Top Ten Art Journal Spreads

I had such fun looking back over all my projects (2013 Favorites) I decided to review my journals. These are the top ten "entries" in no particular order.

I return to these colors again and again.

A lesson in white space, from Dina Wakely's Art Journal Freedom a great book!

Doodling at its finest - from 21 Secrets.

The tragedy at the Boston marathon stayed with me for days. 

Finally I made several journal pages that helped. 

A prompt from France, and her Journal on Mondays videos. 

Springtime

Everyone is different....

A summertime trip down memory lane. 

Ah yes, the Book of Troubles....

That day I was thankful for the man I share my life with, but in general I'm just thankful for my life.

I'm Coming Back!!! WOYWW 230

October was a tough month, and so I took a break from our weekly gathering, and I missed it. But things are starting to settle down, so I am sticking my toe back in the water and joining Julia and the gang for WOYWW - or What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

A mess! That hasn't changed. lol.

Front and center is a journal page in ocean-y colors (we just decided to save our pennies and go to Hawaii in about six months!) ...based on a great video that France Papillon did in her Journal on Monday's series. I am an unbashed fan of hers! I have done some paper weaving before, but never thought to try in my journal.

The coolest thing I did in October, by FAR, was attend the Art & Soul Retreat in Portland, Oregon. Portland is about 1,600 miles from where I live, but it's  the closest art retreat tome. I took four wonderful classes, from for great teachers. It was a great experience!

One of the classes I took was Faux Metal on Wood. 

This started out as a 12 x 12 x 1 piece of wood. We used plaster through a stencil, and then used a series of washes...one to neutralize the paint, one to rust, one to lay down copper, and the last to start the patina reaction.

Everyone's reaction was a little different, but I like all the variations that happened on mine. I think this will eventually end up in my kitchen.

That's it for now. I want to make sure I have time to start with the visiting!!! 

Color in a White World

This, oh so sadly, is what we woke up to yesterday. Latest snowfall on record. Duh.

This was my response....well, after several choice words. 

It all started with this week's Simon Says Stamp challenge to use a little paper. As in little papers. As in 6 x 6 papers. That's how it started  - honest. 

I got out my Gel medium, tore a bunch of paper, applied it to the front and sides of a chunky 6 x 6 canvas and I was feeling pretty good. Small problem tho - it was really pumpy because I was pretty indiscriminate  about the size of the pieces and how they overlapped. So next I applied one piece of paper over the front. And I was off to races. 

I've really been drawn to warm colors after years in the jewel tones, so I started with some buff paint to set a background and then used oranges, red-oranges, pinks and turquoise paints, pencils, markers, etc.

I used some stencils, bubble wrap, background stamps, and even some molding paste. Just playing.

At the top of the side you can still see some of the paper I started with. playing with color and layers.

This phrase has been in playing in my mind this week, so I just went with. By now I figured this would be another of my "pay it forward" pieces, where I put out an offer on Facebook to make 5 original somethings for the first five people who commented and agreed to do the same. Up on my window sill was one of France Papillion's new stamps - the banner. I got out more paints, including some of those uber sparkly Silk Acrylic Glazes and painted them up. I also used some Tombow markers with them and the contrast helped bring out the sparkle.

If you look really closely you can still see the paper underneath (nothing like close-up photography to show you where you could use some touch-ups - lol.)

Lots of layers here...washi tape, paint, molding paste, stamps, rub-ons, paint and bubble wrap.

That's my process - today - with little paper. Who knows what it will be next time. That's what is so fun about it!!

Thanks for stopping by the Fun Room. Hope it's sunny and warm where you are. If not, I hope at least it's not snowing!!

WOYWW #204

It is snowing where I am!!! I would complain, but, ah heck, I'm gonna complain. This is not good. I am so jealous of all those green pictures I see, many with actual flowers in them. Grrrr. I am in Fairbanks - which is north of where I live, but still. We are very busy in Alaska setting all sorts of temperature records...15 degrees below normal. sighhhhhhhhh

BUT here's the good news, it's time for What's on Your Work Desk Wednesday, hosted by our friend Julia Dunnit and I will get to see creative wonders and an occassional travelogue picture as well. So knowing I would have a fair amount of time in the evenings I did take a photo of my desk before I left on Sunday.

I was working on the new Tim Hotlz Assemblage Clock for an upcoming class. As usual there is an eclectic assortment of goodies from Tim's new French Industrial paper - which I LOVE - to old favorites like Distress Inks and gears. Working with the clock was actually really fun. I found that cosmetic sponges with black and silver paint gave it the best "old" skin. I tried of a lot of application methods and you just can't beat cosmetic sponges some times.  

It was a busy week so I don't have any other goodies for you. I did bring my small art journal with me, so here's a couple of pix of those pages. 

Both of the pages started as odd bits of color left over from other pieces. On the left I just went with the shapes and saw hearts. One the right I topped all that color with a new stencil I had just gotten and all of a sudden I was transported to Belize where we saw the HUGEST bamboo ... art; it can literally transport you. Gotta love it.

This page was based on France Papillion's Journal on Monday Series. Some of the same techniques, but a very different page. I just love her blog and her journal videos. Her voice is so melodious, and her work is pretty fearless.

These pages are just pretty colors. Love pretty colors.

May there be many pretty colors in your life this week!! Thanks for stopping by the traveling Fun Room.