Crafting With Style

Torn Photo ATCs

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:59:00 +0000

I made four Artist Trading Cards for the Torn Photo ATC Swap on the ATCs for All.

It was an interesting process and required all the discipline I could gather to just glue the photo onto a plain backing and not slather it with mixed media collage elements. I'm clearly stuck doing the same, familiar things over and over, and trying to make myself believe that I'm changing things by using different materials. But it's still the same process. So this was a welcome, if slightly uncomfortable change.

2012-9 "Torn Photo ATC #1: Granny"

The first card ended up being very simple. With just a slight skew to the image to make it appear a bit jarring.


2012-10 "Torn Photo ATC #2: Granny and Great-Grandfather"

Tried to go a little farther this time. But feels like I did the really obvious thing in switching heads around.

2012-11 "Torn Photo ATC #3: Granny/Baby"

For this one I tried to not look so much at the imagery, but at the way the shapes and colors and torn edges and use those elements for the composition. I still see things and immediately name them (head, arm etc.) which is keeping me from seeing it as much as an abstraction as I'd like.

2012-12 "Torn Photo ATC #4: Chicken Coop"

Like this the best of them all as far as having interesting lines and intersections of lines and shapes. Glad I stuck through it. Good exercise in abstraction that I can see using to develop drawings and paintings. Glad to get away from my tried and true mixed media collage.

Flower ATC's

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:11:00 +0000

a random assortment of Artist Trading Cards I've done using flower images and themes:

2011-91 "White Flower" ATC

Rubber stamp, embossing inks, pen and ink, marker and stamp pads on bristol.

2011-92 "Yellow Flower" ATC

Rubber stamp, embossing inks and marker on bristol.

2011-93 "White Flower #2" ATC

Rubber stamp, embossing ink and marker on bristol.

Vintage ATCs

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:04:00 +0000

a random assortment of Artist Trading Cards I've made using vintage images and/or themes:

2011-90 "Emotional Intensity" ATC

Vintage photos, text from Carl Jung's "Man and His Symbols" using encaustic, acrylic & metallic markers on watercolor paper.

The Sketchbook Project

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:36:00 +0000

My sketchbook arrived today from Art House Co-op. It's a 32 page, 5.25" x 7.25" book that I'll fill up and mail off to the Brooklyn Art Library as part of their project. For info on participating in the project, or going to visit one of the sites on the World Tour visit their website.

blank Sketchbook

I nicked the photo from their website since I've already got mine in the press trying to dry the first page flat.

Universal Craft Blog Directory

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:29:00 +0000

If you have a crafty blog, join here. Or if you're looking for an extensive list of crafty blogs visit!.

Freeform Afghan - Second Version

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:58:00 +0000

Finished! My second attempt at a Freeform Blanket

10/18/10:

I’m starting a new blanket - trying to do a bit more “controlled” freeform than I have in the past. I’m wanting something that’s a bit calmer and more serene - not quite as tumultuous and busy as the last one. I’m wanting something linear that flows around circular shapes. Usually I cut a piece of fabric in the general shape that I want the piece to end up. This time I made a paper template (I've compiled a list of standard or average blanket and afghan sizes here) so I can draw in where I want the circles and can look at the big picture as I go instead of just randomly putting together shapes that have just sprung forth. (Which I love to do - just wanting to do something different this time.) I guess it could more rightly be called directed freeform.

My color choice is driven by an old Kaffe Fassett pattern featuring multi-yarn triangle shapes that I started about 5 years ago and never finished. I unraveled it, which made some interesting “Magic Balls” that got me started. I made up a bunch of different circle motifs, using patterns from “Beyond the Square, Crochet Motifs” by Edie Eckman. This is without question the book I use more than any other in my library when looking for interesting patterns in inspiring colors with easy to read written instructions and charts.
Working about 10" ahead at a time I laid out the circles and then crocheted and knitted in stripes across. I drew lines every 10" just to have reference points.

Working towards the first 10" line

I joined my husband at a work conference on the Chesapeake. While he spent his days in meetings I wandered through the nearby towns and as always seems to happen came across some yarn stores. I bought a few yarns that seemed like they'd be perfect.

Yarns from Fibre Cafe in Cambridge, Maryland

Yarns from Yarns & Company in Easton, Maryland

I bought some really beautiful yarns, but some of the colors were really, really off. I cut some pieces of ribbon and attached the yarns onto them by color. I kept these in my handbag & pulled them out whenever a yarn store appeared in my path. It's a great system that's easy to maintain.

10/25/10:

I’ve been struggling to keep this going - not happy with the way it was heading and having trouble figuring out what to do next. On a meander through Ravelry I came across Melisseio’s Free Range Wrap which got me thinking about how I was approaching the whole thing. Between that and a couple of very encouraging Ravelry messages from Jenny Dowde (JenOz on Ravelry) and looking a bit at her work I’m back into a happy mind about where it’s heading. It’s a very different process than I usually use while “freeforming” in that I’ve got a much more specific idea of where I want to end up and how I want the piece to appear. I’m also using colors that are quite out of my usual sphere. Jenny's book, Freeform Knitting and Crochet is one I often turn to when needing inspriation or a bit of technical direction.

11/8/10

It’s going much more quickly now. Am keeping up with my 10” per week goal - mostly because I’m already planning the next 3 or 4 projects & can’t wait to get this one finished & get onto those.

almost finished - just need an edging

11/20/10:

The basic shape is finished. It’s feeling like it needs a border. Something sort of wavy so the uneven edges aren’t so noticeable.

12/3/10:

Finished! I decided I needed a border to finish it off. Used #54 from “Around the Corner, Crochet Borders” by Edie Eckman. I modified it slightly - I did 2 base rounds in purple, then did round 1 in yellow and round 2 in green.

This is the other Edie Eckman book that I use constantly. It's got great pictures, and it's easy to modify the instructions to fit the specific edging that you're trying to achieve.

detail of edging

Zentangled ATC's - Assorted

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:43:00 +0000

A random assortment of ATC's featuring "Zentangles" (learn more about zentangling here) :

Cara (11/29/2011)

Zentangle Pattern Organza: 6 variations

My favorite pens for tangling. They come in a set so they're easy to through in your bag and take with you. Plus the plastic sleeve keeps them organized. I also find having them all together reminds you to switch sizes when working on a piece. And this is a great price compared to my local Aaron Bros....
:

Mixed Media Collage ATCs: Profiles

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:09:00 +0000

A series of ATC's using cut out profiles and mixed media techniques:

Profile ATCs

I used the same profile shape in each of these Artist Trading Cards. Some of the profiles were cut out and glued on top of another image, and sometimes I used glued the negative space left from where the head had been cut out on top of other images. I wanted to have so many layers of paint, paper, and found bits of stuff that the original layer could not be seen at all.

I was once again inspired by, and used several techniques from, my favorite book on the subject: Artist Trading Card Workshop: Create, Collect, Swap. Highly recommend it!

These cards were swapped as part of the ATCs For All "Artist Choice" swap.


2011-86 Redhead

Maps and decorative papers with encaustic, melted wax, paint and markers.

2011-87 Linear Thinking

Found book pages with melted wax, handmade paper and decorative papers with pen & ink and marker.

2011-88 Reality

Tissue overlay on chalk resist (instructions here), found book pages, marker and liquid embossing.

2011-89 Blue Head

Tissue paper on printed paper.

2011-99 Deep Interest

Pen & Ink drawing with decorative papers and fortune cookie fortune.

My "Inspired by Edie Eckman's Beyond The Square" Afghan

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:06:00 +0000

I used Edie Eckman's book, "Beyond the Square" crochet motif guidebook to make circles for my freeform afghan and enjoyed the square making process so much I've decided to make one of each of the motifs in the book and somehow put it together into an afghan.

Zentangled ATC's - Pattern Variations

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:36:00 +0000

I'm participating in a series of Zentangle Pattern variation swaps on Swap-Bot. Each Artist Trading Card is made using one or more Zentangle Patterns beginning with a particular letter. Tangle Patterns is a great resource for an alphabetical listing of patterns with links to instructions. And here's a link to the list of "Official" Tangle Patterns.

Zentangled Pattern Series: A

Zentangle pattern afterglo using .05Copic marker on polka dot paper.

Zentangled Pattern Series: A

Zentangle Pattern Aah using Copic .05 marker on hand painted paper.


Zentangled Pattern Series: B

The ATC on the leftt is the Zentangled pattern Bridgden. The card on the right has: Beadlines, Bateek, Bales, Barber Pole, Basketweave and Baton. First time I've used so many patterns in such a small space. very busy.....

Crocheted Zig Zag & Freeform Bag

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:48:00 +0000

I used up more bits from the endless box of leftover needlepoint yarn to create a bag for my daughter.

Delaney's new bag

I started by making a simple zigzag rectangle of single crochet stitches turned on it's side.

The zigzag is inspired by one I saw in Sasha Kagan's book "Crochet Inspiration". It's one of my favorite books for having a good variety of stitch and motif patterns. My daughter wanted something that was vintage-y but modern. This reminded me of old afghans throw over Granny's couches.

I made a rectangle 13" x 24" using this pattern:

With Needlepoint yarn and G hook, Chain 80.

Foundation Row (right side): Work 2 sc in 2nd ch from hook. *Sc in next 5 ch, skip next 2 ch, sc in next 5 ch, work 3 sc in next ch. Repeat from *, ending last rep with work 2 sc in last ch. Change color. Ch 1. Turn.

Row 1: Work 2 sc in first st, sc in next 4 st. *Skip next 2 st, sc in next 5 st, work 3 sc in next st, sc in next 5 st. Repeat from *. Work 2 sc in last stitch. Change color. Ch 1. Turn.

Repeat this row changing colors every row. I used 18 different colors of yarn.

the freeform flap on the blocking board

For the flap I made a freeform shape using rows and squares built upon each other. I just sort of started with a color and did rows and then changed direction and patterns fairly randomly.

Delaney's Crocheted Bag

I used a magnetic button clasp and sewed a vintage button on the front.

the back of Delaney's bag

For the strap I made 24 double crochet granny squares:
will post the instructions when I can find them!

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 11

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Today's Word: Forget

Today's quote: Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.
Timothy Leary (1920 - 1996)

First words for a story: I felt it in my bones.....

Today's Technique: Sharpie ghost writing

Paisley ATCs

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:28:00 +0000


ATC 2011-74: Zentangled Paisley ATC

white ink drawing on business envelope liner

ATC 2011-75: Paisley #1

Rubber stamps, book pages, and ink on paper

ATC 2011-76: Paisley # 2

Rubber stamp and ink on collaged papers

ATC 2011-77: Paisley # 3

Ink on paper

ATC 2011-78: Paisley #4

Alcohol ink, metallic paint, rubber stamps and ink on paper

ATC 2011-79: Paisley #5

Ink and embossing powders on paper

ATC 2011-80: Paisley #6

Acrylic paint, embossing powders and ink on paper

ATC 2011-81: Paisley #7

Acrylic paint, alcohol ink and ink on paper

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 10

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Today's Word: Weary

Today's quote: Evil is obvious only in retrospect.
Gloria Steinem (1934 - )

First words for a story: He was only a child, yet he.....

Today's Technique: Alcohol ink and acrylic paint

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 9

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:55:00 +0000

Today's Word: Underestimated

Today's quote:

To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)

First words for a story: It seemed like a much better idea at the time.....

Today's Technique: Art Table Scraps

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 8

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:45:00 +0000

Today's Word: Guilty

Today's Quote:

Humility is no substitute for a good personality.
Fran Lebowitz (1950 - )

First words for a story: It didn't seem possible.....

Today's Technique: Make a stamp from a sheet of foam

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 7

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:41:00 +0000

Today's Word: Impetuous

Today's Quote:

A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

First words for a story: I wanted to laugh.....

Today's Technique: Weathered magazine pages (this should be done on a gesso'd journal page)

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 6

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:14:00 +0000

Today's Word: Passion

Today's Quote:

No evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death.

Plato (427 BC - 347 BC)

First words for a story: The blue mist.....

Today's Technique: Shades of Grey using plain white paper & black markers.

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Today's Word: Exquisite

Today's Quote:

The adult looks to deeds, the child to love.
Hindustani Proverb

First words for a story: She went into the woods.....

Today's Technique: Fingerpainting and collage

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Today's Word: Befuddled

Today's Quote: Don't let us make imaginary evils, when you know we have so many real ones to encounter.
Oliver Goldsmith (1730 - 1774)

First words for a story: As pure as.....

Today's Technique: Tissue paper squares: Cut tissue into square shapes. Spread Mod Podge* on journal page & attach squares. Overlap some squares, leave white space between some squares, layer smaller squares over larger squares, layer larger squares over smaller, or.....

*alternatives to Mod Podge are white glue thinned down a bit with water or Acrylic Gel Medium.

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Today's Word: Iconoclast

Today's Quote:

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.
Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)

First words for a story: The man turned away.....

Today's Technique: Create a character using postage stamps. Mixed media artist Barbara Brandel uses richly layered backgrounds and then uses postage stamps, both cut up and left whole to fill in the shapes. View her work here for inspiration.

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Today's Word: Reclaim

Today's Quote: "One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important." Bertrand Russell

First words for a story: There was no way......

Today's Technique: Oil Pastel Resist

October Sentence a Day Art Journal (Detailed notes on the processes I used)

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:20:00 +0000

I saw a swap somewhere for a sentence a day journal that you would work on for a month and then send onto your swap partner. Fearing that I'd never complete it & let down my swap partner I decided to give it a try on my own and see if I could actually do it.

I did! I got something done every day, some days way better than others, and most days with pretty poor sentences.

Book pages are 4 1/2" x 5 1/2", which is a perfect size to carry when traveling. It's also not such a big intimidating piece of paper. Doesn't seem so important when it's small.

October 1st and 2nd

I didn't follow any specific plan on making the pages, just did what came up. On the first I picked up a postcard from School of the Arts Institute of Chicago and colored on it. On the Second I layered tissue paper and then painted acrylics on top with a very dry brush.

October 3rd and 4th

On the 3rd I was out of town so prepainted acrylic on the page and wrote a simple note in pen and ink. The 4th was a collage of the insides of business envelopes (the ones with the interesting patterns that make them secure) torn up and layered and then glazed with a bronze acrylic. The drawing and writing is using my favorite Sharpie Poster Paint Pen which I talk more about here.


October 5th and 6th

I brushed on a fairly smooth layer of gesso on both the 5th and 6th. On the 5th I did pen and ink drawings onto the gesso and then tissue paper on top. I used my favorite white pen again to do a reverse number 5 in a circle that lets the tissue show through. On the 6th I did rough coloring with oil pastels, painted with acrylic on top of them, glued down a square of a piece of paper I found that day and then wrote in sepia ink with an artists pen. Everything sort of blended together and it's hard to see anything really.

October 7th and 8th

Again gessos both pages. The 7th has layers of found papers collaged and then painted over with acrylic paints. Then using my favorite white pen again I doodled over most of the page leaving small spaces for the date and writing. On the 8th I used a very dry brush and acrylic paint for the background. I used an embossing pen and powder to emboss the red lines and dots on the number 8.


October 9th and 10th

Both pages are gesso'd. The 9th is built up layers of acrylic paint. I also ran a stamp pad over the whole surface which resisted more paint. Then I scratched back down into the sruface to reveal the layers below. The 10th is more random bits of mail tht came that day, and a fortune from a cookie at lunch.

October 11th and 12th

Just acyrlics painted directly on the paper. On the 11th I did very faint, small drawings of paisleys and other indian motifs. On the 12th I did similar motifs, but in darker ink and added a tissue paper square to write the sentence of the day,

October 13th and 14th

Gesso'd both pages. The 13th had heavy layers of acrylic paints and strips of tissue is the center to form a framed place to write. The gesso on the 14th was very heavily textured and then I squirted acrylic right out of the tupe and used a piece of paper and brayer to pull paint off. Added another fortune.

October 15 and 16

The 15th has very thick acrylic paint and bits of ribbon from a failed attempt at a handbag I was making for Delaney. The name tag was given to me at Parent's Weekend. The 16th has heavily textured gesso rubbed roughly with oil pastels and then painted over. Detailed instructions on this process can be found here.


October 17 and 18

The 17th shows a technique I've been playing around with for a while. I came across one of my husbands textbooks, Jung's Man & His symbols. I randomly pull out a page and glue it down without looking at what the words are. I then play around with making a sentence from the words that appear. In this case I used All Night Media Liquid Embossing to go over the words I wanted to feature, then filled in the back with acrylic paint, ink and markers. It's a great product that I use for lots of different applications and it lasts forever. It comes in different colors. I like clear and sepia gloss. The 18th is a simple mandala drawing pen and ink and markers.


October 19 and 20

Very heavy black acrylic paint was spread on the page with a credit card and then scraped away just as it was almost dry. I painted blue lines with acrylic paint and used markers for the date and sentence. For the 20th I painted gold acylic paint directly on the paper and then used the Micron pen to doodle and write.

October 21 and 22

On the 21st I used an old dryer sheet that I'd been using to clean up paint & glued it down. Then stamped flower images on striped paper and added white marker drawings. The pink squiggles are Duncan Scribbles paint which come in super easy to use little squeeze bottles and in a great assortment of colors that I use all the time.The 22nd has chalk pastel and tissue paper technique I describe here with marker drawing and writing on top.

October 23 and 24

October 23 is watercolor painted onto gessod paper, with the sentence done in marker. On the 24th I did a very messy collage, rubbing it down with a brayer to force all the glue to seep out from under the papers. I then sprinkled embossing powders on the glue & treated it with a heat gun.

October 25 and 26

No gesso on either page. On the 25th I gathered up bits of yarn left over from Delaney's bag and sort of loosely wove them together and then glued them onto the page. I then tore bits of patterned paper & fit them into the spaces left around the yarn. For the 26th I randomly spread alcohol inks on the paper and then colored in the shapes with markers.

October 27 and 28

For the 27th, I again used the oil pastel resist technique shown here. This time I used lots of different colors of pastels and then laid a very thick coat of purple acrylic on top that was applied very unevenly. When it was completely dry I took a sharp stick and scratched away the purple paint to reveal the colors below. The 28th has the same technique, but this time I put the gesso on in a wave pattern. It really shows up with the darker colored oil pastels. I glued on tissue papaer and the drew the date and sentence with markers.


October 29 and 30

On the 29th I did a very simple light painting with acrylics & then wrote with marker. The 30th has the same oil pastel resist technique and then drawing and writing with marker.

October 31

The 31st has the same oil pastel resist technique and then drawing and writing with marker and pieces from a note card I received that day glued on.

For November I'm choosing a different path - I'm setting up prompts randomly ahead of time & then using those to inform what I do. I'll be posting the prompts each night at 6 pm (California time). If you'd like to join in add you name to the email list on the upper right of the page here.

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:44:00 +0000

Background and Explanation of the November Art Journal Page a Day project:

I've just finished my first page-a-day art journal for the month of October. I had lots of fun with the art portion of the exercise but was really unable to come up with anything very interesting to say. I've decided to look ahead for November and set up prompts that will guide each days process.

I've gone to a Random Word Generator and pulled a word for each day. And I've gone to a random quote generator and pulled a quote for each day. And finally I've randomly pulled a different technique for the background. Each day in November I'll post the prompts.

In October I used a blank spiral bound book I had laying around that was about 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" which was a good size. For November I found the same style spiral bound book but in the size 5 1/2 x 8 1/2. It's my goal through all these journal projects to use up the materials I have laying around, and to substitute something I've got if a prompt calls for something I don't have. I've gone ahead and gesso'd most of the pages in the book. And stuck on random bits of extra paper or paint that I've have wet on a brush when doing other things. Any book you've got will work - even an old novel that you don't care to read again.

Each day I'll post what I've come up with, and hopefully will get pictures of others work to share. I managed to stick with it all through the month of October. Hope to have the same luck (and sum much needed improvement in technique) for November. I'll set the posts up to go out at 6 pm the day before so you can spend s little time in the evening with the prep phases. And there's nothing that says you have ot finish each page in a day. I've often got two or three going that all finish on the same day.

If you follow by email (link on the right side. I promise I won't share or sell you info) you'll get an email at 6 pm each night with the following days prompt. Do as much or as little as you like. Deviate in any way you come up with alternative approaches. Leave comments with what you did, and pictures of your work.

The prompts could also be used on ATC cards, which could make in interesting swap.

There are a few supplies I've found indispensible in makin my journals and cards. And I've found that they're much cheaper on Amazon than at my local Joann's, Aaron Brothers or independent art supply store. (I do get a small commission if you click on these links and purchase, so thanks if you do!)

This Sharpie Poster Paint Marker is hands down the best white marker I've found. It has great opacity, flows very smoothly and lasts a pretty long time. I like the Extra Fine Point for writing (it isn't nearly as extra fine as some pens are) and the Medium Point for thicker lines and titles. Don't confuse it with the "Sharpie Paint Marker" which is something different altogether, and does not give the same results.
In black I have very specific pens I use for different purposes.I love the Zig writer, a two ended pen with .5mm and 1.2 mm tips. It's great for coloring in small spaces and has a much more forgiving tip than the Micron. It works for writing titles and headers and is the best at lines. Flows really nicely and the tip lasts and lasts.

And for fine writing and zentangling, the .25 mm Pigma Micron 01 is the way to go. This is a great price, at my local Joann's they only have them in a three pack and they're $9.99! The 01 is the one I use the most, but I also have the 02 and 05 for work that's a bit heavier. I find I'm really tough on these and go through them quite quickly.

With those 3 pens you can do all your journaling - even on the odd surfaces that sometimes come up when you do collage.

As far as inspirational references, I have 2 I also turn to:

This book has lots of easy to do techniques that don't require that you spend a fortune on supplies. There are tons of finished examples for inspiration and the instruction are very clearly written.

This book includes a dvd so you can really see how the techniques are done. It's also got lots of great tips on the basics - one of my favorites is to use on old credit card to apply gesso to paper. It gives a beautiful smooth surface. And no brush bristles to be combing gesso out of!

The November 1st prompt is here.

Art Journal Page a Day Prompts: Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:00:00 +0000

additions, omissions and substitutions are ~~fine~~ encouraged!

Today's Word: Precursory

Today's Quote:

Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.

William James (1842 - 1910)

Today's Technique:

Making a packing tape transfer collage, from www.mixed-media-artist.com

Note that the instructions call for painting onto canvas. I haven't tried this technique yet so I'm going to do it both directly onto paper in my journal and onto canvas that I could then glue into my journal. I'd like to see how different they are.

Materials and Tools:

images
scissors
packing tape or contact paper
water
canvas
foam brushes
acrylics
matte medium
liquid or self-leveling medium (optional)
cardstock

1. Paint a small canvas with the acrylic color of your choice.
Cut or tear out pictures from a glossy magazine or catalog. Apply packing tape and burnish well. (more details on making packing tape transfers can be found at this tutorial.

2. Cut the transfers to the sizes you need and arrange them on your canvas. Soak in water and remove the paper backing.

3. Moisten the canvas with a thin layer of matte medium and apply the transfers. Top them with another thin layer of matte medium to cut the shine. The shine you see in this photo is from my flash…the surface has a satin look, not glossy.

4. Without waiting for the top layer of medium to dry, paint around and in between your images to soften the lines. Add any colors that you want.

5. Make a tape transfer of a phrase that you want to add to your collage. The nice thing about this style of transfer is that you don’t have to reverse the printing before making it. I applied mine to an ochre piece of cardstock, topped it with matte medium to cut the shine, and layered it on top of black cardstock.

6. My final step, which is totally optional, was to pour self-leveling gel overtop of the entire piece in order to seal in the images a bit more securely. Tape can be somewhat unpredicable over the years, and sealing it into acrylic keeps it from drying out and curling, stiffening, or changing colors.

Copyright 2007 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

Background and Explanation of the November Art Journal Page a Day project:

I've just finished my first page a day art journal for the month of October. I had lots of fun with the art portion of the exercise but was really unable to come up with anything very interesting to say. I've decided to look ahead for November and set up prompts that will guide each days process.

The prompts could also be used on ATC cards, which could make in interesting swap.