Words of Wisdom/Advice

Front cover, which is a piece of muslin with the kitchen sink attached

Inside the front cover and first page

Following the principles of collage

Like these because they can stand independent yet flow into each other

Last page and inside back cover

I have used fabric as a basis for book covers before. Not quite in this manner. The mainly tissue collage was adhered using Golden's Soft Mat Gel. I have had this jar for ages and trying to use it up. Dina had us collage both sides while they were wet. Some of my tissue stuck to the deli sheets I had under this mess.  Let us review: started this around 1:30 on Saturday, set it aside to dry by 2:30 and there was no way I could handle this to put the book together until Sunday afternoon. If doing this again, I would put the piece of muslin outside in the sun to dry.  It does make a nice flexible cover.

The idea was to use your white space as a design element. Colored paper that we painted was used for the connections. That would be the blue-ish music paper. Dina added yellow to her word cut outs and I liked that pop of color, so continued that idea throughout the entire book.

Fun, fun class but far more work than what you would think. This would make a lovely gift for someone special in your life. But my mind is whirling around on that cover. Thinking I would like to rip fabric scraps, and randomly sew them together onto the muslin for the front cover, then make something to add on the inside covers. Hmmmmmmm. One never knows. (BTW, negative on the Covid test)
Linda

Oh, look! More rain...

I have bought another class. I know you find that hard to believe, but it's true. Dina's new Abstract class, which I can't remember the proper name but I think it's Fascination with Abstracts. Not sure. So moving on.....

I applied gesso to a bunch of art journal pages. Dina is working on loose watercolor paper, but I wanted to use my journals to, well, practice and journal. The first photo above is in the Dina larger black journal, on the heavy watercolor paper. This is a standard composition in the cruciform shape. I enjoyed that one a bunch, and am pleased with how it turned out. One of the exercises Dina had us do was make large, random marks with paint on gessoed paper. We then go back and use the marks as a basis to develop an abstract. The second photo is one of those, and it was not easy. I am calling it done, but just not thrilled with it. However in one of the last lessons in this class we will revisit what we have done, and see if we wish to change or add anything. This will probably change.

Need to do a few more this afternoon. Keeps me out of the kitchen. Just saying....
Linda

Who knew?

3 layers of paint

This should have been the first photo, because this is 2 layers of paint

complete journal spread in one of the Canson Mixed Media journals

I love this color

Columbine in the front flower beds

Yes, I am being bossy Mom. 

But I still get most of the attention, don't I?

Because of all the rain yesterday, I watched Dina Wakley videos from her blog. In particular, the one on Dina's layering process. Great lesson, one that I have heard from her before but you forget some of the finer points of composition and layout until it is drilled into your brain.

I started by adding gesso to 12 different journal pages, and letting that dry while I had lunch. The first photo above is in the Dina large black journal. I used Martha Stewart Party Streamer pink, wiped it off with a baby wipe. Then added Apple Barrel Bimini Blue, and used a Dina stencil to wipe off for the blue pattern. I let those 2 layers sit for probably 30 minutes while I started another spread, then went back to it and decided to try Dina's glossy spray in Cheddar. Wiped that off through the stencil and was surprised that I was removing all the layers down to the gesso. But oh, baby, I love that page. I am not doing another thing to it.

The double page spread in the Canson journal had the same blue with a pretty lime green and the removal through a stencil technique. I then added Paper Artsy dark blue through the same stencil for contrast, and drew the circles with dark blue paint. The 3 women is an old stamp, on cardstock with Archival ink in Cobalt. Dina demoed how to add another color, like the yellow, to your focal points to draw the eye. I added Martha Stewart Yellow Jacket. Then added a smaller scale mark from an old Rae Missigan (spelling?) stencil for the white marks. Final layers were asemic writing with the Uniball pen, and purple paint splatters. Dina is spot on with the asemic writing adding just the right touch. Don't know what to write? The above are the lyrics to I Saw Her Standing There, a song that Paul McCartney wrote when he was 16, and on the flip side of I Want To Hold Your Hand as a single. Yes, I am that old. Go create something. Now. You'll feel better. Trust me.
Linda

Rain, rain, and more rain

Front and back covers of the new accordion book

I added tip out pages to each page, plus each cover

Two of the tags flip up

Used some very old chipboard letters

and Dina stamps, except the rough looking dog is someone else's

This Tim Holtz stamp is one of my all time favorites

all of the washi tape is Dina's

Overhead view

Left over funky collage from an old Roben Marie Smith class

The above photos are out of order from the book because I am an idiot. Shall I explain?

I now can take photographs with the new IPhone, find them on the phone, and then we run into the scenario, what day is it? will this work twice the same way? do I start with photos or dropbox or take a nap?

Once again I had to rely on Airdrop to transfer the photos from my phone to the Mac. Except. (It's me, there is always an exception) each photo transferred from 6 to 14 times. New Feature!!! I wonder if Apple knows about this??? And I was wading through all of this in the downloads folder looking for the correct sequence. Yeah, nope. Out of order.

I did get Dropbox, the phone, and the mac to not only like each other but cooperate yesterday. Today is Friday and perhaps they all are ready for the weekend. This too shall pass. Enjoy the weather no matter what it is. We are alive, healthy, and have art supplies and pets. Can't get any better than that.
Linda

I love my new IPhone camera. There. I said it.

At the dog park on Mother's Day

I of course had to say Meranda's name to get Gracie to look up and at me

Good one, Mom

Explanation below. Another accordion journal

I still have a slight problem getting photos I take to upload to the Mac desktop. I did figure out how to save them to Dropbox, so they are in a cloud for all eternity. But for whatever reason, they don't always want to upload to the Dropbox on the Mac as well as the phone. It will all come together.  Just a side note here. I was a Samsung smart phone user for many years. The IPhone is just easier. It truly is more user friendly, in my opinion.

For the second accordion journal, I used a small piece of black printed fabric as the strengthening piece on the paper binding. I then added a 3rd piece of pink fabric to help hold this chunky little journal together. Aleen's Tacky Glue, the cheap stuff at Walmart, was used to adhere the fabric and that worked perfectly. You just have to let it sit and dry throughly. Hope to have this one complete and posted tomorrow. Yard work has been kicking my butt this week. Stay safe.
Linda

Gremlins

It's not pretty, but it is functional

Front and back covers of my accordion book

First page and tip out

This is from the livestream class of Dina Wakley's Accordion book this past Saturday. I screwed up the binding by grabbing the wrong piece of pre-cut paper. Didn't realize what I had done until it was the point of attaching the black painted accordion folded paper to the pages. Screw it. It works. Note to self, either throw away the extra pieces that are incorrect, or put them away in the scrap bin before starting a project.

I have already started a second book because I have everything on hand to make these, and it just fits my mood right now.

Let's take a moment to talk about price gouging and profiteering. Walmart sells Plaid INC. products: brush packs, Apple Barrel paint, and Folk Art paint. Normal prices at Walmart are cheap: the Apple Barrel paint is 50 cents a bottle, the Folk Art is 97 cents a bottle. Because of this, when the pandemic hit the country, every Walmart in my immediate area (and there are 3 Super Walmarts) sold out of every single bottle of paint. Parents home with kids doing art projects would be my guess.

Plaid industries is still closed due to coronavirus. I checked the website. Walmart is unable to restock their shelves. Unless it's in a warehouse somewhere and has just not been pulled. Regardless, enter Amazon. Go look for yourselves, but Amazon is selling Apple Barrel paint for $7.30 per bottle. Same brand, same size, as what Walmart carries every day.

My point to this little story is I have a long, long memory. I will not trust Amazon prices again unless I completely research the item I want to purchase. Shortages are everywhere at this point. Our grocery stores have empty shelves, empty meat counters. Produce and salty snacks are still available (go figure), but other items are starting to not be restocked.  I refuse to pay $8 for a 5 pound bag of flour at Meijer's. I refuse that 2 ounce bottle of paint for $7.30 on Amazon, and no way will I pay $5 for a roll of paper towels. A single roll.

We have a long road ahead of us. 2020 is not half over, and we don't know if the worse is yet to come. Stay safe, stay smart.
Linda

Chaos, or not

Dylusions large journal spread

Dylusions small journal spread

Homemade journal spread

18x24 water color paper

The above, reduced

Close-up of the drips that formed a grid that is just wonderful. To me!

18x24 water color paper, turned to portrait format

This is the reduced water color paper finished. My favorite so far

18x24 water color paper

Months ago I received an email from Jeanne Oliver, an artist that mostly teaches on the internet, about a new class that would start in April from Dina Wakley. I was being offered an early bird discount, and I love Dina and her work anyway, so here is my PayPal and sign me up. Done. Then the Jane Davies class started in real time, meaning for six weeks we did our assignments and had access to Jane, but that all ends this week. Back to Dina.

She started with basic mark making, which if you are going to do mixed media or abstract art, you need to know about mark making. We also started on smaller pieces of water color paper and our journals. I have a few journals (joke, people. MORE than a few). We then moved to laying a base coat of gesso in the journals, making random swipes of paint with our hands, fingers, a brush, the dog's tail, whatever you wanted to use. Creating chaos, not thinking about composition, just get some color down but try to leave some white space. The one rule was you should connect edges. Either side to side, or top to bottom, or both. The white space and connections will help you to control the chaos and pull the piece together in the end steps.

First of all, this is slightly addictive. It is free movement, not quite mindless at the beginning, just play. I'm sure I am not the only one who doesn't always turn the canvas/paper around. You will after this exercise. ALL of mine started in landscape position, and very few have stayed there.

Would I frame any of this and hang it on my wall? The favorite above with the teal circles coming from the right, you betcha! The last one will probably be cut up into 6 pieces for something we are doing at the end of class. That's alright. It is a learning experience.

If you are interested, go to Dina's blog (link on right side bar) and look for her Ordered Chaos class. I think the current price is $45or $48. But I have watched at least 10 videos and am no where near the end. Lots of information for that amount of money, and she truly is a wonderful teacher. Enjoy!
Linda

I am nuts

One of the exercises in Creative Chaos class. I used Ink Intense sticks

Same exercise, using a variety of water soluble pencils and gesso

Jake this morning

Mom! I don't want to get up yet

Notice the paw resting on the pillow

Months ago I received a promotion via email on a new Dina Wakley class entitled Creative Chaos. Dina makes some riveting abstract art pieces, and this class was going to take us into that world, creating art from chaos. Oh, yeah.. ... I need that. Signed up and forgot about it. The class launched this past Monday. Thank goodness it is self paced, so no deadlines. I am still in the Jane Davies online class, with deadlines, for several more weeks. I think. Actually I don't know when that class ends.

I have two other downloaded classes sitting on the Mac, waiting for me. Yeah, get in line because today the free Natalie Kalbach class starts. That is the artist that does Creative Jumpstart every year, and I enjoyed those videos a bunch.

To prove that my dogs are indeed spoiled beyond belief, I give you Jake in the morning. He doesn't do this if it is warm, but if he gets cold or just wants to be really close to his mom, he makes a nest in 2 or 3 pillows to my right. His butt was up against my shoulder when Gracie woke us up this morning. Gracie sleeps on a queen size bed in the spare bedroom, all to herself. She only comes into my bedroom if it is scary (thunder, lightning, or fireworks), or if she thinks it is time for the entire household to get out of bed.

No wonder I am always tired.
Linda