Cinnamon Pink

Sketching and Art & Soul

I'm always interested in reading articles on the subject of sketching. Via  Design Sojourn (a Singapore-based company), I discovered this post, How to Improve Your Drawing Ability. 

There are many good tips in this post. Here's one of the ideas that I plan to try:  "Draw with a pen. Sketching with a pen, instead of a pencil, is really about losing the ability to erase your lines, or erase your mistakes." Check out the rest of the article for more tips.

I'm leaving for Virginia Beach today. The Art & Soul Retreat is happening this week, April 24-28, at the Virginia Beach Resort & Hotel. On Wednesday, I'm taking a workshop led by Misty Mawn entitled Paper Bag Expressions. The course will cover: drawing, painting, coloring and collaging the portrait expressively.

Hand-Dyeing Muslin with Avocado Skins

Natural hand-dyeing with plants has been a popular post on Pinterest. I decided to experiment with avocado skins. I am quite pleased with the results: a vintage dusty rose color. I used white muslin fabric and beige lace. Here are some things that I learned:

• Use a stainless-steel pot that is dedicated to hand-dyeing.
• Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinegar to the water. Vinegar acts as a fixative for the dye.
• Boil the skins for about 25-40 minutes. I used skins from two avocados for my experiment.
• Strain the resulting dye and discard the skins.
• Boil the fabric for about 25-40 minutes in the dye water, depending on the desired shade that you want. 
• For a darker rose-colored shade, allow the fabric to seep in the dye overnight.
• Rinse the fabric in cold water.

In my experiment, I did not drain the skins. I boiled the skins and fabric in one pot. This technique resulted in small brown spots on the fabric. I'm not concerned about the spots because I wanted a vintage, aged look.

I plan to use my hand-dyed fabric in a mixed-media art piece.

 

Revisiting 2013 Art Goals

Now that the first quarter of 2013 is almost finished, have you thought of revisiting your Art Goals for this year?

I decided to review my goals and realized that one of my objectives was to practice my handlettering on a daily basis. Well, I got involved in other mixed-media art projects - deadlines - and daily life. Regrettably, my daily practice of hand lettering fell by the wayside.

I decided that I needed a constant (in my face) reminder if I was going to get back on track. So I took a composition book, printed out my reminder on pale purple paper and glued it on the book cover.

I placed the book on my desk right next to my laptop and there it will stay. Since I use my laptop multiple times each day, my goal is to squeeze in hand lettering practice on a daily basis.

What is the status of your 2013 Art Goals?

Video Library of Techniques from Stampington & Company

Image from Stampington and Company

Via Pinterest, I discovered a fantastic Video Library of mixed-media art techniques brought to you by Stampington and Company.

Here are a few of the video titles:

• Resin Paper
• Dry Color Wash for Art Journals
• Casting with Ice Resin and
• Beeswax Cards......and so much more.

Experimenting with some of these techniques could result in a very creative weekend. What technique will you try?

Try a Faux Venetian Plaster Finish for Your Next Mixed-Media Art Project

 

I came across this tutorial on how to Paint a Faux Venetian Plaster Finish. I love the texture of this finish. Although the tutorial focuses on painting walls, I think the technique would also work on large canvases - as part of a mixed-media art piece.

Note: I believe this original post appeared on the Better Homes & Gardens site but I was not able to find the specific link.

 

Try a Faux Venetian Plaster Finish for Your Next Mixed-Media Art Project

 

I came across this tutorial on how to Paint a Faux Venetian Plaster Finish. I love the texture of this finish. Although the tutorial focuses on painting walls, I believe the technique would also work on large canvases - as part of a mixed-media art piece.

Note: I believe this original post appeared on the Better Homes & Gardens site but I was not able to find the specific link.

 

GELLI ARTS Prints - Experiment # 2

To create the swirly and linear designs that you see above, I cut fun foam with inexpensive pinking shears. I made the small squares border by cutting into the foam. For the circles design, I used a drafting template.

Here is a photo of the actual foam tools that I made. After each pass that I made on the plate, I wiped the excess acrylic paint off the foam to achieve a sharp design. When I make new tools, I plan to glue two foam sheets together, before cutting designs, to give some weight to the tools.

For the right-hand print, I used a detailed stencil. So far, I've found that stencils with larger openings produce sharper designs.

Usually when I'm done with printing - and have already cleaned up the paint and plate, I begin getting new ideas for stencils/masks and substrates. Today, I wrote those ideas down so that I'll be ready for my next printing session.

GELLI ARTS Printing - First Experiment

Yesterday, I did my first experiments with my 8” X 10” GELLI ARTS Gel Printing Plate. The above photo shows the stencils and masks that I worked with.

I created my own masks with Tyvek® which you can purchase from a home improvement store – or even better recycle the Tyvek envelopes that you receive in the mail. Out of all the prints that I made that day, I liked the results that I achieved with Tyvek the best.

 

Above are a few of the prints that I created.

Gel Printing Tips

• Set up your supplies first because things can get messy. I filled a baking pan with water so that I could easily clean the paint off my stamps. Keep a spray bottle, filled with water, nearby to clean your plate between prints. A roll of paper towels helps too. Line a table, or floor, with newspapers. Then, as you create the wet prints, you’ll have a place for them to dry.
• On your first try, there is a small learning curve as you experiment with the proper amount of paint to put on the Plate, the best paint, paper & stencils to use. In the beginning, I tended to put too much paint on my plate. I used both acrylic craft paint & tube paint.
• After working with 8” x 10 ¾” deli paper and 10 1/2” x 12” deli paper, I prefer the latter for my 8” x 10” plate because it leaves a nice, white border around the print which makes it easy to frame.
• Save your scrap paper, i.e., the papers that you used to clean your brayer – and the paper towels which you used to clean your hands. The photo below doesn't show the beautifuls blues and purples on the paper towels. You can use these discarded paper gems in your Art Journals, ATCs or other projects.

Next Steps

I plan to use my thin, commercial stencils for my next printing session. And I will be making more stencils w Tyvek®.  I also want to experiment with fabric, decorative papers, tracing paper, tissue paper and maybe even canvas paper.

Reinventing Watercolor Paintings

Today, I was sorting through some of my paper files and found this painting of a pear that I completed a few years ago. I decided to enhance the painting by using punchinella to add a polka dot background. Then I added a script stamp right over the pear. 

In both cases, I masked the pear, and later the background, to avoid getting ink on the wrong areas. I like the way the embellishment turned out. Now, I'll review some of my other watercolor paintings to determine how to reinvent them.

What paintings can you enhance?

Gelli Arts Printing Plate Session at TAG

Last night, our Tidewater Artist Group (TAG) met for our monthly Art Journaling session.

One of our members, Carol Edwards, gave a fantastic demonstration on the Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate. We learned a lot about different paints, stencils, masks, mark making tools and papers. This was my initial experience with the printing plate - and I love the process. You can see my first prints in the photo above. To add more dimension, I probably will add more paint layers to these sheets.

Carol suggested that we use Kabnet Dry Wax Paper (Deli Wrap) as our substrate. This paper can be purchased via Amazon or at Sam's Club. I really do like the translucent nature of the paper. It enhances the final print. 

There are about 500 sheets in each box of deli wrap. But I'm sure that we can all think of other mixed-media art projects where the deli paper would come in handy.

Happy Valentine's Day 2013

For Valentine's Day, I created these small matchbox trinkets. The fabrics came from my stash. Before I glued the fabric onto the boxes, I covered them with light-weight cardstock to prevent the glue from seeping through the cloth.

For this art piece, I glued fabric onto a 5" x 7" canvas board. I added ribbon, felt heart shapes and small scraps from the fabric on the right hand side of the canvas.

Wishing You All a Wonderful Valentine's Day! Eat lots of candy.

Valentine Girl Painting

It's February and Valentine's Day will soon be here. In celebration of that day, I created a new painting entitled, Valentine Girl.

I used a combination of watercolor paints and acrylics. Many of my girl paintings include polka dot dresses. I think polka dots are happy designs. That's why I like to include them in my art work. 

What design elements seem to reappear in your own art work?

The Mixed Media Directory from Cia Williford

Image from The Mixed Media Directory site & Briarwood Studio.com

I just found out about The Mixed Media Directory which is the recent creation of Cia Williford.

Here's a short description of the Directory from the site:

"The Mixed Media Art Directory is an all-encompassing directory for links related to mixed media: art and artists, shops and supplies, methods and mediums, blogs and web sites. Please feel free to browse our listings and suggest new ones. Find your favorite artists, or discover new ones! If you care to register, you'll even be able to keep a list of all your favorite links!"

Note: It is suggested that "artists do not add selling sites, i.e. Etsy, ArtFire, eBay, etc. Visitors can find those links on the individual artists' sites."

Cia hopes that the Directory "will grow to be an all-encompassing, one-stop-shop for all things relating to mixed media art."

Check it out - And Good Luck Cia on your new venture.

String Tissue Paper Tutorial with My Modifications

Large Sheet of String Tissue Paper

Close-Up of String Tissue Paper

I recently saw a tutorial on Laura Lein-Svencner's blog on how to create String Tissue Paper. I tried to find the link to the tutorial but it may have been removed. 

Today, I decided to create some String Tissue Paper with ideas from Laura and many of my own modifications. Here's what I did:

• Place a large sheet of plastic sheeting on the floor and spray with a water mister. Lay large sheets of tissue paper on the plastic and press lightly. Cover tissue with a coating of spray adhesive.
• Cut up white cotton string which is the length and width of the tissue paper. Arrange the string in grids on the tissue paper. Mist with water and then with spray adhesive. The adhesive helps the string to adhere to the tissue paper.
• Lay sheets of tissue paper over the string. Mist with water and spray adhesive again.
• Mix up equal parts of water and matte medium with a few squirts of acrylic paint. Using a wide brush, gently paint the mixture over the tissue paper. Let dry.
• Last, mix up equal parts of water and matte medium. To this mixture, add some acrylic paint. I used Stewart Gill Byzantia Jewel Tone Metallic - Aegean. Let dry.

I plan to cut the string tissue paper into smaller sections and then add a variety of stained paint to each of the individual pieces of paper.

Thank you Laura for the inspiration.

Creating Art with Unusual Materials - Roundup

Many mixed-media artists like to create art using unusual materials; me included. Here's a roundup of projects that take such raw materials and transform them into art:

Image from the Artsyville  blog

1. Make Art with Cash Register Paper - source: Artsyville  blog.

2. Transform Empty Toilet Paper Rolls into Art Journals - source: Hands and Heart blog. 

3. Create an Art Journal with Red Rosin Paper purchased from the Hardware Store - source: Creative Kismet blog.

4. Make a Handmade Art Journal Cover from Masking Paper purchased at home improvement stores - source: Gee Marie  .

Which of the above art projects will you try this weekend?

 

Transfer Artist Paper & Lazertran Transfers: Experiments

At last Tuesday's TAG Art Jouraling Session , we experimented with Lesley Riley's Transfer Artist Paper (TAP) - and Lazertran Transfer Paper. Stephanee Howell gave us a demo on TAP. And Julie Armstrong did the Lazertran demo.

Here's my TAP image. Original photo is courtesy of Stephanee Howell. Stephanee has done extensive experiments with TAP on different substrates. And she says that the best images will be achieved when transfering onto fabric. TAP works with inkjet printers.

 

This is my Lazertran image. Original photo is courtesy of Eric Mein.  Lazertran decals can be applied to wood, paper, stones, glass, metal, candles, walls, clay and more. You can purchase Lazertran sheets that are specifically for inkjet printers.

 

Stephanee generously provided us with images that were printed on silk fabric. Lazertran Silk Transfer Sheets were used to produce this image. It is designed for use with laser printers or photocopiers that use toners. I chose her Trees image.

We had a wonderful session that included: image transfer experimentation, shared mixed-media art techniques and Art Journal pages.

 

 

Celebrate the Day: Mixed Media Party Cake Original

 

I enjoy creating mixed-media art using various pieces of decorative paper scraps, fabric and ribbon. Here is my newest art work in my series of ARTFUL PAPER SCRAPS: a Luscious Party Cake.

I gave this art piece a motivational twist by encouraging every one to Celebrate the Day.

You can find this art work in my Etsy Shop.

Maximize Your Minutes with Art

Tweny Minute Post Card

I’m always looking for ways to make more time for creating art in my daily life. I came up with this list to help you maximize your art-making minutes. I found that there are two benefits to these activities;

1. Once you start making art in minutes, your creative energy becomes ignited. And before you know it, those minutes may turn into a couple of hours of art making.
2. The exercises will give you ideas for larger art projects.

Five Minutes

• Do a five minute doodle. Designate a small notebook to record these daily, five minute doodles.
• Cover a two-page spread of your Art Journal with gesso or acrylic paints. Now, these pages are ready for your next Art Journaling session.
• Grab an old magazine and choose three images for your next collage.

Ten Minutes

• Get your camera and wander through the rooms of your home taking photographs of unique items. Later, use some of these photos for your blog posts.
• Go into your stash and randomly pick up paper scraps for your next mixed-media art piece.
• Sort through your art tools (markers, colored pencils, oil pastels) and choose a color theme for a future art project.

Twenty Minutes

• Choose some random art supplies and set up a still life that you complete in twenty minutes.
• Look at the comics section of your newspaper or a cartoon book for inspiration. Then create your own cartoon character.
• Dig into your stash and pick out those special ephemera pieces that you haven’t used because you don’t want to mess them up or waste them. Or choose an art supply that you haven’t used yet (that may still be in its original store bag). Alternately, hunt for an art supply, or tool, that you completely forgot that you owned. Now, take twenty minutes to create art with that item.
• Create a mixed-media art postcard in twenty minutes. Challenge yourself to create a postcard every day.

Thirty Minutes

• Create six Artist Trading Cards (ATC) in thirty minutes. Take only five minutes to create each card. Beforehand, set up your cards, supplies and kitchen timer – And Go!
• Want to try a new art technique, or learn a new artistic skill the easy way. Google the technique/skill + children’s art. You’re sure to find simple instructions for tackling that new project – and probably less expensive supplies too.
• Take a pack of Model Magic, or paper clay, and sculpt a tea cup. Make your cup elegant or a fanciful Alice in Wonderland cup.
• Paint a monotone painting in various tones of raw umber and white.
• Set the timer and create a thirty minute Art Journal page.

©Darlene Maciuba-Koppel

Sixty-Three Different Background Techniques from Techniques Zone

Image from Techniques Zone

Check out Techniques Zone for a fantastic list of Sixty-Three Different Background Techniques brought to you by host, Trish Bee. Her list will definitely energize your creative juices. Pick a technique and start making art now. 

Read her other posts too for more art making ideas.

Making Your Own Stamps from Approachable Art

Image from Approachable Art Blog

Here are some great tutorials on Making Your Own Stamps from Judy's blog, Approachable Art.

 I have worked with Corrugated Cardboard Stamps, Continuous Roller Stamps and Foam Core Board in the past. However, I like Judy's detailed instructions on how to make these stamps and thought that you might like them too.

Be sure to check out Judy's other Tutorials & Tips on her blog.

 

Ink Experiments

I took some index cards and added drops of the following, bottled ink colors onto the cards: Teal, Pearlescent Aqua Blue and Walnut ink . Then, I pressed the inked cards together and achieved a nice mottled effect.

The cards all have a beautiful sheen which doesn't show up in the photographs. Next time, I may create the cards in a lighter color

I stamped the lower left-hand card with silver pigment ink - And the lower right-hand card with white acrylic paint. What did you experiment with today? 

Collage Face Art Completed

I just finished the art piece that I worked on at our Tidewater Artists Group (TAG) Collage Faces Workshop last Sunday. 

We also experimented with punchinella and modeling paste to texture the other mixed-media art boards that we created. 

Punchinella is a fun plastic, or metal, ribbon that is left over after sequins are punched out. It is often called "sequin waste" or "sequin scrim." If you need Punchinella, you can purchase it at SkyBluePink for a reasonable price. 

If you do not have any modeling paste, try substituting white gesso instead.

Faux Enamel Tags Experiment

I'm calling this technique an experiment because I learned a lot from the process. I wanted to create some Faux Enamel Tags.

On the Web, I found two great tutorials on this topic. For example, the French Enameled Numbers Tutorial on Can't Stop Making Things and Faux Enamel Number Tag Tutorial on Stamptramp.

I didn't have metal tags so I painted some wood tags white instead. I did heat set the stamped images. Then I pressed the tags into an Embossing Ink Pad (which I think contained too much glycerin).

Next, I sprinkled on Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) and set the tags in my toaster oven for about three to five minutes. I do not have an electric skillet. I later sprinkled on clear embossing powder - and then more UTEE - putting the tags in the oven each time.

I think the multiple bakings caused the stamped images to bleed. The tags actually do look better, in person, than in the above photo. I found it tricky to photograph the glossy tags.

I used a Memories Dye Ink Stamp Pad for the crown, butterfly and Eiffel Tower. And I used a StazOn Ink Stamp Pad for the other tags.

 Lessons Learned for the Next Time - Use:

• Metal tags instead of wood tags.
• Versamark Watermark/ Resist Ink Pad, not an Embossing Ink Pad
• Clear embossing powder instead of Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel 
• Practice Makes Perfect

Hopefully, you've learned from my experiment. 

 

 

 

 

Rome Windows: Gel Image Transfer

I just finished this Gel Image Transfer mixed-media piece this afternoon. It was quite time consuming to remove the paper remnants from the gel image.

I later added stamped text to help unify the image to the 5" x 7" canvas board.

My husband took this photograph a few years ago when we were in Rome. I love unique windows and so I asked him to take a photo. He's a much better photographer than me but I'm learning. 

Blue Bird Painting Completed

Here is the finished, mixed-media painting of my Blue Bird. You can see how the painting looked when it was a work-in-progress here. I did decide to add some French text to complete the painting. But I didn't think a crown on the bird was necessary.

The colors of the painting are much softer than the image that you see on screen.

Portrait on Over-Sized Tag

I'm currently taking the Portraits 2012 - Self-Guided Workshop with SUZI BLU. In this exercise, SUZI suggested that we create a portrait on an oversized tag. I highly recommend SUZI's online classes. I love the detailed techniques that she provides to her classes.

I'm a little behind in this class. I seem to get involved in too many mixed-media art projects at one time. My To Do List is endless. How does one fit it all in? Sometimes, I think I'm just too curious. I spot a new technique - or project - and I just have to try it out and experiment.

How do you fit in all of your art projects?

Tutorial: Transfer with a Woodworker's Transfer Tool - from A Lapin Life

Image from A Lapin Life

Via Pinterest, (Yes, I'll admit it - I've been on the Pinterest boards AGAIN), I found a transfer technique that is new to me - and that I think is quite unique.

Dee, host of A Lapin Life, shows us How to Transfer with a Woodworker's Transfer Tool. Here's what she says about the technique:

"No more messy oils or trying to put your fabric in your printer using spray adhesive.  You can now make fast and easy projects with a woodworkers transfer tool. *Make Pillows, Tags, Cards, Memo Boards, Ribbons, Shirts, Clothes, Team Logos, Drapes, Gifts, etc! You can also use it on wood. An Added bonus your fabric can be washed! ✓Please use cotton fabric!"

I love what Dee did with the wood board shown above. On her blog, she even has a video explaining her technique as well as individual project tutorials.

I enjoy collecting various transferring techniques. If you know of any other unique transfer projects, please share.

Vintage-Style Butterflies Art

Happy Memorial Day. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful holiday.

I created this mixed-media art piece today. It was done on an 8" x 10" canvas board with shadings of soft blue and cocoa brown inks.

Happy Mother's Day 2012

Wishing all the Moms out there a Happy Mother's Day. My wishes also extend to you Moms of Fur Babies. After all, they're part of your family too.

I didn't have time to create a special piece of art for Mother's Day. So I posted a mixed-media, art post card that I completed a while back. It's a reminder to take some special time for yourself, today, to follow your creative passion.

The post card is enclosed in vinyl - and stitched shut - so that the beads and sequins can be shaken for a fun effect.

Blue Bird's Nest - Dress Collage

Here is the third in my series of  Dress Collages. This piece was completed on a 5" x 7" canvas board. I've realized that more shades of blue are lately showing up in my art work.

As you may have noticed, much of my art work is done in various colors of pink. But lately, I'm finding blue to be a restful and calming color to use to create. I primarily used blue in my Inspiration Deck.

Yes, I know, I photographed the above collage on a pink background. I guess pink will always be with me.

What colors do you use in your art?

Numbers - Dress Collage

I took my inspiration for this second Dress Collage from the Idea House Journal Page that I recently completed and posted on my blog.

I used mat board for my substrate this time instead of a canvas board. I rounded the edges of the mat board and covered it with vintage ledger paper. I like the look of the numbers typography shaped into a dress form. The letters of the alphabet would probably also work too.

Dress Collage Completed

Here is the first Dress Collage that I just completed. I think I may try experimenting with other color and design themes. I like working in this 5" x 7" canvas panel format.

You may have noticed that I use the SOAR stamp quite frequently in my art work. To me, the word SOAR is encouraging and positive. It reminds me to continually strive to become my best in my creative endeavors.

What word inspires you?

Girl Dresses - Collage

A few years ago, I participated in a Greeting Card Swap and made the New Baby Girl Dress card that you see above.

Right now I'm working on Big Girl Dresses. But instead of cards, I plan to put the dresses on small canvas boards. As soon as I complete one of these dresses, I'll post them on my blog. Right now, they are works-in-progress.

 

Bubble Painting Art

Another technique that we explored at our TAG meeting was Bubble Painting. This would be a great activity for children. Here's what we did:

Bubble Painting

1. Mix a small amount of dish detergent with a few drops of food coloring in a shallow bowl of water.
2. Using a straw, blow bubbles into the water.
3. Press watercolor paper (about 4" x 6") onto the bubbles and remove. Let dry.
4. Repeat with various colors.
5. Use papers for handmade book covers, collage or greeting cards.

Notes: The next time, I will try food color paste instead of liquid food color to obtain more intense shadings. I also will try different colors of ink. 

Tissue Paper Painting with TAG

Yesterday, our Tidewater Artists Group (TAG) held a Techniques Workshop facilitated by Julie Armstrong and her lovely sisters.

One of the techniques we did was Tissue Paper Painting. A sample is shown above. It was a little tricky to photograph the piece due to the glossy medium we used. Lately, I seem to be working with a lot of glossy art pieces, don't I?

I'm sharing the technique so you can try it for yourself. I know I will experiment with this idea again. 

Tissue Paper Painting Directions

1. Using a Stazon Ink Pad, and various rubber stamps, fill your tissue paper with stamped images.
2. Tightly ball up a white kitchen trash bag then lay on a table protected with papers.
3. Lay tissue paper on top of the crinkled trash bag.
4. Spray tissue paper with water.
5. Paint wet tissue paper with a mixture of glossy fluid medium and a small amount of acrylic paint. You can make up different colors of this mixture. 
6. Set aside to dry. When dry, carefully peel the tissue paper off the trash bag.

Notes: I think I will try matte medium when I do this technique again. Gently paint your medium mixture on the fragile wet tissue paper so that you don't tear it.

 

Trusting the Process in Art

Today, I was experimenting with this image. First, I stamped the buildings - then enlarged them. I next put on a protective spray and added color with watercolor crayons and watercolor pencils. I have not finished the image but I didn't know what I wanted to do next with this piece. So I later worked on creating some more collaged hearts for my panel series. Then I pasted some papers in my Art Journal. 

I wasn't satisfied with my art making at that point which made me think of a book in my personal library entitled, Trust the Process written by Shaun McNiff.

McNiff says that "It is always hard to see that doubt, fear and indirectness are eternal aspects of the creative path....If we are able to stay with a situation, it will carry us to a new place."

McNiff goes on to say that "I have learned to accept the periods of frustration and blockage as an unconscious buildup for creation.....No matter what your style may be, impediments are an inevitable part of the creative process."

What do you think? When you make art, do you Trust the Process?

 

Studio Cleanup

 

For the past few weeks, I've been working on various art projects nonstop. In between the art projects, I have not stopped to clean up my messes. You know what happens then. The piles of papers, and clutter, continue to increase and before I realize it, I'm working on top of discarded layers of art residue. And I can't find anything like the scissors or ruler.

So today I had to stop the art making and clean my Studio. The cleanup took a good part of my day but once again order has been put into place and serenity prevails. Here are some odds and ends that I came across as I decluttered. I haven't seen these pieces in a long time.

What do you find when you clean up your Studio?

Hooked Rug - Work-In-Progress

Today I have another work-in-progress to share. This is a hooked rug that I'm currently attempting to complete. Finally, the background is almost done. My next step is to make a double checkerboard border in black and white. I'm talking a big checkerboard design - not those tiny little squares that you see on the linen.

A traditional rug hooking project takes a long time to complete. Since I belong to a Rug Hooking Group that meets weekly, it doesn't get boring. Chatting and eating treats makes the hooking go by faster.

The women in our group all create their own original designs. We use 100% wool and cutters to make our wool strips.

 

Art Journal Page-in-Progress

This week, I've been a little lax in my blog posts. My excuse is that I'm doing a lot of multi-tasking creating lately. Here's a work-in-progress Art Journal page that I began, on Tuesday, at our recent Angels on Fire Art Journaling session - and delicious Pot Luck Dinner.

I first gessoed the page with a small amount of light green acrylic paint mixed in to add background color. Then I gathered up some images and phrases from catalogs and magazines.

The collage-like flower images came from Catherine (our Journaling Session host for the evening). Earlier, she had gone through her ephemera stash and created goodie bags for all of us. There's nothing better than more ephemera for mixed-media artists. We were all thrilled with our new paper treasures.

After I glued down my collage pieces, I rubbed in some light blue, and green, oil pastels to add more color to the page. I still have some more work to do to complete the page.

Earlier, I mentioned multi-tasking creating. That night our group agreed that we all tend to work on a multitude of art projects at the same time. We decided that it had something to do with being women - and how we all have to multitask on a daily basis to get through busy days.

How about you? Do you multi-task create too?

 

 

Collaged Light Switch - Brag Monday at the Graphics Fairy

Over the weekend, I purchased some plain light switches to play with. Here's my first experiment. I used the beautiful Egg Prints image from The Graphics Fairy. I love this particular print because of the pastel and pink eggs.

First, I glued on a portion of the egg print on the light switch - and then lined the two vertical sides with old ledger paper. To finish it off, I distressed the edges of the light switch with pigment ink.

I added my light switch to the Link Up Party at Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy.  I also joined the Link Up Parties at:

• Homemaker on a Dime
• Under the Table and Dreaming

Photocopy Art Transfer Experiments

I was experimenting with Photocopy Art Transfers today. I used two photographs that my husband had taken when we were in Venice a few years back. First, I made laser photocopies at the local Office Max.

This is a transfer that I made using Golden Soft Gel Matte Medium. It's a little distressed but I can remedy that later on with some acrylic paint and/or watercolor crayons.

Next, I worked with Mona Lisa Omni Gel. Although this method took half the time (rubbing away those paper bits), the result is an image with a high gloss. The latter made it difficult to produce a good photograph for my blog. The dark clouds and rain outside were also not cooperating with picture taking.

I then decided to place a piece of wax paper over the image to cut the sheen - and take a second photograph. Hmmm - I kind of like the result.

But bottomline, I think I like the distressed image that I obtained with the Golden Soft Gel Matte Medium the best. It would meld nicely with various mixed-media art projects. If I do use the image produced with the Omni Gel, I will probably coat it with a matte finish first to tone down the sheen.

Little Mama Mixed-Media

Today, I finished this mixed-media art piece. The vintage childrens' image comes from Cathe Holden's blog, Just Something I Made.

The 'counting' text is from the Harrington's Spelling Book, copyright 1880. I love the worn and distresssed look of this book's pages and cover. I actually found the book in our local library's FREE Bin. And I was thrilled to save it from the trash. I will post an image of the book tomorrow when there is more sunshine.

This mixed-media piece reminds me of all the Little Mamas who took care of their younger brothers and sisters. I was one of those Little Mamas. Were You?

Do You Collage Fast or Slow?

I had been wanting to create a mixed-media collage with this vintage image (of bird with nest in envelope) from The Graphics Fairy for a while now.

I finally did create the art work but it took quite a long time for all of the pieces to come together. I added and deleted different images of ephemera. I arranged and rearranged the composition, all the while, not pasting any image down permanently. Finally I felt satisfied, completed the gluing and added some corner brads.

The collage was done on a 5" x 4 1/2" piece of cherry wood.

At times, the process of collage amazes me. Although this art work took weeks before I was finally ready to commit to a finished piece. Other times, I choose two or three different images that immediately speak to me and suddenly my collage is completed. It makes me stop and wonder at the magic - and power - of art making.

So how do you collage - Fast or Slow?

My French Heart Ornament Featured on Brag Monday (#110) - Graphics Fairy Site

I have Great News to share. My French Heart Ornament is featured on Brag Monday (#110) on the Graphics Fairy site.

Karen is so generous to offer readers FREE vintage printables and clip art on a daily basis. I especially love her French ephemera. I also admire Karen's elegant taste and that's why I am so thrilled that she featured my Heart on her site.

Cinnamon Pink Heart

Recently, I've been experimenting with Americana Triple Thick Gloss Glaze from DecoArt. I have used both the spray and the brush-on versions.

For this heart-shaped sign project, I decided to go with the brush-on glaze because I wanted to create an enamel-like finish. First, I covered a large wood heart (8" x 8") with vintage clipart, Paris Advertising Ephemera, from The Graphics Fairy. I distressed the heart with pigment ink.

I poured a layer of the brush-on glaze all over the heart shape. I found that it is tricky working with the glaze on larger pieces. The glaze that I had put on smaller hearts produced a smooth finish. The large heart has a mottled finish. But I think that it only adds to the overall distressed look that I was trying to achieve. The specks that you see on the ribbon are loose bits of silver glitter.

Only later did I realize that this is definitely a Cinnamon Pink kind of heart. I guess I really do like pink and brown.

I added this post to Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy (#44).

 

Yupo Paper - Techniques from Sandrine Pelissier

For the past year, I've had a pad of yupo paper languishing in my studio. I keep meaning to experiment with the paper but other art projects have taken up my time. Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Today, I googled yupo paper and came upon Sandrine Pelissier's Web sites. She provides a great overview on Painting with Watercolors, Acrylics and Mixed Media on Yupo paper.

In addition to Sandrine's informative Yupo Paper site, she maintains Web sites for Watercolor Painting and Mixed Media Painting. Sandrine also hosts a blog.

In each of her venues, you'll find a wealth of painting techniques, demos and inspiration. Now, I just have to get my Yupo paper back on the drawing board.

 

KOOL-AID® on Wool Experiment

I needed some additional colors of wool for future mixed-media art projects so I did some experimenting.

Using my microwave, I dyed this wool fabric with a mixture of two packets of Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade KOOL-AID® - and about 16 ounces of water and 4 ounces of vinegar. I used unsweetened KOOL-AID. It took a total of 7 - 8 minutes. I did check the wool about every two minutes. You'll know the process is done when the water looks clear.

The color is a little mottled because I used a small Pyrex dish for a 15" long x 11" wide piece of recycled wool. I do like the end result. What do you think?

Received My Moo Business Cards Today

YAY! My Moo Business Cards arrived today! I'm very impressed with the quality of Moo's products.

Etsy has teamed up with Moo.com to offer Etsy Sellers an exclusive FREE pack of Moo Business Cards. You can choose up to 50 different photos to display on your Business Cards. All you pay is standard shipping & handling (6.00 USD). The offer is limited to one pack of free cards per Etsy seller. Find out more details here.

Vintage Car Collage

Instead of a sepia tone, I decided to stay with a realistic photograph of the vintage car. The background consists of a vintage map - and an old neighbors stamp. The substrate is cherry wood.

I may add some tacks or nails to the corners of the wood.

Elegant Paper Mache Tea Cups from Ann Wood

Image from Ann Wood's blog

Via the Decor8 blog, I found these lovely paper mache tea cups, created by Ann Wood, to mark the 5 year anniversary of her blog,

Check out Ann's beautiful blog for the template and detailed instructions. I'm imagining a set of Alice in Wonderland teacups.

Don't forget to check out her shop to see her darling sweethearts.