Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at 12:00PM Just making a little mail art over here. Hoping to get my act together this year and do a swap!
MAILART: print of my be bold canvas. vintage ledger paper. to do tab. wasi tape. vintage grocery stamps. painted paper plate circles. patterened paper scraps. vintage postage stamps.
Saturday, February 1, 2014 at 11:30AM Welcome to Week 6 of The Documented Life Project!
February 1 - Open Your/A Pinterest Board and Be Inspired!
At first I wasn't sure about this challenge. Pinterest is a tad bit overwhelming on a good day - to open a board and be inspired could easily lead to hours of surfing beautiful pages and boards. To simplify things and keep my "surfing time" to a minimum, I chose to open one of my own boards - Tutorials. This is what I found!
I loved sharing how to make this mini canvas and everything about the way it turned out- the colors, the texture and the interesting look the paint took on. I took the challenge one step further and only allowed myself to use watercolors. Watercolors are a fairly new medium for me and I am much more comfortable using acrylic paints. I thought this would push me to use the watercolors, experiment with them a little more...
I used a piece of watercolor paper that was already collaged on the reverse side for my tip-in page this week. I chose a pretty, bright palette and following the lines of my pinterest inspiration I began painting.
As it turned out, I taped my tip-in backwards (NOT the first time) and so I had to create my challenge on the back of my collaged paper. I could have removed the tape and started over, but I chose to leave it as is. Now I have TWO pretty pages this week.
I quickly and loosely applied a bright "frame" like border to my page, followed by several large circles of color. Next I added some swathes of color to the bottom edges of the page. I applied several colors of the paint to my hand-carved feather stamp and then stamped my page. I love it!
Once all the paint had been applied and dried, I added little pops of white using my favorite white pen of all time. You can see that I have a lot to learn about moving and thinning color, but overall I enjoyed the challenge. Watercolor paints leave such a beautiful fluid look to your page when applied correctly. I look forward to giving this technique some more practice!
I am looking forward to seeing your interpretations of this week's challenge and I can't wait to meet you back here next week!
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Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 5:00AM This week for my 15 minutes of mixed media I took a cue from a challenge in another project I am working on - The Documented Life Project. I wrote an entire two pages of journaling, then painted over all but what I felt like sharing.
Before I set the timer this week I chose a two page layout that had been prepped with a simple background- just a few swipes of bright paint.
Once the clock was ticking I started writing. I wrote in pencil and paint. I had my embosser handy, as always, to dry layers more quickly, saving me lots of time. Once I finished journaling I started layering. First I painted over most of my writing with large circles of yellow and blue paint. I like to use glossy craft paints for these little pops of color.
The scalloped border was created using a handcut cardstock stencil. Lots of little black and white details were added using my favorite thing ever- paints pens. Another recycled stencil, a scrap of laser cut lace paper, was used with spray inks to create lots of tiny colorful squares all over my page. I used a hand carved stamp to create feather leaves.
My journal layout this week is bold and bright. I am learning to be brave and let go and let the colors choose themselves. Sometimes, like this week, they are pretty wild, and not what I would usually choose- but I like it!
Supplies at the ready when the clock started ticking this week: 4 colors of craft paint, black and white paint pens, two recycled cardstock stencils, hand carved feather stamp, sunshine dylusions spray ink, brown staz on ink pad, pencil.
Want to see more simple background ideas for your art journal pages created using 15 minutes of mixed media? Read here----->
Saturday, January 25, 2014 at 11:46AM Welcome to Week 5 of the THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT.
January 25 - Add a Doodle Border to your page.
This week I chose a piece of vintage ledger paper as my tip in. I added large swipes of translucent watercolor and two large colorful collaged circles.
I doodled a large feather as my border, then decided it needed more. I added lots of scallops and circles with a permanent pen. Then I began to fill in with color. I even added another piece of bright washi tape. I added some doodled circles and dots to my collage shapes.
Doodling is so fun, but truthfully it is not the easiest thing for me. I am better with a more sketchy approach and so my doodling always apprears a little shaky when I try to make it pretty and symmetrical. I try to compensate for this with color.
I filled in my scallops with dylusions inks. I knew the colors would bleed out on the old paper but wanted them to appear more fluid like and less like zentangle. I love how the bright hues all popped together. Once the inks were dry I added little dots of white to make the bold colors stand out even more.
It is very difficult for me to confine a layout to one layer. This week was the perfect challenge for me for that reason. All of the doodles helped make my tip in appear as if it were more than one dimension, so I was happy with my page in the end.
Looking forward to seeing your interpretations of this week's challenge and I can't wait to meet you back here next week for some more exciting fun!
Find out more about Art to the 5th and see a list of archived challenges here ----->
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Post your challenge response to your favorite social media and upload it to our Flickr group or Facebook group to share in the community of Life Documentors.
Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 5:00AM If you are participating in The Documented Life Project and are anything like me, you may be having a hard time leaving your planner or journal alone!
As I was creating challenges over the past few weeks, it occurred to me that I needed a longer place marker. Because my book is so chunky I knew my sewing options were limited. Here is what I came up with ----->
I grabbed some beautiful recycled sari ribbon a pal gifted to me, and some colorful thread.
Next I moved the detachable arm piece of my sewing machine out far enough that I could rest my planner on it. I opened my planner to the center and rested it on the arm, stretching the original place marker out as far as I could.
I opened the sari ribbon up and wrapped it around the end of the original place marker, getting as close to the book as possible. I secured it with a straight pin until I had it under the foot of the machine. Once under the foot (it will move a little) I lowered the foot and removed the pin. I stitched back and forth a few times to secure the two markers together. Moving downward from my stitching, I opened the sari ribbon and wrapped it around the original marker.
Once secured, I stitched the sari ribbon, rotating from horizontal to vertical stitching every few inches.
Lastly, I trimmed the ribbon and threads. I added a pretty bead, knotting the ribbon just below it a few times until secured. If I need more length as the year goes on, I can undo one or two of the knots and easily make my marker longer.
Now my planner has a pretty place marker that can handle the bulk of my book! I love it!
Want to make your place marker longer or prettier? This was an easy and FREE project. Just dig through your stash and grab a piece of ribbon or colorful twine and stitch away. Don't sew? Use a tacky fabric glue and set aside to dry overnight!
READ HERE -----> to see how I added a removable zipper pouch (in about five minutes) to my planner here!
READ HERE TO LEARN MORE AND JOIN ME IN DOCUMENTING YOUR DAILY LIFE! Enjoy!
The Documented Life Project, agenda, art stuff, arttothe5th, documented life, mini tutorial, mixed media, moleskine planner, planner, sewing stuff, the process | in Art To The 5th, On The Worktable, Repurposed Life, The Documented Life Project, art stuff, live the repurposed life, mini tutorial, mixed media, sewing stuff, studio stuff, the process, tutorials | Email Article | Permalink Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 5:01AM This week's 15 minutes of mixed media challenge turned out even better than I had hoped. I love the colors.
This week I started with a ghost print of a gelli print. This was a print that was already in my art journal. It gave me a slight edge, as starting with a back ground will do. I like it. Sometimes it is a great springboard for color and definition on a page.
Having backgrounds at the ready in your journal is a simple way to add layers to your 15 minute challenge as well as perserve supplies. I never wipe my gelli plate to clean it. I always keep printing until all the paint is depleted. This makes beautiful ghost (or light) prints. I also like to take extra paint off of the palette and swipe it on the page, smearing it out from the center as I go. To do this I like to use an old credit card or a scraper.
Here is the short list of supplies that I had on hand before I started the timer. Remember, having just a few supplies at the ready saves valuable time when the clock is ticking! *5 paint colors (just run of the mill cheap craft paints. I would list the colors, but most of them are so old the labels are worn off) *sticky note tabs *permanent marker *black and white paint pens *glue stick *scraps of painted deli paper *stamp *stamp pad *embosser (to speed up the drying process in between layers) *dylusions blue spray ink
Setting the timer is certainly a challenge on most days, but it gets my creative mind racing. I usually begin a bit harried, but by the time the buzzer rings I am in a flow. Remember- if you are joining in on this challenge and setting the timer- THIS IS YOUR ART JOURNAL. Depending on your schedule and what goals you have set for yourself, YOU DON'T HAVE TO STOP THERE. Keep creating. If nothing else, you will have spent 15 minutes setting up a base for your layout. I choose to stick to the 15 minutes so that I can post honest to goodness 15 MINUTES OF MIXED MEDIA ART JOURNAL PAGES.
If you have started playing along I would love to hear about it. Love how your art is turning out when you set the timer? Send me a few photos via the contact page- I would love to see them! Enjoy!
Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 5:00AM This little post is in response to the dozens of requests I have had about my favorite paint colors. I have so many - but these are the few I seem to go most often!
In order from top to bottom, left to right ------>
LIQUITEX INKS - pyrrole red. quinacridon magenta. cadium yellow light hue.
GOLDEN ACRYLIC PAINTS- teal. quinacridone red. diarylide yellow.
ASSORTED ACRYLIC CRAFT PAINTS - I like the glossy colors too!
FolkArt- neon orange. Craft Smart- ocean breeze. Craft Smart- neon pink. Apple Barrel (gloss)- dandelion yellow. Craft Smart- neon yellow. Craft Essentials- apple tart. Craft Essentials- neon purple. Plaid Shiny- ultramarine blue.
GOLDEN HEAVY BODY NEON ACRYLICS - Fluorescent Green, Fluorescent Chartreuse, Fluorescent Orange, Fluorescent Red, Fluorescent Pink.
I hope this helps. As I choose new favorites I will post them here to share with you! Happy Creating!
art journaling, art stuff, mixed media, my style, paint, painting, studio stuff | in art stuff, art journal, mixed media, my style, painting, studio stuff | Email Article | Permalink Saturday, January 18, 2014 at 12:00PM Welcome to Week 4 of The Documented Life Project!
January 19 Challenge - Write a Secret Message. Paint over all but one key word.
This was a great challenge for me this week. I have had a lot of feelings running through my head that needed to be written down, but not necessarily rehashed every day. Somehow the process of painting over it all helped put it to rest.
Leaving just one encouraging word peeking through turned a discouraging thought encouraging. My key word for this challenge is STRENGTH. A perfect word to pair up with my One Little Word for the year, LOVE. These two words are a written reminder of where I need my focus to be in the coming months. If I remain strong in all things, and love what I do and who I am with, I will have a wonderful year.
I used a book paper collage I created on a trip with my Art to the 5th pals in Grand Cayman last September as the base of my tip in page for this week's challenge. I have been saving it for something special. Since the whole idea for THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT began to form on that trip, thanks to the ever talented Lorraine Bell, it seemed fitting to add it into my planner for the year.
I added my secret message to the backside of this tip-in collage, stitching on a stamped message telling you where to look on the front of the page.
The bold colors seemed to go hand in hand with my word STRENGTH. I added lots of deli paper shapes, adding pops of color through black washi tape and paint pens. A wheel shaped stamp is the latest addition to my favorite recycled tools in the studio, and is an empty thread spool!
I plan on doing some extra special stuff to the date side of the page this week. I had a pal tell me today that I needed to celebrate myself, (with a big birthday coming up) and so I think I will paint and doodle and ink and stitch away to my hearts content. Maybe I will make everyday a special day this week!
Looking forward to your interpretations of this week's challenge and can't wait to meet you back here next week!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/
Thursday, January 16, 2014 at 5:00AM Sometimes we don't always get what we want, but we might get lucky and like what we end up with.
So I wanted to carve a feather stamp. Feathers are my favorite thing right now, but...but it turns out that if you don't use your stamp carving tools for months you lose your touch. What I ended up with looks more like a leaf or branch of some kind, but I like it. I like the imperfections in each feather/leaf - not unlike in nature. If you want to have your own little imperfect feather leaf here is what I did ----->
1. Grab an eraser. I like the cheap ones from The Dollar Tree if you are just starting out. They aren't the best quality, but they come in a 3 or 4 pack for a dollar and are great for beginners. I also like how they stay rigid when you go to stamp with them. You will also need a stamp carving tool. I use this SPEEDBALL set and love it. And you will need a pencil to draw your word or design on the eraser.
2. Draw your design. Don't forget to use tracing paper if you are writing a word or special design that will need to be drawn in reverse.
3. Start carving. Slow is key for me. This particular tool came with several cutting heads in the base of the handle. I used the smallest one for outlining my design first, then went back and carved out more with a larger, deeper cutting tool.
4. Finish off with the flat blade to smooth things out. My homemade stamps don't always look pretty when I am finished, but they stamp great!
Obviously I need to brush up on my stamp carving skills some more, but I think I will keep it. I like it's quirky shape and style. Here is what it looks like on a tag card project I did. Enjoy!
TAG CARD: gelli printed tag. painted deli paper scraps. book paper scraps. oil pastels. paint pens. machine stitching. thank you stamp from dollar bin at Target. my hand carved feather leaf stamp. recycled seam binding.
art stuff, gelli art, gelli plate, gelliart, mini tutorial, sewing stuff, stamp carving, stamped, tag, tag card, the process, tutorial | in Home Made, On The Worktable, Recycled, art stuff, live the repurposed life, mini tutorial, mixed media, sewing stuff, studio stuff, the process, tutorials | Email Article | Permalink Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 5:00AM Usually I post a finished art journal layout for my weekly 15 MINUTES OF MIXED MEDIA, but this week I wanted to share something a little different. If you are setting the timer at home, this will help give you an edge when creating while the clock is ticking. The end result could be something like this --->
Many times when I sit down and set the clock, I start with a blank page. Other days I give myself a creative springboard in the form of a premade background. This can be as simple as a single color border or as complex as a gelli print covering the entire span of the page.
Starting with a background allows you to start building layers as soon as the clock starts ticking. Your 15 MINUTES OF MIXED MEDIA will be more detailed when beginning this way. Here are a few backgrounds that are simple to create and will make a great starting point.
I like to have a handful of backgrounds completed in my art journal at all times. This way I can choose one that speaks to me when I sit down to create. Having premade backgrounds is also great for creating on the go! Here are some more 15 MINUTES OF MIXED MEDIA art journal pages--->
