Janetti Spaghetti

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Painting for Fun

February 22, 2022 By Janetti Spaghetti

Do you remember as a child, when you just did painting for fun?!

painting

Somewhere along the way, most of us lost that joy of creating – whether it was painting, drawing, pottery, or whatever.

For me, it was in my high school art classes. Rather than nurturing my inner artist, they pretty much destroyed it for decades to come.

Our art teachers used to choose the best of any (2D) artwork submitted, and would place it on a larger piece of black paper to create a frame, before hanging it up for others to admire.

I longed to see my work given the royal treatment.

I think it only happened once in the three years I took art as a subject. Our teacher struck a pose, resting his hands on top of a broom and we were given only a couple of minutes to sketch him in pencil – and I surprised myself with the amazing likeness I captured!

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Ok, it’s not the sketch of my high school art teacher but I was pretty chuffed with this one too which I knocked up at a “drink and draw” a year or two ago.

I can’t help wondering if that was because the pressure was off. It didn’t have to be perfect – in fact, how could it be with only a couple of minutes of work?!

My experiences at high school left me convinced that I was NOT an artist … I didn’t pick up a paint brush again for many years.

When my own kids came along, they would beg me to draw pictures for them to colour in. Fairytale castles and pirates were about the extent of my abilities but they were thrilled to bits with them!

These days, both kidults have a strong creative side.

Miss 25 is a true “artiste” when it comes to doing makeup, and cooking as well.

sketch of house
Miss 25 sketched her plans for decorating their new house

And here are just some of Mr 27’s recent projects …

fun with painting a pic of the nun from The Conjuring

fun with drawing

tassels
Mr 27 created the tasseled skirt in this costume

I’m so glad they weren’t put off painting and being creative for so many years like I was – in fact, they have encouraged us to re-discover the joy of making art!

Mr 27 chose a paint and sip session as his birthday celebration last year, fun for all the family. It was interesting to see how different our paintings were, even though they were of the same subject matter.

Paint and Sip

Just a couple of weeks’ ago, Miss 25 and I went to an acrylic painting workshop at Studio Yellow, and when we shared pics on social media we both had lots of comments from friends and family wishing they could have joined us in painting for fun! (Sorry guys, this was a Mother/Daughter activity – maybe next time?!)

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We learned about blending, using a palette knife, and how to use sponges and other implements to create interesting effects – before being unleashed on a canvas of our very own to create an abstract artwork.

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Turns out, facing a blank canvas is just as scary as facing a blank page, or empty blog post! What to paint?!

Miss 25 was inspired to copy a picture of  a starry sky she’d found online … I just love her finished painting!

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I on the other hand decided to “yolo” it.

I'm having fun with painting
Do I look like I’m having fun?!

With about four complementary paint colours on my palette, I ran an old credit card over them and scraped it over my canvas.

Just looking at the results, I began to “see” a picture in it … a lake or pond, with land in the distance. It just begged for a couple of trees, so I sponged in the foliage. I accidentally picked up a bit of teal pain on my sponge and wasn’t unhappy with the result – it added a bit of contrast, and one spot even looked like a bird! It was purely by chance but it worked!

I then used a skewer to add in some delicate branches in the tree canopies, and some flowering reeds in the foreground. Then I added in the tree trunks.

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I knocked it out surprisingly quickly and enjoyed every second of it 🙂 . It certainly isn’t perfect but I’m quite proud of my efforts – and I’ll let you in on a little secret – I don’t think I used a paint brush once!

my finished painting

Since then I’ve been itching to do some more painting. I had a quick go on the weekend …

painting at home

And I’ve decided it’s a bit like my jigsaw puzzles.

There doesn’t have to be a point to it; I don’t have to create something that is worthy of framing. Instead, it’s more about relaxation and painting for fun!

When was the last time you made art, purely for the fun of it?!

Filed Under: Leisure and Holidays

About Janetti Spaghetti

My real name is Janet Camilleri, and I love to write. Janetti Spaghetti is my third or maybe fourth blog ... but who's counting?

You can also follow Janetti Spaghetti on Facebook and Instagram!

Comments

  1. Sophie says

    February 22, 2022 at 9:08 am

    Wow! Your kids are so talented!!! 😀

  2. Janetti Spaghetti says

    February 22, 2022 at 2:58 pm

    They think so anyway 😉

  3. Rebecca Barrit says

    February 22, 2022 at 3:13 pm

    The blue one with trees is my fav. And the scary nurse one with hands.

  4. Djungelskog says

    February 23, 2022 at 9:23 am

    Inspired! I could see that blue starry night tree one hanging in my house!

Janet Camilleri Welcome to the world of Janetti Spaghetti! Perhaps we've already met - after all, I've been blogging for over ten years now. You may remember me from such blogs as Middle Aged Mama, Redland City Living or Footprints. I must be the master (mistress) of re-invention because here I am again! Here at Janetti Spaghetti, I'm blogging purely for the love of it - and I hope you enjoy reading, as much as I enjoy the writing. So grab a cuppa, get comfy, and come join me on the journey. Who knows where we will end up?!

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