mixed media

Wild at Art

Wild at Art is an online art class that I signed up for and enjoyed it so much. As an instructor I also like to take time to explore what others are teaching and get inspired with new ideas. The class I took is offered by Cottage in the Oaks, and Jeanne Oliver. Both offer online art classes and incredible inspiration for living a creative life. It would be worth your while to check them out.

Here is a look at some of the projects I did.

Mark making tools…

Gathering twigs and elements from around my property I created these tools for making marks in my art. Twigs of Russian sage, eucalyptus from a discarded bouquet, a sprig of pine, dried oat grass, and prongs from a yucca plant. I always am delighted when I have all the supplies at hand when taking an art class. I enjoyed roaming around my place and finding a few things to make these tools. With some burlap and gold wire I tied the elements to the twigs. They are so pretty to look at I have not used them for mark making. I placed them in a vase and when the time is right, I will splash them into a bit of ink and swirl marks across a blank page in my art journal.

Leaf rubbings with tracing paper…

It took a few tries before I had some decent rubbings. I used various types of charcoal and found that vine charcoal worked best. Dried leaves I had used for another art project were the perfect candidates for making a rubbing on tracing paper. The paper is light, and the impressions easily appeared as I rubbed the vine charcoal onto the paper with the leaf underneath on a hard surface. With my very special ink pen from Florence, I wrote the names of the leaves on each one.

Pocket Art Journal

I could easily make these little journals over and over! For this one I used Bristol drawing paper so it will be easy to sketch in with pencils and dry media applications. Usually, a painted page with collage is my go-to for art journaling but I decided to try something different. My collection of found papers and leftover snippets from other projects were collaged onto the cover. I used waxed linen thread and the trusty pamphlet stitch to put this together. A bone folder is always useful to create a solid crease in the paper. The date stamp sets this piece in time, also the embellishments were inspired by Easter week. I cut 6 pages of Bristol drawing paper in half, so the journal has a total of 12 pages for my creative musings. It’s easy to add a light coat of white or clear gesso to these pages and then they will be more apt for mixed media. And since there were two sets of pages, I made another journal at the same time. This pocket size is great to tuck into my purse or take when traveling. With a few art supplies I can make marks, sketch, collage with a glue stick, and keep my daily practice going.

I hope this post gives you some inspiration for trying new things in your creative life. As you can see making simple leaf rubbings, or art tools from gathered objects is a different sort of creativity. Nevertheless, working with my hands in new ways always nourishes my creative muse. Thanks Duane and Jeanne for a great class…WILD AT ART!

Abstract Botanicals Re-cap

This class had been in the works for a while, in my mind’s eye, and I was thrilled when it finally started. The intent was to use botanical images for inspiration and respond in the abstract style. Rather than creating representational art as depicted in the early part of the century, my thought was to move in a different direction. I came up with a series of studies for exploring creative voice and learning new techniques. And as always, I encourage my students to use their creative intuition and let it lead the way.

THE GRID

Creating a gird in our handbound art journals, using a gift card to make lines with gesso and painting botanicals with an emphasis on darkening the negative space.

Here is my demo page using outline and various botanical shapes inspired by a puzzle I put together with my husband during the stay-at-home days of COVID.

Here is a look at my student’s work using the grid format…

Painting blossoms, different sizes, shapes, and keeping the negative space in mind.

CONTOUR DRAWING OF BOTANICALS USING CHARCOAL

This is a practical way to study, using charcoal for contour line drawings, a paint brush with water to activate the charcoal line and adding white paint for highlights. By eliminating color in this simple practice, one can focus on value. These drawings are simple and beautiful. Give it a try, I think you will be pleased with the process and something you can re-visit many times to enhance your drawing skills. We used newsprint with a light coat of clear gesso for the substrate. And how about using a twig to paint lines? Another simple art tool you can find in the dried winter foliage. Look at these lovelies.

I dream up these exercises intentionally to help students loosen up, let go of imperfection and focus on line. Many of the masters painted using line for emphasis. Think Henri Matisse, Picasso, and VanGogh…they used line to enhance their imagery.

Abstract work using a limited palette and painting into the negative space with hard edges.

My demonstration page…

Student work…

Exploring collage on art journal pages before working on gesso board with collage and line.

I love Robert Kushner’s art and we used his work for inspiration! The process started with laying down collage on a gesso board. Followed by painting line and blossoms on the board. This process requires integrating the painted image with the shapes and design of the collage.

A beautiful student painting! And here are a few more lovely paintings for you to see…

My gesso board pictured below is still a w.i.p. I am thinking the white accents in the blossom will work but honestly, I had to let the piece sit for a while before, I was sure. It is part of the creative process to come back with fresh eyes to review your work, ask yourself if it needs anything else, or knowing it is complete.

The last session of Abstract Botanicals involved painting the art journal covers. I encouraged students to use whatever process, technique, or creative expression they desired. Using leftover paint for a clean-up page on the cover is standard practice for me. It eliminates the blank white page and gives me a springboard for the next steps.

Look at the painted texture!

A cover inspired by Kirshner…

Acrylics mixed with water make wonderful washes..

Pattern and line create interest on this cover.

An accidental spill…no worries, look where it was used…

It was perfect for the negative space surrounding this floral image.

Yes, this botanical was painted with a twig!

When working with collage, it is important to audition the pieces and lay them around a page until you find the perfect combination.

Found poetry creates interest and we want to look closer to read the words.

Below is my art journal cover. It started with a clean-up page, a perfect collage item with harmonious colors, and finished up with a blossom painted with a twig.

Written on the side faintly in pencil…embrace imperfection.

Using a limited palette and simple botanical drawings in my art journal.

The finished back cover of my art journal. 

As always it started as a clean-up page and then I added the shapes, marks, darks, and had so much fun painting with freedom. Just letting my creative muse lead the way. Here is a close-up of the marks made with Posca pens. Poscas are an awesome art tool, available at Amazon of course, and locally at our very own Meininger’s Art Supply on Tejon. If you have never been there, you are in for a treat. Lots of wonderful art supplies for your journey.

Thanks for stopping by and reading about my class “Abstract Botanicals”. It was a special group of students, eager to explore new art techniques, and have fun creating imagery in the abstract inspired by the world of botanicals.

Handmade Art Journals

Here is a look at my art table when I am making art journals to sell in my etsy shop. It is quite an involved process… First I paint the pages on 140 lb. watercolor paper, each page is a unique expression of the way I paint. Then the pages are cut in half, and punched with a special tool, coiled with an O ring and spiral bound. I also curate a group of collage items, including French text from a book I bought in Paris, and Italian papers that I purchased in Florence. It is always nice to have some collage items ready to add to your journal and I have done a bit of leg work for you. Sharing collected treasures from my travels through Europe brings me great joy. At this point I am not sure when we will take the leap to travel again. So in the mean time please take a look in my shop. See if anything strikes your fancy and have fun with the curated group of papers and begin making art in a journal.

Curated Collage Papers

Here is a page inspired by leaves and the spiral binding is shown.

A page drawn by yours truly and included in one of my journals for sale..

Some pages have a very textured look!!

And my packaging includes a pottery button/bead..

Thank you for stopping by, if you have questions, please feel free to email at either of my contact addresses.

Link to my etsy boutique is under SHOP tab..

The Secret Garden Art Journal

T H E S E C R E T G A R D E N

My cover page for The Secret Garden Art Journal class that I taught at Bemis Art School, this one was an adult art class. My students jumped right into making art, some were experienced artists, and others beginning their journey after a lapse of time, decades in some cases. It was delightful to see their curiosity, and willingness to engage with the art journaling process. I was honored to have an amazing array of women join me on this journey into making artful pages inspired by the classic book, The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett.

This two page spread is “Graffiti Garden”. Using black and white copies of art journal pages or any other black and white collage item we created the garden upon discovery by Mary Lennox. When the little robin lead her to the key, and she opened the wooden door to peek inside, the garden had been neglected. Dried twigs, and stems covered the garden landscape. This two page spread depicts the garden at this stage. The flowers are dormant and just beginning to bloom. Using black and white copies of art journal pages created interesting papers for collage and at times have a story all their own…only the artist knows for sure.

Painted papers for collage. This is a whimsical depiction of a garden, using simple shapes, hand painted papers, lots of white space, text, music, dress pattern tissue, and painted marks on Trader Joe bags. I loved using the TJ bags just because they are readily available, the simple white marks create texture, and I will always think of 2020 and the challenges we endured by using the paper bags. A familiar idea through quarantine times was using what we had and shopping for groceries to keep the pantry stocked.

Continuing the theme of using what is accessible, we stamped the left page with a kitchen item. First an underpainting using acrylics was done and additional marks. For stamping I used a red pepper and the end of an iceberg lettuce head in magenta paint. I drew the flowers with a black sharpie and then went over them with a white Posca pen. Autumn leaves found in the backyard were used for the second page. Once again, an underpainting, then laying the leaves on the page and spritzing with a bottle filled with paint and water. Finally an outline of the leaf shapes with a white Posca pen.

Abstract floral was the theme for this two page spread. I used a pastel painting by Debora Stewart featured in her book, Abstract Art, for our inspiration. This was a new color palette for me, burnt umber mixed with yellow for the darks, and I really enjoyed working with this palette. The orange accents really pop against the dark background. Thank you Debora Stewart for creating this beautiful image for us to use as inspiration in our art journals.

For the last two pages I created a silhouette technique and an acrylic painting entitled Through the Garden Gate. On the silhouette page a layer of acrylic underpainting, a neutral color paint layer around the silhouette and then written words reflecting on themes from The Secret Garden book. The technique used for Through the Garden Gate was watery acrylic paints, almost appearing like watercolors on the page. The best feature of acrylics is how vibrant the pigment remains when mixed with water.

This is my back journal cover inspired by the art from Marimekko design. I love the vibrant colors, simple shapes, and black line highlights. Adding marks with black and white pens in the negative space is a meditative process for me, almost like embroidery stitching or knitting. Drawing gold line accents over the back lines creates depth and interest.

Flipping through the pages of this art journal brings a smile and a sense of satisfaction. I loved the process of creating these pages while teaching others the techniques. Thankfully our zoom class was without any glitches, one never knows when using technology and so many others are on the internet simultaneously. Hopefully this provides a glimpse of art journaling and an understanding of how this creative process impacts the artful journey. Hope to see you in class one day and thanks for stopping by my blog.

Book Review – Journal Spilling

One of the first books I purchased when I discovered the incredible world of art journaling was Diana Trout’s “Journal Spilling”

Journal Spilling by Diana Trout

In this book, Diana shares tips about supplies, prompts, techniques, and general process themed ideas for you to make your own. It is easy to follow and there are many detailed photographs to help follow her process. She has a friendly style, and her enthusiasm is brilliant.

First and foremost she recommends using the art journal as a place to experiment, a place to let your ideas and expression spill over the pages. “Don’t think! Work swiftly when spilling whether in words or images. Try not to think.”

Sometimes we just need to give ourselves permission to play and this book is a great companion for ideas and methods to make this happen. I love her easy going style and the confidence she has in her own mark making and artistic expression.

Every page of this book is filled with color photographs and mixed media instruction to make the process super easy.

If you are new to art journaling or you have been into it for years, this book will give you some great ideas, and step by step tools for discovering insights about yourself and how safe this process can be.

Hop on over to Diana’s blog at https://dianatrout.typepad.com/blog/

She has a great blog, in fact right now she is offering a free Watercolor Wildflowers workshop to help everyone fill their time with creativity. It looks like so much fun…just the ticket for spring! She also has a link to Amazon where you can order her book.

Thank you Diana for sharing your art with all of us! Artists supporting artists is my philosophy and I love to pass a little love around.

Thanks for stopping by and have fun making pages in your art journal.

Mixed Media Pages.. the process..

Distress Inks, Acrylic Paints, Lyra Pencil, Stabilo, Brayer

Mixed Media Supplies

It is March of 2020 and the COVID virus is on the move and we are quarantined in the hopes of reducing the curve, stopping the spread, and keeping our fellow citizens protected. To ease the anxiety which is all around and channel my creativity I made some pages. Kellee Wynne, (click here to see her website) http://www.kellewynnestudios.com offered a free workshop, just what I needed at this time, and I hopped on board. As an instructor I am in creative mode constantly and right about now I wanted someone else to lead the way, get my creative juices flowing, and plan the steps. Basically I needed to be in a DO-the-process mode. Just DO IT as the Nike slogan goes. Here is how I proceeded. It is important that I give Kelle credit, because this step by step process was all hers. Of course with my own interpretation, which is how being an artist works.

Using the Gelli Plate is so much fun. If you don’t have one, you need one! There are recipes on how to make your own gelatin plate and they work very well. I purchased mine at my local hobby/craft store. Or you can order directly from the company here http://www.gelliarts.com This is a mighty nice website with tutorials on how to use the Gelli plate for printing and various supplies. Please take a look. This is the perfect time to hone skills and explore techniques.

Here are the prints I made with the Gelli plate. I used paper called deli wrap, yes it is the wrap used for sandwiches and is available at the big box stores. It is thin and works perfect for collage.

Copy paper works well on the Gelli plate too and here are those pages. To the left is my 400lb. watercolor paper. I had a large sheet on hand, folded it in half, tore it apart, then folded those sheets in half again and tore apart. For this process I vowed to only use what I had on hand, being creative with my supplies, making them work. My studio is full of paints, papers, and collections that I have amassed over the years. This year I am being diligent about using what is in my studio!

Layered page

The first step was painting the watercolor paper. I used a brayer, white gesso, mixed colors, and painted both sides. For color, I went with analogous and complementary, also colors that are my favorites, hues that work for me. After the pages were dry, I added collage elements with a brush and matte medium, stencils with acrylic paint. Liquitex matte medium is my go to, and Liquitex white gesso. These two products work very well. If you have other brands which are your favorites, those will work also.

Layered Page

For my pages I added snippets of papers that I had on hand, matching color and pattern by creative intuition. I love vintage sheet music and it appears throughout my process. Fortunately, one day I was at my local library and a retired concert pianist came in with a large bundle of music to donate. He had arthritis and was unable to play the piano anymore. It was a serendipitous moment and the librarian gave me the music for a song when she discovered that I was an instructor at The Bemis Art School. www.fac.coloradocollege.edu/bemis

Mixed media, acrylic paint, white gesso, collage, art journal page

Layered page

The layers of mixed media create interest. And there are no rules when it comes to this process. Sure, color theory will make a stronger statement. For example using analogous colors, or complementary colors, and pairing collage materials with those concepts in mind will be pleasing to the eye. But the bottom line is process, enjoying the process, being free with your materials, and applying what you like. When these pages are put together in an art journal, the result is a unique art piece. A “one-of-a-kind”, a “there-is-not-another-one-in-the-world”, an… ORIGINAL! Therein lies the beauty of this process.

Here is my workspace. Paints, distress ink pads, a brayer on a paper plate for a palate, snippets of paper, matte medium, gel pens, stabilo markers, stencils, even a cardboard toilet paper roll in case I want to stamp some circles on the paper. This is my studio, and how my world looks when I am working in mixed media…a jumble of this and that. And take a look at the brush I used with matte medium to collage, it tends to get gunky (is that a word?) after awhile.

Matte medium and brush

I had some Golden matte medium on hand and was using it up for this project. After trial and error, as I said before Liquitex matte medium is my preference for applying collage. Since I was down to the last drops, my brush was filled with medium, but it cleaned up easily.Painted watercolor paper with collage.

This is a unique time in our lives, unprecedented in many ways. I am hoping this post will give you some ideas for how to spend time creating and using supplies on hand. It is accessible, a great way to learn how to make prints for collage and papers for a hand-bound art journal. Once I make the finishing touches, I will show you my journals, they are still in process. I absolutely love making layered pages and art journals. I have a spiral bound journal in my etsy shop with a packet of lovely collage papers in case you are interested, see the link below. By the way, I neglect my Etsy shop so there are not a ton of sales, but those that have made a purchase have been very happy. Take care fellow creatives and please leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you!

Process peek

Polaroid pics fail

Happy New Year everyone! Thought I would share a little process work that I did to start the year. It had been SO long since I had been working in my studio, my creative muse was stagnant and I needed a kickstart for 2020 so this is what I did. Over the holidays we snapped some Polaroid pics. Well, the film was expired, the pics failed but I loved the colors and shapes. I thought to myself, why not use them for collage…

Pics collaged on black gesso page

So I splashed some black gesso on a journal page, added some stencil work, cut up the pics and made this arrangement. It was a random process, I did not want to overthink it, no pressure, just needed to get my groove going again after being out of the studio so long. After I looked at the pieces I saw the center of a flower and went with it.

. Expressive Floral

I used a white pencil to draw some petals, mind you I am working fast, and free so it is not perfect nor is it my best work. I just had to get going and get my hands and brain creating again. This kind of process is like an ice breaker, a warm up, a get it going kind of thing, a what if and I don’t care if it is imperfect kind of thing. Basically doing it for the process, doing it for the love of creating, and doing it because my muse absolutely needed it. This is the beauty of art journaling, it’s free and easy. My first inclination for the piece was totally different than how it turned out. I thought maybe the colors in the polaroid pics would be the foundation, muted grays, greens, and burnt orange. Nope, that is not what happened. Those colors are completely lost, oh well! Whew I am glad that is out of the way, now I can get down to some serious work…or not! With this post, I wanted to be open, keep it real, and encourage you to allow yourself time for process work. It’s a great way to start the year.

Thanks for stopping by, leave a comment and let me know how you started the new year.

EVE

Eve, mixed media acrylic painting

Aqua Art Journal Class Re-cap

The color aqua was inspiration for a six week class I just finished teaching. As an instructor with the Bemis Art School at Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, I am honored to be on staff and am amazed by the talented students that come through our doors. Just take a look at their art featured in this post and you will see what I mean! My journal is pictured above with a pink beaked peacock made with a stencil. The first layers were white gesso, and acrylic paint, then gel pens for details. Students are provided with mixed media techniques and prompts for making pages. Though the mixed media techniques are the same, each student designs their page from creative intuition and all pages become one-of-kind. From a variety of backgrounds, and art making experiences each student has a unique gift. I enjoy cultivating a class atmosphere where creatives can let their muse learn, play, explore, and discover. Take a look at the aqua infused art journal pages made with a variety of techniques and prompts…

“Heart Matters”

This two page spread was created with layers of thick masking tape, white gesso over the tape, and acrylic paint for lots of yummy texture. The heart was a page from a wallpaper sample book, painted and stenciled on the front and back, attached only in the center. Lifting up the right and left side of the heart, reveals each artists words about their special loves.

Instead of a heart design, this artist carried forth the theme of the sea, and used a fish design.

On the first class we made painted art tissue with various shades of aqua and warm tones to be used for the two page spread entitled “By the Sea”. The painted tissue is a wonderful collage element because it is made by hand and tissue adheres to a page so nicely. It almost looks like it was part of the page from the beginning.

And then, “Home Sweet Home”, inspired by the color aqua..naturally!

The mixed media technique used for this prompt was bleeding tissue. Water is painted onto the journal page, then pieces of bleeding tissue are laid down, then more water. After the water dries and tissue is removed a lovely layer of juicy color remains. This is very serendipitous, and therein lies the fun. Unlike the medium of watercolor, this is uncontrolled, and loose but lends itself to fun patterns of color.

Art journal pages in the works using bleeding tissue.

Creatives with LOTS of room to spread out in this art studio at Bemis!

More pages made using the bleeding tissue technique.

Building layers of collage on top of the colors left from the bleeding tissue technique.

Collage elements with painted tissue and stamped imagery.

Photo transfers were made by using inkjet or toner copies of personal photographs. This is a perfect way to use your collection of photos. Each student had beautiful photos from personal experiences depicting the color aqua. From the shores of Bermuda, to the northern lights, and the architecture from Morocco, there was a place for each photograph. A layer of liquid matte medium is painted on the page, the photograph is placed face down, burnished, and burnished some more!!! After it dries for 24 hours, spray a mist of water on the backside, and gently rub the paper pulp away. After it is dry again, add a layer of gloss varnish or clear fingernail polish to reveal a fairly clear image. This technique is not flawless and sometimes images do not adhere perfectly. That’s okay! To have a perfect image, use a copy of the photograph as collage. This technique provides the following look….

This is a photo I took at San Juan Capistrano Mission. I made a black and white copy and used the photo transfer technique.

The page was divided into a grid using gesso and the edge of a already spent gift card. 🙂 By adding lots of water to acrylic paint, it starts to behave a bit like watercolor but filled with pigment. You can see how great the photo transfer images blended into the page.

Vellum paper printed with a photograph is another way to add your personal photos into the journal. I printed my art rocks photo on vellum, attached it with washi tape over a grid page design of watery acrylic paint and photo transfers. The grid is a subtle layer beneath the vellum. Any inkjet printer can be used to copy a photo onto vellum.

Above is a beautiful example of a piece of vellum printed with a photograph from a travel adventure to Turkey. If you are like me and take a bazillion photos when traveling, I hope you now have some ideas for new applications for your photographs. They are perfect for lovely collage elements, photo transfers, and vellum prints!

Ah…mermaids and aqua! Don’t you love her purple hair?

Whether you are just getting started making art or have been on the journey for awhile, making mixed media pages in a journal is a gratifying experience. “ Thank you for opening a new world of art for me. Now I know what to do with all of the bits I have collected from our travels. I have learned so much from your class and am looking forward to the next and the next.“ Kind words from a note to me from a student who took this class. Granted there are lots of amazing online classes and sometimes that is just the right fit. But rest assured, taking a class with others builds community and offers an experience quite different from taking one online. Interaction with other creatives, working side by side offering encouragement during the process, and seeing how others use their creative intuition are the intangibles that come from taking an art class at Bemis. As the new year gets ready to unfold, maybe it will be the perfect time for you to get your art on!!! These are wonderful times for makers because opportunities abound for discovering your creative language.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are inspired and perhaps one day I will see you in class. Coming up in the 2019 winter/spring session I am teaching a painting class, Southwest Landscapes and another art journal class entitled Reflective Journal. Both classes are suitable for beginners.

Class information will be posted in the next couple of weeks and you can register online at

http://www.coloradocollege.edu/fac/bemis

SONATA

SONATA

12 x 12 Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Acrylic Inks, Paint, and Mixed Media

I love the butterfly and its attributes, so perfect, delicate, intricate and full of genius. Did you know the Monarch butterfly can fly over 2,000 miles? Such an amazing feat for a paper thin winged creature. And butterfly wings have over 1200 lenses to see all around. Ever since I painted Georgia’s Wings, the steel alloy sculpture which resides in the courtyard garden at Penrose Main Hospital, I have been enchanted with this insect. It is a favorite subject of mine so expect to see more featured in my work. This painting developed intuitively using a perfect specimen, the butterfly, and abstracting the wing design. The name “Sonata” seemed fitting since the butterfly floats through nature pollinating in a musical fashion.

She Is An Explorer

She is an explorer, she is curious, she loves to create pages in an art journal. This page was done on watercolor paper, 140lb. in a handbound journal with the pamphlet stitch. I prepared this page for a class I was teaching and the word prompt was curiosity. It also is created with silhouette images, book text, handwritten words, and some mark making. First layer is paint applied with a baby wipe, smudged around the page, and soft edges. On non porous paper I dripped alcohol inks, and then blended them together. After drying the paper I cut out squares and with an acrylic ink pen spelled out the word curiosity, and cut into squares. I highlighted the letters with white dots then attached the letters to my page with a UHU glue stick, the best glue stick around! Color, line, silhouettes, words, expressions from heart, these are the ingredients in an art journal page. Let me know what you think. Hope to see you in class so I share some ideas for your creative journey!

Folk Art Inspired

Inspired by a trip to Guatemala where folk art abounds. Wooden carvings depicting saints line the perimeters of places of worship. Each one intricate yet primitive, made by hand and paying homage to a person of the past. This is a page in my art journal, a photo image transfer technique upon a page layered with white gesso, acrylic paint and mark making. Using personal photographs for image transfer gives special meaning to a journal page. It is a one of a kind picture from a point in time. A memento of time and place identifying somewhere along the way of life. I wanted to share this with you for inspiration for a journal page. Make a copy of your photograph, a laser copy works best. Those are done at your local print shop. Paint a layer of gel medium on the page and place your photograph copy face down on your page. Burnish, and burnish some more until the ink from the copy starts to release. Once it has released, remove the copy and your image appears. Most of the time, it is not a perfect release and therein lies the beauty of this technique..imperfection and a weathered look! Give it a try and see the endless possibilities of ways to use your personal photos of faces and places. Let me know how it goes!