What's in my art journal? A page in motion

Hello,

I wanted to share one of my favorite art journal pages.  First, let me just gush about this paper. I'm using 70lb drawing paper by Strathmore, that's been folded into an 8 page 9x6 journal. I the put thin thin swipes of gesso on the pages here and there.  I just want to HUG this journal.  It's not stiff at all and has a very nice feel to it.  It's hard to verbalize.  And the best part is that it stands up to my wet media and lays flat, not much warping. OOOOH it feels so good though!    Ok, I got that out of my system...

Before I folded this paper down to my journal size pages, I stamped the entire sheet of paper with a handcarved background stamp (I sell the cling version, Round n Round, in my Etsy shop)

The Round n Round stamp is a quarter repeat stamp.  You first stamp the image then rotate the stamp 90° and repeat 3 times to get a larger print (so fun to carve btw). Because I can't see through the rubber stamp like a cling stamp,  I number the corners so I know which corner I'm working with to get my larger print.  For example, I'm using #1 when I rotate to the right, the stamp should be in the same position with the #1 in the left corner.    Which ever corner I decide to use,  I always make sure it's on the top left.

Top left # 1 ,top right #2,bottom left #3,bottom right #4

Depending on the stamp you may be able to get different images by using different corners of the stamp.  Notice the difference between the top and bottom images.  The circle in thecenter top square comes from  corner #4 when it meets at 90° all around and the larger circle in the  bottom  square is corner #1 all around

Next, I used the mask from one of my stencils (also in the shop) along with some Dylusions acrylic paints.  Then used modeling past through a Tim Holtz stencil.

The sense of motion on this page is what makes it one of my favorites.  I always reach for this page when I'm looking for inspiration. Do you have a favorite page or project that you keep coming back to?

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your visit(s).  Until the next blog...enjoy!

What's in my art journal? Digital Stamp Technique Part 1

Hello everyone!

I get such a kick out of using my stamp images in different ways and I wanted to share a few of those ways with you.  I've uploaded Part 1 of 3 videos that will show you these techniques.  In Part 1, I'm sharing one of my absolute favorite ways of creating.  It's very loose and one of my go to techniques for when I need to warm up or have a creative block.  The key is to not have any expectations, this is simply an exercise. Your results will surprise you, one image can have many different looks.

Watch how completely different the image above can look with this technique.

If your interested in these digital stamps, they'll be in my Etsy shop when I re-open on March 1, 2018.

note:  the images listed in the shop will have the heads fully drawn, not as shown in the video.  

I hope this was helpful.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Until the next blog...enjoy!

What's in my art journal? Dreamer of Dreams

Happy New Year!

Like most artists, I am a dreamer of dreams, and I have many dreams for 2018.  I hope all of yours and mine come true.

This is my first art journal page for 2018.  I've started with some pre-folded mixed media papers that I use to make my art journals with.  I'm also using strips from a Gelli print, a stencil, a cut out from an old calendar,  and some dye inks.

This page has lots of texture and was a lot of fun to make.  Video coming up.

Until the next blog...keep dreaming!

What's in my art journal? Be authentic

Hello,

This post is more on a personal note, I hope you find it useful.  I was talking to one of my older sons last night.  He is very talented in the world of cinematography (yes, I may be biased), and we were talking about our paths as artists.  We talked about working on our skills, learning new skills, being vulnerable, taking risks, putting your work out there, etc. We spoke about the importance of being authentic no matter what.  Other wise what's the point? 

That's what this  art journal page is all about. I believe this is a repost.  (not meant to be political in any way, I happen to adore elephants)

Be authentic - nobody does you like you do!

Thanks for today's visit.  Until the next blog..enjoy!

What's in my art journal - Funny Girl

Hey folks!

I got a new lady I want to share with you.  Funny Girl.  I know, I know, she's not a girl but I liked the name for her.  She represents something I LOVE doing and that's laughing. My girlfriends and I are hilarious together.  Sometimes it's a full on comedy show with us.

Starting from this sketch.  I wasn't happy with the hands.  Hands are hard for me to draw yall!

Then traced out to smooth out lines and fine tuned.  Of course I had to make a few cut outs using the Cricut Explore Air.  (it cut between those fingers so precisely!)

And then she went on  to a journal page and here's a video showing that process.

I'll be sure to let you know when Funny Girl is available as a stamp.

Thanks for your visit today, I sure do appreciate it.

Until the next blog...enjoy!

What's in my art journal? Final Inktober recap and a video

Hello everyone!

Got a few things for you.  I wanted to share my final sketches from Inktober, which ended October 31st and I have a video for you using a couple of my Inktober sketches.

Here's a look at how my sketch book pages looked towards the end of Inktober.  I really started to get into a rhythm.  Again, I was going by Jake Parkers daily Inktober prompts.

Notice the figure in the top right for the prompt "Climb".  You will see the front side of it when you turn the page

Notice the figure top left, it is front side of the figure mentioned above.  That day's prompt was "United". 

I'm most proud of the final entry.  The last prompt was "Mask" and you see me masking off some artwork with a banner.  I'm also taking a bow because I'm very proud of myself and was surprised at how much I grew and learned as an artist in such a short span of time. totally unexpected. I really see the importance of drawing everyday.  

Lil side note:  I also had a lot of fun placing him around the studio and snapping pictures of him in action.

Next up, a video of how I took a couple of the above sketches and made stickers and a greeting card.

Thanks for today's visit.  I hope I've inspired you to re-use your art elsewhere.

 Until the next blog...enjoy!

What's in my Art Journal? - Inktober 2 week recap

Hello,

So, here’s a recap of what I’ve been doing for Inktober since my last post.  I’m really enjoying this challenge and I dedicate just an hour a night for this.  During the hour I decide what I’m drawing and look at any reference(s) if I need it. Again, I'm using (mostly) the prompts that Jake Parker (Creator of Inktober) has on his site.  You can find that list here.  

As you can see from these drawing and past drawings that I have a couple of different styles.  The styles waver between doodles and more defined drawings.  I was going to use this challenge to do more defined drawings, however, those take more time for me and my evening time is limited. Since all of my drawings begins with doodling first anyway,  I’ve decided that the Inktober drawings would all be doodles.  Remember Harold and the purple crayon?  That’s me, I doodle on EVERYTHING. It’s such a loose process, I love it.

Anyway, here are my Inktober doodles:

Prompt 8 - Crooked - This made me think of the crooked man that walked a crooked mile, etc. etc. 

9 - Screech - I didn't watch the show Saved By the Bell, but one of the characters in that show was called Screech.  This is Screech umm screeching

10 - Giganic - James and the Giant Peach.  The think about ink is that if you make a mistake your just stuck with it.  I have shadows in all the wrong places here.I 

12 - Random doodle - I attended a Payroll Conference for a few days and drew what was on my table (I skipped 11

13 - Random doodle -  Still at the conference

14 - Random doodle - Leaving the conference

15 -  Mysterious - I ended up not posting this because it was more weird than mysterious.  Looks interesting upside down though.  

16 - Fat - I usually get a fat lip when I'm having an allergic reaction to something I've eaten, among other symptoms..ugh!

17- Graceful - This is actually a remake of an older drawing.  Sometimes you've just gotta dive into your drink.

18 - Filthy -  I don't care if there is nothing in the toilet, I hate when this happens

19 - Cloud - Who doesn't like looking at the clouds and finding shapes within them.  This first one I didn't post, I thought it might be perceived as creepy or inappropriate, so I posted the next one instead.

20 - Deep - Just a picture in a word

21 - Furious - so much that he hit the ceiling.

So that's what I've done so far, thanks for taking the time to stop by.  I appreciate your visit.

Until the next blog...enjoy!

What's in my art journal? Inktober Recap

Hey you!

Hope your all enjoying your weekend.  I decided that I would participate in Inktober this year.  For those who don't know, Jake Parker (an amazing illustrator) started Inktober in October 2009 as a way to improve his skills as an artist by drawing in ink everyday for the month of October. The rest is history.  If you'd like more info or  to participate, here is the link to his website.  The rules are simple, draw something in ink , tag it #inktober, #inktober2017, @jakeparker, @inktober,  post it.  He has a list of daily prompts that you can follow or simply do your on thang. 

I'm going by the prompt list because I can interpret the prompts how I want. I've really been enjoying it because it's been challenging me to draw things I normally would not draw AND I'm sure my drawing skills will be better by the end of this challenge.  Also, I'm using different ink pens to see how they really work.  Even if you don't participate, check out the ink work that artist are posting by looking up those hashtags on social media.


Day 1 - Swift - I rarely draw animals so I went with the Swift bird

Day 2 - Divided - Clearly I'm thinking of emotions here and I'm trying to be clever.

Day 3 - Poison - Here I realized ink is unforgiving and every mark counts

Day 4 - Underwater - drawing bodies are very challenging for me and I don't draw enough men in my life! This guy represents me...I don't go underwater so he's just pointing to where underwater is.

Day 5  - Long - So I've been dealing with should bursitis all week and this was a painful day in which the drawing and the ink would not come together.  I posted even though I don't like it.....it's about the process right?

Day 6 - Sword - I love the story of the Sword in the Stone.  But what if everything is not quite like it seems.  Take a close look.

Day 7 - Shy - I have the cutest reference picture of this little girl that I've been trying to draw for the longest time.  I'm never close to capturing it the way I want.  This is the closest I've ever come to it....her as a grown up. LOL

If you haven't noticed, I'm doing very little shading, cause I'm SCARED.  As I continue to learn about these inks, there will be more shading (fingers crossed) I hope you get a chance to check out Inktober there is a ton of incredible artwork out there.  Thanks for your visit today.

Until the next blog...enjoy!

What's in My Art Journal? Quick Tip - How to add pages to your journal.

Hey folks!

I have a quick tip video to show you how easy it is to add a page to your current journal.  This technique works for most journals but definitely not a spiral bound journal.  This is a good way to add things you've created outside of journal.  Have a look see.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your visit.

Until the next blog...enjoy!

What's in my art journal? Dodged a Bullet

This page is a reminder for me to PAY ATTENTION to my life, my actions, my reactions and to be accountable for every step I take in life. I am so completely grateful for this particular life lesson.

Working in my 9 x 6 handmade journal, I came back to a page that already had a background on it.  The background has stitching, markings, scribbles, ink sprays, and overall has a wonderful  artmosphere about it  (I just made that word up, feel free to use it).

My new stencil mask, Karla, was use as a cut out.  The bullet was drawn and colored on tissue paper so I could place it on top of the cut out.

I usually keep this journal open to display my current favorite page, this lil reminder will be displayed for a while!

Thanks for stopping by.  Until the next blog...pay attention, you may dodge a bullet too!