This art lesson from Book of Days was an expressive self-portrait - doesn't necessarily look like us but expresses who we are on a soul level - honouring what is lovely about ourselves. First thing Effy set us was a task during the weekend to make a self-love list - I was so happy that I managed to fill up a page in my Inner Work journal! ♥
I glued watercolour paper into my journal because I wanted to try watercolour techniques. Unfortunately I had to put masking tape in because I'm recycling an old book - just hope it doesn't spoil my girl. We started the face from the lips up! - this is an unusual technique in the mixed media world. Effy used Jane Davenport's new Mermaid markers but I just used some watercolours I already own - Koh-i-noor dye stack and some sparkling H2Os
This is a close-up of the lovely effect from adding Yellow Rose H2O on top of other colours - will have to use this again. Click on the photo to see it larger
Here's my initial background
and with gesso added - I love the tapa shapes and am lucky to have it in a few different stencil sizes
I needed to make a decision about which colour pencil to use on my face - I have samples in a workbook - these are my lovely polychromos pencils which I bought specifically for face shading (work really well with blending stump over clear gesso)
Decided the Caput Mortuum worked best with my red colours, and used Inktense colours for the lips and eye - very happy with how my face turned out
Then it was time to tend my tapa background - I added green/gold paint but rubbed it with baby wipe so it barely shows except the gesso isn't so stark - and gold metallic sakura adds the perfect sparkle
I added the same sakura gold for writing all the things I love about myself into her hair and at this stage considering if she is done
I decided I couldn't resist a few more of my fav swirl doodles in the strands I'd left blank
It's subtle but I love the detail and SHINE the metallic pens add
And here she is finished
See my Flickr album for all my art from classes with Effy HERE. Sign up to Book of Days or other classes with Effy Wild HERE.
This seemed an appropriate page to start this post - Whimsey grid.
Last Saturday morning, I was lucky that my timezone matched with Effy Wild's Friday afternoon live online demo about lettering - this is an offering as part of BOD 2017 - and later we'll get an edited for time bonus in our classroom, including resources and a PDF.
I ♥ EVERYTHING about Book of Days ♥♥♥
The demo inspired me to share lettering things I know about with you. As Effy started by saying, and I completely support having done some of her classes, the lettering guru is Joanne Sharpe - if you want to learn lettering - take an online class with her. Here's something I created as a result of her class : in my journal 2012.
If you want to look at other work I've done with her go HERE. Of course she also has a fabulous book : have a peek inside via Amazon HERE.
I have just discovered that if you own the book, you can have access to a FREE Mini class with her.
For a while she's also had this FREE offering : Five Golden Letterings
Here are a couple of other free online lettering classes:
Beginning March 6th - Strathmore's first 2017 free workshop
- read more and sign up HERE.
Daisy Yellow : Draw your words : A hand-lettering workshop - no charge but you can add to her Tip Jar {minimum $5} and also gain access to the private FB group with extra content, discussion, Q&A and tips.
These are included in my list of Cheap and Free online art classes that you can always get to in my top right side bar.
On Alisa Burke's blog she features lettering guest posts by Megan Wells of Makewells. Find them all HERE. As you scroll down through the posts you'll get to some intro lettering including her favourite supplies.
Megan has a YouTube Channel and she also has classes available for purchase through Alisa's shop
And then there are books about lettering....heaps and heaps of them - here are some that I've found good (some I own - some borrowed from our lovely city library). Links follow with peeks on Amazon where available
Creative Lettering - Jenny Doh
Lisa Engelbrecht's Master Calligraphy & Hand Lettering
Creative lettering workshop - Lesley Riley
Hoping something in that long list inspires you to try some lettering this weekend.
You can check out all my posts where lettering features HERE.
I'm following the prompts of the original Documented Life 2014. Week 9 : collage something you recycled. This part was easy - did you see my haul of recycled magazines from the book sale last week?
Additionally, on the blog for Life Documented 2017 HERE we had a fun demo of adding a clear tip-in with a window. Obviously I needed to add a flap again to my spread - I flipped through one of my magazines from Jan/Feb (just happens to be that one in the photo top left!) and after finding a suitably summery picture, glued it to my flap, and punched a circle window in it.
I attached it on the inside with plain masking tape since I will go over that, and then edged the collaged image with pretty tape on both sides. I decided to start the inside spread with a pretty sunshiney base to reflect the wonderful weather we've been having this past week or so - Summer love at last. I don't believe it's the first day of Autumn - hopefully we won't feel that for another few weeks - I'm guessing {hoping} that we'll be able to wait until at least the equinox March 20 before we begin a change of season.
I had several choices for my clear element : pretty plastic wrap (recycled), a scrap piece of printed vellum, and a transparency previously stamped with staz-on ink
I decided this would go over the window of the tip-in (flap) - here's the patterned plastic I chose lifted out of the way
Then I had way too much fun adding some other elements from my recycled magazine and altering some for my purposes :-)
Here you can see the finished flap folded closed to reveal the plastic and flower beneath
And here open
Happily - this was one of the places I added an extra couple of pages secured with a silver hair band - happily because I was able to slot in the card I was given for speaking at our club night
Here's the entire spread with card and extra flap
There's a lot going on in this spread and it was really fun to incorporate all the prompt elements. Only a bit more journaling for me to add to finish the week as we begin March. Looking forward to seeing what I can create this coming month. You can see all my posts about this project HERE and my Flickr album HERE
These are included in my list of Cheap and Free online art classes that you can always get to in my top right side bar.
