Monthly Archives: February 2014

Life Book week 8

I have caught up – yay! This week’s lesson was created by Alena Hennessy, author of Cultivating Your Creative Life, and it was all about intuitive painting. She gave us a guided meditation, which I’m ashamed to say I haven’t partaken of yet (I’m a meditative wriggler) and a free form exercise using collage, acrylics, crayons and pen.

Mixed media abstract

I had a lot of fun with this – it’s one of favourite ways of making art. There was a stage (which I oughtta be used to by now, you’d think) where it got extremely ugly and I was about to bin it. I kept telling myself to press on and it would be okay in the end. Well, it’s not great, but it’s okay.

Journal of Simplicity

Hand made journal

Here’s an old journal I made. It’s only partially filled, but it’s the one I turn too when a bit bored. The pre-prepared backgrounds make it easy to get started. The journal was made by laying down a full size Imperial sheet of Fabriano Artistico, then spraying with diluted inks through stencils. When the first side was dry, I turned it over and sprayed again. Drips and runs very much appreciated.Sprayed ink journal

I used a straight edge to tear the paper into… mm… 8″ x 16″ pieces. I folded them in half and sewed them at the spine.

Journal of Simplicity 2

Sprayed ink journa

Handmade journal

I love that the background suggests images to me – do you see faces in your bathroom flooring too? So when I want to do some art but am not particularly inspired, I can open this journal and ‘see’ something – all I have to do is let it out.

Hand made art journal

Life Book 2014 Week 7 Jane Davenport

I have to admit it… I was very resistant to doing last week’s lesson. I love Jane Davenport’s style, her energy and verve. However, I thought that the lesson, which involved making a sort of folder with pop-ups inside was more suited to card making than an art journal page. After huffing and puffing a bit, I decided that I was indeed resisting, and there was no earthly reason why I shouldn’t try it. Of course, my underlying problem is that I thought I *couldn’t do it*.

My ‘creation’ is based on my home and family – it’s where I feel good with the people I love. I used spray inks, fabric tape, watercolours, acrylics, pen, a bit of collage and I made the bunting with watercolour diamonds and a bit of yarn.

Jane Davenport lesson

Life Book 2014

Jane Davenport Lesson pop-ups

They make my heart sing

 

Life Book 2014 Week 6 Pt 2

As promised, here is my version of the main exercise for week 6. My first attempt was a disaster but I gessoed over the mess and started again – being too mean to discard the Fabriano paper. The Brusho paint worked really well over the gesso and I got some really good streaks going. Loved how they mixed – even yellow and purple – together and didn’t make mud.

We had to make a list of our positive attributes before we started but I preferred to do mine on the fly. I wrote them in the third person as I couldn’t bear to write I, I, I, me, me, me, all over my art.

Life Book 2014 positive qualities

 

 

 

Life Book 2014 Week 6

Week six was another couple of exercises from Tam – she’s always fun. This week we were dripping and flowing ink. She used Dylusions; I haven’t got any so I used my diluted Brusho paints. Brusho is a powdered watercolour/dye that can be used in many ways on paper and fabric. It can be diluted and kept in spray bottles – you only need to use a little, or you can sprinkle it onto wet paper for some lovely effects. We had two projects; here is the first.

Wk 6 inksplash sml

I used homemade tape, fabric tape, rubber stamps and my Brusho paint. I’ll post the second piece as soon as it’s done.

Life Book Daisy Diva

Here’s my girl. I thought she’d be a nice ‘Daisy Diva’. I don’t like cupcakes and sweet stuff much (‘cept chocolate), so couldn’t bring myself to use sugar as an art theme.

Life Book Week 5 Diva

The background was painted charcoal (white gesso mixed with black acrylic paint as I have no black gesso). Then a fuscia pink layer over that. Some fabric tape for a border, plus loads of Neocolor ls. More gesso, more paint  – this time teal blue.

I collaged my girl, gave her a fabric dress, cut out some shapes vaguely resembling arms and legs. Coloured them with pen. Doodled on her dress and daisies all around. Some more Neocolors and that was it. Much fun, although I wouldn’t want to hang her on a wall – too scary!

 

Divas

Last week our Life Book 2014 lesson was given by the delightful Marieke Blokland She introduced us to her quirky divas – cute fantasy portraits with exaggerated features. They are great fun to create. Lots of layers of acrylic paint, pencil and a little doodling with a Sigma. Here’s mine…

Sugar Diva

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She is going to be collaged onto a background – Marieke’s is a sugar diva but I don’t like sugar much, so I think my girl will be a flower diva.

More Life Book 2014

Had lots of fun with these exercises…

Mickie Wild was our Week 2 artist and she gave us a short bonus lesson. The journal page focused on making an affirmation – what we want more of in 2014. At first I thought I would hate to work with a grey background… I mean, who’d want to. I decided to go with it and as I did, the paint seemed to have a life of its own. Instead of the neat, matte background I’d envisaged, I began to let the paint drizzle and drip until it looked like some crazed, dystopian landscape. I turned it upside down and it was obvious to me that balloons were required. It ain’t pretty, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Abstract drippy paint journal page

The third week was Carla Sonheim (she’s so cute!) and her blobs, non-dominant hand doodles and crazy collage creatures…

Accidental creatures

For the fourth week, we were introduced to Kelly Hoernig. I love Kelly’s stuff because she works in a lovely, deliberate controlled way – the opposite to me. I am the sort to slap paint, glue and collage down where it wants to go. Kelly is a planner. Her collage was simple and stunning.  We had to choose collage pieces to represent things we love. I chose an Alice in Wonderland tag, some black and white scraps and diamonds (not that I own one single diamond!).

Kelly Hoener's Life Book Lesson

There’s lots of texture and layers built up with gesso. I  made it a bit more 3D by outlining with charcoal.