Watercolors 10 minute Challenge ATC

I've had a bit of a creative block going lately.  Same story as so many, too many things happening and not enough time or more precisely energy left to create for self.  I'm lucky enough to be going to an artistic get together again this year in NY and wanted to get some cards made to trade.  So, trying to get out of my creative funk, I tried something I'd read some time ago about watercoloring in 10 minutes.  Basic concept is to plop down layers of color without thinking about it.  After the first 2-3 washes of color, start looking for a face shape and adding more colors with that in mind.  Once the colors are laid down, draw a face with what you've got.
I laid down quite a bit of layers of watercolors and thought I was ending up with an Indian Chief with feathers!  As you can see, once I started to ink the drawing, nary a feather in sight!!!  This face was a bit of a surprise for me, because I rarely do faces that aren't facing totally front.  So any kind of angle in the face is a new thing for me.  Unlike acrylics or oils, because this is in watercolors, I don't think the scan or the photos do justice to the translucency of the colors in the real card.
The exercise did do the job though.  I feel my creative mojo back again and can't wait to get the laundry and the cooking and the cleaning done, so I can get back to my art room! lol

Hobo

I joined an inchie face swap and was playing around drawing some. I ended up doing a face that resembles this one by mistake. I loved it so much, I did an ATC size. I love this elongated face style. I took it with me to the Artfest, but he looked kind of sad to me, so I kept him, instead of trading him.

Sunflower Fun

Sunflowers are my favorite flower. I painted this for a friend of mine as part of a swap. I wanted to make this special for her, so rather than stamping one or collaging it, I painted this one. I loved this card. Wish I'd painted one for myself too! Ethel at "The Paper Quilter", had a link on her site where you can turn your art into even more fun art. I tried the Andy Warhol look with mine. Not too shabby, I think. It was a lot of fun experimenting. Here's the link to the site. http://www.photofunia.com/. You never know how yours will turn out.

Daisies in Pink and White ATC

I love to combine my passion for painting and ATCs. I look at everything and wonder how I can make an ATC out of this. This is a painting I did last night on a black background of daisies and bleeding hearts. The style again is tole. I really like this style because it's more playful than its more realistic counterpart. There are a multitude of dots all around the border of this card. I might have gotten carried away with them, but I think it adds a softness to card and keeps your eye from wandering too far off into the darkness. I'm trading this one out, but I think I'll make another for my own collection.

Tole ATCs

I painted these ATCs freehand using acrylics. This style has many names; "tole", "folkart", "telemark", and even "rosemauling". It all means the same. It is an old traditional style of painting done on furniture, decorative items and china in the scandanavian countries. I started painting this about a year ago, and really love it. To me, the colors really pop on the black background.