Week 48 : DLP 2015

Information about the FREE weekly Documented Life project is HERE. There aren't many weeks left, and I had more pages left in my journal than required, so first up I needed to remove some pages from the remaining signatures...I tore them out carefully from behind the pages that had the stitching showing, so as not to damage the stitching

Then I placed masking tape over the (now loosened) stitching so that it would stay safe. I did this for a couple of reasons - the journal was bursting full with a few too many pages anyway :

and I really want to finish this journal at the end of 2015 and start fresh with something new in 2016. Now I have the right number of spreads left to complete this year's challenges. Here's this week's :

So happy to see this since I love using these supplies. Traci Bautista is this week's guest artist.
Summer has properly arrived at my house, and I've been in the garden this weekend, and also inspired by this wonderful book :

Take a peek inside via Amazon HERE. It's full of colour and gorgeous inspiration, including guest appearances by many of my current favourite artists. I especially love this piece which is a collaboration between Carrie Schmitt and Megan Jefferson :

Spirit Dance

Although I was happy enough with last week's spread (previous post), it wasn't as vibrant as I normally like, so this week I set out to create joyful bright layers with my flora themed stamps, stencil and masks. These are what I gathered as possibilities for use :

I wanted a little bit of collage peeking through, and then it was time to add gorgeous paint colours (you can see the masking tape down the centre of the spread)

Ran a bit of white gesso to slightly mute the part that will be my journaling block, and added stamping with a homemade stamp to define the area

Then decided I might like a bit more light contrast on the rest so added white paint with stamps and stencils

and just kept adding more layers of stamps, stencils and masks

The art prompt in full was a Henry James quote :  "Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind." Therefore I added those words 3 times around my spread (using stickers and rub-ons) and it's done - a riot of colour which makes me so happy :-)

Click on the photo to enjoy it larger or see it in the Flickr album I've created for all my Documented Life 2015 spreads HERE. You can see all my posts about this project HERE.
And that's farewell November...only 4 spreads to go.

Week 12 : DLP 2015

Information about the FREE Documented Life Project is HERE. 

I've been enjoying watching the videos in Roben-Marie's new workshop for the past couple of days so really wanted to use my gelli plate for this challenge. I was also inspired this week initially by a fellow challenge artist whose flowers reminded me of those by Angie Lewin and Anne Brookes. 
I started with my gelli plate and since I knew I wanted to do flowers, started with greens for my background and printed straight into my journal :

The second layer I went a bit lighter with the paint, but it didn't make a big difference to the left hand page

I wanted to have more contrast so reached for brown as another garden background colour. 

Should have reached for the raw umber, but instead used burnt sienna - it came out quite orange! I do love the effect of cleaning off your stencil with a baby wipe so that the paint rubs onto your page...

I had to tone it all down a bit, so added a layer of buff titanium - again used the wet wipe method to transfer even more of the paint across the page.

Still very green on the left, but think it will be okay once I start adding my flower layer which is soon. First I stamped with one of my own hand-carved stamps and green paint for leafy effect - it also marks out my journaling section for this week.

Because I didn't go brown in my background, I now happily have the option of using a favourite colour combination of turquoise and brown for my flowers. Also wanting some lighter flowers so added some buff titanium too when I painted in shapes to doodle on next

I'm going to use that lovely liquitex paint pen (photo above) for my flower doodling too. Click on any photo to see it larger.

I had such fun with my doodles, but made sure that some of the mark making from the gelli printing shows through in a few gaps between this layer of flowers

Here's this week's finished spread :

Unusually for me, this page is made entirely of mark making and doodles. I fulfilled the art challenge of them as a focal point, and the page came quite quickly into focus.
If you like mark making, you might like to check out Traci Bautista's bonus video on her blog HERE. It's a continuation from Lesson 3 of her free Strathmore workshop and she shares some fun ways to add handmade stamps and stencils over your printing.
You can see all my posts about the Documented Life project HERE and I've created a Flickr album for all my Documented Life 2015 spreads HERE.

Gelli printing : new class excitement!

So excited to see that Roben-Marie Smith has just launched a new gelli print making online workshop called Printmaker Pro.

It is on special until Sunday and I have signed up immediately! I took her Mixed Media Mayhem class and it was fabulous. She shares a great deal of information and her videos are very professional. She is also very helpful with responding to questions you may have along the way. I loved what I saw in this gelli printing video she produced a couple of years ago and am excited to see what she has learned since then. 
Go here for all the information to sign up including preview video and lovely photos of her printing work - and it's on special until Sunday US$5 off.
How am I going to fit this in with my other classes you might wonder?!...I think this will fit very well with my Documented Life weekly challenge - I used my gelli plate as layers in my journal in weeks 9 and 10. This class will give me more ideas for general journal pages, and lots of fun papers to use for collage, card making and my other mixed media art. I love that she also includes stitch in her projects.
You make 2 lovely minis and a larger folder to stash all the lovely printing as part of this class : 



Both of these images by Roben-Marie Smith

I love my gelli plate but know I don't use it enough - this will help enthuse me I am sure!
If you are interested in printing but don't have a gelli plate yet, there are other options. You can make your own : there's a recipe here - I might try making a round one
Check out Traci Bautista's FREE 3 part class at Strathmore where she shows how you can use a paper palette, a glass plate or even plastic page protectors! 

This Strathmore class stays open now until the end of the year - some great ideas for beginner and to stretch yourself as well.
Hope you have a great weekend with time to have some creative fun. Talk to you again soon.

Week 10 : DLP 2015

Information about the FREE Documented Life Project is HERE. It's a new month with a new theme :

This week's challenge dovetailed in very nicely with Traci Bautista's FREE online Strathmore Workshop. Her workshop is called "Bold, Expressive and Unconventional Printmaking" and well worth checking out. Inspired by her lesson in week one (see her blog photos HERE) I started with some gelli printing

I love that soft, grungy look. Spoiler alert - enjoy this look while you can cos I end up a long way from here!! Next step was to add marks with sponge and cork

paint and drywall tape, ink pad and bubble wrap

my own carved stamp with gold paint

My thinking so far is summer colours : blue sky, flashes of hot, the gold circles reminding me of the sun, some green coming back at our beginning of autumn with a bit of rain. Because I edged the page with blue, I decided I wouldn't do my journaling on the side as I usually do. This cool scribbly circle stamp is going to be spaces for my daily entries this week.

More mark making 

This is how my page looked when I left it last night. I like it, but can't call this done...

Today I decided I really have to have flowers, so I drew on petals and filled them in with paint

They needed a darker outline so I used the stabilo pencil from above, but instead of using the stump to blend as I did here

I used water to blend -  it made the outline very dark and definite

so I softened the look of the flowers by adding various white marks inside the petals

Then I journaled around the entire page with a line of writing about how I like the seasons changing - that's my "surviving the elements" part of the challenge. And I've written in some of my journaling circles so you can see that the green pen doesn't detract from the overall effect of the spread. Click on the photo to see the details larger.

You can see all my posts about this project HERE and I've created a Flickr album for all my Documented Life 2015 spreads HERE.

FREE strathmore workshops

As with previous years, Strathmore have FREE online art classes in 2015. This coming week the first class begins and it's with Traci Bautista again :-)

I love Traci's work - see other blog posts from me being inspired by her HERE, including information about her latest book :

See details of this workshop at her blog HERE : "Taking inspiration from her latest book "Printmaking unleashed", dive into the journey of expressive mark-making" 

Traci last taught a Strathmore workshop in 2012 - this will be worth checking out.
Find information about other Strathmore workshops for 2015 HERE and there is also a youtube channel with some of their previous workshops still available HERE.
You can always find links to this and other cheap and FREE workshops in the sidebar up on the right.
Hope you are getting some time to be creative this weekend. Talk to you again in March!

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