Horton Hears This Who

Hello friends, I'm so happy that you're here. I'm so blessed to have you in my life.

You can also connect with me on:

Facebook - Danine Mroz

Instagram - Northern Gypsy @bees_knees_studio

Twitter - Sky @PrairieMroz

Pinterest - Danine Mroz

Hello Universe "I'm here, I'm here, I'm here"!
There was a time when I felt an awful lot like that little Who. Small and all alone, invisible to the world. But, one day something changed within me and I was finally able to find my Horton and I'll never feel small again.

So, What changed? Well,,, I did. I started to become self aware.
I made the conscience decision to "Let Go".  I let go of all the doubt, the negativity and all that was holding me back from achieving my dreams. This didn't happen over night and, in fact I'm still letting go of things to this day. The other big change was being "Grateful" for all things big and small.

I began to understand that by doing these two things "Letting Go" + "Gratitude" the Universe would recognize me.  With new found empty space, that was once clogged up by negative matter, the Universe could now fill it with shiny new things and I began to bloom.
A concept introduced to me in reading "The Secret".

When I made these changes I was finally able to find my Horton.  He came via the way of mixed media art, art journals and tangle art.  Thanks to the technical advances I have been able to use the tools at my fingertips to learn and grow. I've also been able to connect with people... Other "Whovians" if you will... and the Universe opened up to me.

Watercolour Shell Aug/15

Now a days I'm incredibly grateful when I learn new techniques and can share with all my fellow Whovians.  Recently I began playing with watercolour and at first I was a bit frustrated at it's unpredictability. But, now that is the thing that I enjoy about it the most. :D

I hope you've enjoyed our little chat. Please use the buttons below to share with your social media.
Cheers,
Danine

I'm BACK!!

OMG I can't believe it's been two years since my last post. Where does the time go?
I'm so very happy that you've found me. Please add me to your social media family and lets connect.
Instagram - Northern Gypsy @bees_knees_studio
Facebook - Danine Mroz
YouTube - Northern Gypsy

A lot has happened in those two years.  First, we moved half way across the country and relocated the family. I have to say, I feel as if we are all a lot happier. Secondly, I made the decision to make art a priority, and things are going beautifully. Thirdly, I began setting regular, achievable goals... short and long term. Yaa!

The move came due to some major restructuring at my husbands work which meant he would have to commute several provinces over. After a year and a half of commuting we finally made the leap and moved, hubby loves that his commute is now only 1 hours (6x per month) instead of a day. Our son is making great friends and fitting in very well at school. While our daughter made short work of finding work that suites her perfectly while she takes a year off from school. While I've been finding all I could possibly need and/or want right close to home. Happy family!

This year with regards to my art, I began doing some type of creating EVERY day, which I post to Instagram. I've also been trying filming some of my art journal practice for YouTube,,, which isn't as easy as it looks. I'll keep working on it and hopefully I'll  have a great channel before long.  The other major change that I have experienced this year has been making a conscience effort to connect with other artists locally and over the net. Instagram has been a fantastic source for making connections and ongoing inspirations.  I've been to a couple art conventions and taken few classes... and I love making artsy friends. :D While in Winnipeg, MB recently I met the fabulous ladies from "Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine" and learned a ton during the classes offered and through conversation osmosis. They put me in contact with an amazing local mixed media artist whom I already feel a connectedness to. There is so much talent out there and I always feel blessed when I'm included with these amazing people. I hope to  continue to make long lasting friends in the art community. Maybe with you.

Oh My... I almost forgot to mention.
One of the most incredible strokes of luck happened last week. I won an Instagram give away from Flora Bowley for an ongoing membership to her Studio Diaries. I highly suggest if you want to grow as an artist check out her programs and courses. There is a free sample month to the Studio Diaries on her site. Though I'm not here to advertise for her I will be reflecting on some of the themes, questions and exercises that I'm  doing from time to time.

Goals-- Short term; To make art my priority.
             Long term; To be published in an art magazine.

Going forward I want to continue to share my journey and work, inspire you to listen to your own muse, encourage you as an artist and above all else give you permission to play.

Question of the day... What goals are you currently working towards?

How to Create a Fantastic Art Journal page

When I first began doing art journals I had no clue as to where to start or how to layer my work to give me the best results. I have watched countless tutorials, read several books and viewed many art journal pages, this is the process I have come up with "How to Create a Fantastic Art Journal page".

1) Begin by picking your palate. I usually work with three main colours and versions of them plus black & white. If you're a beginner it's a great idea to invest in a colour wheel, one that tells you which are complimentary colours etc.
Some of my favorite colour combo's are
- Black, White, & Red
- Pink, Yellow & White
- Teal, Cream & Purple
- Fuchsia, Lime Green, & Orange
- Brown, Sage & Rose
- Orange, Yellow & Blue
- Lime Green, Black & Hot pink
I hope you play with colour a little to see what colours appeal to you. Or go through some magazines and just pull pages that you are drawn to to find your colour palette.

2) Begin by applying a wash or glaze in the lightest colour. Start layering come colour, shades of existing colour and textures on top. Use you brushes, fingers, bubble wrap, insides of coffee holders, sponges, plastic bags, etc.
Paint Glaze= 1 part paint-2-3 parts water-1 part acrylic glazing medium Wash= paint + water to thin
*Note- always let each application DRY before adding another colour, unless you want the colours to blend. Too many colours blending together will make for a muddy looking page.

3) Add some texture and interest to your page by stamping some text, musical notes, or other interesting subject to the page. You can also put your personality into the page by drawing a picture of your own then painting it. I have also added decorated, stamped or coloured tissue paper at this point.

4) At this point you can begin adding collage or altered collage images to your page. You can select a theme or just use random pictures out of old magazines. You may also want to add some three dimensional pieces to your work; paper or cloth flowers, brads, beads, feathers, etc.

5) Next I add a bit more paint, often white or gesso in areas that I want to mute out and give a bit of pop. Or I will add low-lights in a darker colour or deeper shade of a colour that is already there to create more depth.

6) Doodle time. I keep pictures of doodles around to give me inspiration on my doodles. Just play and be creative, don't over think it.

7) Journal- a poem, your wishes and dreams, a letter to yourself or another loved one, song lyrics... it's your journal, what do you want to say?

At this point your pretty much done, you can always doodle a bit more or add some more highlights with a white gel pen  if you like, but that's it. I hope you have enjoyed making some art.

Cheers,
Danine