Summer of Color 2012: Week 5

Hey guys! How's it going for all of you guys out in blogland today? I hope it's been going pretty good. I managed to sit down today, and do a TON of art. It felt good too, to churn out so many different projects. However, I only have a couple of things that I really want to share with you guys today. First and foremost, we are going to have my Summer of Color papers. For this challenge I have been doing a small batch of painted papers for each week. This week was purple, blue, and green. I love the way that these papers turned out, and am looking forward to doing the final week. It'll be pretty cool. After that's done though, I'll be ready to start my next project, using these papers. And I think that it's going to be pretty cool.

For the papers today, I used mostly watercolors on a plain copy paper background. It was easy to do, and quite enjoyable, in my personal opinion. I just got to experiment with shapes, and the way that the different colors blended together.

Here's the second part of the challenge. Again with the watercolors. In the past, I've mixed up a batch of acrylic paints and whipped together some papers, and then mixed the acrylics with watercolors and washes. But this time I really wanted to go simple. And back to the basics of simple watercolor.

The other thing that I wanted to share with you guys today is this art journal that I recently started working in. I was considering using this journal for my In The Sun Class (which an update is coming for tomorrow), but I decided, after working on it a little, that I was wanting something a little bit bigger. This journal was handmade and bound by me. What I did was take some envelopes in multiple sizes, folded them in half, and then simply sewed them into signatures. Then I sewed the signatures together, and that was that. I actually made this a while ago, and was trying to figure out if I had mentioned this on the blog before or not.

However, the photo above shows what I did on the front cover of the journal. I used several layers of acrylic paint, some of which were already there. Then I added some stamping, and then the black border with a Portfolio oil pastel crayon that I bought at Staples. That's what I have so far on this page, but I still need to add a title. A title for the journal. To really show what I want to to with it. So this is really more of an unfinished sneak peek than a finished thing. Though I still wanted to share. Anyways. That's really all that I have for you guys today. And I'll see you guys later! Bye!

Art Journal Cover - Volume 001

Hey guys! I finally managed to get on here after a LONG day of practicing volleyball.

I literally left at 10:30 and didn't get back until 5:00.

Very tiring, but I had some time to reenergize, and now I'm on here again. ;)

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but sometimes my Saturdays sort of slip away from me.

I keep putting stuff off because I think I'm always going to have time.

But as we all know, this certainly isn't the case.

Unfortunately.

Anyways, enough with the apologies and the comments about my social life.

Let's get down to business. 

The artsy-craftsy part. :)

You know what I'm talking about.

Today I did quite a few things.

But I'm only going to share two of those with you guys today.

The first being a journal COVER.

This is pretty different from I normally post;

I normally do art journal PAGES and maybe an altered book page.

Depending on my creative mood that day.

You know how it is.

Some days you've got it, and others you don't.

And you just have to push through. 

Anyways.

Yes. 

I have an art journal cover for you guys today.

In the past, I've actually never done fancy covers.

I generally just paint them black, and use a bright color for the spine.

It's a nice simple look, and it's fun.

But today, as I start a new art journal for a course I'm doing on Wild Precious.

I just thought it was appropriate.

Here's a picture of it a bit closer up.

For my first 'Volume' I also found it appropriate to do it in one of my fave color combos;

Turquoise, Black, and Red.

Mostly turquoise, a little bit of black, and hints of red.

I know this is a common combo.

But I love it.

It's so perfect to describe my style.

Bright and airy, yet sophisticated.

It works well in a grungy layout.

Or in a clean and simple one. That's good.

Because I do both.

This is more of a grungy cover, and I do a lot of my stuff that way.

But sometimes I do go simple.

Anyways. 

I did a lot of layering of stamping with paint on this cover.

I thought that it should be perfect because I would have to be looking at it for as long as I'm working in this journal.

Another thing about this journal is that I'm thickening the pages.

While in the past I haven't.

What I'm doing this time is gluing two pages together.

And then collaging a bunch of phone book papers on top of it.

Then add gesso.

The pages are super thick, and AMAZING texture is added.

So far I haven't worked in it yet,

But since I did some prepping I probably will soon.

The second thing I have for you guys today is an ICAD card.

I know what you guys are thinking. 

FINALLY!

I know. 

I'm totally physic. 

I'm just cool like that.

Anyways.

I did this card today using a technique that had been left in the comments section of one of my posts.

Before I go one, let me say one thing about comments.

Thank you for leaving them.

They inspire me, and I really do read EVERY SINGLE ONE.

I do a blog run through, just to see them.

Thank you. 

They are so inspiring, and if you leave me a technique to try, I WILL try it.

Try it.

Leave me a technique in the comments.

Anything. 

I will get back to you on it.

Anyways.

Back to the point at hand.

One of my viewers left me this comment, and I was so intrigued I had to try it.

Basically what you do is you take your base.

And color all over it with different color of crayons.

Be completely random.

Then paint the whole thing with black paint.

Then scrape all the paint OFF.

I used a toothpick.

And that's it.

Isn't the effect cool for such a simple technique?

I love it. :)

It almost looks neon.

And if I haven't said it on here before, I LOVE neon.

So yeah.

Anyways, that's all I've got for you guys today, and I hope to see you tomorrow!! 

Bye!!