Alcohol Inks

 A while back I experimented with making my own alcohol inks using dye and alcohol.   I used the inks to saturate some heavy watercolor paper and really liked the resulting mottled appearance.  
Here is one of my handmade visual journals using that paper to cover the bookboards.

If you use alcohol inks, be very careful and wear protective gloves as it is staining and permanent on your hands and everything else.   All surfaces should be protected.

Zentangle Mandalas

 I am teaching my drawing students how to design mandalas and fill them with zentangle patterns.  As usual, I enjoy making examples of the project too.  Here are some that I have completed using pen and graphite.

 With the exception of the circle, which is traced from a cut paper template, everything else is drawn freehand.   The beauty of this method is that you learn to use spatial judgement as you map out the pattern areas, turning the paper and repeating elements as you develop the symmetrical design.

Anything is possible, one pen stroke at a time.

Welcome to the Machine

 The Theme for our Artist Trading Card (ATC) group this month is Machine.  
Having recently returned from Valley Ridge Art Studio where I took a class from artist Michael deMeng, my machine themed ATCs are a tribute to this artist and his wonderful teaching style.

  Both of these ATC designs are created digitally on Photoshop using 8-10 individual images.
The advantage of working digitally is that individual elements can be altered and arranged in layers and there are virtually unlimited possibilities for composition.
Almost anything you imagine is possible to illustrate.

Pale Writer

  Pun intended... I just couldn't help it.
  This journal started with the hand painted cover paper.   I used a durable heavy weight stock, and rolled it out onto my work table.  Layers of paint were applied in the chosen colors, and when dry, that was randomly printed with stamps and stencils.  
  This is my favorite method for producing unique looking cover papers, which are then cut and applied to book board.

    The spine on this particular book is made from heavy artist quality canvas that has been painted and distressed.  I like the way it reminds me of weathered wood.
    Next, the spine is attached to the book covers, and the signatures of pages are bound in place.
    After the binding, which in this case is exposed longstitch,  holes are drilled into the heavy covers for the centipede stitch embellishments.  I think of them as the guardians of whatever content the new owner chooses to add to the book.... I promise they won't bite.
 

Nature's Architects

  This month the theme for our ATCs was "Architecture."  My thoughts turned immediately to the architects of nature, and in particular, insects.   

  One side of my card shows the outside of the nest and it's architects, while the other side features the elaborate interior with it's rows and layers of little chambers.  

Although we would not want these nests in or near our own living spaces, I would hope that we honor and give space to them in their natural surroundings.  

  My "architecture" card was designed using Photoshop.  

The Peace of Wild Things

Centipedes Again

Centipedes are once again making an appearance on my journal covers.

They are so fun to make that sometimes I just can't resist.  

I use waxed linen to stitch them into pre-drilled holes in the book covers.

This book and others (with and without centipedes) are available online in my Etsy shop.

Myth

What if all myths were true?

This is a page from my visual journal that I used in the ATC exchange this month.  

"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge, myth is more potent than history, dreams are more powerful than facts, hope always triumphs over experience, laughter is the cure for grief and love is stronger than death."  ~Robert Fulghum

Anatomy Lesson

This month's theme, Anatomy Lesson, was inspired by old biology books and the transparent pages that allow you to see through multiple layers of the body.
This ATC is constructed in book format and opens up to show the important "inner works."
Ten individual images from Deviant Scrap, were downloaded, arranged and altered in photoshop layers to create these compositions.

Wonder Now

This month's ATC.... a Wild Card.   Individual images from Tumblefish Studios, altered and assembled by yours truly in photoshop.   7 layers of imagery in all.
Wonder Now.

December

   This month's ATC is a digital image that was made up of 5 separate photos and a few photoshop brushes, using 8 layers in the composition.   The individual photos were purchased from Tumble Fish Studio and include the boy, crown, key, and hand.   These became the raw material to transform and alter in photoshop.
   The prompt for the month was "Artist Tribute" and I chose to try something in the style of one of my favorite contemporary digital artists, Maggie Taylor.    A few years ago when I first looked at her work, it inspred me to experiment with photoshop.  With much yet to learn, I am still inspired when I go to her web site and study her imagery.
 
 

Story House

 This is a model for a mixed media class project in which each participant makes and embellishes a little house that "tells" or implies a story.  When all the houses are complete, participants trade houses, then interpret the visual clues to tell their version of the imagined story, in their own words.  Creative writing is encouraged and there are no wrong answers.

As my little story house sat on the work table, I continued to work on a small collage with similar colors and images.  A scrap of wood was used as the base.

The end result was two works that seem quite related.  

 In art, as in life, one thing often leads to another.

Mixing It Up On Canvas

Recently I picked up a fairly large stretched canvas that had been neglected in a corner of my studio.
Although I have seen many fine examples of mixed media work on canvas, I had never tried it myself and it was time to do so.
The process for this work started by dividing the surface into sections and applying layers of collage using matte medium and undertones of color with acrylic paint.   Each new layer that was added created more depth and interest and I liked working on the sturdy canvas.   It's not shown here but the surface treatment goes right around the edges of the piece so no framing is necessary.  
I'm already looking forward to the next adventure on canvas!

Interior

  If you ask them, about 98% of children will say they are artists and approach art making with joy and self assurance.   Sadly, by the time they become young adults, that number is about 2%.   Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, the gift of playfulness is too often traded for self criticism.   The large and free flowing paintings proudly displayed in childhood become small tight drawnings hidden under hands and turned face down.   

  There are many theories as to why this happens.  I believe that without nurturing it, we lose the ability to access that playful, creative part of our selves.    What do you think?

  Play is a means of discovery.    This is how I typically approach a theme: intuitively and with open possibilities, playing with immediate response, moving and removing images, arranging and rearranging.  I rarely know ahead of time what the end result will be until it is "discovered."
  The theme for this month's art exchange was "interior."  
  Starting with bare walls and floor, I filled the room with unexpected images rather than furniture.   Working intuitively up to this point,  the quote by Claude Debussy came to mind and the child's hand was added reaching into the space.
   "I wish to sing of my interior visions with the naive candor of a child."  
    Honor your creative spirit and make time to play and discover something new every day.
  
  
 

Visual Journals

 I love the look and feel of the hand painted artist's canvas over heavy book board and have made a few more of these books to put in my Etsy Shop.   

While I often use recycled leather for my spines, for this series I have been using hand painted canvas and it works beautifully.   

I begin with large sheets of artist's canvas, painting and embellishing the entire surface.  When it's dry, it is cut into pieces just right for covering the book boards and spines.  
Once the canvas is adhered to the book board, I paint it a little more so each book is unique.
The paper is cut and folded into signatures, then bound to the spine.
This one is ready to go!