Journal 52 : Week 43

Journal 52 is a weekly prompt from Effy Wild (Free HERE) that I'm creating on a deck of jumbo playing cards 3.5'' x 4.75'' (8.5 x 12 cm). Each card will include stitch, a found word, and be inspired by the project I've been working on that week or what's lying leftover on my work table. See the original post HERE. I was inspired this week by my experiments with alcohol inks on the gelli plate that I shared in my previous post. Used a piece for my background and cut a heart out of another.

#43 : Listen I've always loved the quote "Listen to your heart, it knows the way"

Find all my Journal 52 posts HERE

Play time : Alcohol inks

I was inspired this week by Birgit Koopsen's experiments with alcohol inks on her gelli plate. See her video HERE and also her Instagram HERE with extra ideas. I already had a few alcohol inks, and then was given a 50% off voucher for Warehouse Stationery and purchased these :

What fun even though my prints don't look at all like Birgit's! I need to practice more with mixing or maybe limiting my colours and the right amount of white paint but there's nothing here I won't be able to use. If you click on any photo it will enlarge.

I probably need to try better quality paper since I used some large paper placemats for some of this printing and they wrinkled.

Even these "failures" which I did before ink had dried properly are pretty - like old walls of peeling paint

and I cleaned up with a cosmetic sponge and Ranger alcohol blending solution which will help lift the inks

There's nothing here I don't like - and I'm very happy with areas that I'll be able to tear and use as collage elements in future projects. I decided to crop a few photos for examples just for fun....

Journal 52 : Weeks 42

Journal 52 is a weekly prompt from Effy Wild (Free HERE) that I'm creating on a deck of jumbo playing cards 3.5'' x 4.75'' (8.5 x 12 cm). Each card will include stitch, a found word, and be inspired by the project I've been working on that week or what's lying leftover on my work table. See the original post HERE. 

#42 =  only 10 to go til the end of the year! Inspired by this image which a friend shared from FB about the importance of smaller steps to attain your goals.

#42 : Reach

Find all my Journal 52 posts HERE

Cheap and Free classes you don't want to miss

There are a couple of online classes I just have to share with you today so you don't miss out. Have you joined The Painted Paper Project Kindness Movement? 

Created by Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene, and featuring tutorials by more than 10 lovely artists, Rae has warned that doors are closing on this FREE offering in November so get in there now. Once you've enrolled you get to keep the content. I have been inspired by watching a few of the videos, and have so far created the lovely tags at the top of this post, inspired by the lesson called Encouragement bites by Kristi Nazzaro - also available free on her site. Here are some recent "Envelopes of Kindness" that Rae's created. I can't wait for my Summer holidays to have more fun with this. 

I also adore Laly Mille's work

In January I created a lovely Book of Whispers inspired by her class and more recently I shared cards I'd created from a Free Life book Taster lesson. To celebrate 10 years of painting, she's created a Free online offering called Artist Soul. 

It's only on offer for a very limited time 21-26 OCT. 2020 so check it out now. She also still has available her FREE video series about supplies and it's worth a look.

Another artist I love is Tracy Verdugo - she has a couple of FREE classes on offer

and has recently announced a special deal of US$27 for Jump into Abstract Painting

I'm considering purchasing this because of the price and that it's a Tracy class I can afford right now. One of the things I've been thinking about recently is about the reasons to continue to purchase new online art classes when I already have a bunch that I've only looked at and many that are not completed. There is a lot on offer and you can want to take *all the things* for fear of missing out. It's also very easy to feel guilty when you sign up for something and then don't have time to do it. I only pay for things with lifetime access, so I can do them in my own time, and I know my art style so I can use my head a bit more when making decisions. But another reason to purchase classes if you can afford to (and I'm always on the look-out for a bargain) is to financially support teachers you love. I want those online teachers I love to keep being able to do what they do. 

A heads up that in the past I have bought classes on great deals in Black Friday Sales -these are examples from 2019 and that's where I purchased Laly's Book of Whispers mentioned above. This year's date is November 27th so mark your diaries to check out your favourite artists for potential specials then. 

Journal 52 : Week 41

Journal 52 is a weekly prompt from Effy Wild (Free HERE) that I'm creating on a deck of jumbo playing cards 3.5'' x 4.75'' (8.5 x 12 cm). Each card will include stitch, a found word, and be inspired by the project I've been working on that week or what's lying leftover on my work table. See the original post HERE.
#41 : Centre To be grounded in the present - there is a busy term of work ahead and other things in my world that are uncertain and challenging, but to make art is to take a moment to sit just with what is in front of me. I always feel better when I create. 

Find all my Journal 52 posts HERE

Perfect, not perfect.

One of the reasons I love taking collaborative workshops is because you get to make discoveries of new wonderful artists. In the Free Life Book 2021 Taster event one such new discovery for me is Maria Pace-Wynters. 

Her gorgeous lesson was called Perfect, not perfect : how to make the perfect mess and stop perfectionism from limiting your creative life. It was a lesson in using acrylic inks, lots of water and blotting, and enjoying the flow - the beauty of what evolves with happy accidents. Was a bit of a scary process in the art journal and I made it this far with the mess of ink, water and blotting before I moved into a more controlled way of working.

And as I continued to work on her, I was reminded of the reasons I work in my art journal 

I just love the whole process of creating - experience and expression, process not perfection. I will keep going until I find the face that I love in this and I'm learning with every page how I can try and use a teacher's inspiration to add something to my own art and creative voice. She doesn't look like anyone else's and I love that.

Wishing you a happy and creative weekend - whatever that looks like for you.

Journal 52 : Week 40

Journal 52 is a weekly prompt from Effy Wild (Free HERE) that I'm creating on a deck of jumbo playing cards 3.5'' x 4.75'' (8.5 x 12 cm). Each card will include stitch, a found word, and be inspired by the project I've been working on that week or what's lying leftover on my work table. See the original post HERE.
#40 : Adorn Inspired by some tags I've been making, and since I've just started working in a new watercolour journal, I decided to start with a watercolour base with some leftover printing. The circles behind the words are also watercolour.

Of course once I started stitching pieces onto the card, it took an unexpected turn ♥ 

Find all my Journal 52 posts HERE

New Art Journal

I loved my altered art journal which started life as an old children's book. Very rarely did I wish for something different in the way of base pages which were thick and covered with text that showed through most of my finished art - an effect I loved. 

While I did work in a Watercolour Calendar journal (spiral bound and cheap paper) in 2014, and I created my own watercolour journal from the pages I used for my She Blooms in Ink class with Tam in 2018, I've never purchased and worked in a proper, quality page weight, bound watercolour journal. 

I am equal parts excited and nervous to work in this! So many choices of what I could do on my first page, and a very white blank page it was to start with....I decided that I would try a lesson from the Free Life Book 2021 Taster event since it's only available for a couple of weeks. Inspired by a watercolour mixed media portrait lesson by Toni Burt. If you click on her name you'll find some free tutorials to try with her. 

Brave beginning - my non-dominant (left) hand with non-permanent pencil. 

Watercolours, black permanent polychromos pencil and a little collage with Daler Rowney ink in the background and my first page in my new art journal is done. 

Happy Sunday.

Altered Art Journal Cover

In my previous journal post, I shared the spread which completed my altered art journal. It started life as an old children's book which I purchased quite cheaply at a Red Cross Book Sale and I've enjoyed the thick pages with text that often showed through as part of my backgrounds. See all the art I created in it over the past couple of years by clicking HERE for 2019 and HERE for 2020. 

I wanted to retain some of the cover, and the spine needed repair. Started with white gesso to prep the bits I'm going to alter. I maybe should have done a couple of layers and made it smoother, but in the end it adds to the magical feeling for me - as though the flowers have materialised in front of them. Decided I'd go with pretty background colours and then use the stencil which featured in both my first and last page

I had no expectations but this isn't where I thought I'd end up. I love that it's unexpected; I love that I've retained much of the original cover; the paints are my favourite colours; I adore the Shine (both the word and use of iridescent paints); and I enjoy the details of the wording on the original cover

They now look like they're touching magical flowers

Isn't the back cover sweet?

It began like this

and finished like this

It's definitely been an adventure. Now all blooming and complete, it makes me very happy.

And now I can start my new journal which is totally different with very white pages!