Underpaper Starring in My Journal

Hi. Under what? Underpaper…paper you put under your journal page that you’re working on to protect your desk and the pages under the page you were working on. I am currently using 12×12 deli paper as it works as a nice size protector. Once it has been used a bunch it can be pretty interesting. Admittedly, sometimes it’s a muddy, crumpled mess, but sometimes, the ink sprays, acrylic paint, watercolor and modeling paste create some striking underpaper.  

All of the circles on the two page spread below are hand cut from underpaper. You may not be able to see the texture but all the white on the circles is modeling paste. There is also an awesome shimmer. I glued the colorful pink and orange circles down with a glue stick.  Then I proceeded to stamp, spray and flick black paint all over the pages. A true mixed media collage.    

 

Art Journal: Crisp, Clean Color

When I art journal, anything goes. Sometimes, I move quickly and sometimes I am methodical.  My art journal is heavily inspired by what I see around the time of creating. The page is rarely a long term planned project. 

This page was created in about 45 minutes–lickety split. I came home from a meeting than ran late into the night…I needed to unwind. 

I sprayed some Dylusions ink sprays and some acrylic paint onto my journal and blended a little. Then hit it with a heat gun.  Once dry I used a gate stencil upside down with watermark ink and gold embossing powder. 

Added my girl with Stabilo black “pencil.”  She is part traced, part sketched. Yes, I just admitted that. It works for me. I don’t create to be a great drawer. I create for joy. Then I added embellishments. She has lovely flowers in her hair and a piece of pretty paper on the left page to coordinate. Some more sprays including Dylusions White Liben spray. Stamped an adventurous quote.  

I tend to create with darker more grungy colors or by “tamping” down colors but I really enjoyed stepping out of my regular color treatment for a clean, crisp look. I also like the negative, white space. Intentionally trying to leave more white space in my journals these days. 

Enjoy! 

  

  

Water Color Bubble Fun in my Art Journal

Was totally inspired by Donna Downey’s Artist Gang Tuesday a while back. Love the stencil the artist was using. I used water colors to add color to the music page background. Added some Prima text stamps that were circular, some embossed butterflies and a fun Dylusions stamp. Then to add a little interest I added a coordinating tag and some 80’s style black paint splatters. 

    

  

Hats off to St. Patrick’s Day!

So it’s not too late for a little leprechaun fun… In about 10 minutes you can take a basic black party hat from party city or the likes, add some moss and St. Patrick’s Day embellishments and have a really cool leprechaun hat. You could wear this hat on St. Patrick’s Day or use it as a home decor. Slainte!

 

Lovely Layers: Front to Back

As you know I have been participating in the 2016 Un-Planner fun! Check out the front and back of my tags.  More than the pages even, I love the lovely layers of color and media together. 

The front image shows 3 layers. A mixed media art envelope, a green travel tag using a clear embossing powder technique and a planner page…

The back image shows 4 layers of lovely juxtaposition. The back of the travel tag with a snowman element, the mixed media art envelope, the back of a list page, and a partial view of a family picture page (which is the back of a weekly planner page). 

   

…pictures just don’t do the layers justice…

“Loved” Collage Page

So…like many I am participating in the documented life project 2016 –the unplanner. Having a blast with the no-pressure creating concept–part art journal, part planner, part scrapbook, part documentation, part smash book–all crafty fun. 

Last week I made the “loved” collage as my February un-planner divider page.   

 
  

Watercolor Conversation Hearts

A little, just a little, more sophisticated than the nostalgic Valentine’s candy. 

  
Trying out my new Prima water colors, rub-ons and foil. Love the effect! A little addicted right now…

February Art Journal Sparkle

A little sparkle… Love the new Prima Marketing, Christine Adolph rub-ons and gold foil, sprays, molding paste, stencils, embossing powder, decorative papers.   

   

  

Tea Cup Dreams–Sail Away

Good morning!

My big girl job is pretty challenging right now.  I like challenges and overall really like my big girl job but right now there are a lot of ugly issues taking much of my time.  I would really like to focus on going forward and am instead spending all my time on issues created by my predecessor.  AAh challenges.  Well when I found a little time to post and nurture my soul I found this great art journal piece I created while taking Lifebook 2013 with Tamara LaPorte. She is amazing!  Take Lifebook if you haven’t.  This is piece I very much enjoyed creating then and so enjoy looking at now.  I am ready to sail away even if I am only in a tea-cup.  A girl has got to “dreame…”

Cheers,

Trish

Art Journal Friday: Words With Friends

Hi.  Happy Friday!  Today is all about Words with Friends.  I don’t play the online game, but my husband does.  I play the old school Scrabble game so I found this Document Life 2015 art journal challenge to be great fun.  It is a mixed media art journal page filled with love and happy memories.  I created a collage from various notes, cards, letters and envelopes from friends and family. With the notes I included some other ephemera like a vintage bingo card and some other graphic text.  I also included a middle insertion–an envelope that has a favorite note from a friend.  After I collaged down the various ephemera I added a layer of gesso and some glimmer mist transparent shimmer color– just to add some shimmer.  I also stenciled alphabet letters in various places with Glimmer Mist grey.  After both were dry I added some Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.  I let the distress ink meander its way through the lows of the collage.  I then made copies of Scrabble tiles.  I would have loved to use the actual tiles but since this is a piece in my art journal I wanted it to remain fairly flat.  A girl has to pick where to add dimension if she wants to ever shut her art journal.

Enjoy!

Trish