ICAD 9: Stripes, ICAD 10: Corners, and 30-30-30: DAY 1

Hey all. I'm back with you guys again, this time with a bit of a catch up post. Even though I was still on here yesterday. I'm going to be sharing with you a few things today, and I hope you enjoy today's post. :) The first thing that I am going to share with you guys is my first page for the 30-30-30 Challenge. It is a challenge that prompts you to do 30 art journal pages in 30 days in 30 minutes. It is a little bit more difficult than I had originally thought, but that's okay. A challenge is always good. I did this page fairly quickly; it only took me about 20 minutes.

On this page I used a lot of random bits and pieces that I found on my desk. My desk looked (and still does look) like an extreme pile of crap. But that's okay. It is kind of an interesting way to work, and a lot of people wouldn't be able to do it. I don't know why, but I seem to be encouraged by that type of environment. Unfortunately, my mom doesn't really feel the same way about it. So I do have to clean up sometimes.

Overall, I think I had a pretty good time with Day 1 of today's challenge.

Now HERE is that card that I was telling you about yesterday! I think that I told you guys that I based my card around the prompt "stripes". This card was extremely basic in nature. Really, all I did was to take my Portfolio oil pastels that I purchased at Staples. And then, I just picked up random colors and drew lines on the card. Then I just blended it with my fingers. 

Though the Portfolio oil pastels are water soluble, on this particular card I did not wet them. I kind of wanted the texture and the bold, bright colors that came from going through the process without any water. Then I simply pasted the little piece in the corner. And the card was done!

Now let's get on to TODAY'S index card. The prompt that I used today was "decorate the corners". The instant I read this prompt, this was what came to my mind. Instantly, I thought of something extremely simple, with no complexity to it at all. And I LOVE the way this card came out! I used the Portfolio oil pastels again today as well. Again, I didn't use any water, as I loved the way that yesterday's card came out. So I wanted to replicate this effect.

Once again, I would like to make the statement that, to me, this challenge has absolutely nothing to do with how good the work looks; how complex it is, or how much work I put into it. It has everything to do with the process, and how it is that the work makes me feel. I think I have said before that ICAD is kind of like a warm up to me; it tests my creative muscles and has me thinking in ways that I wouldn't normally think in. Normally, simple isn't my style at all. But I wanted to try it. And this is what the prompt inspired me to do. So I did it. And I love the way it turned out. Chill out. RELAX. It's an index card. It doesn't need to be perfect. It doesn't need to be complex. It just needs to be YOU.