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!!

ICAD Card

Hey guys. I'm back again.

And I'm using the new format again.

I like it a lot more, and it sort of makes short posts a bit longer.

It's kind of stupid, but it's true. :/

So today's post is pretty simple. It's basically just this one card. 

The reason for that being that I was gone ALL DAY today practicing my volleyball.

And then after that I had a game. So I'm sure you guys get it.

Now onto the card.

This was a really fun card to make, and it was really simple. I used a dark green paint, a light blue paint, and a bright red paint. 

I actually just dabbed it on with a paper towel.

It looked pretty cool.

Then, before the paint dried, I sprinkled on some gold glitter.

Then added the word down in the corner.

And that's it.

That's what I've got for this card.

Actually, that's all I've got for this POST. 

See you guys later. Bye.

Paper Towels and ICAD Card

Hey guys! I'm here with you guys again, and, even though today's post is a bit shorter, I'm kind of excited about it, since I pretty much love everything I'm sharing. I worked on quite a few things today, but these are the only things that I'm sharing today. 

Let's start off with the index card, shall we? I think we shall. 

Today's index card is a fun one; most of the ones I've been making are kind of bright and in your face. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that... it's just that I wanted to try something new.

You know what I mean?

Yeah. So today's index card is quite a bit different. It's darker.

The background (the initial base) is a technique that I've been working on perfecting.

I know, I know.

Another technique. You're probably sick and tired of hearing of me inventing new techniques by now.

But then again, maybe you're not. Maybe it depends on the person.

Anyways, getting back to the initial subject.

My index card background. I was working on taking some paint (I've been trying out student acrylics), and actually mixing them directly with glitter.It takes some manipulating;

But you CAN get the paint to show...

As well as having the glitter show too. It's tough though.

That's why it's a technique in process.

And not a tutorial.

Anyways. Again, getting back to the index card (Sorry about my rambling).

After that I actually went over the top of the whole card with plain black poster paint.

Then rubbed it around with my fingers. I thought it looked pretty cool.

After that I simply stamped the word "Dance" in the corner.

And colored around the edges with a glitter crayon that one of my friends sent me.

Another thing that I want to share with you guys are a few more paper towels. 

Yep.

More paper towels.

I'm sure you guys are probably sick and tired of paper towels by now as well.

Or then again, maybe you're not.

I tried a couple of the suggestions in the comments of this post.

Including one about using the paints undiluted.

And it worked like magic!!

See.

This is why I have a blog. Without you people, I wouldn't know WHAT to do.

You can see a couple of the towels I did above; 

A cool black flower with an orange and blue background. As well as some green and blue 

pieces in the back.

I think you can see them.

At least I know I can. *shrugs*

Another idea I saw in the comments was using FOOD coloring to dye the towels.

I personally thought that idea was GENIUS.

So far I haven't gotten to it, since I've been so busy with volleyball.

But I will get to it. I will. I swear.

Speaking of volleyball, my first game is actually tomorrow. Wish me luck.

I think I'll probably need it. 

Actually, if you're a reader of this blog, you'll probably notice I'm using a new format.

Do you like it?

Let me know. 

ALSO!! THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!

If YOU are interested in doing a one-on-one challenge with me,

Like I did with Dede,

Let me know in the comments. 

I'm looking for a new partner. Okay.

See you guys later. Comment away.

Altered Book Page + ICAD #10

Hey guys! Even though I finally managed to get on here after a full day of school and homework, today's post is going to be fairly short. I didn't have all that much time to be creative today, so the altered book page I'm showing you is from a few days ago, and the index card is actually the only thing from today. Sorry about that. Sometimes I get really caught up in work and stuff and today my teachers totally killed me with homework... so. Yeah. Anyways, let's get right to it shall we? If you look above at the first photo, you'll see an altered book spread that I've been working on. I love the way it's turning out actually, and I think it's a lot of fun to mess around with. The texture of the pages in the book I'm altering are actually quite heavy in comparison to the pages I generally work on, even though they are glossy. Sometimes the glossiness of them makes them difficult to work on, but I find it a unique challenge to work with. In my opinion, that's how I learn. If I have problems with something, just work more with it until you can figure it out. You know what I mean?

And my index card of the day. :) This is a bit of a continuation of the card I showed yesterday. That's sometimes how I work on my cards. I'll work a bit on a background, and then just layer over top of it. This card was basically composed of layers of stamping. I actually really like the way it turned out. I started out with the experimental, my own technique background, and then used a foam stamp and black paint to stamp swirls over the top. Then, over top of that I used a hand carved eraser stamp and some light teal paint. Then I collaged the word in the corner. You know the deal by now. This was pretty fun... now that I think about it, there might have been a class on 21 Secrets about layering stamping. Hmmm... I'll have to check it out. :)

Speaking of techniques though, I looked at the techniques that a couple of you guys posted for me yesterday. :) They sound so cool! I'm ready to try some experimenting now, and I'm waiting til I can find the time to do that. Also, I'm glad that I'm inspiring you all... comments make me feel that my blogging is actually worth the effort, and that there's actually a PURPOSE for me doing this. :) Now it's more than just a personal record. It's a personal record that I'm sharing with others. Also, if you're inspired by me, and you have a blog, I would LOVE it if you would post on your blog and leave a link in the comments. You don't even have to link to me. :) You just get a free linky in my comments, and I get to know that I'm giving people inspiration. :) Thanks for looking, and I'll see all of you tomorrow!

P.S. Check in tomorrow for the final reveal of my one on one challenge with the one and only DEDE! :) I'm working on putting the finishing touches on her page. :)

Collage Unleashed Progress + A Challenge!!

Hey people of earth!! I'm back in the blogosphere with another daily blog post for all of you. Today I worked a little bit in Traci Bautista's book "Collage Unleashed" and did the first project out of it. It was dyed paper towels. I'm not really sure how she gets hers to be so vibrant. Mine are always muddled and so dull. I need to experiment and try to get some better color. If any of you have any suggestions for my epic fail of paper towel dying, then I'd be happy to listen to any advice. Even if you're not sure the suggestions would work, please tell me about them in the comments, since I am always looking for new ideas. Even if it doesn't necessarily work for the original purpose that it was thought up for, with a little editing, we might have a new technique on our hands. :) That's the way I think of it.

With these paper towels I mostly worked with pinks and reds, but I used a bit of a blue and turquoise in there as well. And some metallic copper. I think my problem is that I'm using too much water. Or not enough pigment. Because you have to mix your paints with some water to make these towels. I used a bunch of acrylic paints, some sumi inks, and some watercolor paints (liquid). I love the way these turned out, but, as I said, I just wish they were more vibrant. Oh well. You win some you loose some.

Here was my basic setup/collation of supplies for this project. I just collected all the supplies that I thought I could use for this. The thing it, I always love pictures like this; you know, just a picture of the supplies, so I thought I would try one for a change. That's why I love Traci Bautista's blog so much though. Especially because of her "Snippets From the Studio" series. They are just so cool. Anyways, in this picture, I had just culled a bunch of acrylic paints, poster paints, tempera paints, higgins inks, glitters, gesso, canning jars, some syringes, and a few other things. And after I set them up I photographed them. It's as simple as that.

And here I have an index card I worked on today. I didn't finish it, but it didn't turn out half bad if I do say so myself. It's a technique that I've been experimenting with (I've been designing it myself). One of my favorite things to do actually is come up with my own techniques. It's so much fun to think of something that nobody else has ever before. You know what I mean? How about today I challenge YOU to come up with your own technique today? Post it on your blog if you have one, and link to it in the comments. I'll make sure to give it a look see. And I'll probably try out every single one in there. Let's do that! You post a link to your technique in the comments, and I'll try them out and post them as I do them! And, if you don't have a blog, then just type it out briefly in the comments section. :) So I challenge you today to post something for me. :) See you guys later.

An EXTRA-LONG Post...

Hey guys! I'm back with you guys today, and sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I had a total volleyball MARATHON yesterday!! I did create a little yesterday though, so I'll just do an extra long post today. Oh yeah. And I did join a volleyball team a few days ago. My first game is Thursday! Wish me luck, we're gonna need it. :) So anyways, now that I've got you up to date on pretty much everything else that's going on in my life (which obviously isn't much) let's get to the crafty/art version. It's like my life is in two different stories. One for art and one for the rest of everything. Anyways, let's get started.

If you look above at the page I was working on today, you'll see that I just finished a page in my art journal. :) I kind of love it, and I think it's really pretty. I'm also starting on a sort of online art journal course (yes another. :P) and I'm probably gonna make a journal for that. This is actually a page in my 21 Secrets journal, and I love the way it turned out. I journaled, and put the title down in the corner. I actually used this same word on one of my index cards that you've already seen, but this just seemed to fit the page perfectly. Normally with art journaling I end up putting the title down first and then journaling what comes to mind when I think about the title. You might do it in some other way, but that's how I work, so that's what I'm doing. :)

Here's just a bit of a close up of the title and a bit of the journaling. Most of the journaling was really light; the gray circles were really textured since I used gesso to lay them down, plus did some lifting which added even more texture. Then, when I went to write on them, the ink in my pen just didn't flow as well. But, for emphasis, I did the last few words with a Sharpie. They go over anything.

Here are my index cards from yesterday and today. I love the one from yesterday; excellent texture, and I am really loving the textures. But seriously. The second one is kind of annoying to me for some strange reason. Don't even ask me why. I feel like it's just overly simple or something. I was considering just trashing this one altogether, never showing it on the blog, and simply counting this as one of the five "free days" we get for ICAD. But when I really started to think about it, I finally decided against it, since this is really about creating, and just having fun. And I did have fun. So that's what I'm doing, and I'm keeping it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Also, today, I worked on making some of my own stamps. I've been having a whole lot of fun making these recently, and I just love the way these two turned out. To make them, I simply cut some pieces out of cardboard (it was actually just a cereal box) and then did some punching on some craft foam. The one on the left was REALLY easy to make, and really quick. The one on the right took a bit longer, but I really love the effect I get with it so it was totally worth it. I love the variety I can get with making my own stamps. I love that I can literally make anything that I want, and it can be as epic as I want it to be. It's really cool. So far I normally just use black paint to stamp, but I've occasionally used other colors. I also used one of these (I'm not going to mention which) on my page for mine and Dede's challenge. I know that I'm torturing you here, but that's all the more reason to check in here on Tuesday, right?

One last thing before I go. This is a single, loose page that I've been working on for a bit of collage fodder. I love the way this turned out, even though it was just made by picking up paint from other pages (you can see the lifting from the circles of the page I showed at the top of this post :P) and a bunch of other colors I've just been messing around with. I love them so much. :) So that's pretty much all I've got for you today, but be sure to check in tomorrow. Okay? Okay. See you guys later! Bye!!

ICAD #7 + Cool Background

Hello my friends!! I'm here once again. I'm glad to be back after another long day. This really relaxed me. Just plain old writing about something I enjoy. You know what I mean? It's nice to actually have something fun that you can do. I decided to try something new today; working on a piece of photo paper instead of plain cardstock or paper. I was playing around, and trying to come up with new techniques, and I thought it would be interesting. It did come out pretty cool. I started with gray and added a dark green on top of it. I lifted some off and added a bunch of other stuff on top of it. It turned out really nice.

Something else that I promised I'd show you guys today was the lifting from the index card from yesterday. It's shown above. Doesn't it look cool? I love it! Actually, I love it so much that I used it for today's ICAD card.

And here it is! It was so decorative that it just needed a word. I chose this orange one because it seemed to fit well enough. But, as an advantage, I just thought it looked cooler this way. :) That's all I've got for you today, but I'll see you guys tomorrow. :)

ICAD #6 + Background Tutorial

Hey guys!! I'm here. Once again. :) Yes. I'm so happy. :) Today I've got a really cool thing to share with you. I was working on an index card today, and came up with this technique, so I decided to share it with you guys. You know how I was telling you about "lifting" paint onto cards? Well I started with one of those today, with a dark blue background. You can see how cool this looks so far.

Now I just used some yellow poster paint and totally covered the entire background. I coated it on there pretty heavily. It looked green instead of blue for a second, but I take care of this in the next step. I love it so much.

You simply take another card and place that down on top and lift it again. So see what I've got? Two backgrounds already. :)

And for this finished card, I took the yellow and blue card and painted blue all over the top of the card, and lifted once again. The other one looks pretty cool too; the one I used to lift it off. Then I simply collaged the piece down in the corner. I'll show you the lifted piece tomorrow. :) I was also working on some backgrounds and stuff for my color challenge with Dede. I'm so excited for that. :) Working it to the extreme. :) And that's all I've got for the day. See you guys tomorrow. :)

ICAD #4 and ICAD Backgrounds

Hello my friends. :) And Happy Labor Day! I'm back once again with some more of my artwork. I have some index cards to show you today; not any art journal pages though. Or altered book pages. Or single sheets. And I'll tell you why. Even though I worked on some of all of those things; those pages that I did are classified. :) Let's just say that they have something to do with my challenge with Dede. :) I've been doing so much for that one on one challenge, and it's going to be a lot of fun when it actually comes time for the reveal. I've been playing around with colors, layering, and lettering. Just to experiment. I might just have more than one layout by the time the date comes around. :D If it's worth doing, then it's worth overdoing, right?

Anyways, getting back to the ICAD card of the day; look above to see it. I've been working with this kind of style; the fun, technique backgrounds, with a single magazine clipped word on it as decoration. On this one I put down a strip of paper on the bottom (This was actually a color copy of a page that I'd done previously. I've been cutting them up to use as collage fodder.) and drew a dotted border with a sharpie. This was an overall easy background to make; I've gotten used to layering paints, and pulling up paint with different things, but I'm still amazed every time. :)

If you look at these index cards above, you can see some of the things that I'm talking about. You know how I sometimes talk about "lifting"? Well this is a fine example of that. I take a page that has wet paint on it and layer something on top of it; a piece of book paper, an index card, a sheet of regular paper, or even another, smaller journal. If you press fairly heavily, you can lift up some of the paint. It goes in the direction of that the brushstrokes go, so, depending upon what I want the finished card to look like, I generally brush in both directions. These are bases for ICAD, that I'll probably work on further in the future. This is just so the intimidating white background is gone, and is simply giving me a jumping off point from which to play. I love the way these three turned out, which is why I'm posting these, but I've got a bunch more sitting on my desk as well.

Something else that I'm considering doing is taking some of these before they get more added to them and simply color copying them. This is one of my new favorite ways to create collage fodder. I'd probably do some in black and white, some in color, some in representative scale and some enlarged to a full sheet or so. Now that I think about it, it might be a cool idea to start a SERIES on collecting collage fodder. What do you guys think of that? Let me know in the comments, and have a nice rest of Labor Day! :)

ICAD Day #1 - Circles

Just a quick second post today; I did a doodle on an index card for ICAD (Index Card A Day) that is being hosted over at daisyyellow. I used prompt # 8 - circles. I love the way this turned out... just thought I'd share!