Paint Mojo - A Mixed-Media Workshop: Creative Layering Techniques for Personal Expression Spiral-bound – July 18, 2014

Received my book today! I always start a new book by getting a soothing beverage together and find some quiet time to dive in and explore. The book so far is very engaging and I can see it is already a favorite for me. It consists of 9 chapters each with an exercise to do ,each one led by different mixed media artists such as Mary Beth Shaw, Judy wise and Laurie Mika -many more too!)- each with a bunch of photos and stepped out instructions with all kinds of tips to help you you get going. part of the introduction is by Jesse Reno and is all about "personal iconography" and symbols and I am thoroughly intrigued by this and I think will be stuck at this part of the book for awhile because I have been doing this symbol making for as long as I can remember but never put much more thought into it until reading this bit. It has given me a lot to think about and I want to put them all down in my journal in one place to examine more thoughtfully now. I am really enjoying this so far and I want to get a copy to send to my dear SIL as she is an artist but has been in a bit of a slump and I think this would be very inspiring for her. I think we could do some of the exercises together and have a lot of fun! As I get farther into the book I will come back and add to this post and give even more details! I would definitely recommend this book-I think it is designed for artists of any level to find inspiration and there are just tons of eye candy photos through out! Get this book!7/1/14 Just had to add a note I LOVE THE SPIRAL BINDING!!!!!!!!!! SO thoughtful!!!!IMHO I think all art instruction/inspiration books like this should be bound this way! I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for the priveledge! You don't have to smash your binding open to get it stay flat where you want and then not be able to get it shut again properly like a regular binding! I hope the publishers read this! This binding honors the book!8/30/14Are you on the fence about whether or not to choose this book? because you love the art and the amazing color combinations they have? and the subject matter you see?What is in the book is all about the artist from a very deep and personal perspective- she gives you a view of herself and where her soul lives and what from that pours out of her and onto her canvas. How she thinks and feels and her personal experiences , philosophies and inspiration of how she is, where she is now and what led up to it. My advice if you want to find that same mojo Tracy has- PUT YOUR EXPECTATIONS ON THE SHELF-open the book and open up to exploration. That will help you get there. I think expectations lead to preconceived diappointment and this is so not what this book is about- IT IS ALL ABOUT FREEDOM OF MIND AND LETTING IT FLOW ONTO THE CANVAS. This is not a book about getting you to paint just like Tracy and instantly seeing animals in your work-maybe you will maybe you won't- maybe you'll see other things that will amaze you-its about finding your own way through Tracy's own methods.As I mentioned before there are 9 exercises from Tracy -many of which are lessons in setting up you background and the many layers you will go throughto get to a fully completed painting. And...... There is one of her beautiful bird paintings covered , an elephant and a deer with amazing antlers- can't wait to try them all! Of course you are encouraged to further look into your own work to see what you might find there - I do like to audition in others techniques like this to find my own way and Tracy encourages this. The book has a bunch of Tracy's artwork included as well for inspirational eyecandy!I had a chance to read about all the artist Tracy included that have inspired her through the years- many very interesting artists that share techniques, stories and thoughts. Really the book is jam packed with so much!I will post again when I have gone a little further. I am working on my backgrounds and layers for now-and remember no expectations.10/2/14Soooo I decided to sign up for Tracy's Ecourse because I wanted to see her demonstrations and get a feel for her vision and working methods. Wow I am loving this course!!!!! You get to see her move the paints around and she shows how she looks for images in her work and then shows how she brings them out- just amazing!!!!I am on the second week watching one of the videos where she takes an old dried up paint palette sheet and brings out 2 gorgeous birds on branches from it!!!! A must see!!! If you like the book this will just completely round out your vision of the lessons it has!!!Check out Tracy's blog she will posting some of her student work on there so you get an idea what we are working on. Her videos are amazing!!!10/24/14Another reviewer "Jen" wrote "Mojo is not technique, it is a feeling and the spirituality Tracy has is what guides her work." This is a great sumation of Paint Mojo!11/12/14So we just finished up the 6 week ecourse and My mind is blown! Whats in the book is covered AND sooo much more! We had lessons on making these amazing dream catchers and mandalas! Then Tracy demonstrated every week different ways to use and not waste your leftover paint(expensive) on your palette and make incredible art with it! If you haven't tried the Daler Rowney inks-They are insanely amazing-the colors that explode off the the canvas-those ones! and lots of ways to use them! I will get some photos uploaded soon of some of my stuff from the class so you can see!

I have been looking forward to this book for a long time and it has finally arrived! This art book is more than a how-to; it also provides many inspiring stories and artwork from the author and other contributing artists (including a lot of my favorites like Jesse Reno, Juliette Crane, Lisa Sonora Beam, Judy Wise, Laurie Mika, Orly Avineri, just to name a few--seriously ALL of the artists in this book are very talented and amazing!) The book is the perfect balance of how-to (step-by-step with detailed photos and instructions--I am a visual learner, so this was very important to me) with a lot of fun prompts and assignments sprinkled throughout by the author and the other artists. The stories are all very personal, interesting, inspirational, and will provide you with a lot of insight into the art making process from a technical as well as an almost spiritual perspective. The author has really poured her heart and soul into this book. I feel like I will use this book throughout my own artful journey as it is a book you can return to again and again for ideas and inspiration. The book isn't just about making artwork, it is also about discovering the voice inside of you, the one that will tell your own personal and unique story through the art that you will make. And you will be inspired to do something new and daring even if all you do is just open the book to one random page and absorb the visuals and take in the honest and thoughtful writing on the page.

I have grown So Tired with the books I purchase from Amazon. This particular book is Most Definitely re-sold as "New", but suspiciously it bears "hide" labels (with different pricing perhaps?)....so I suspect it's Used- and Not New, like I paid for And expected. More than disappointing. Infuriating!That's Not what bothers me about this book; it's the pathetic curved and useless covers. They're both "curled- as if they were put in a humidifier for flattening- But They Never Flattened the now Useless book covers...because they're shaped in a curve, the book doesn't lie flat...so that really "cool" spiral binding doesn't allow for the book Or The Pages to lie flat.What a bumber that it's More of a Hassle to return this poorly constructed book than keep it, clip the spiral binding and hope a local printer can rebind it.It's odd that the business Jeff Bezos started with to become the BaZillionaire he is was mail order books...and the last two have been poorly bound, or filthy with fingerprints of Who Knows What.Totally Ticked Off.

Received my Tracy Verdugo Paint Mojo book a week ago and what can i say wow!!!. First off all love the spiral bind means you can have your book flat on the table and read it without having to hold the book open. Yay!! I was googling rainbows one night and found Tracys website, there i had to read through her blog website to find out more. The colours on her website got my attention, as ive recently brought in lot more colours into my life. I found you could pre-order her book which i ordered right away and couldnt wait to sign up for Tracys e-course. Im so excited to have Tracys book in my hands to discover how she brings colour into her art and her life. I love Tracys passion, love, joy and fun she brings into each piece, i love how there is no set structure to anything she creates, its just sitting in nature or whereever and create, and have fun doing it. Tracys inspiration is nature, which is something i love to enjoy each day, nature. So looking forward to creating with Tracy and everyone else in Paint Mojos group. Thank you so much Tracy for bringing Passion, Love, Joy and Fun back into many peoples lives including mine. Much Love love love from Lyn (australia) xxoxoxox

I love how things are explained

I loved this book. I lacked confidence to go within. To have fun. To trust myself. This book led me to that. It's been a turning point on my journey. Thank you.

Dieses Buch ist wirklich eine Inspirationsquelle. Es werden verschiedenste Mixed Media Techniken gezeigt.Viele Bilder werden Schritt für Schritt erklärt, so daß man sie zu Hause nacharbeiten kann.Das Buch hat eine Spiral-Einbindung mit Hardcover-Deckeln• FazitWer Spaß an Mixed Media hat, sollte sich dieses Englischsprachige Buch ruhig kaufen. Sei es auch nur, um sich die Bilder anzuschauen

Von diesem Buch habe ich mir neue Ideen und vor allem Anleitungen erhofft,das hat sich nicht erfüllt.Anleitungen sind nicht sehr detailliert, wenn man nicht genau dieselben Papiere zur Auswahl hat ist ein Nacharbeiten unmöglich,von daher für mich nutzlos

Such a beautiful book with inspirational illustrations and heartfelt words of encouragement and inspiration to push you to find your own voice rather than just reproduce someone else's. It really spoke to my soul and I was keen to get started! I recommend this book to anyone looking to find their own style and voice