In loving memory ...

Last Wednesday, a friend and former colleague, was killed in a car accident.  He leaves two sons and a soon to be born grand-daughter.  Last year the boys buried their mum, today they said farewell to their dad. Circumstances prevented me from attending the funeral today but I spent the time in reflection, creating a page in my journal in Shane's memory. 

This is my tribute to Shane Robson 12.8.61 - 20.2.13.

"Every life has an impact on this world."  You, my friend, made an impact on mine.  RIP Shane, you will be sorely missed.

"Strive for progress ... not perfection"

The title pretty much sums up the purpose of my art journal.  I am finding much satisfaction in being able to play with products and techniques without worrying about 'spoiling' anything.  With the pressure off I am free to just play and see what happens.  The following page I have been working on over the past few days.

I started off with a wash of Pthalo Turquoise and Green Gold.  Once this was dry I used my new Mini Chicken Wire template from The Crafters Workshop and coarse textured gel from Reeves to add some dimension to the page.  I then let black india ink run and drip down the page before splattering droplets of ink across the page.  With a sea sponge I added black paint and iridescent medium.  It was then left like that for a couple of days.

Coming back to it today and the courier has been - he delivered my order of PanPastels.  I bought a starter set 'Extra Dark Shades' - there is pretty much a little bit of everything on here (gotta try everything LOL!!!).  The page was sealed with Mod Podge, the text added plus some pieces I accidentally tore when working on another project.  The paper is Pink Paislee "London Market" - keep a watch for the other project which I will post once I have it all together.

The two butterflies with stamped using Black Stazon and then I went over it with Kindy Glitz.  Gotta love that Kindy Glitz.  Not sure if I like the overall result but I love some of the techniques and medium used and I definitely loved playing. 

Until next time ...

Self Worth

Another challenging entry into my art journal.

I found this quote by the Buddha about self worth.  It reads "You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere.  You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection".  How hard is it to love yourself?  How hard is it to value yourself as a person, unique, one-of-a-kind, valuable human being?  Me, being a perfectionist, find this a challenge on a daily basis.  Journalling in this format is also a challenge for me.  My art is not perfect, it is what it is ... an expression of myself.

I started with drawing the patchwork pattern with PVA glue.  After letting it dry I filled each area with a wash of Quinacridone Magenta, Green Gold, Phthalo Turquoise, Diarylide Yellow and Anthraquinone Blue.  Once dry I took similar toned oil pastels and did a little shading and then covered the page with an iridescent medium.  Bubblewrap covered with Payne's Grey acrylic paint was then randomly applied and then indian ink painted over the now dry PVA glue.  After applying the text, the circle was created using Payne's Grey applied to a milk bottle top and stamped onto the page and Kindy Glitz applied to emphasise, before finishing with a layer of Mod Podge.

Obstacles ...

Hi everyone

I have been picking up quotes lately that challenge me and this one is no exception.  A week has gone by since I posted the first page in my art journal.  Today I completed page 2 and the quote for today was around obstacles.  I had picked up the brick stencil from Paperzone earlier in the week so it seemed to fit with what I was thinking about.  How many times do we put obstacles in the way of doing something ... "I can't do that because ...".  I know I am as guilty of that as the next person.  I am the only person standing in the way of me achieving anything.

I used Quinacridone Magenta and Diarylide Yellow for my base followed by a light spritz of Tattered Angels Glimmermist called Blarney (lime green).  After drying off with my heat gun I spread coarse texture gel over the "Mini Bricks" stencil from The Crafters Workshop.  A little dirtying up with some indian ink rubbed on with a paper towel, a couple of heat embossed flowers, the quote, a pic of me and the obligatory date tag and we're done.  Enjoy.

Art Journal

Me again

I have been having a play with my first ever Art Journal.  Inspired by Donna Downey's "Inspiration Wednesday" videos I have made my version of her with art paper and a canvas cover.  This is my first entry and I saw this quote on Pinterest and thought it would make a great start to my journal. 

The whole purpose of the journal is to explore ideas and different medium.  The thing is to keep going until you feel it is finished.  There are no mistakes as you just keep adding layers until you are happy with how it looks.

The colours I have used here are Pthalo Turquoise, Anthraquinone Blue and Diarylide Yellow with splashes of black Indian Ink.  I have inked the edges of the page using a black stamp pad.

 

Thanks Donna - you are an amazing artist and you inspire me every day.

Now, before I go, I just wanted to pass on my congratulations to Anna & Michael - they are expecting the arrival a wee bubs into their family in early August.  How exciting for Nana Jan (I have to admit that I am excited too). 

Mini Album with Box

Hi

I have been working on another project just recently which I'd like to share with you.  I have started becoming a little bit more adventurous with my paper crafting skills and decided I would make a mini album and a box to put it in.  I am hoping that this might become a class at some stage. 

On the left is the box - using the base from a box given me by a friend I gave it a cover, making it look more like a little book.  When the cover is opened the box contains a mini album of old family photos and appropriate quotes. The inside of the box is lined with the same paper as the front and back covers of the album.  This particular album has two inserts cut from a sheet of cardstock giving 8 pages this could easily have been doubled.  As you will see below I have added eyelets, ribbon and small beads to add some interest.  The flowers on the box were handmade from matching cardstock and I have embossed the spine to give it more strength.  The flouish has been crackled - it actually started life a lot bigger than it is shown here but one of our darling kitties decided it was a great chew toy.  Never mind, a quick snip and a flick of sandpaper and it fits neatly against the top edge of the box.

This little album is ideal for all those little black and white snaps from days gone by.  The images are not dwarfed by the size of the page and the bright colour of the paper enhances the monochrome pictures.  For this particular album I printed the photos out in a sepia tone to complement the tonings of the paper.  Take a look and see what you think.  It is the first time I have attempted anything like this so I hope you like it..

Ciao for now, take care.

Lovely day out

Hi everyone

Have had a lovely day out today - a spot of lunch and some shopping in Tirau, a photo op at Lake Karapiro and then home.  Got some lovely pics -

and my pic of the day for all you scrapbookers out there - I found a Little Yellow Bicycle ...