the sweet light » Film photography and natural light.

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© Azzari Jarrett - The Sweet Light

I’ve been dabbling a little more with watercoloring, and I’m hooked.  I’m realizing that the possibilities are endless.  Since I first shared my adventures in watercoloring, I’ve picked up this inexpensive set of watercolors.  There is a bit more mixing with water involved, but it makes for different saturations of color – love that.

© Azzari Jarrett - The Sweet Light

This time around, I wanted to explore digitally with flowers so I painted a few abstract pieces – stems, leaves, and buds.

© Azzari Jarrett - The Sweet Light

I dabbled a bit with triangles, but was not sure where I was going with that one!

After scanning my drawings and cleaning them up in Photoshop, I  chose my favorite elements to work with.  I settled on these below.

 

Azzari Jarrett - Watercolor

 

And here is where the possibilities are endless.  Using Illustrator, I converted the elements to vectors so that I could resize them and not loose any quality.  With just a few designs, I was able to come up with a couple of different floral arrangements.

 

 

Azzari Jarrett, Adventures in Watercoloring

 

I continue to love learning this new medium.  I enjoy creating something tangible and then being able to alter it digitally.  Of course, so many more ideas swirling in my head….

You can see my first post on watercoloring here.

  • Vickie - July 22, 2014 - 8:39 am

    lovely :)ReplyCancel

  • jenny - August 14, 2014 - 1:14 pm

    i love this azzari! always wonderful to see what you’re working on and creating.ReplyCancel

  • Joana - September 5, 2014 - 1:36 pm

    Which tools do you use to clean the background? I’m having trouble doing that part :((ReplyCancel

    • Azzari - September 8, 2014 - 10:51 am

      Hi Joana,

      In Photoshop, I use the “lasso” tool and draw a circle around the flower. I copy and paste it into a new document with a transparent background and use the “magic wand” tool to highlight the white space and delete it.

      I hope that makes sense – let me know if you have additional questions. This may be an excellent idea for tutorial post.ReplyCancel

      • Joana - September 9, 2014 - 10:49 am

        Yes, thank you! It makes total sense. I’ve just been erasing the non-white area around the image after cropping it out, but this is very time-consuming. But I will try your way 😀

        Joana xReplyCancel

  • Meg R - September 26, 2014 - 4:06 pm

    These are lovely! I actually just started working with watercolors with the intent of combining that medium with my photography. Thanks for the added inspiration :)ReplyCancel

  • ThroughMyBlueShoes - October 26, 2014 - 6:05 am

    Hi! I really like your blog so much so that I’ve nominated you for The Liebster award! There’s more information on my blog http://throughmyblueshoes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/the-liebster-award.htmlReplyCancel

© Azzari Jarrett, The Sweet Light© Azzari Jarrett, The Sweet Light© Azzari Jarrett, The Sweet Light© Azzari Jarrett, The Sweet Light

summertime, and the livin’ is easy…..

  • line - July 16, 2014 - 10:06 am

    loving it !ReplyCancel

    • Azzari - July 17, 2014 - 9:30 am

      thank you, line!ReplyCancel

  • Shana - July 20, 2014 - 5:33 am

    Azzari, I’m thankful to have stumbled upon your blog. You have a collection of beautiful photography, with a lot of natural lighting involved. I especially love the innocence depicted in this post. Perfection.ReplyCancel

    • Azzari - July 20, 2014 - 9:37 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Shana!ReplyCancel

© Azzari Jarrett, The Sweet Light

© Azzari Jarrett, The Sweet Light

There are times that I think my heart might burst because of the sheer weight of the love I have for them.

There was a time when I could not fathom how I would mother one, let alone three.

But I do.  Along with a tight knit village.

The anniversaries of their births remind me how far I have come.

One day at a time.

And we grow.

And we learn.

And that heavy heart of mine bursts with pride.

Azzari Jarrett - The Sweet Light

Quotes, links, thoughts, and other tidbits that I have found to be true this week:

  • I really enjoy good writing.  Especially when the writing is about the truth of motherhood.  Coffee and Crumbs is a collection of stories of motherhood, love, truth, and the good kind of heartache.  Motherhood and Anxiety and Not So Simple Math are excellent reads.  I look forward to more goodness from this space.
  • I’ve followed Cindy’s work for years.  It is so good to get a behind the scenes look at her process exploring different aspects of photography through her DSLR, film, and iPhone.
  • Blown away by all the creative resources available through oozled, a must for any creative or designer.
  • Lost a few hours reviewing the work of Kirstin Mckee.

Have a great weekend.

  • Ashlee - July 16, 2014 - 12:55 pm

    Hi Azzari! Thanks so much for linking to Coffee + Crumbs! We appreciate your support, and hope you enjoy our stories in the forthcoming months 😉ReplyCancel

    • Azzari - July 17, 2014 - 9:30 am

      Thanks Ashlee – I’m really enjoying the site! Wishing you much success.ReplyCancel

Mini Prints by Azzari Jarrett - http://shop.azzarijarrett.com

Today I’m excited to share that I have updated my shop with 3 sets of mini-prints!  These are a collection of my favorite Instagram images and capture the simple, everyday moments in my life.

Each image measures 4 x 4 inches (10.16 x 10.16 cm) and is printed on 100% cotton, heavy matte fine art paper with archival inks.

They are perfect for your inspiration board, tucked in your journal, or taped on your wall.

Mini Prints by Azzari Jarrett - http://shop.azzarijarrett.comMini Prints by Azzari Jarrett - http://shop.azzarijarrett.com

Mini Print Set 1

Mini Prints by Azzari Jarrett - http://shop.azzarijarrett.comMini Prints by Azzari Jarrett - http://shop.azzarijarrett.com

Mini Print Set 2

Mini Prints by Azzari Jarrett - http://shop.azzarijarrett.comMini Prints by Azzari Jarrett - http://shop.azzarijarrett.com

Mini Print Set 3

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Art prints coming soon to the shop.  Be sure to sign up for my newsletter for updates and discount codes.

Finally, if you are interested, I have only one remaining copy of On The Table, a collection of film images taken on my kitchen table.  I’m not sure when, or if, I will have any more printed.

 

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

I started creating a polaroid film wall a little over a year ago.   I have received a number of questions about how I created it, what I used to attach the polaroids, how are they holding up, etc.  I knew it was definitely time for a post.

After I scan them, the majority of my polaroids end up in this drawer of my workspace:

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

This is definitely not the best way to store them!  I wanted to display my favorites – and knew that I wanted to make a polaroid film wall.  The majority of photo walls that I found online were prints or copies of actual photographs, not the polaroids themselves.

When selecting an adhesive, I knew that I had to decide carefully.  These polaroids are all originals, they are not copies or prints.  I wanted to preserve them so that I could remove the adhesive if I decided to take the photos down and still keep the photo intact.  That ruled out any permanent adhesive.   Here is my secret sauce, what has worked for me.

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

Scotch Restickable Tabs – simple, cheap, and a little over a year later, they are holding up pretty nicely.  I have taken a few polaroids down and re-positioned them, and the paint on my wall is still intact as well as the photo.

Adding one more polaroid to the mix, this one captured with the polaroid land camera.

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

On the back of each polaroid, I attach four of the mini tabs to each corner.

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

After removing the liner, the polaroid is ready to be attached to the wall.

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

I like to group the polaroids by size and orientation to maintain a cohesive look and feel.

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

To secure each photo to the wall, I apply a little pressure to each corner.

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

 

Amazingly simple, and definitely a conversation piece in any room.  Plus, a way to artfully display your work.

How to Make a Polaroid Wall - Azzari Jarrett

I have noticed that in the winter, some of the edges do curl up due to the heat in the house.  I simply push them back down evenly, and they are fine.

Please do let me know if you try this at home!

 

  • Irene - July 7, 2014 - 4:23 am

    lovely.

    (I do have a polaroid wall at home too. it’s my favorite and it was Oliver’s favorite too. for some reason he kept staring at the polaroid photos and smiled, which totally baffled us 😉 xoReplyCancel

    • Azzari - July 7, 2014 - 1:46 pm

      i think that’s a sign that Oliver loved that pola wall!ReplyCancel

  • line - July 11, 2014 - 11:01 pm

    great I have to try it sometimes!ReplyCancel

    • Azzari - July 17, 2014 - 9:30 am

      please let me know if you do!ReplyCancel

I enjoyed making my first video so much, that I thought I would create another as a reminder of the sights and sounds of what July is like for us this year.  We are really enjoying warm summer nights, trips to the pool, playground visits, a messy workspace, and watching the garden grow.

I am really enjoying these visual diaries.  Normally, I would have photographed each of these moments, but I love how video brings my images to life.  Yet another way for me to express myself creatively.

Hello July – here’s to a great summer!

  • Sharon CIllier - July 2, 2014 - 9:38 am

    Azzari, what a beautiful tribute to the beginning of July and to summer as well. Your work is exceptional.ReplyCancel

    • Azzari - July 4, 2014 - 2:04 pm

      thank you!ReplyCancel