Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

Hidy Ho, crafty peeps!

I have a question for you. How many of you venture outside your crafting "comfort zone", and how often and under what circumstances do you go there? Do you challenge yourself? Or do you follow the prodding of some outside influence?

I stepped out of my crafty comfort zone TWICE within the last week. Once was by my choice...the other was because someone hired me to do a project (ok ok...so technically I choose to do both, but you know what I mean). The two media I dabbled in are Gelli printing and watercolor painting.

Neither of which I am REMOTELY practiced in.

Like...not at all.

The Gelli printing was my own choosing. I joined a Meet-Up group of mixed-media artists. This month's topic was Gelli printing. Boy howdy is it a messy art form. REALLY messy. It was fun, but I have a dickens of a time getting my prints to look like what I envision in my head. Here's one I did. To be honest...it's more "stamping" than it is pulling a print. I just don't get the whole positive/negative thing....and don't even get me started on layering. I just don't get it. This was was of the only prints I pulled all night that didn't come out with its colors all muddy looking. BTW, those little circles on there are made with bubble wrap. Cool huh?

The second sojourn into unknown waters was a wedding invitation that a friend of mine wanted me to "illustrate" so that it could be framed and given as a keepsake gift to the happy couple. Cool idea, really. She brought me her wedding invitation from 40ish years ago. It was illustrated quite beautifully with a hand-painted lily-of-the-valley border that went up one side. This couple is getting married in Vail, Colorado (must be rough), so my friend wanted it to reflect a "Colorado/outdoorsy" theme...so flowers just wouldn't cut it. I suggested that I create an image of the chapel they're getting married in...along with a snowy mountain range. My friend agreed...and it was then and there I knew it had to be done in watercolor. And she wanted it to be done on the original invitation itself...not on a copy. So I had one shot to get it right.*

Ugh.

What was I thinking?

This meant I had to draw...

and paint.

And draw in perspective.

AND PAINT...with watercolor.

All within a 5x7 inch space.

Ugh.

I thought I had a couple of weeks to do this...so I wasn't in any rush. BUT, my friend called me last night and informed me that she really needed this by Wednesday at the latest since she's leaving for the wedding on Thursday.

That's THIS Wednesday...as in tomorrow.

She apologized profusely for misleading me to believe that I had ample time in which to get this done.

In retrospect, it was my own fault. I should have looked at the date on the invitation.

Duh.

But, this morning I started drawing the building outline and general background in very light pencil onto the invitation... and by 2 pm this afternoon...it was finished.

Wow.

Be impressed. I am.

 Here is a photograph of the chapel

I think I did ok...considering I'm not a watercolor artist and it's so little.

My friend was THRILLED.

That means, I am THRILLED.

She thinks I should go into business doing this for people.

I think not.

*I did ask for more copies of the invitation...just in case I messed it up (which I didn't).