Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Tuesday TECHO Pages


















Enjoying the first signs of Spring
here in Ohio...










I hope everyone who celebrates
Easter had a lovely holiday with
family and friends...and perhaps
a few goodies!




Linking up for T Tuesday over
at the Altered Book Lover blog...
where we share our beverage of
choice, and a wide assortment 
of...well, most anything! Do stop by
for a visit...





Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Rusty Swap Pages



There's something about being in an Art swap 
that can get you thinking outside the box. 
Often you are given a subject or color or
 material to work with that you don't normally
 use.  Very good for making your brain
 look for alternative solutions.

Elizabeth has received her Rust Pages
from me, and has asked me to post 
them. Above, painted card stock,
scrapbook paper, fabric, and brass ornament.




Collage and pocket with tag. I used
text and images from a vintage book,
fabric, magazine scrap and a vintage button.
Paint is either acrylic or gouache in
Burnt Sienna. Please pardon the blurry
scan. The 3 dimensional quality of the
button causes that, but I felt you'd still
get a better view than from a photo.




Assorted papers, brass label frame, thread,
washer and tiny key. Acrylic paint and 
permanent marker used to 'rust up'
the metal washer.




Corrugated cardboard, book text,
computer generated text, acrylic 
paints and gesso.



My favorite page! The old truck is from a 
roadside photo that I took with my phone in
2015. I think it was at a truck stop in Kentucky
or Alabama. This old gem was just sitting 
out front as a decoration, I guess!
Watercolor and Sharpie pen on 
watercolor paper.  The license plate was
drawn and painted from an image on the 
internet. The license plate is definitely
my favorite part. The metal clip prompted
the painted swirls on the next page...





Acrylic, assorted papers, and computer-
generated text:
"Patina- a surface appearance of
something grown beautiful with
age or use."

Of course, there was quite a bit of
coffee consumed while creating
these pages, and while creating 
this post... Linking up with Elizabeth
for her T Tuesday T party...
drop by for some inspiration and
a cup of tea. (or coffee!)




Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Peepers, Lambs and a Dragon in my Techo



Still drawing and painting in my
Hobonichi Techo.  Yes, I did watch
the final episode of Downton Abbey.
Sad to see it end.  Is it too much to
hope for a holiday special?




The dragon art is inspired by the cover
art work on "A Dance with Dragons" by
George Martin.  Rereading the last book,
trying to re-familiarize myself with the 
complex plot and numerous characters.
The author needs to publish the
next book already. It's been five years!



The chorus of Spring Peepers is
pretty loud around here...and the
monsoons have begun. Well, ok.
Maybe not monsoons, but our 
yard is a lake right now.




I did this sketch of lambs without realizing
that this breed is born mostly black (with
a few grayish white markings) and then
the wool turns white later...




Lamb sketch done from a 'phone photo'
taken in the barn--my daughter and SIL's
newborn lambs.  Sooo cute!  It gets
complicated if the mother rejects any of
them though.  A lot of work. Fingers
crossed that the babies all make it
this year...




Recycling a coffee sketch for the 
T Tuesday blog hop, 
in which we can blog about whatever
we are up to, as long as there is a
 beverage-related image.  Join us!










Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Techo on Tuesday



Watercolor and white acrylic paint
in my Hobonichi Techo, above. The paper
holds up very well. Even though the
pages seem thin, the paints do not
show on the back at all...

Our last snow fall was very pretty
sticking to all the trees. I could hear
the wind blowing clumps of snow
off of the branches and hear it
hitting the ground with a 
wet 'plop.'  It all melted the same day.




A friend gave me some pages from
a children's book that she was preparing
to use as an art journal.  I can't resist
Winnie-the-Pooh, and had to paste
this conversation into my Techo.
I am thankful we don't get many
earthquakes where I live, though
they have been known to happen!




Some days the Techo drawings
are pretty random...
A sketch of my travel mug for
the T Tuesday blog hop-- to 
qualify as my 'beverage reference.'
On Tuesdays, anyone can join in
the blog hop, as long as you reference
a beverage, with a photo, artwork, or even
a video clip. Join in for some fun!
There is usually a wide variety of viewpoints.




The Techo has somewhat
replaced my enthusiasm for
The Documented Life Project 2016,
But I am still keeping up with it.
I don't like to quit a project once 
I've started it. Modifications are definitely
in order though, as these calendars show.
The daily tiny drawings from January
became 'several days at a time' on
February's calendar.  In March, I
decided to do one large image
for the month.  The crocus photo
was taken by a friend, who permitted
me to draw from her photo. I am not liking
the distracting lines from the calendar...
the diagonal striped page is a pre-printed
scrapbook type page that I had chosen 
for my monthly divider. Perhaps not
the best choice. Maybe I should try this
image again on plain watercolor paper?











Happy Tuesday!


Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Scrap Border Journal Page Tutorial



Every tiny scrap of scrapbook paper, painted paper, lined paper, junk mail and doodled paper is fodder for a scrap border art journal page.  An artist tends to see the potential in unlikely sources and materials...even the grocery list.

This is a technique that beginning journalers can use, but  also appeals to veteran journalers as well. The scraps, colors, patterns and textures you choose make it your own.

THE PROCESS:

1.)  Apply a light watercolor wash to your page.  I just use Prang watercolors. Artist grade watercolors would be even better. (I don't recommend Crayola brand watercolors for this, as they seem to have a more waxy content, and it's difficult to get a pen to write over them.)

Light watercolor wash-didn't show up on my scan very well...
Yellow, red, blue, and a bit of orange. Green created by overlap of yellow & blue.

2.)  Collect your paper scraps. I sort through them picking scraps which have colors that coordinate, but also include scraps for contrast as well.




3.)  Some scraps of painted papers (from when I am cleaning my brushes off) may have just a few strokes of paint on them. (below) Add some highlighter to them to make the colors on the page really pop.







4.)  Arrange some of your scraps along the outside edge of the page. I don't usually put collage in the 'gutter' side, as this makes the journal more difficult to close with the addition of extra thicknesses of papers.  Choose different sizes and shapes, coordinating and contrasting colors. Try a variety of 
arrangements before gluing down.

Cut and tear an assortment of colorful papers and arrange
them into a border. Try different arrangements before gluing.


Hint: If you accidentally disarrange the scraps and can't remember how you had them placed, (as I invariably do) take a picture with your phone when you find an arrangement you like.  Refer back to the photo for the original placement of the scraps!


5.  Glue down scraps. Add more highlighter if you like bright colors!  You can add highlighter to the background or the scraps, or both.

6.)  Then doodle and shade the border arrangement.  You can add all types of swirls, patterns, dots and shading. I use a Sharpie pen (not a Sharpie permanent marker-- it will bleed through the paper. A Sharpie pen will not) As I was gluing the scraps down, I came across some leaves that I had drawn and painted; so I cut them out and added those to the border also.



7.)   The result is a lovely decorated page that you can journal on.  Add text in your own handwriting, with stamping, or computer generated text.  Journal your thoughts, a quote, or whatever you did that day. 

script added in the top border; hand-drawn text on the page
is a quote from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

When my grandson was little, an "adventure" was when we would put a few toys in his wagon, along with a blanket, and some snacks. Then we would go outside for a walk, stop to play on the swings, and find a nice tree to play under. We would read books and play with his little cars. We still like to have adventures, but they have to be a bit more exciting the older he gets! This page makes me think of those times with my own children, and with my grandchildren.  Memories captured in a journal...

Please let me know if you try this technique, I would love to see the results!  You can also see other tutorials in the side bar~ click on the tea cup.

Linking to the Art Journal Journey Challenge for March 2016:
"If You Go Down to the Woods." 



Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Techo Tuesday






Back to the reality of everyday
things at home, it's sometimes
difficult to decide what to draw
in my Techo and other journals.

Tried my hand at drawing a
character in a book...
Turns out that when someone dies,
their seat on the town council is
called a 'Casual Vacancy,'
according to J.K. Rowling.




Random entries: I've noticed that 
when you are preparing to do a swap
of art, it's really easy to obsess about
what to do, and whether or not the
recipient will like it.




The water brush is wonky...and I
'wasted' un-used stamps, 
but they are so pretty...



I am fortunate to have found a
group of mixed media artists who
meet-up once a month. A fun time!
It's hard to decide what to take to
the meeting to work on. I have to
really focus and not take 
too many supplies and 
every journal!





"You can't wear a tiara until you're married."


The Hobonichi Techo has taken over
 as my favorite journal at the
 moment,but I am not giving up on
 The Documented Life Project. 
It's still fun, so I will keep going.




What will happen in April when
I want to add doing a Fake Journal
in addition to DLP and my Techo?
We shall see. 

Linking up with
T Tuesday~ where the bloggers
are all creative, the pages are all
handsome, and the beverages
are all above average.