Tag: hellomireya

Mireya is an artist. She’s a writer who paints words and pictures. You can find her with hellomireya on wordpress, instagram, skillshare, and society6

watercolor and tempera

Art is a Process

Mireya

This past weekend I went WAY back to my humble beginnings on Skillshare.

In some ways I feel as though I’ve not made progress. On the other hand I feel I have.

Time and time again I look at my work and notice:

    I didn’t master hand lettering. Not sure how I feel about that either.
    Why is number 1 so? I created a class which encouraged others to show up everyday and I didn’t.
    My path and plans have changed.
    I started out with hand lettering and I just got so much more to say…
    which brings me to number 5 here. I write books and I love to paint letters.

6. A lot of the new art for my new book is amazing.

The most important lesson is

When I show up everyday

I don’t care what you say.

Yeah I got a plan

I’ll paint what I can.

Even the ugly art is

dear to my heart.

Because it’s the beauty that makes brilliant.

When I share my thoughts there’s no I can’t.

What I see in my mind

On the canvas it sometimes doesn’t look fine.

Oh but the idea is wonderful.

Keep painting and creating, let go of the bull.

I did take a little break from the book this weekend

…and painted some fun confidence idea trusting painting and always makes me feel like there are no impossibilities

Live Your Story

pink heart lightbulb

Mireya

Today I mixed up the right pink. I mixed in a little gray to get a warm pink. I want the book to have a warm inviting vibe. I am so glad I am reusing this old crayola palette to create a color palette of my own.

I thought I could mix up two complementary colors and get the right black gray tone.

Then I painted the idea of how with one spoonful of sugar the sour fades and all you savor is wonderful flavor.

Yeah sums up this wonderful experience I’ve been having lately. Look at this color. You start out with the black and mix in a little pink. Look at all the beautiful tones I made. These tones would not have been possible without black tones. After I painted three hearts I realized I could have made the process more gradual but sometimes you have to go with good enough.

I make lots of art that was…that’s the thing I can’t even say ugly art because it was art that led to this project. All that art had to happen to overcome the 10,000 tries. That’s always a beautiful thing.

Then I was looking at my heart

and realized this sketch makes so much more sense.

The whole idea for the heart is the idea of something so beautiful that you wonder how it ever came to be. Yeah we all have that beauty within us.

thoughts, watercolor and tempera

…nature speaks

Mireya

Inspiration follows me everywhere and I love when it happens. I am so exicted!I had to write about it right now, on a day that I don’t usually write.

This art got a makeover

yeah these words, I’m really feeling them

A teacher assigns a writing assignment about a time when you felt one with nature. This same class reads a memoir about a man who journeys along a river. He survives a storm because the river speaks to him. I should paint this!

In another class I read a few chapters from a book. I read the glorious words that inspired my art. These words just spoke to me and I had to paint them. This is good practice for lettering my book too.

I found myself sporadically tellling a woman I had merely met for minutes about my art and my books. I spoke with all the confidence in the world.

She told me about her art dreams. Only difference is her art is with food. It was wonderful!

It’s been a good week! Nature, with you there are no impossibilites

Live Your Story

let the painting begin…

Mireya

Thinking map is done.

Many of the sketches are done.

 

Color scheme is almost figured out. I’ve got two weeks to make the deadline. Will I make it? Should I make it?

I don’t know, I’m taking my time.

Letting all those ideas and words work out fine.

This live your story poem is good.

Breeze, you tell me I got the skills, the talent…yeah its understood.

I am a writer

With you lizard brain I am a fighter.

 

Ha this whole Muhammad Ali rhyming thing is so cool! People are lovin’ my live your love story poem. Some are already waiting for the book to come out. Good things are happening….there’s no impossibilities.

thoughts, watercolor and tempera

Wisdom Tree

Mireya

There was an Oprah speech a Sean Wess podcast I haven’t lsitened to in a long time, Laren Daigle’s You say and a movie.

BUT as I hand lettered my words all I could think about was Muhammad Ali’s rhyming. I ‘ll give it a try.

The only world I want to listen to makes me feel like I can do.

With her breeze she always puts me at ease.

The sun warms me. There is no doubt, I clearly see.

I will paint what I want

I got talent and I’m gonna flaunt.

You see flaws. Please put away your claws.

Cuz I got the breeze, she’s telling me keep walking with ease

There is no greater power than love,

I’ve got love

I swim among the most beautiful doves.

  • Part 1 give this tree new life

Today I gave a writing lesson to a first grade class. It was brilliant and I discovered …I’m a writer. This week was incredible. I sat down and I drew letters. I drew. The more I spend time in nature, the more I can say girl, Flow. Just let go and create. You got this now get out there because…there are no impossibilities

books, Live Your Story

Live Your Story

Mireya

I wrote this poem as a poster. I went through so many colors. My favorite was a much lighter shade of blue.

Somehow I envisioned it on a wall someplace. I recall an artist who travels the world painting his words and drawings. With each stroke he gives life to old buildings.

When asked why he does it, he says to bring color and smiles to otherwise overlooked villages. Not exactly these words but something like this.

I want my work to mean the same. To make people smile. To make people feel good. Like a song that plays on in your mind, days after you’ve listened to it.

And so, I continue to work on my live your story poem. Yeah, I can use this poem to practice hand lettering and get comfortable with my lettering style.

 

AND now of course I want to create a book.

sketches for writing a picture book
perhaps a new layout for the poem?
sketches for a book
…first sketch illustrations

OK February 14th is fast approaching but…

-there are no impossibilities

 

watercolor and tempera

Chachipe

Mireya

is a gypsy phrase that I painted a while ago.Why not simply paint and let the idea emerge as I paint? As I create this year I want to simply do what I want to do and have fun. Freddie Mercury was a wise man. Chachipe’ is a gypsy term I learned while watching a Spanish novella. It means reality and truth.

The Gypsies would greet and say good-bye using this phrase. I like the phrase but the above interpretation doesn’t do this cool phrase justice.

Day 1

Do some research on gypsy patterns and color. Then paint. Same rules.


Day 2

let’s really get to work here and fix this.

Looking good

Weird but I like it…

Alright maybe rethink the color scheme here. BUT working with patterns and layering color is great for learning color the Josef Albers way. I’m ready to move on to the next project. Yes I need to start working on the live your story book.

-there are no impossibilities

watercolor and tempera

sketches of the past

Mireya

 

Build a tribe of 14,000. What was I thinking? Now I realize the most important part of building a tribe is to create. Not just create but really have something to say. To speak with the heart and soul.

This year I vow to create EVERY SINGLE day. I’ll paint and write every step of the way.

First project of the year is the love book….

-there are no impossibilities

thoughts

Projects Are King

Mireya

Creating projects means you are showing up. You show up and that helps you persevere.

When my work sucked, I showed up.

When I had the wrong idea, I showed up.

When my work sucked, I showed up.

There’s been many times where I reference Adobe Kuler, or How magazine to get ideas for color schemes.

There’s been many times where I have no clue how to improve my drawings. That led to a Udemy class. This drawing class made me study realism, perspective and shading. All this tied in so well with Ana Victoria Calderon’s class about transparencies with watercolor.

…to be contiuned

-there are no impossibilities

thoughts

Show-Up

Mireya

which brings me to showing up. There’s going to be lots of bad art. I get that now. Show up anyway.

Nothing more than showing up has given me the courage to play and embrace ideas. To once and for all, listen. Big Magic is an amazing read.

I came into this year seeking to improve my drawing skills. I did that with each of the books I wrote. I drew every single picture for Ana & George.

I discovered an awesome palette. I love my drawings. Oh and I’m much better at drawing that which I love. Yes.

I spent a whole year putting this book aside. In a matter of days, long eight hour days sketching and coloring, I finished. Had I not shown up for days all year on other projects, I never could have done this in a matter of days.

…to be continued

-there are no impossibilites