Breaking out the New Art Journal

I have finally spend the money and bought a “real” art journal.

Actually, that was a few weeks ago, so after painting the faces, I had paint left over and no plans on where to put it – so out comes the new Strathmore mixed media art journal!

(Interesting to note that my fear of starting out in a new art journal was less than my desire to use up the extra paint!)

Once the paint was dry, I went over the images with a fine marker any my Golden High Flow Acrylic pen (Thanks Julie!!)

Here are a few close ups:

 

 

Stencil used are by Stencil Girl – the bird one is from the May Stencil of the Month Club. The Quatrefoil Mix Stencil by Michelle Ward is also be Stencil Girl. *LOVE* these stencils – sturdy, have their name etched onto them AND they clean really well!

The stencils did bleed a little – completely MY fault; impatient and adding too much water. “Steady as she goes” is a MUST for stencilling, especially with paints!!

Happy creating!

 

 

GPP No. 61 Restraining Order

GPP Crusade No 61 “Restraining Order” is the last Crusade for a while. Michelle Ward is having a sabbatical from running the monthly Crusades. It is with a “heavy heart” that I post my Crusade contribution.

How many Crusade techniques can you spot? See below for answer…

Michelle – thank you SO much for expanding our creative horizons and challenging our art supplies and self-imposed limits. I certainly understand how hard it is to fit all of this creativity into our every day lives and I hope, after you’ve had a lovely break, the Crusades will be revived again. I am sure there are a few of us that would be happy to help you out!

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Crusade techniques included in this piece:

• gesso
• credit card painting
• stencils
• tissue paper
• paint colour mixing
• stamping
• partial images
• limited colour pallet
• and maybe a few others…

Happy Crusading!

GPP No 60 ~ I love

This month’s GPP Crusade has a (slight) Valentine’s slant (ugh!). Here is my art journal page:

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Happy Crusading,

Michelle

GPP No.56 ~ I’m a Believer

Last month (I’m a little behind!) Michelle Ward challenged us to review what kind of artists we are and what our artistic beliefs are, in Crusade no 56 – I’m a Believer.

Using a background created in a previous challenge, I’ve journalled my artistic beliefs.

Here are a few close-ups:

I do believe I am an artist!

Happy Crusading!

GPP No. 55 ~ Disappearing Act

Yet again, another interesting journey through this month’s GPP’s Street Team Crusade. Michelle has challenged us to take our previous paintings and use the same colours to create a Disappearing Act.

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I started with my previous backgrounds made for the Mind Games Crusade. And even though I had lots of lovely backgrounds and the colours noted on cards, I hadn’t written down what colours I’d used and how I had mixed them. So I tried to replicate them  but wasn’t happy with the results.

*Note for young players* Write down colour combinations and how you got them!! DO NOT rely on memory!

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Realising I was trying to do this “arse-about”,  I mixed up another batch of colours and noted which paints I used and the mixing ratios.

Then I re-made the backgrounds. As this method doesn’t take long to dry, it was easy to create a few backgrounds.

Then I was ready to get stamping!

And here are the results…

I also used a hand-made flower stencil. [Editors note: Just realised that I made this flower stencil for GPP No 19, way back in April 2008!]

The first few pages, I had a neat pattern, then I had a few more random stamping pages, and they looked much better, so I want back to the first ones and stamped randomly over the top of the neat patterns.

In my quest of using up ALL of my paint, I also dug out the tissue paper created in the last Crusade and added more random stamping. I was pleased with myself that I know when to stop! (A somewhat rare occurrence for me)

So there is another very fun Crusade complete!

Happy Crusading!

GPP No53 ~ Mad Scientists – Take II

I just had to have another go with this Crusade (GPP Crusade No53 – Mad scientist) and the bluey / green painting of Michelle Ward had seeped into my imagination, so that’s where I started with this.

It turned into an epic painting session, so for those who only want the highlights, I’ll put the colours and names first, then you are free to go.

For those that want all the details, then continue to scroll down!

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GPP No 53 – Mad Scientists

Started with blue, yellow and white, and a gesso’d art journal layout.

Then mixed 50/50, then mixed a colour between each of those.

Names
Cool Yellow – Grassy Green – Regal Teal – Dark Royal Teal – Cerulean Blue

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The Epic Paint Session

Started with mixing colours and painting the art journal layout – not my usual style but it will do.

Then I had paint left over, so I pulled out some chipboard and painted in various colours to add to the layout later.

Still more paint – credit card painted a text sheet.

Mixed the colour together to get the mid teal and added a wash to another text page.

Still more paint …. what to do? Ahah! Pulling prints – pulled out more text pages from an old book, tore into pieces and added it into the paint. Little too much, then smudged in onto another text sheet.

Still more paint… what next? Ahah! Tissue paper – grabbed a handful, narrowly avoiding a pin left in it by my grandmother and avoiding injury. Added teal in a wash. Grabbed another brush with a bit of yellow and added highlights; another brush with blue.

Almost over… grabbed a sponge and added circles onto a text sheet…

That’s it ….. no more paint; AND it’s dinner time and I can hear the boys fighting – better clean up and get dinner ready!

Phew! What an epic paint session! What a mess! I can hardly get out of the room!

Thanks for getting to the end! Happy crusading!

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GPP No 53 ~ Mad Scientists

Crusaders, this month we must go forth bravely and mix colours!

Michelle Ward has challenged us to create and name new colours in GPP No 53 – Mad Scientists.

As luck would have it, I have been doing a spot of paint mixing these last few weeks.

Firstly I created Spicy Cinnamon, to match some scrapbooking paper I’m using to create “Journal Jumps” (inspired by Samantha Kira Harding, Somerset Studio – March/April 2011 p84).

The paper is a dark red / maroon and my red paint needed quite a bit of terracotta (light brown) with a touch of darker brown and cream.

The second colour I blended was an attempt to make cream, which I was using for the background in my journal jumps. I’m almost out of Warm White and thought (?!?!) I could create an off-white blend by adding a little yellow / light bone to lots of white.

Sometimes I do really wonder what I was thinking! At times, it’s like my inner toddler just won’t believe it can’t work out just as I imaged it will! Having said that, I did really like the colour I came up with – it’s the depths of winter here and it was like a ray of sunlight had hit the page and brought a smile to my face. So I’m naming this colour Sunny Glow.

I liked this so much I even added a daub of colour into my sketchbook and added notes on how I had made it (unlike the Spicy Cinnamon, which I needed to replicate and hadn’t written down which colours or approx how much of each!)

Thanks for visiting, Crusaders ~ and to Michelle for creating another great challenge (I was a bit worried when I initially saw the wall painting!) This is so much fun. I’m sure I will do some more paint mixing before the month ends.

Happy Crusading!

P.S. Please leave a comment – I will be along to see your work soon!

GPP Crusade No. 42 – Strip Ease

We entered the world of scary creativity this month – Michelle Ward, over at GPP Street Team, wanted us to TEAR paper!?!!? Can you believe it? No neat cutting, limited straight lines…. moving from neat, orderly grids to freestyle tearing, without a month in between. Hence it has taken me until the end of the month to find the courage to face this Crusade.

But guess what? It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be; I managed to tear paper into strips and stick them down, without too much fuss at all! And the funny thing is, Michelle also reveals to us her concerns when first faced with the prospect of tearing paper and how overcoming her paper tearing fears helped her to loosen up. It is a liberating experience!

Here is what I did:

I had the facing page after last months Grid Lock Crusade, so I thought it would make a nice juxtaposition to put the tearing next to the grids. It was a gesso’d and painted over altered book layout.

Then I collected some left over pages from the last challenge and added a few others that fitted in with the blue colouring. I tore some up and down, and others side ways, and laid them out as I went.

Next I needed to stick them down. I liked the arrangement and needed a way to get the bottom layer stuck down first but didn’t want to try to move it all over or play pick up sticks with all of the pieces. As I was in a book, I closed the book without moving my arranged strips, then turned the whole book over and opened it again. Then I had all of the strips facing the wrong way, perfect for pulling off the “top” piece, adding glue and then sticking it down. I kept adding pieces until I had a good coverage of the background.

I am pleased with the final piece, although still tempted to cover it with a little gesso to tone down the bright blue and bring all of the elements together. But I will leave this layout as it is, hopefully true to the Crusade’s vision.

Thanks again to Michelle Ward, for assisting me to overcome my paper tearing worries!

Happy creating, fellow Crusaders!

GPP Crusade No. 41 – Grid Lock

We are back on the Crusade trail this week! And Michelle and the Green Pepper Press Street Team are in Grid Lock. So we have hauled out our art journals and created a grid. As an engineer, I LOVE grids and order and structure, so I was in heaven!

I took this art journal / altered book page that I had already over painted. I kept the apple image and collected the bits and pieces around me to cut into squares.

I decided on a “cute” square size of about 4cm, with a bit of a gap, making my grid at 9cm and then halving it. Then I wanted to have the half squares around the edges, so I indented the start of the grid, then marked out the 4.5cm squares. I debated about not actually marking the grid with a pencil on my painted background but decided it would be much easier to align each square if the grid was drawn in, so the pencil lines add a certain grunginess about it.

Next I cut up a variety of papers into 4cm squares using my trusty Centipede cutter and laid them out on the page, taking care not to sneeze. I am always amazed at how patterns and structure appears when I am trying to arrange the squares to seem random. This was the first layout.

I needed another two colours / papers so cut those and rearrange the squares. By standing back and squinting, I took the colour and pattern composition into consideration – not too many solid blue squares together; not having two of the same paper touching, even as diagonals (didn’t quite succeed there). This was the final layout – can YOU spot the difference?

Next I edged each square with either denim or sepia ink. Some were direct to paper from the ink pad. Some were using a sponge or stippling brush.  Then I finally stuck each square down carefully, taking care not to turn the squares around the wrong way. I used double sided tape for the thicker ones and PVA glue for the rest. To add a little more grunginess, I added some white gel pen and dark blue pencil lines over the pencil lies, but only at intervals and for some sections.

This was so much fun – I had it completed in a few hours. This layout is on the right hand side of the spread. I may extend the grid across the left hand side to complete the layout. I may even turn the grid 90 degrees and turn my hand at diamonds. I shall report back.

Fare thee well, fellow Crusaders. May all of ye avaid the grid lock….

*smiles*

Michelle

GPP Crusade No 39 – Pulling Prints

Michelle Ward, at the helm of the Green Pepper Press Street Team Crusades, has raised the bar, yet again. This month we have been challenged to Pull Prints, with monoprinting. Now, I have tried monoprinting before and been left disappointed with the results, but I have faith in Michelle and was willing to give it a go again.

First I gathered my supplies. I don’t have any Tyvek, so I used scrap paper, then some of the cereal box inserts.

I decided for the base to use come cardboard covered with cereal box plastic. My first prints were a little too wet and splodgy.

Then I found a large sheet of glass and decided to give that a go. Again, the initial prints were too wet and the red paint was very thick. As more prints were pulled, the texture get more interesting.

Third try with less red paint and on top of the previous paint on the glass.

By this time I was getting a little weary. I cut a heart from plastic film, added a bit more red paint and gave it one last go…

These were the first two, as per Michelle’s instructions. Then I “repainted” the glass and tried again…

I think I’m beginning to get the hang of it. Lessons learned:

1. Get everything ready before you begin, including paper towel to clean off the glass when changing colours

2. Have LOTS of card stock on hand

3. Read Michelle’s instructions first, rather than while the paint is drying on the glass

4. Have fun playing and try not to get too stressed when it doesn’t look just like Michelle’s

Now I have to go and clean up my mess – well, I am letting all of the prints dry first…

Thanks again to Michelle and all the members of the Street Team.

*smiles*
Michelle