Annnnd…. the final product packaged by a nifty little video I put together.
Special thanks to my sister and mom and their creative minds for making this happen!
Author Archives: emilyelizabethenns
acrylic
The past few weeks my sister and I have been consumed by a giant 4×4 ft canvas, crazy huge brushes and large amounts of acrylic paint.
red paint pallet by emily elizabeth enns
We took on an art project to fill the walls of our Mom’s living room with something abstract and vivid.
superkid primary pallet mixing by emily elizabeth enns
So we went to town. Smearing all kinds of colours in no pattern whatsoever. Just slapping on paint to get something on the canvas. Needless to say, Mom was a little scared… scratch that – she was freaking out that this mess was going to have to end up on her wall.
brush by emily elizabeth enns
We reassured her a million times that it would all turn out, but I still doubt she believed us. After layers and layers of paint and blending till our wrists hurt, we got right into and spraying water on the canvas to make the colours bleed and drip down, and using our fingers to create more texture on the canvas.
putting our hands in our work by emily elizabeth enns
ellen, my sister, very into her handy work by emily elizabeth enns
And I think we did it. After a lot of work and a few afternoons, two creative heads collaborating together made it happen.
P.S. Mom was elated, an the photo doesn’t quite do it justice.
bleeding city on acrylic by emily and ellen enns photo by emit elizabeth enns
#GoJetsGo
Well, the Jets made the playoffs and Winnipeg is hella-excited!
My art project was pleasantly interrupted last night by mass amounts of honking out my window. So I took a stroll down Main Street to Portage and found this
Jets fans closed down Portage and Main last night , celebrating the teams entry into 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs by emily elizabeth enns
Fans were chanting, yelling, cheering and singing about any anthem you could imagine. Including the Canadian National Anthem, with a roaring TRUE NORTH!
Once the beer started pouring, sharing, and shot gunned… a few little games even broke out.
Street hockey at Portage and Main by emily elizabeth enns
The endless “Go Jets Go” and “We Want The Cup” chants echoed through the chilly downtown streets
Aided by this guy and his goal-sounding horn
This guy and his impressively loud goal-sounding horn by emily elizabeth enns
It was an exciting and epic night for Winnipeg as the new Jets enter their first ever round of playoffs next week!
Go Jets Go!
Rain Rain Rain
rain rain rain by emily elizabeth enns
And then I made a series! (your welcome Mom) Why not? I really liked playing with my watercolour sets and experimenting with different ways to “make it rain”. I also played with ranges of other colours and different shades and tones, as well as varied amounts of water. I used brushes, paper towels, bowls, straws and cups to get the effects I wanted.. which pretty much ended up looking all fairly similar. I still wish to experiment further with more paint techniques – I think i might have to switch mediums to make something really edgy, and less… watercolour-y.
Burberry in the Rain
Making rain out of watercolours is one messy task. But it was super easy and fun to do, I felt like a kid again.
Pen and Watercolour by emily elizabeth enns
Layers. Layers layers layers. And waiting, waiting for very wet paint to dry. Then adding more layers, and more waiting.
I started out dripping watercolour with a brush, but that process was going far too slow for me. So I switched to soaking a paper towel in water, smearing in with blue paint, and squeezing it over the page at an angle so it dripped down the paper.
Black and Blue Rain in coloured water by emily elizabeth enns
Very very messy. And resulted in very very blue fingers! Once the base was covered to my liking, I went back in with smaller brushes to make more detailed drip lines.
Once those layers dried I used thicker drops of paint overtop of the black to lift the colour a little and give it some more texture.
Burberry Trench and a Red Umbrella by emily elizabeth enns
After the rain was completed, I finished the watercolour paint on the girl in the trench coat. I then cut her out, painted a drop shadow onto of the rain and glued her down in place.
I really liked the 3-D isn effect this gave the painting. plus, maybe i can experiment more with this idea?! We’ll see!
Coach and the Country
Last week I decided to venture out to a dairy farm in southern Manitoba to snap some pictures of cows. Little did I know what i was in for…
Firstly, I was not well prepared. I managed to trek through the focal terrain in my favourite Coach boots, luckily without too much scuffing and dirt. But the pictures were more than worth it.
1 week old calf by emily elizabeth enns
The cows came too close to me for my own comfort – I was told afterwards that they apparently thought I was food or possibly had some for them. I tried to tell them to stop, sit and stay and not come any closer to me… but needless to say they didn’t listen.
Cows in the barn – by emily elizabeth enns
The closer they came to me, the faster i tried to scoot away… and then the faster they closed in on me. That is until i backed into the electric fence and got quite the, ahem, shock.
Once i finally escaped their captivity i was able to snap a few more shots!
calves in hutches – by emily elizabeth enns
I think i’ll be sticking with the babies all cooped up in their little hutches!
I think
Pens, Pencils and Improvised Light Tables.
The next pen and watercolour sketch draws inspiration from the beloved Burberry trench and its native home in rainy London.
Hack: Don’t have a light table for sketching and tracing lines? Improvise! I flipped my laptop upside down, taped my sketch book to the screen (scotch tape left no residue and came of easily, though masking tape might be better).
Improvising a light table! by emily elizabeth enns
I took some tips from idrawfashion.com on drawing hair into consideration, to give her locks a little more life, then brought it down to look a little simpler.
London in Pencil by emily elizabeth enns
It’s hard to let go of my pencil sketches, what if I screw up and make it worse? BUT what if I make it even better?
Regardless, I like the pen outline in contrast to watercolour –that, or I’m still learning how to color between the lines and need the reference point!
London in Pen, ready for colour! by emily elizabeth enns
Now that I’m pleased with the pen outline, I’m still hesitant to add color to the page – there’s a nice simplicity in black and white lines. But I want to expand my skills and try to add a rain effect into the picture.
idrawfashion.com
After my last few rounds of testing out fashion drawings and figures, I decided my art skills need to be taken to the next level, and I found my mecca!
Burberry trench coat – courtesy of idrawfashion.com
idrawfashion.com is a great website that show you how to draw fashion sketches properly – so that they actually look like their real life representations. The site is full of tutorials to guide you through drawing almost everything from iconic designer patterns, such as the Burberry plaid, different stockings and garters, feather boas, shoes and a variety of different fabrics.
Shoes! courtesy of idrawfashion.com
Each day new tips and trick are posted and you can search for just about anything! The list goes on!
Stockings and Garters courtesy of idrawfashion.com
Over the next few weeks I’m challenging myself to tackle a few of these to improve my skills and hopefully draw some cool stuff.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again with the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City that began February 11th and continues until February 19th.
Bryant park fashion week tent – Google images
To catch the highlights from previous shows and to see the schedule for the next few weeks, check out the MBFW website here. http://mbfashionweek.com/new-york/schedule
TOME – images by MBFW
My favourite looks from yesterday were from Ramon Martin and Ryan Lobo of TOME. The New York based duo produces a clean cut, practical and essential line of women’s wear. TOME pieces are modern and timeless ready to wear outfits targeted to every woman.
TOME on the runway – MBFW
And this year, they had Sarah Jessica Parker design a shoe line for the show!
Sarah Jessica Parker and TOME – MBFW
SJP Shoes for TOME -MBFW
BUT, what am I most excited for? Carolina Herrera of course!
On the morning of Monday, February 16th.
“I have a responsibility to the woman of today – to make her feel confident, modern and above all else beautiful.” – Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera Spring/Summer 2015 – MBFW
Herrera is constantly pushing the boundaries of style contrasting the traditional and the modern to produce classic pieces every woman’s closet needs. Every show ends with one of her iconic bridal gowns, which she has expanded into full lines. (Which are stunning and fill up every page of my Pinterest boards!) The classic Carolina Herrera full-length skirt is on my wish list!
Carolina Herrera backstage – MBFW
Sometimes, a girl needs a little chill time…
On a spontaneous whim, my boyfriend decided we should go for a massage. One phone call, a quick decision and a short drive later, we were in heaven. And completely unprepared for the awesomeness we were about to encounter.
Thermea Winnipeg
So I’m taking a little break this week from drawing and painting to talk about how I recharged my batteries to get the inspiration and creativity reflowing again.
Thermea – Winnipeg’s new Nordik experience spa, hidden in the forest that is Crescent Drive Golf Course, really made us feel like we were transported to another country, if only for a few hours of relaxation.
Thermea Winnipeg
Imagine laying in a hot spring, deep in the forest, surrounded by beautiful stones with blankets of snow and fire pits filling the air with the smell of cedar. The atmosphere is incredible – incomparable to anything in this city.
But we didn’t exactly think ahead and forgot that hot tubs, cold tubs, saunas and steam showers meant, “bring your bathing suit”… maybe we weren’t the sharpest but Thermea was on the ball and suited us up so we could enjoy all the amenities they had to offer.
Massages at Thermea
Which is A LOT. With over 10 different rooms and spaces and things to do, we found ourselves spending quite a few hours soaking it all in.
Relaxation Room at Thermea
And I’d go back in a heartbeat.
In the middle of a stress filled semester of a Winnipeg winter, a few hours of spa was definitely needed. Besides, we all need a little pampering once in a while. This place is brilliant – why not take advantage of the wicked cold we have here?
Site Map of Thermea
Next time I feel like I need to rejuvenate my body, I know exactly where I’m headed.
Polar Plunge at Thermea
*all images from thermea.ca
portraits of a wardrobe by emily elizabeth enns 