Art journal page

Art journal page in my Full Tilt Boogie journal. I am 2/3 of the way through - 30 to go! This time started with a base page of sheet music

I decided when I added my first pieces of my collage to let some of the music still show

Then I added some doodling

and a few words of found text completed this one

Click on the photo to see it larger

It's not quite summer in New Zealand but we're working on it :-) You can see all the Full Tilt Boogie journal pages in my Flickr Set

Arty books

It is a wet and stormy day here in Palmerston North, New Zealand - a good time to share some books :-)
I've been shopping online at book depository again. Great prices and no postage anywhere in the world! I love Traci Bautista's work and when I discovered she had a new book out on printmaking, I had to use some birthday money to make that purchase.

Sneak a peek inside via Amazon

Her books are a great reference for your arty bookshelf and this is a valuable addition to mine. She divides this book into 3 sections

Click on the photo to see her contents page clearly

The first is about a variety of {sometimes unexpected} tools to print with

The second section is about doing the actual printing, and the third is project inspiration - mixing up and layering techniques. Although she uses perspex as a printing plate because she likes to scratch marks into the surface, many of the techniques would be just as applicable to a gelli plate. She includes ideas for digital printmaking, using all sorts of tools for monoprinting, as well as ways of creating various acrylic translucent skins ....now I just need time to have a play. Go HERE for my post when I was first thinking about this book - it has useful links to inspiration and Youtube demos by Traci related to this book.
Another artist you know I adore is Alisa Burke. For a long time I have considered buying Sew Wild.

Although I don't need to be shown many of the techniques, this is also a great book to have on my shelf, bringing lots of ideas into one place. 

As you can see from the contents page, like Traci's book there are many ideas for printmaking and surface design. Alisa's techniques are shown on fabric, although they could equally be used on paper, and I love her section on stitching since she also reminds you of ideas for alternative surfaces

click on any photo to see it larger

This book includes a DVD, demonstrating techniques using printed materials shown in the book. Her drawing and sewing projects nicely complement her latest class Redefining Creativity - one lesson of which is devoted to Redefining Fibre. Although the projects in themselves aren't so inspiring to me, I could apply the techniques of this fabric wreath to another project, and she demonstrates making another fabric flower on the DVD.

Both these artists and their books inspire me - exploring free-form mark making, using a variety of tools (including a sewing machine) on different surfaces, and both of them encourage everyone to find their own artistic voice. Happily my public library also has this DVD by Alisa which encourages you to let loose creating fabric. It's awesome to have so many resources to feed my creative soul!

Hope you are finding some creative time in your weekend. Talk to you again soon

Watercolour Calendar journaling

It's Spring in New Zealand :-) This heading was done with oil pastel and I added some white crayon swirls for fun. The crayons acted as a resist when followed by a wash of watercolour. I added a little bit of pen embellishment too.

click on any photo to see it larger

Been feeling like I've been fitting in some better creative time lately...although still hankering after time to stitch during the day, I'm managing to do some art journaling in the evenings additional to my daily calendar journaling.

Blogged about these pages HERE, HERE  and HERE

I've also bought a couple of books from Book Depository lately, this being one of them. 

My second page started with spray through my lovely large fern stencil

I like that I can capture my process on the blog, because they are definitely background by the end of the page when I started by thinking they might be a feature. I was reading and acquiring more lovely books. Read this and LOVED it - it's a children's book from our library, but adults can certainly enjoy it too :

It was a busy and happy week.

You can see all my calendar journal pages in my flickr set HERE.

I am excited to say I have only 1 more spread left to show you in this journal!

Art journal page 61

Evolution of a journal page :

Base page was the sheet music you can see on the right

more flowers

butterfly rub-ons

white pen for the finishing touches

page complete

You can see all the Full Tilt Boogie journal pages in my Flickr Set

Watercolour Calendar Journaling

Some more in my watercolour calendar journal from August. Whenever I just can't decide how to start a page I get out my stencils. The left of this was sprayed through the stencil, and the right page was used to blot the remaining ink to get the stamped image

I loved those colours and decided to add some tape that would tone but add something else

Click on any photo to see it larger

This tape is great in that it inspires me to add some pink next. I was watching a cool video from Teesha Moore over at the Artstronauts Club where she used ink in a water brush. I decided I'd like to try that to do some lettering so decanted some bubblegum pink

And here's the pink added to the page!

I went a bit crazy - partly because I loved the look of the pink, and its effect over the other ink, but also because I had more than I realised in the brush and didn't want to waste too much of it. Here's what happened on the other page

Then I went back to adding some more of the tape trim to my original page 

Happily, I went to see "The Hundred-Foot Journey" - happily because it's a lovely movie, and also because the tape tied in nicely with the Indian aspect. I also finished my Me Time Messages project that week.

Click on any page to see it larger

On the other page my flower got a bit more attention

My photos of my cards are a good record especially since these will be gifted away

I love the colour combinations in this spread...all because of the tape I added a the start :-)

You can see all my calendar journal pages in my flickr set HERE.

Cards

I needed another batch of cards with several birthdays coming up so started as I have in the past with 4 sheets of A4 cardboard which I sliced in half, and then folded to make card bases. This time I made them slightly different sizes

I started by spraying over a favourite stencil laid across 4 cards

Without removing the stencil, I used the other cards to lift the remaining ink off

Then I continued the process...I never know what I'm going to end up with and this time they are heavily layered!

Click on any photo to see it larger

Once dry, they are ready for various additions - tape, words, butterflies and I especially love to add stitch. These ones I'm calling done

And these ones still need some words once I decide who gets to receive them

Can't quite decide which one I like best. I am really happy with the last above which uses one of my own hand-cut stencils - need to do more of that when I have some time... Which one's your favourite?

Rose City Quilters : Celebration of Quilts exhibition

Another wonderful exhibition of work from our quilt club last weekend. Once again I came away so inspired and with renewed vows to quilt more over the next 2 years so I have some to show in the next exhibition...As you entered the show, there were 2 very striking raffle quilts

and then you were in with stands arranged to left and right

First stop for me was the guest exhibition by Erilyn McMillan

Click on any photo to see it larger

These are some of my favourite pieces of her work

There was also an exhibition of the Hoffman challenge winners for 2013/14. The challenge is to use a piece of fabric in an original quilt - this was the fabric 

Read a bit more about the challenge :

and these were my favourites :
Especially love this one since I am a school librarian 

"The Lion in the Library" by Sophie Wood (Christchurch)

- perhaps I will be inspired to make a fabulous quilt for them if I ever leave! (I've not even been there a year...this is not something I have to think about in the near future!)

"Rose Window" by Paula Franklin (Russell)

Fantastic variety created with the same fabric inspiration

"Go lightly in this world" by Cindy Dawson (Matamata)

As a lover of Klimt I had to smile at this special New Zealand version

"Ko wahine ahau" by Sue Barlett (Auckland)

Now for a share of the quilts that especially caught my eye in the main show....This one was striking in its use of colour and scale of design

"Remaining friends" by Jenny Davis

I would really like to make my own version of the pattern below - a lovely way to use a fabric range. By the same creator as the above...

"Modern maze" by Jenny Davis.

Also in lemon, this very sweet quilt - I think I was attracted by it because I have just had news that my niece has had a baby daughter and my head is full of possibilities of what I could make

"Apartment bugs" by Paula Shailer

Another by the same artist - the colours (love blue and brown together), the symmetry, the simplicity all appeal to me.

"Going round in circles on a practice run" by Paula Shailer

I love applique and this is beautiful :

"There are Tuis in my garden" by Sonja Revell

Remember that if you click on any photo you will see it larger. I enjoy sharing quilts with a New Zealand flavour for overseas viewers.

"These are a few of my favourite things. Colours of New Zealand" by Sandie Butcher

"Three of a kind" canvases by Wendy O'Neill

Sometimes quilts appeal because they are simply pretty. Lovely colours in this one.

"Garden delight" by Linda Torwick

There were almost 200 quilts on display so I can't share them all here. I hope I've given you some inspiration and a desire to visit one of our quilt shows in the future. If you would like to see more, pop over to the Rose City Quilters blog and see all the ribbon winners from the show HERE