Grunge Background Tutorial

I got this idea from the talented Lynne Hoppe. I don't recall the actual post -but I suggest a look at her blog anyway. It's beautiful.

I gessoed first. Not necessary, but I prefer to work on a gessoed page if I am not drawing. Then a random painting on of watercolours. You wait until that dries, then a layer of off-white acrylic paint. Before the acrylic completely dries, take masking tape and stick it on in various places and pull it off again.

At this point, I was disappointed with what I wasn't getting. The watercolour wasn't seeping through the acrylic as I had hoped, and the masking tape wasn't really ripping anything off.

Did I mention that I was doing this in front of my class?!

Maybe it wasn't working because I used a liquid acrylic paint, and watered it down as well! Or maybe I let the paint get too dry? Anyway, I guess the class lesson was that it is okay to make mistakes, ha ha.

I stuck the masking tape on the pages. That was the end of Lynne's instructions; I am sure hers' looked fantastic. But as mine didn't, I continued on. I put some gesso down in places and finished off with gluing some tissue paper over the top. It's kinda interesting, but I am not overly excited.

More Backgrounds, still Speed Journaling

I am starting lots of backgrounds. Whee!

If you are wondering what speed journaling is, go here.

Gotta Haircut

I went in with the intent of a shorter haircut than I came out with. I think my hairdresser gave me the cut she wanted. It's a good haircut and shorter would probably not look so flattering on me. Sigh. Vanity or comfort?

The picture on the fridge is the James Guppy painting that I posed for. It isn't a portrait, but I think he did catch an aspect of me. ha ha.

Most of My Writing is Not a Quote

Most of the writing in my Art Journals are not quotes. If there aren't quotation marks around it and a name at the end, it isn't a quote.

Someone commented and said "I like the quote about..."

It wasn't a quote. I wrote it. I like to actually write in my journals. My art journal, my writing, my opinions, my words.

Sometimes I write things that sound like someone else told it to me, in that case it is either my higher self or angels. I don't know which.

There now you know.

the Green Pages

I am kind of cheating now. I made these pages a while ago but hadn't posted them yet. This is the left page. Click on the picture if you want to see it bigger.

This is the right side. These are the pages preceding the last pages I blogged about, you can see the woman with the squirrel on her head through the window.

Speed Journaling -Two More Pages

More pages that were already partly done. Still, I got them finished. It was interesting working in brown - not a colour that I am inclined towards. But I like the monotone look. And the bit of red works nicely I think.

Both pages are painted over a collage of book pages. Then a light coat of gesso, then acrylic paint. I like the background of faint type and half-seen images.

The green and blue buddah is seen through a cut out window. I haven't posted those pages yet. Maybe tomorrow.
Here is the right page. I can only scan a page at a time in my big A4 journal.

The drawing is the one that I mention in my previous post. The one above is the original drawing, then I photocopied it and used it on another page. See if you can spot the differences.

Colour is the obvious one.

Speed Journaling - I finished two pages.

If you are wondering why Speed Journaling, check out my previous post.

So I finished two A4 pages. Not quite as impressive as it sounds as they were already half done. Still, 2 pages - and they are big. This is the left page. I can't figure out how to blog them side by side.
And the right page. This one is kinda interesting. See the picture of the woman with the squirrel in her hair. It is a drawing that I did on another journal page in brown ink, then photocopied the drawing in black and white. I cut the photocopy out, reducing her overblown hair a bit, and then glued in down on this page and painted it with watercolours. I love reusing drawings like that.

I will link back when I post the original drawing and you can see the difference.

Let's Get this Show on the Road

Okay, I am cranking up the gears. Let's do an experiment. I am tired of creating in my A4 journal, I want to move onto something new, a smaller journal. I want to work differently.

So, this is an opportunity, right? Time to throw caution to the wind, or something like that. I think a page a day might not be possible, but what about just cranking up the speed? Speed journaling, tee hee.

Anyway, in the spirit of the dash, here are a bunch of beginnings. Let the race begin.

Multiple layers of acrylic paint done in my class today
Stenciling with fabric dye over acrylic paint over gessoed book pages.
Acrylic paint and homemade stamp
Gessoed book pages. Something about a princess.
More stenciling over acrylic paint. On the left is some embroidery.

Anyone want to join me?

Wanting to Finish my Art Journal

I have been busy teaching classes and working on my new series, and I haven't felt moved to blog. I also haven't been art journaling as much as usual.

I still love art journaling, but it feels like time for a change. Perhaps it is the A4 size of my latest journal. It was great to go bigger, but now I feel like I want to journal smaller again. The images feel like they are floating in this big space that I have to fill in. I am tired of it and trying to finish the book.

Instead of feeling guilty about that, perhaps I should give my self full permission to go full tilt. Slap down the paint, cram on the collage and fill it up as quickly as possible. A page a day or something.

That could be fun.