COLORS OF THE DAY

Pueblo
pen and ink, crayon
© Sue O'Kieffe 2008




I believe I channeled this rendering from the spirit of an ancient Mayan. Doodled before and after my art show, focused on colors and textures of the desert...hot dry gritty piercing visionary questing. These doodle structures have appeared before on my meanderings on paper. A river runs through it.

I really don't think new crayons are for children anymore. My box of colors has names like wild strawberry, mauvelous, hot magenta, purple pizzazz, shocking pink. Granny smith apple, inchworm, timberwolf, robin's egg blue, dandelion. Im so relieved they didn't rename periwinkle, my favorite color as a child, as some mean-spirited rumor I read somewhere had led me to believe. It's good to retain those sentimental favorites too. Oh, yes, and of course there is still red.

Do you have a favorite crayon color?


Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas
(for the Create Every Day 2008 Challenge)

DOODLES TWO

Rebirth
pen and ink, crayons
© Sue O'Kieffe 2008




A somewhat more personal take on the process of transformation, conceived on a cold January night where the only warm place I could find was my bed. I love winter dream time.

















Birdtree
pen and ink, crayon
© Sue O'Kieffe 2008



The boy robins have returned to scope out real estate for their ladies fair who shall come later, ready to nest. Come late January I hear the boys singing in the trees who welcome the guys with open branches. I love trees, have for as long as I can remember, and have doodled many. This is my latest.

Welcome Oh Such Sweetly Singing Harbingers of Spring!

RORSCHACH, ANYONE?

TATTOO
pen and ink, crayola and neocolor ii crayons
© Sue O'Kieffe 2008

I debated whether or not to post this doodle. It is a bit edgier than most; or maybe it is just it seems to be more of a reflection of my inner world than most. Long week, etc. I know that my mood will pass and that even the harder days need to be expressed now and then. It took me a week to finish this page. I will add it to my flickr set. I have other doodles there maybe you haven't seen yet.

For those of you who might be new to my blog and are wondering what in the world this woman is doing doodling outside the confines of the traditional mandala circle, back in November I began this activity during a challenge to be creative every day for that month. Leah has urged participants to go on and be creative every day in 2008. And so I am.

I will say I liked playing with the colors in my brand new box of 96 choices. The crayons seem to flow easier on the page and I love the names of some of their colors...wild strawberry, timberwolf, robin's egg blue. Playing with the shading and mixing of colors was quite satisfying

Tell me, if you would, what you see here and how you feel when looking at my colorful blot.
Oh, and yes, after having been a blogger for almost a year on this space, I just today registered myself with Technorati. Somehow I thought I had done that eons ago. If you feel inclined to add me to your favorites on that site, you can click on the widget at the bottom of the page. Thanks, John Mora, for remarking on your own similar action. Otherwise, I probably would have gone on figgering I was all good to go and had already staked my claim over there.

Happy Saturday, everyone, and please stay warm and dry out there (those of you in the northern hemisphere at least. )

IT STARTED WITH A BOX OF CRAYONS

OOOOOOOH ... 96 COLORS!!!


which colors should i choose?
first i created a basic mandala with one filter only (guess which one?) using the source image above --- - then created a pattern - (see this tutorial on pattern making) -


and then a patterned painting (using pattern stamp tool) --

from that i birthed two mandalas
this second image uses pattern overlay (see last sunday's photoshop tutorial)


then, another patterned painting
and a third image (using rainbow gradient radial adjustment layer)
boy, that was fun! isn't it amazing what you can do with a box of crayons!?

Crayola Mandalas - (Circles of Wonder) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image - photograph of crayons