse, or Michelangelo.” I explained.  Heather looked at me, “You’re nothing like them, you’re like you.”

I learned from my depression that the mind makes things real that are not. As much as I had learned, I didn’t notice the negative self-talk that I addressed during my depression had always been a part of my perception of myself as an artist. I understand that now, and it has changed everything.

I am Venetia, I am an artist, and I can see it. One day, you can come to my showing and sip champagne in a flute with me. I know I am going to have one, and I know it is going to be great.

 ~Venetia

 

 

 

 

13 for 13- Book 2 "Steal Like an Artist"

This is a review of the second book I have finished as part of my 13 for 13 list. I started with this book because it lit a fire within my soul.

“Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon has been sitting in my bookcase for months. I ordered it from Amazon last spring in the hopes of gaining some inspiration. Like many of my good intentions, I didn’t really follow through on reading it until this weekend, and I am wondering why I put off something that would so deeply resonate with me, that I so deeply needed for so long.

Inspiration from Pinterest- Motivational Poster

Like many of us, I browse Pinterest.  I don't usually make what I see, but this project was perfect for my office.  I have hyperlinked the image to what I reasonably believe is the original artist, Amy Rice's,  Etsy store.  I believe in giving credit when credit is due, and Amy's piece was the clear inspiration for my interpretation. She uses a letterpress on antique atlas pages for her unique creations.

 For my version, I used an older, but not antique folded car map of my home state and cut it to a 16x 20 canvas size. I used pen to draw the letters, and then decoupaged the map to the canvas, which gives is a slight sheen in the light.  

~Venetia