Journal Play

I had started a 16x24 canvas yesterday, but it just wasn't coming together as I envisioned it. I needed some inspiration!

So, I took a break after dinner & was browsing through my mixed media idea books last night, (which I don't recommend just before bed, because all these ideas were swimming around in my head & I awoke at 4:30 ready to play!!!) when I came across a technique by Kelly Rae Roberts for a stamped, textured background in my Mixed Media Paint Box book. 

Now, this idea isn't all that new to me, but her use of color & paint was...she stayed within one palette of blue-greens & she used a Heavy Body acrylic paint, which I had yet to try!

So, this afternoon, with only an hour left before I had to go pick up the Magpie from school, I got out my trusty journal & gave it a whirl!

I only had one Heavy Body paint from a sampler I got during a Liquitex seminar many moons ago...in Burnt Sienna.

After gesso-ing the page, here are the steps I followed:

1. Mix a *generous amount of Burnt Sienna HB paint with some Titanium White to lighten; apply to whole page leaving some white around edges. *You want to have some paint leftover for the rest of the layers!
2. With a texture stamp (I used a large alphabet stamp by Hero Arts) stamp randomly here & there. Dry with heat gun or air dry if you can wait that long!
3. Mix the above mixed paint in step 1, w/a Cadmium Yellow Deep Hue, apply to another texture stamp & randomly stamp again. (This hue didn't show very much & I ended up covering it completely later, BUT the texture is somewhat visible.) Let dry/use heat gun.
4. Add Titanium Buff Light & Titanium White to above mixture to lighten even further. Stamp again - this time I used a She Art stamp from Christy Tomlinson (the text one doesn't seem to be in her shop anymore, but the script one is). Let dry/use heat gun.
5. Add a little more white to the above mixture & rub here & there with fingers on the page. Let dry.
6. Using Burnt Umber Acrylic Ink, I scratched some lines here & there with a bamboo pen & then rubbed them out with my fingers to blend.
7. Then, using the dropper, I added thick lines of ink & sprayed with water to get the ink to drip down the page. When that ink was to where I wanted it, I flipped the book upside down & sprayed a little more water to get the drips to start again in the other direction. While these drips were still wet, I turned to book sideways to get the final look...

 

I really like the way it turned out. I may add an image or some journaling in the upper left-hand corner, but for now, it's staying like it is!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Finally, I can share!!!

I am so stinkin' excited!!!!  

A couple of months ago, I decided to do a "call" for submissions to Somerset Studios...I totally procrastinated & sent it out VERY last minute. And because they don't like to see work published elsewhere (even on blogs) prior to print, I couldn't share any of my images with you!

But, I am NOW becuase...

I opened my mailbox today to find a manilla envelope (magazine sized!) from Stampington & Co! I just KNEW it was an advance issue of Somerset Studios featuring artists work inspired by Edgar Allen Poe & that there had to be a letter inside saying "Congrats! You've been published!" 

And I was right!!!!!

 AND, I am flabbergasted!!! 

Not because I didn't think my work was good enough (even though I had been too chicken to send anything in before this), but because I sent it in right on the edge of the deadline - the paint & glue was barely dry!!! This has been a long-time goal for me & now I have the courage to send in more work!!! YAY!!! (Sorry, kinda bragging & patting myself on the back, but I'm JUST THAT EXCITED!!!!)

So, here's the only photo they put in...I'm a little disappointed that they didn't photograph the book as a whole, but maybe the left page was damaged a little bit AND had I gotten it in a little earlier, I may have been chosen for more of an article explaining how I made it.

But, beggars can't be choosers, right?!?!?

I used the story of "Ligeia" for my inspiration...about a man who's soul mate/wife dies & although he re-marries, he's never gotten over his first wife. When the 2nd wife becomes ill, he begins seeing his first wife in the bed of the sick 2nd wife while he grieves. In the end, the first wife comes back to life in the body of the 2nd, but looking like the first! Very spooky & VERY POE!

Here are the images of the altered book I sent in...

An Altered Book...

I anchored down the unused pages with wire instead of glue; then cut a window in the right side, placing transparencies on 3 pages to the right.

 Poe & Raven images from Altered Pages - I altered them even more!

 "Ligeia" on the first transparent page...

Lady Rowena - the 2nd wife, on the 2nd transparent page...

 (these images are from Luna Girl)

Spooky huh? I love the way the transparencies allowed me the illusion of Lady Rowena morphing into Ligeia...

 Finally, she emerges as the love of his life, Ligeia

One last ghostly image for you to ponder!!!

I have to thank Junelle Halstrom Jacobson, Christy Campbell Tomlinson (my "teachers" during The Art of Wild Abadonment online class) & my recent collage teacher, Jo Fitsell for inspiring me to take that leap & send some of my work in for publication!!

Follow your dreams!

Cheers!

A litle time for some art journaling

I have this idea for a canvas in my head & decided to play with some colors in my art journal before I commit it to canvas...what do you think?

her heart was telling her to fly

I started with blue, added some green & orange (in addition to some other layers of stamps & papers!) I didn't like & ended up with a wine & teal color on top!

Crazy!

Another reason to LOVE art journaling - the joys of experimentation!!!

Not the right colors for my canvas idea, but fun none the less!

TTFN!

The Adventurous Magpie

The other day, Maggie went to REI with her dad & saw 2 kids about her age climbing the big rock wall they have in the middle of the store...she came home determined to climb it the next time we went there. Well, we decided to jump on her adventurous spirit & go down there the next day!

Gearing up!

Roping in!

I am amazed that she's totally psyched! This face from a kid who won't try riding her bike w/o the training wheels yet!

Learning how to climb...

Up she goes!

 Ok, so those all the stills I took & here's a video if you're interested...

And of course, she had to climb the "boulder" outside...

So VERY proud of her!!! My adrenaline was pumping, so I can only imagine how wired her little body was climbing that big rock inside!

Now she wants her own harness & shoes! HA! Like we're gonna nurture that sport at age 6! Just what I want, my 6 yo dangling from a cliffs edge! Does she think we're crazy?? ! think we'll settle for a climbing wall on the play set out back!

trying to keep her shorts dry in the shin-deep water!

Afterwards, we walked down to the river park & as hard as we tried, we just couldn't keep Maggie from getting soaked! Yes, I know, what were we THINKING?! (we had planned on going out to lunch afterwards! NOT!)

Always aware of mommy with the camera!!

My little social girl...finds a friend wherever we go! This one helped talk her into climbing the "waterfall" & getting soaked! Nice!

 

She said it was the "Best day ever!"

Such a lovely thing to hear!

Cheers!