Art Materials Play

Today I wanted to play with some supplies that have been sitting on the shelf.  Not sure where I was heading with this, but just started. 

The Distress Crackle paint is what I was really wanting to make work.  It didn't.  The paint was super thick.  I have tried this before and never really got the crackling I was hoping for.  It ended making a real mess of brown and red.  This began the additional layering. 

I wanted to use the gears stencil.  I tried with spray paint and it didn't work.  I tried dabbing with the diarylide, didn't work either.  Then began the additional layering.

The pattern paper was added to tone it down.  This is the original Blooming lady who created Bloomers! See them under her dress? This was a postcard I have had forever given to me by an art friend.  She was raised up with Scrap Dots and so was the arrow informational sign.  Still have some work to do, I am looking to add "Brave and Bold" next.

CAPI: Creating Sketchbooks

I have owned a Bind It All, Zutter machine for binding for many years.  I believe I used it once or twice to create an altered board book project.  The Zutter machine frustrates me, but since I own it, I feel like I need to use it!

I have signed on for the online exploration with Milliande, Creating Art Portfolio Ideas (CAPI) to discover my own art style.  With this, we were to have six portfolios/journals/sketchbooks.  I wanted to combine two together...Raw and Observational Studies into one.  This is what I created:

This is one book, with one side for the Raw and flipped over it is the Observational Studies.  I cut lots of different types of watercolor paper, bristol and such.  I put in half pages and thought I could use for tip ins if needed.  

And the Pondering Journal...I needed a journal with lined paper for writing.  I found this old ledger in my closet which seemed perfect.  A couple of quick alterations and it's now ready for "pondering".

New Intuitive Art

Nonni's Baby Birds

Time to Fly

Teach Me

little glimpses studio cardboard challenge

What to do with cardboard?? That was the challenge this week from little glimpses studio. I had a box that I had saved thinking i would be great for adding marks to a painting.  But, when this challenge came up, I looked at it and since I was running out of room to store my spray inks, I decided to create a Spray Box.  

I removed the lid, painted with cobalt teal, added Tulip spray ink in pink through a stencil, white paint sponged in with a stencil, washi tape, braided trim, mat board square, domino done with alcohol inks and a rub on letter.

Prayer Flag Making

 I was very excited to participate in a Prayer Flag exchange through Book of Days run by
Effy Wild, Sisterhood of the Book, Facebook group.  Although I had never made a prayer flag before it seemed like a lot of fun.

Lucky day at the craft store I found the fabric sprays on clearance

with  an additional 40% off! Also used a coupon for the painting stencil.  

I wanted to see if these would work as well as the Crafter's Workshop ones.

I decided to use just the violet and pink after

testing out the greens.  The stencil...not so good.  Not as

strong as the Crafter's Workshop.  I don't think I 

will buy these again.

Measuring and cutting canvas fabric I had from

the fabric journals I had made last year.

This is my make-shift ironing board.  Forgot

the cutting mat was under it!

Bought this before and never used it because 

I was too impatient to follow the pre-steps to using it.  

This is one of my favorite stencils from Crafter's Workshop.  

The fabric paint went on well with only a few drips.

See the watercolor paper underneath? I will

use this later to make the envelopes.

Second color with another Crafter's Workshop stencil.

Drying time

I read on the back of the bottles that you could do

a watercolor technique by spraying with water first.  

I tried this, turned out nice, but didn't look much like watercolor.

2nd time on the "drying" line

Adding interface for strength to fabric flowers I cut out.

Cutting

Adding trims and flowers with Helmar's 450 adhesive.

Mini bead time to the flower center adhered with 

Diamond Glaze.  Also, I wrote the word JOY

previous with a black Copic pen and went over

the letters with a Micron black.

Looking to add a bit of dimension to the flowers.

I was wishing I had the Souffle pens here, but didn't

so I went with the Glaze pens.

As this point I am trying to decide if they are done.

I decide they need a large bead or something to 

break up the green on the bottom.  I ransack my

stuff and find nothing. Time for a road trip!

I brought one of my flags with me to the craft

store and tried to find something that would

be right.  Finally I found these hearts!

Here is where I use the watercolor paper to

fold into the inner envelope.  The template for a Square, Yet Cool 

envelope I have

had forever and from the book, Cut Up This Book!

published by River City Rubber Works.  

Clear envelopes stamped with Staz On and ready for the

post office.  The art girl is from Teesha Moore/Zettiology that

I bought many moons ago and is still one of my favorites. Sister came

from a StampinUp set, and the Martha Graham quote is from PSX.

Altered Book Spreads, Book of Days

This week was about physical pain due to back issues.  

Background of Pan Pastels, letter cutouts painted and

bead gel medium added to them

This week was about having too high of expectations and the disappointment that can follow.
The design was inspired by the Traci Bautista's doodling workshop on Strathmore online.
Background in Pan Pastels, Uniball Signo white pen, Sharpie black pen and Micron black

Art Imagination from Layers

I have been very inspired and excited since participating in Life Book's latest lesson with Mystele.  Mystele's lesson was different than many mixed media lessons that I have taken in that you were to use your imagination to pull figures, symbols, etc from the background after layering.  This indeed was my cup of tea! I love the creativity side and the authenticity of it (my word for 2012).  It was real and I wanted to do this again and again!  This weekend I created and finished one piece and started a second one.  I decided to do this one on a canvas board, a little larger than the 9x12 paper I had been using. So here are the step outs so far:

Writing in pencil about creativity and passion, covered with watercolor crayons.  I also got to try out my new Niji water brush, a flat one.  It worked GREAT for watering down the crayons.

Collaging papers, starting to think the dark purple is too much

Layering with acrylics swirled into a glaze mixture

Acrylics done, but it turned out much darker than I wanted

Time for another layer, Quinacridone Nickel Azo mixed in H2O to make a wash, Crafter's Workshop stencils and plain water (spritzed the plain water on the stencil while paint was still wet)

This need to be toned down.  Using the glaze&gesso&H2O mixture poured on then moved around with water spray

Mark making

More homemade color wash (pyrolle orange, quin red) and white airbrush paint

More gesso mix, this time brayered on

I see birds...again! This is my fourth painting in this style that I see some type of birds.  I don't think I have eVeR painted birds...until now because they keep coming back.

See the other two birds at the top? I saw them too.  It just called for a tree then and I wanted it to be glittery, so I used Byzantine paint.

Doodling on the tree with Glazes

And there she sits, waiting until next SatARTday!