It's all happening... but it's not all about art.

You might be thinking that art buys my bread and butter, if so you could not be more wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to, but like many other fantastic artists, my art doesn't earn me a living and it is more like an outlet to vent, imagine, live, create, take a break from the rest of the world...
One day maybe I will reach notoriety and the ability of earning a living doing what I love the most, today is not the day, but this doesn't mean that I cannot find a way to enjoy what I do to pay my bills.
Fact is, I have been looking for work for a while, necessity really but also the desire to start something and unite the useful to the enjoyable.
So it happens that I will be starting a new job soon, hopefully I will have still some "me time " to do artisize, and hopefully I will also love what I do for a living.
It's nothing creative though, far from it, it is actually quite pragmatic oriented and I will train to learn a subject that hopefully will make a good difference in people's life (as well as pay my bills).
Right now this adventure might take more time off my art than I would like to, but I will still try my best to keep you updated and create more art work for you to love.. or hate LOL.

Just lately I have pretty much stuck with the digital and photo editing as I found it quite inspiring, I am still quite a beginner I believe but with time and practice I will be able to use this new technique to serve my muse.

Meanwhile wish me luck with my new venture, I have uploaded on of my latest photo/drawing work, and some of the photo editing I have been doing.
A bit of ego stroking this time, where I have been using my face to create photo alterations.

Be happy
Be safe
Be whatever you want to be
xxx Iz

Trying new things, going digital

Everyone that knows me well, knows that I love the feeling of the paper under my pencil or the canvas under my brush and to use different styles combined like pencils and watercolour, or gouache and markers or markers and acrylics... They also know that I love oil paining and the thrill of squirting the paste on the palette, the mixing with mediums and the creating of new shades; the tapping and the brushing and sprinkling the pain around.

I love it all.

And because I love it all, switching to digital drawing and painting has been something I have resisted for a long time but I finally did it. I tried and tried until I found the passion again.

I think there is nothing that compares using the real materials,  even cleaning my tools and putting them away all nice and shiny is something I find somehow therapeutic.
But... It finally found me, the digital creativity.

I have done a few trials before I felt confident and I wish sometimes that I had access to technology which replicates more closely the results you get with the real materials, there is plenty out there but with a small budget it isn't easy to combine product and results.
I have found and app for IPad mini  called Tayasui Sketches which comes free to download for Ipad users, with the option of a pro version for £3.99 (UK Price), the results are very good and I would say the price is quite accessible for most to pay to get good results with a pad and pen (the latter a cheap one you buy from Tesco for five quids).


Here is one of the drawings I come up with using it

Above one of the drawings I have done with this Sketches.

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While the drawing apps are fun and entertaining I found they are a bit limiting for my rampant creativity so I have also started to produce work using Photoshop, which I previously used for photo-editing but never to create something from scratch.

Digital art work creates a total different feeling and I must admit, it has grown on me and I am enjoying it more than I expected.
I have still a lot to learn but getting my tootsies wet in it was a start.

Here a few of the things I have done with Photoshop

Above my first Photoshop trial at drawing (The grass has been added from a photo of course)

....

You can laugh now...

Above: this is the  last effort , much better I think.

If you want to see more of my recent work you can do so by clicking on the Links page on this blog for all my social media addresses.

Is this the end of my traditional materials use? Not at all.

I will probably always find myself with a pencil in my hand and using real materials every now and then, but I understand that as technology progresses, it's the brave who don't fear change who will do better and as much as I believe that there is nothing more explicative than the traditional drawing and painting techniques to showcase real talent, there is talent and creativity in those who have not much hand dexterity but use their mind and skills of construction to create a work of art, which is just as amazing as any other skill.

If we could look at paint sprays on a canvas and call it art, we can call art the building of a work through layers and clicks and the use of digital means knowing that the ultimate component for the production of art is still there: a creative mind. 

Here is to Izzy stepping into the XXI Century, cheers!

It has been a while

It has been a while,
        a lot has happened from losing our beloved pooch to welcoming another furry child a year after that, from struggling financially to getting better and unfortunately going back to struggle.
There have been lessons learnt and a lot of wisdom gained, also there has been the chance of learning new skills, of starting things new and finding new roads to walk.

My Art has been one of the casualties during this time.
I didn't create much, lack of inspiration, artist block... whatever you call it.

I had to start juggling too many things at once to feel I could relax and enjoy that talent of mine; sad I know and perhaps not the best choice as arts and crafts have always had a calming effect on me, but you can't force yourself to feel an inspiration that isn't there, life took over, responsibilities did too, and that ability to unwind simply has gone, for now.

I apologise for my silence but these things happen and there is not much I can do except for now taking steps to improve my situation and make sure we are all OK.
Some artists work better with struggle, I seem to need peace to create and I have none at the moment.

The good news is that I am doing my best to gain that peace of mind back and go back to a happier place, I am trying to look at things in a positive way, best I can manage.

One of the things I have learnt lately is that nothing can really happen overnight, you cannot feel depressed one moment and move straight to a state of elation. You can set yourself big goals, but you have to learn to split your journeys in steps and concentrate on them so not to be too overwhelmed by the enormity of your goal, especially if it is a  very big one, it can simply feel completely out of your reach.
So... I am doing baby steps: I split my journey in legs so that I can feel confident to achieve them just taking each one as they come, one at time.

My next step is now getting an ECDL Certificate, and that is what I am working on right now.

Will there be Art in the process? There has been some but not as much as I used to, perhaps with time I will become more prolific.
As an artist I have learnt to pace myself sometimes, as art is an expression of what we feel inside and need to get out; no one can force an artist to get things out but themselves, when they feel ready or when they challenge themselves to do so.
Art in any form, is a way of expressing yourself and showing parts of you to the world, which if forced would not be genuine.
I will try, best as I can, to always be a genuine artist, and bring art out of myself only when it feels right and ready.

Until then, be blessed in anything you do and everything surrounding you.

A little homage to my birth town which I deeply miss the days.

Love

Izzyxxx

What have I been up to?

Hello everyone,
I hope you are all fine and dandy, I am thankfully.

I have been up to a few things lately, besides settling in our new place, this summer I have tried my hand in home-schooling and spent lots of time with my little girl which only translated in me becoming even more of a kiddo than I used to be.

I have gone on swings and slides!!!!

It was awesome.

I never understand why people are so stuck up as adults and forget how nice it is simply to have fun and do stuff that makes that little kid inside you laugh.
Well, as I am approaching my 41st birthday I don't think there is any hope for me to grow up anymore if I haven't done so till now, I decided to remain the kid I have always been.

More Art news now, I have been doing works and trying new things like acrylic paint which I hadn't used much in the past and I must say I did enjoy it.

Another thing I have enjoyed very much was paint a vase with flowers.
It is probably one of the most popular things to paint, one can be as great as the other, but results aside I found it extremely therapeutic and relaxing.

As it happens, it is now hanging on my hall wall and looks very good on it.

I also have done other stuff which I am going to show you, I hope you'll like it.

Blessings to all of you, be safe, be happy and grateful, I found out that life has incredible surprises for us if we let go of the rains and let it take us where we are meant to be.

 And more
https://www.facebook.com/220983524692572/photos/pcb.253016794822578/253016574822600/?type=1&theatre

XXX Izzy

New Home/Old Home

It's fantastic moving home, especially if you move somewhere you longed to be, and find yourself in a better place.
I am now in a place I love -Manchester- where I feel at home and also close to the people that truly count in my life besides my boyfriend and my daughter, oh, and our pooch of course.

I found myself in Manchester and I, most of all, I learnt to love myself in this beautiful city.

 Our move has proved to be a good choice so far as we are enjoying living in here much much more.
I remember thinking I was going to exile when I moved to Dewsbury, and a lot of times it felt that way.
Never the less I am grateful for that time, I can even say that just before we moved here I had made peace with the fact that I was living there and tried to take the best out of it.
Being alone and sometimes lonely is actually very cathartic; as out of my element as I felt, I think I proved myself that I could find something good in really any situation: good or bad.
Plus, I had the time I need to look inside and find what I wanted without distractions, and I did find a lot of new dreams and hopes.
But, being here is a joy and I am not surprised the move happened in a moment when I was more contempt, as who knows me well also knows that I believe in The Law Of Attraction and what you attract matches the mood/vibe you give out.
 I also believe that we can still manage to get something good out of  many sad situations.
Today I had some sad news about someone I cared about, I realised that they touched me more than I thought because the idea of not seeing them again made me incredibly sad, yet, a part of me was amazed at the fact that although I had spent very little time with him I was touched so deeply.
I will miss him, but I was lucky to know him.

It will not heal the loss quickly but it is realizations like this that are a bit of a "soul-painkiller" in times of sadness.
I wish to them who were closer to him and feel his loss more deeply than I do, to find these little pieces of relief while they come to terms with it; to him to be happy wherever he is, I am sure he is leading the party!
Now, a departure from the sadness and a bit of news about my art.

With my move happening I couldn't help but thinking of my BIGGEST MOVE EVER, when I left Italy.
Although Manchester feels like home, there are other places that have felt that way during my life which is why I am going to make a series of Art Works dedicated to those special corners of the world where my heart felt cosy and to belong.

The first one is published on this page, and of course is my Birth-Town and where I grew up: Rome.
There are other places who are just as dear to my heart and there will be there for more photos, stay tuned to find out which places are they some are more popular, some not so much, but maybe you'll appreciate their beauty just the same.
Be Blessed, through joy and sadness
Izzy

Just a little update

Sorry everyone for going silent, I have been very busy moving home.
From the 24th of may I am once again a Manchester resident YEY!!!
I love this place and I am s happy to be back living here.
More art will come, also because I have now my own little study, which is still a work in process but I hope will be up and running soon.

For a few weeks I have also taken a new adventure: home schooling my child; I hope we'll find a good school soon that she can start attending in September, so that she can go back and enjoy other kids company and me have time for arts and crafts while she does so.
Meanwhile tho it's up to me to teach her some basic of education, I hope I'll be good enough to make it interesting and fun; as for you my dears, stay tuned because there might be occasional little surprises if I find some time to sit and create.
Be blessed and happy
Izzy

When doodling turns into art.

Doodleely-doodleely-doo!

Let's start with a piece of brutal honesty: you don't need to be an artist to doodle.
 Matter of fact most people love to do it while they talk on the phone or while they listen to someone talking  during an office meeting. I used to do it while reading tarot cards when I was working for a telephone services company.
It relaxed me and somehow made my attention sharper, not to mention it saved me more than once  from falling asleep during lectures (I remember doodling a portrait of Attila on a friend's book while my teacher was talking about him, on and on she went while on and on I put finishing touches on the great Hun caricature I was doodling; it was hilarious and most of what she said about him I remembered it because I remember while I was doing the drawing, go figure).

Anyway, I don't know if any other artist had this happening to them, but occasionally, some of those doodles turn out to be awesome art, or even just nice. But most important is that they are not something you'd chuck in the bin once it's finished.

It is perhaps because we are relaxed while we do it, or because we just let it all out without "thinking it" too much; stroke by stroke, the perfectionist in us, overrides our thoughts without us noticing it and POP! We hang the phone after that long conversation with our mom and here it is a piece of magic between all those curls and lines, a piece of art that we wished we hadn't ruined with all the other stuff we scribbled around it, because it is actually a pretty nice art work.

Am I alone in this?

I mean, I am not Giotto but lately I have been a recurring doodling attack while listening to a radio show by my favourite musician, turned radio blogger Darren Hayes.
If you are into self development and positive thinking this is your guy by the way, actually this is your guy if you simply are into being alive and make the most of it.
But in short, this lad's show has me thinking a lot and while I do that, off the pencil goes!
He talks and I start doodling, and I am not really paying attention at what I doodle but after a few pretty turn outs I decided to keep some kind of scribbling device and draw away while I listen to him.
Most of the stuff is un-coherent scribble however I have occasionally produced something I felt like keeping, and even showing off.

I am going to show you a few of these drawings which have been created while listening to Mr Hayes show

Sometimes pretty artwork doesn't even require an incredible talent, sometimes our hand just follows our thoughts in its own original way and brings those feelings out on paper.
People should give it a try, while you are listening to something or watching something that is making you think; just keep some paper and a pen around; a tablet with a drawing app is good as well as you can see.
Watch what happens, some pieces might end up in the trash bin, but some will be worth keeping and they will tell you more about yourself than some hard thought art work that took you weeks to complete.
Happy doodling :)