A few art journal pages

 It's been quite awhile since I've played in my art journals. I've been working so much with paper and collage that I decided this week that it was time to get messy again!

I took a mini tutorial/class from Tiare Smith online and these were two of the pages she showed. 

She provided the "coloring book" drawing above and I tore around it and adhered it to a page in my journal. I sealed it with clear gesso so the ink wouldn't run and the media I put on top would blend well. The background is just a few different colors of blue and green acrylic smeared randomly and then white gesso added with a brayer when it was dry.  I used Faber Castell Big Brush pens to color in the image. These are water soluble while wet but permanent when dry (they are India ink).  The big takeaway I got from Tiare for this page was that you don't have to color in each tiny space of an intricate pattern. A large swath of color is ok too.

For this page I started with one that I had already painted with an ivory acrylic paint. I experimented with my new Vicki Boutin art crayons I received from a friend for my birthday. These are much like many of the watercolor crayons on the market from different manufacturers. I found these to be very creamy and pigmented. I used them in three ways: first I used a wet paintbrush to pick up color from the crayons directly and then painted different areas of the background for a watercolor look; secondly I colored directly onto the page with the crayons and then used a wet brush to blend the pigment; and lastly I scribbled the black crayon on a non-porous surface and watered it down to splatter on the background with a brush.

It felt good to get back into mixed media!

More October Swaps

I've joined two other swaps for October - the quarterly "inchie house" and the monthly AT coin.

There was no theme for the inchie houses, so I decided to go with a Halloween theme. I made haunted houses. I cut wonky houses out of watercolor paper, added textured sand paste and then painted them black. The doors and windows are cut from scraps of watercolor paper and colored with paint pens. These were fun to make.

The theme for the altered trading coins was "witchy woman" so I added these "cute" witches to a background of Halloween paper. They were all from one image having a tea party and two fit perfectly on each coin. It's hard to see in the photo, but I lightly colored their faces and hands with a green marker.

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"6 Days of Halloween Spooktacular" Swap

 I joined a 6-day Halloween swap with five others. Each of us made a Halloween project (X5) and were assigned a day number. This week is the "reveal." We open one gift per day according to the numbers.

I had Day One and this is what I made for everyone.

They are "skeletons on a stick." The bases are old wooden thread spools wrapped with Halloween papers and tied with black eyelash fiber. I dry-brushed the skeletons with black paint and used orange Stickles in the eyes. The hats are also Halloween papers with pompoms on top and orange tinsel around the brim. The neck ruffles are mimi Halloween cupcake liners; skirts are ruffled black net with silver stars and moons and the banners are circle-punched orange glitter card stock with sticker letters. 

Once I had them finished I had to think of how to mail them. I didn't want to add the expense and weight of cardboard boxes to fit, so I recycled tonic water bottles! I cut two in half, inserted the skeleton and then taped them back together. After wrapped the join with Halloween patterned paper, I added the address label. The P.O. had a good laugh when I took them in to mail. I think they brought a smile to the recipients too.

Still Another Wreath

 I guess I'm on a wreath kick this fall. I promise this is the last one! Since I'd made one for fall and Christmas, I needed one for Halloween. Again, I've had this on my to-do list for a few years and am glad to have finished it in time for Halloween this year.

This one was so easy! Except for Mod Podging the papers to the clothespins, no glue is involved! The pins are simply clipped to the wire wreath form. I used more pastel fall-colored paper scraps to give it a softer look. The tags were in my stash and are "faux stitched" with a white chalk pen. Can't wait to put this out for Halloween.

September Swaps

Another month and more art swaps with my online group. I signed up for quite a few this time, so I've been busy.

The altered trading coins' theme for September is "colors of autumn leaves." I used several spray inks to create the mottled background and added an embossed metal leaf colored with alcohol inks. The "title" is part of a stamp heat-embossed on vellum.

The second swap was for a pink or breast cancer card. This was one I had done sometime at a convention using breast cancer resist papers and watercolor crayons.

Next is a "Shabby Chic Pink" tag swap - make and send three and receive three back.

These tags were made on a collaged background, which you can barely see now they are finished! I've added a portion of paper doily, vintage lace, paper and satin flowers, tiny labels and definitions, butterflies and floral cards mounted on distressed book pages. The ties are sari silk.

This month's junk journal page swap had no theme so I went with nature - birds, butterflies, flowers, mushrooms and lots of green.

This is the front of the page with a flip-up journal card at the top.

this is the fiont of the page with the card flipped up.

The back has a wide lace pocket at the bottom. Inside is tucked a double pocket insert made with book pages.

This is the double pocket with the tags. I used lots of collage, as always.

Looking forward to receiving mine in return!

 

Ready for Christmas?

Last year I saw a similar wreath on Pinterest and wanted to make one. I found a checked napkin at the Target dollar spot and already had an embroidery hoop but that is as far as I got! So this year I'm starting early and just finished this cute wreath. It was so easy I don't know why I procrastinated so long. I love it!

Dollar Tree Autumn Wreath

 Oh my gosh, where does the time go? You'd think that during lockdown time would slow, but I'm finding it's galloping along and I'm not sure what I've been doing!

Last week I did make a fall wreath that's been on my to-do list. Most of the supplies are from Dollar Tree - twine, pumpkins, leaves, metal word and three splatter screens.  All kinds of wreaths are on Pinterest using splatter screens - who thinks of these things? 

Anyway, I'm happy with how it came out and it was a fairly quick and easy diy. I'm ready for fall!