Life Book 2013 - Fairy Art Mother

I have just signed up for a year long mixed media/art journalling course called Life Book 2013.  The course consists of 22 teachers delivering a lesson each week, and each lesson is downloadable for you to keep so that you always have it to refer to.  I am so excited about this course!

The warmup exercise is to create a "Fairy Art Mother".  The idea is that every time your inner critic sends you negative messages, your Fairy Art Mother is there to prop you back up and give you messages of love, praise and acceptance.

My inner critic tells me that I'm somehow less of an artist because I haven't spent hundreds of dollars on brand new supplies, or the supplies I have bought are budget conscious.  My critic pushes me to be perfect and is very rigid and controlled.

I did two very similar versions, one in my portable art journal and the other on loose paper to be bound later with all the other Life Book 2013 projects. 

The above version is done on mixed media paper.  The background is done with Neocolor II watercolour crayons which I layered with Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  She is coloured with a mixture of watercolour crayons and Prismacolor pencils.

The second version I did inside the cover of my portable art journal, so she goes with me everywhere.  She is coloured with Prismacolor pencils over an acrylic paint background. 

She says:  "Let go of control.  Make it up as you go.  Wing it.  Don't be afraid.  It's OK if you aren't perfect, you have permission to make mistakes and to get messy.  Laugh.  Relax.  Breathe and enjoy the process.  Listen to your inner child, she remembers how to be free."

I am linking this up with the following fabulous challenge blogs:
Make it Monday:  Always Anything Goes
Through The Craft Room Door:  Always Anything Goes
That Craft Place:  Anything Goes
Paper Crafting Journey:  Anything But a Card