Saturday, August 31, 2013

Silly Scraps Saturday


This is a simple collage made of scraps, done in my Scrap Journal.  I made my Scrap Journal with my Bind-It-All, especially to hold these "warm-up" collages.  When I want to make something but I'm not inspired to do anything specific, I make one of these.  One usually leads to two (or more).  I got the idea from iHanna's "Every Artist Needs a Scrap Notebook" post.

Every Saturday I post one of these simple collages.  Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you are enjoying the weekend!

Friday, August 30, 2013

Gelli Print ATC's


 
I made ATC's recently on my gelli plate using small silhouette masks and embossed card stock for the textured patterns.  By applying packing tape to both sides of a magazine picture I get a silhouette I can use many times.  Thanks to Julie at Balzer Designs for that great tip!


Thursday, August 29, 2013

More Bookmarks



 
I made these bookmarks by writing on cardstock with bleach and then adding Pan Pastels for colour.  They are part of an ongoing series using words from a song by Linnea Good.


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Use Your Stamps Challenge

 
 
I'm working through my flower stamps this month as part of the Use Your Stamps Challenge.  I want to get all my flower stamps used by the end of August.  This Magenta stamp makes a nice border, perfect for a bookmark.


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Use Your Stamp Challenge

 
 
I made this card while working through my box of flower stamps as part of the Use Your Stamps Challenge.  I inked the stamp with 3 colours of ink and spritzed it with water before stamping onto watercolour paper.  The stamp is by Rubber Stampede, and the greeting by Clearly Wordsworth.


Monday, August 26, 2013

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Summer

..... and the living is easy.
 

This is a new page in my slab book.  The stamp is by inque boutique.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Silly Scraps Saturday


This is a simple collage made of scraps, done in my Scrap Journal.  I made my Scrap Journal with my Bind-It-All, especially to hold these "warm-up" collages.  When I want to make something but I'm not inspired to do anything specific, I make one of these.  One usually leads to two (or more).  I got the idea from iHanna's "Every Artist Needs a Scrap Notebook" post.

Every Saturday I post one of these simple collages.  Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you are enjoying the weekend!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Dog Days

Ah, the dog days of summer.
 
 

I made a new journal so I could continue working small.  This one is 4 1/2" x 6 1/2".  Then I remembered that I have a couple of 6 x 6 journals in progress.  This is how I end up with so many journals in progress.  Oh brother.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

What's Next?

 
 
This is the last journal page in a small journal I started in 2003.  The background is a piece of rice paper with a glue stick resist and watercolor.  I'm not sure who makes the flower stamp.  The small format of this journal allows me to use stamps that get lost on a larger page.  That makes me happy.


Wednesday, August 21, 2013

What Was I Thinking?


Here's another attempt at a figure drawing in my old book journal.  The background was created during a gelli plate session, by cleaning off my brayer and stamps.  I used white and gray Stabilo pencils to draw this.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Shirley


Shirley wonders when I'll be finished drawing faces.  Shirley, I'll be done soon.

I'm finding that drawing is mostly about learning to see in terms of shadows and highlights.  If I block those in, a drawing appears.  For me, this is most easily done from a photograph.  

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Silly Scraps Saturday


This is a simple collage made of scraps, done in my Scrap Journal.  I made my Scrap Journal with my Bind-It-All, especially to hold these "warm-up" collages.  When I want to make something but I'm not inspired to do anything specific, I make one of these.  One usually leads to two (or more).  I got the idea from iHanna's "Every Artist Needs a Scrap Notebook" post.

Every Saturday I post one of these simple collages.  Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you are enjoying the weekend!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Sometimes Simple is Best


"I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues." - Duke Ellington

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Make a Joyful Noise!


The other day I was playing with Neuland and script written on coloured card stock using bleach.  I'll make bookmarks out of these eventually, but I love all the colours on my desk.  The lyrics are by Linnea Good, becoming a continuing series using her song based on Psalm 100.  More here and here if you're interested.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

No Greater Burden


Many of my journals tend to develop a "theme" over time, even if they start out as more general purpose.  This old book journal is where I've been cleaning off my brayer and stamps during gelli printing, and I like to draw over these backgrounds.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Counting


In this journal spread I "counted" a number of goals accomplished:

  • I used two flower stamps for my "Use Your Stamps Challenge"
  • I cleared a scrap off my desk which I created trying out a rubbing/resist technique using a glue stick
  • I worked in a small journal I started in 2003.  I'm trying to finish off some of my old journals.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Working Small



These are a couple of small (4 x 5) journals I'm finishing off.  I like working small because it is quick, seems less intimidating, and it gives me a chance to use some of my smaller stamps.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Stamp Challenge Continues


I'm making my way through my box of flower stamps in August, finding some old favourites and identifying some to give away.  (See this post for more on this project.)  

This set of flower stamps was on my "doubtful" list, but I think I'll keep them now.  They're nice and big and offer solids and outlines, giving them lots of scope.

The background for this journal page is distress inks and stains over a few other miscellaneous layers in my old book journal.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Silly Scraps Saturday


This is a simple collage made of scraps, done in my Scrap Journal.  I made my Scrap Journal with my Bind-It-All, especially to hold these "warm-up" collages.  When I want to make something but I'm not inspired to do anything specific, I make one of these.  One usually leads to two (or more).  I got the idea from iHanna's "Every Artist Needs a Scrap Notebook" post.

Every Saturday I post one of these simple collages.  Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you are enjoying the weekend!

Friday, August 9, 2013

No Glue No Stitch Books


At our last Vancouver Trading Card Swap Penelope taught us how to make no glue/no stitch books.  These are simple and fun and make great gifts for art friends; that's what I'll do with two of these.  The third I'll keep as a prototype.  Thanks, Penelope!




Thursday, August 8, 2013

More Flower Stamps


While looking for stamps to use on yesterday's  masking tape backgrounds, I came across this Inkadinkado stamp set and thought I'd give it a workout.  Above, I stamped it on patterned paper, and below I used various shades of green chalk ink to add some interest.


Overall, this set is a bit formal for my clean and graphic style, but I think I'll keep it for more serious cards.  It contains "Thinking of You" and "Get Well Soon" sentiments that would work in this layout.  Right now, though, I need to replenish my stash of birthday cards. 

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Masking Tape Backgrounds




I've seen this technique twice recently and knew I had to try it.  Masking tape is inked with an ink pad and used to "stamp" out each stripe.  Simple but ingenious.  These bird and flower stamps are by Christina Renee for Prima.  The greeting is by Biblical Impressions.


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Magenta Puzzle Stamps


This card was made with 5 different stamps from a Magenta set.  I stamped them on green patterned paper and coloured them with pencil crayons.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Using Flower Stamps

I'm making my way through my box of flower stamps in August, finding some old favourites and identifying some to give away.  (See this post for more on this project.)  The result of my efforts are a few artist trading cards.


A Magenta set coloured with gel pen


A favourite Hero Arts stamp


Hydrangea stamp by Great Canadian Stamp
Background stamp by JustRite
Coloured with pencil crayons

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Neuland and Script

Here are a few pictures of  a book I  made containing samples from the "Neuland and Script" seminar I took through the Westcoast Calligraphy Society.

This is the cover, made of Tyvek and decorated using the Sumi Sink technique and pan pastels:


Many of the pages contain lyrics from a favorite song based on Psalm 100:  "Make a Joyful Noise", by Linnea Good.  This page is one of several where the words are done with bleach on black card stock, and coloured with pastels.


The Neuland script on this next one is white gouache; the script is a white gel pen. 


More bleach, this time highlighted with metallic watercolours:


Bleach and pan pastel:


Gouache and gel pen:


Bleach and pan pastel:


And if you made it this far you are rewarded with a walnut ink Neuland exemplar.



 Make a joyful noise!

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Silly Scraps Saturday


This is a simple collage made of scraps, done in my Scrap Journal.  I made my Scrap Journal with my Bind-It-All, especially to hold these "warm-up" collages.  When I want to make something but I'm not inspired to do anything specific, I make one of these.  One usually leads to two (or more).  I got the idea from iHanna's "Every Artist Needs a Scrap Notebook" post.

Every Saturday I post one of these simple collages.  Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you are enjoying the weekend!

Friday, August 2, 2013

Tutorial Links


Oh dear, another week zoomed by.  Art coming soon, I promise.

This week we're sharing favourite tutorial links.  Here are a few great ones I can't wait to try out!

Make Gelli Plate tools! at scrappystinkyinky.

At ten thirty-six arts and crafts there's a tutorial for making post cards.

Gelli print words at the Gelli Plate blog.

The first in a series about using background stamps, over at Simplicity.