I`m back!

Hello!  It`s been a long time since I posted my last words in this blog but it is that I just recently had fixed my sick computer, yes, they get sick too and need a little spa time and took me a while to find some parts of it for it is supposed to be old already in the technological world, I had a huge laugh when the technician told me so! :)  But anyway, I am back and hopefully I can keep on sharing new stuff with you, it also gave me the time to rest and to re-think what could be fun and useful to you to read on this blog, you can write me to give me your suggestions if you want, I will be more than happy to please you the best way I can and under my possibilities!

A lot has happened while I was gone!  I participated in a drawing marathon and it was the best experience ever!  Ten hours of drawing, lots and lots of drawings and I got the third place among 26 participants from all over the city! Not bad!! Yeeey! :)

My artsy friend Eunice, we met at the art school, we are neighbors also!!  We found out about that  later on the classes when we started to chat, funny how things work out, now we go together to school which is far from were we live, once a week she picks me up and one I her and we share a lot of things too like going to the art supply store and more, it`s fun to have artsy friends specially when they are interesting like her! She is a doll and also so sweet!

I also started this painting at school which has a lot more work and it`s very special to me because it is the starting point of a new me, hopefully one path I can keep up with, life and other things can get in the way of an artist´s work, if only life was about  only painting but I would be starving and with no supplies to paint with so this will go slow for the moment!  I dream of one day doing that only of course and I picture my self living some were out the city... one day!

To celebrate this new post I will share some of the progress of one of my latest art journal pages, I want to do more of these and hopefully they inspire you, I hope to have more time to create good tutorials and processes of my work for you but life gets in the way as I have said before and so we will see how this goes! No promises, let´s just flow.

True love

begins within

My process always changes, it`s hard for me not to try something new each time I dive into creating, I don`t know why but the urge to make it different has to be part of my creative process and I have learned a lot being like that!  That´s why taking photos of my process helps me, when I go back to them I remember what I did and so It`s like taking my own class all over again I see my photos!  I recommend you doing the same and try doing something new each time you create, you won`t improve by doing the same thing over and over and it´s really exciting to try new stuff and not knowing what or how it will come out! I am sure it will keep you fresh! 

Do you vary the way you approach your creative process or do you start the same way every time?

Please share and let us know how your special way of changing things has helped you create!

Finding time to make occasional art or making a decision to be an artist

Making art is a decision, one does not "find" time to make it, one has to MAKE the time to make it and this means that you care a lot about how you are living your life and that you care about the things you love or enrich your life, after all, we have to live a life that is fulfilling!

I came to realize that no one will ever come to my life and make room for the things I want on it, I have to create the space and environment for them, to me, it is making art, learning and growing my skills to a position were I can create with ease and being able to share with my students to help them achieve the same and so I made my decision to choose art as my path and to have art in my life forever, it took me a while to make it my top on the list decision and some doubts arised as I had other paths to choose from but then my desire to enjoy more time arting and crafting and sharing with artsy friends had become my life, one that I love and enjoy beyond my belief and this helps me keep going and knowing I've chosen well!  Let's say that my inner artist was the sleeping beauty in my tale, (doubts, fears, the ignorance of knowing my self, laziness, wanting other paths), until one day, my decision, (the prince), came to rescue me and so they are now living the ever happy life!

But it is all because making decisions doesn't come easy, a feeling of being close to letting go the real deal over a failure arises and floats somewere inside you and it may stay there over months even years as a tiny voice on the back of your mind until one day you finally allow your inner voice to be heard and find the strength to finally do something about it. This is what I call making a dicision!  Now, I know it's scarry and takes a lot of courage to embrace your chosen path but there is no other way to get there.  

So when you find your brave self planning to make big decisions, first take the most important things for you an make a gide list and write it down, writing makes it all easy to see from a distance and your notebook helps you to see better and feel better, write the no nos of the situation as well and ask this kind of questions:

Is it something that comes from your heart?

Is it something that will make you feel good about your self?

Doing it means you respect and honor your dreams and spirit?

Are you wiling to do the effort to get there.

Can you picture your self happy doing it now as well as in the future?

Are the pros higher than the cons?

Does this reflects who you are or who you want to be?

Is it honest?

Is it challenging but exciting?

Does this makes you feel more alive?

Are you doing it only for the money that envolves or there are other

gratifications that are important to you?

Are you looking for a life style that suits your personality and this is the one?

Is it scarry but it is an honorable path for you?

Then it probably is your call!  I know there is a lot more in this topic but I am sure that this questions can help, just take the time to consider them and make a good research about your chosen path and see if it appeals to you, I know there will be things we don't like along the way but if you are willing to overcome them because of the benefits are greater, then you are close to living your true life and I believe there is no grater path for the soul!

People have told me that I shouldn't dare to say such things like "get your self to make more art and be happy!", that they have to be serious and work for a living!  Believe me, I totally understand!  I too, have a life and so I have to make a living too, it's not that I'm rich or super famous, or that I have a wealthy family to stop working and dedicate my life to "just paint" but I have made and still am making a huge effort to make art my way of earning my everyday bread because I made the decision of it and I    continuously push my self to keep going!

As some of you know I had a few online courses and now I am teaching live at my studio, I keep learning and studying, I strongly believe that being a good student helps on being a good teacher and now, teaching live is even more helpful for I learn a lot about how each one understands and how I can help them better to reach their goal and this will improve my teaching skills even more, being a teacher is not something I planned, it has become to be a natural part of my life due to the fact that I love others finding joy making art as I do, I love artsy friends and it's a great way to keep making art and make a living with art. I know some of you are anxiously waiting to join my new courses and I promise they will be great, I am working hard to do so.

Just to be clear, being an artist is not being a child playing with art tools, (some parts of it), but it takes a lot of work, some that you may even ever actually see, practicing, learning, being frustrated, thinking about new ideas, buying art supplies that are sold only in other countries like from the us and having to pay a lot more for the shipping costs which are very expensive already and making it all very easy and clear for you when I share in the classes, I hope you understand that we artists are also working for a living as anyone else, it only appears that we aren't because we enjoy it a lot!  I also have some freebies here on my blog for you, I love to share and I hope you enjoy them! Hopefully over time this blog is a great source of inspiration for many but it takes time, money and passion to keep on building it! Hey guys, it's only one person behind all this!  I am the student, the teacher, the planner, the film taper, the editor, the seller, the host and the list goes on and on and I love doing it but  I had to let it all out and share this so you could have a better perspective of who I am and what I do and hopefully you can understand better.

Thank you for reading, for understanding and for being a friend, thank you for your support and comments, for sharing my work and spreading the voice, thank you for have taken my courses, thank you for sharing this art journey and hopefully we continue sharing even more and grater things!  I love you!

Now I leave you with some inspirational photos!

WIP, oil on canvas about a study of a painting of William Turner, his work wasn't following the current style of the artists at his time, (1775-1851) (and of course because of this he became a great artist and his work is highly appreciated now!) a Brittish romantic landscape painter known as the painter of light, his work is regarded as a romantic preface to impressionism and considered as abstract, also a watercolorist and printmaker, I have been introduced to his work by my teacher and this year there is a movie about him to be released in October "Mr. Turner"  Watch the director's interview here... http://youtu.be/OnMgmzH1koQ  this painting is based on his work "Yatch approaching the coast"  I am told tha he used to attach him self to the yachts to experience what is to be traveling and surfacing the waves and he used to paint being there!  OMG! That is passion! I've learned a lot from it!

Now go make the time and space in your life for creating what's important for you and make the best of it!  After all, we all live once!

New artwork, new art journal pages and learning more about lettering!

Hello dear friends!  I am using the blogger application for my ipad since my computer is sick and has to take a trip to the doctor so I will be trying this one and see how it goes, so far I can't make my photos larger or put them were I like but this is better than nothing right?  Right now we are on vacation mode over here in Mexico city and finally have some free time and I am loving my alone time here on my studio. I really miss you guys & I hope you don't forget about me, I've been learning a lot of stuff and it's amazing how much one can still be missing out!  But I'm happy, growing at my own time and speed, some may learn fast but for me, it takes time to absorbe all I can but then, it stays forever in my memory so I am patient with me, I used to feel there was something wrong with me when seeing someone else learning it at the moment but I learned that I don't have to be like everybody and so I allow my self to go slow, we are all different right?  I also have been reading a new favorite book, whimsical lettering from Joanne Sharpie and it's super inspiring, I just love how easy going she is with her art and the book, it's really joy time when I'm on it and so I also have learned some new lettering fun and with other classes i've taken I now finally feel happy with my own, here are some of the works I have been doing, I hope you enjoy and get inspired! ;)

Here is some of the whimsical lettering I've been doing!  Thanks to Joanne Sharpie for so much fun, I just love your work and way of teaching! Of course I am practicing to make it my own, I hope that shows, or else, please let me know! ;)

I write indistinctively in Spanish & English and I love that, sometimes one language suits better for some words than the other, those who know both understand what I mean! 

I hope you don't deslike or be ofended by my new work about the female body, I've learned to love it and now I am addicted to it, there is so much to be learned there and it is also something really beautiful and amazing that I now can't think of it not being part of my work so you will be seeing a lot of it!

This is a very large pastel portrait and I am really hoping to get it right, we'll see!

This other one was an experiment, one that I really enjoyed and learned from, it' quite big and drawed with oils, big challenge for me but fun! Can you picture me? ;)

And still in love with kitties! Here is one drawed with charcoals from a photo, they are so hard to make them be still or in one place that is almost impossible to draw them but photos are a fantastic way to make them perfect for you!

And finally, I don't know if I had share this painting here yet, it's one of my favorites so far due to the amazing quality of it, oils are amazing but they are so hard to photograph., I hope you can get an idea of it!

I'll be back with more soon, please stay in contact, I love hearing from you! Xoxo.... moni.