The Mischievous Mommy

"A Land of Untold Stories"

 I can't even begin to express the excitement and insane love that I experienced for my two munchkins throughout this whole process. Seeing them paint side by side working together to create art left me with goosebumps and the urge to smother them with affection, but I held off just until they decided they were finished painting. And then, of course, I pounced.

As most people know, siblings are the ultimate definition of "Frenemies." You love each other to death and would do anything for the other if in need, but if they happen to change the channel or "borrow" your favourite item... well then it's all out war.

Being able to witness my one-year-old and four-year-old actually painting side by side in the song and dance of collaborating was absolutely magical. I sat beside them almost scared to breathe for fear of breaking the spell of peace and harmony, simply overwhelmed as I witnessed a beautiful partnership blossoming into reality. Theo was mesmerised by Eve painting away and Eve patiently took her time with him, explaining everything she was doing as he tried to keep up.



But let's be honest, it only took about 5 minutes after this painting session ended for them to be chasing each other screaming at the top of their lungs in yet another epic battle.

When I sat down to look at this piece there were a few things that immediately popped out and I began painting, however, the top right of the painting had me stumped. I couldn't put together what I saw but I knew there was something special and would just have to be patient for the inspiration to appear. It was almost two months later as I watched them play that a story began to evolve in my head, one which I invited Eve to help me create. Once we collaborated on the story down below the inspiration returned in full force. I made a copy of their painting, picked up my paintbrush and soon enough, "A Land of Untold Stories" came to be. As Eve grows older I look forward to revisiting this piece with her to collaborate on the many untold stories of those who live in this magical world.


A Land of Untold Stories

"Once upon a time in a land where anything was possible lived a brother and sister. Now, they weren't just brother and sister, but also the bestest of friends and guardians of this magical land. The prince and princess ruled over all and their subjects adored them, even when they chose to be mischievous.

In this world of unlimited possibilities, you could find foxes and faeries as fast friends, owls who stood watch through the day and children who lived under the trees in little houses. Hidden in every tree, deep underground, entire villages existed unbeknownst to those passing by, each connected to the next by tunnels.

One day, Princess Eve decided to be more mischievous than most days and filled her flying bicycle with only green butterflies (notoriously difficult to catch) and let them loose throughout the land. Her brother, Prince Theo, might have minded chasing down every last butterfly but to him, his sister's contagious giggle was worth every minute of the task. Her laughter flooded the air as she flew away from her mischievous deed and soon all those that heard her could be found giggling along."

"Reflection"

"Blue Eyes" 

This painting was the product of an accidental collaboration that opened my eyes to a whole new way of collaborating with Eve in regards to portraits. I had sketched out a portrait from a baby photo of Eve that I had been meaning to turn into a watercolor painting, when Eve decided she absolutely HAD to help me with it.

 Of course, I wanted to see where it would go and we were able to paint side by side for much longer than usual as she colored it in. Once she had her fill of painting, I began adding some highlights, shading and finished it off with some charcoal and a white pen.

Two of our other paintings, "The Almighty Lion" and "Mr. Blueberry Giraffe," were created using the same method of Eve painting over one of my sketches, however this is the first time we had tried a portrait. This makes me SO excited to continue painting portraits, with her help, especially now that her attention span is growing!

 There is nothing quite like breaking out a new white canvas and just going wild. Having no plan or concept, you simply blast some music and let the paintbrush show you the way...

Don't over think it and just discover. Explore the way certain colors mix, patterns you can create with the brush or how the music can sway you into a new design.

Eve loves when we take the time to just relax and paint. Today I decided to break out some different objects to show her the variety of patterns you can come up with, it is a great way to add texture and hidden elements to your piece. You don't need to break the bank at an art store, simply look through your recycling bin or different household items and let the experimenting begin! (This is a great project to do with a young child who is learning there colors, shapes and textures, not to mention the importance of reusing recycled items)


This is Eve's brand new masterpiece of the day!

This is a great project to start off with if you have never painted or even as a refresher for the seasoned artist. Sometimes you have to give up your concepts or ideas and just let the paintbrush flow, you'll never know what magic you are capable of unless you try! 

This is one of the many ways Eve teaches me what it is to paint like a child again, with no inhibitions or structure to get in the way you are free to just feel it. 

I know it may sound a bit "hippie" but you truly have no idea how freeing it is until you try it! Personally, I find I tend to get caught up in what I imagine the final piece will look like and frustrated when it isn't turning out exactly how I would like. This exercise teaches me to go back to the basics and reinvent the way I look at art. Art is not something to be contained and manipulated but rather meant to draw out your inner creativity in a raw, explosive manner.

I know what I see in Eve's piece, but what do you see?
(I love how everyone has different views and imaginations, it is what makes each of us an artist whether we practice or not. )
Here is a little video of her working on the piece

"The Almighty Lion" is a watercolor painting that was created when I collaborated with my two year old daughter, Eve.

Most of our collaborations begin with Eve starting the piece and I will finish it with her at my side as she provides feedback, however I wanted to change things up. A while back we created "Mr. Blueberry Giraffe" which started off with one of my sketches and Eve used watercolors to fill it in. I really loved that way of collaborating with her and decided to try it again, but this time overlapping our painting and ideas.




"The Almighty Lion" began as a rough sketch I had done of a lion's face and mane then let Eve take over using watercolors and a spray bottle filled with water. Once she had decided she was done for the evening we let it dry and returned to it together the next day. It was such an amazing feeling of being able to paint simultaneously, it was if we were dance partners learning each others rhythm and flow. 

 Of course, Eve inevitably decided she had had her fill of painting for the day and that "cooking" muffins for me would be more entertaining. While she "cooked" I went ahead and added the final details. When I felt that it was complete I let Eve have the final say and she added the very last brushstroke and declared it complete! (She was eager to get her muffins out of the "oven" before they burned)


I hope you enjoy the piece and feel inspired to try collaborating with someone you know, whether child, friend or family! It truly makes my day when I receive an email with photos of your collaborative creations attached and I look forward to seeing what else you may all come up with!





As Eve and I continue on we are doing our best to document our collaborations. If you want to follow us here is a guide on how you can do so!

The Mischievous Mommy Blog: This blog follows our full journey whether it be hilarious parenting fails, collaborations, DIY projects or pranks that I pull, you can find it all here.

Facebook Fan Page: This is my Official Artist page I began a while back and has become a place for me to post different art works that I am working on. Although I do post our collaborations and some of Eve's personal work, it mainly focuses on my solo pieces.

Youtube: This is where you will find all of our collaboration, painting time lapses, add in a few of my own time lapses, pranks that I pull and that sums up my "Channel"

Instagram: Here you will find snapshots of our day to day shenanigans and first peeks at all of our pieces we are working on, whether together or solo.

Twitter: To be honest I am still trying to figure Twitter out, I mean I get it... but I don't really "get it." That being said we do tweet the odd thing out and you are welcome to follow us there.

Etsy: There is actually two different shops on Etsy, one for my personal work and the other is for our collaborative pieces. You can find mine HERE and "Eve's Imagination" HERE.

Pinterest: Although I do post artwork to Pinterest it mostly holds all of my future dreams, desires and DIY to do lists in one place.

Then of course there is my own Official Artist Website that holds my portfolio, CV, biography, media links and most recently my collaborations with Eve. (Basically all of the professional side without the shenanigans.)

O, Christmas Tree

 

To start this off I thought I would share a simple activity we did the other day in anticipation of the holiday season. What is fantastic about this, is that it encourages the child to create something out of nothing, providing them the opportunity to make choices about what THEY want. It is frustrating as a toddler when all of their choices seem to be already made for them that when you give them an opportunity to make choices they are ecstatic!O, and did I mention that it costs nothing? That's right, nothing. All you are doing is recycling old paper and catalogs instead of throwing them away! If your child really takes to this project you can do multiple, miniature ones and turn them into handmade Christmas cards.

 Supplies you will need:

• Large sheet of paper (depending on how big you want it to be)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Christmas catalogs or advertisements 
• Paint (optional)
• Paintbrushes (optional)