April Showers!

So far this month has been living up to it’s reputation for April showers. Puddles like this have been everywhere. But we have been blessed with some wonderful sunny days as well.

I began April by creating a couple of backgrounds in my new A6 art journal.

For this first one, I started off by using watercolour paint, then used some stencils with acrylic paint to add some interest and depth. I love the way it turned out.

This next spread was created using just watercolour paint and a stabilo all pencil to outline the circles.

Sarah Trumpp‘s quirky lady in her spread for Journal 52, week 14, inspired this next image which I created with a mixture of watercolour paint, acrylic paint and stencils.

I created this last spread in response to Effy Wild’s Book of Days class at the beginning of the month. The image was inspired by a combination of the Kuan Yin Oracle card I selected for the month and a photograph of a peacock displaying his beautiful tail that my brother uploaded to Flickr. I’ve been working on the spread for just over a week now, using a combination of tombow brush markers and Posca paint pens. I’m really pleased with how its turned out. I may well add some text to it later, but I haven’t quite decided yet.

That’s all for now, but I have a pile of postcards to prepare for the latest iHannah DIY Postcard Swap. So watch out for some more artwork soon!

Journalling Every Day

In a new effort to inject some discipline into my art making, I’ve joined Lani Gerity’s Morning Pages Daily Art Practice eCourse and am attempting to start journalling every day! But as usual with these things, Im already behind with posting the images, so here goes for a catch up.

I started by creating this journal background in my recycled journal using acrylic paint, stencils, a coffee creamer seal, a net bag from the grocery shopping, some molding paste and a few homemade stamps

Next I used a photograph of some of the detail from the background (can you spot it?) and added some digital text to it.

After reading Soul Mate Dolls: Dollmaking as a Healing Art by Noreen Crone-Findlay, I just had to have a go at making one of her paper dolls. I created her using card, fabric scraps, washi tape and wool, added her to the journal background above with a digital face, then added some digital text to the found text.

This last image was created in my handmade journal using leftover acrylic paint, a stencil and some digital text. Watch out for more journalling tomorrow!!

Academic Overload!

I’ve been totally overwhelmed by academic overload of late! But I have been painting … here are some of my latest creations!

I’ve been using quite a lot of thread and string in my art work recently – a reflection on how I’ve been feeling, perhaps? I created this using recycled cardboard and packaging, string, brads, spray paint and acrylic paint.If you look at the enlarged image you can see how dimensional the paint is!

Some more recycled cardboard and packaging, machine stitched and painted with acrylic paint and acrylic ink using a selection of stencils.I created this piece alongside a stitched postcard that I made for the Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap. I’ll post a picture of the postcard once I know it’s been safely received.

This is my favourite piece. Unlike the other two pieces, this was created in a much more intuitive manner while reflecting on an issue that I am currently dealing with. Like the others it uses a recycled cardboard base, together with acrylic paint and acrylic ink. Which one’s your favourite?

“Paint, Glorious Paint…”

“Paint, glorious paint…” a slight misquote I grant you – but after a long absence (at least a week!) its so good to be slinging paint again!! Even in my little journal!

The colour’s not very good in the photo, the original is a more peacocky colour! I created it with some acrylic paint, stencils and a bit of spray paint!

Then I went back to my recycled journal to make some more background pages.

I don’t really like pink… I know girls are supposed to, but I never have! So it was really quite a surprise for me to create such a pink page! I used a lot of different types of paint; acrylic paint, acrylic ink, fluorescent paint, spray paint, a few stencils and a homemade stamp.

I reverted to type and went back to my more usual colour palette.

That’s better… Sigh! All that pink… very worrying! I used acrylic paint, stencils and homemade stamps to make this page.

Last but not least, I dug out a piece of recycled cardboard for a change.

I do like working on recycled cardboard – it’s such a forgiving medium. It just sits there and takes whatever you throw at it! In this case it was acrylic paint, spay paint and stencils.

I really think I’m overdue for a Big piece of cardboard. So watch this space!

Call of the Paint!

I thought it was about time I caught up with posting some more pictures from my journal.

This is my interpretation of the last of the sketch noting prompts. The first one is pretty simple to interpret, but can you guess what the second one is all about?

I ran out of time on the 21st and spent five minute drawing these interlocking shapes.

I started this page off using water colour pencils and neocolour ll crayons, then I just couldn’t resist the call of the paint any longer! I used acrylic paint and stencils to finish it off.

This last page was created using acrylic paint and stencils.

Another Journal Page!

Following on from yesterday’s success, I’ve managed to create another journal page using the scanned digital technique. Yay!

This is the background I created in my altered journal using acrylic paint, home made stamps and stencils.

And this is my digital interpretation of todays ‘When Frogs Sing’ journal prompt.

I finally got around to processing the second of my recycled cardboard paintings from the other day. I created it using acrylic Paint, acrylic ink, stencils and moulding paste.

You can’t really see the relief on the big picture so I took a couple of detail pictures to show it off. It makes a lovely textured surface – I really love texture!

And you know what – I haven’t played blending for ages! So I just had to try a little blend here! I really like how this one turned out. What do you think?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all! This post has been a long time coming, but December was a totally chaotic month with so much going on that I scarcely had time to breathe! However… January is here now, and I have started creating art again! In fact I spent most of New Year’s Day painting up in my studio – what a great way to welcome in the new year!

I created 2 images on recycled cardboard and 5 journal pages in my recycled journal. I had a bit of trouble getting my scanner to work after it’s long rest, but the perseverance paid off! I created this piece using recycled cardboard, acrylic paint, stencils and spray paint.

I’ll post the rest of the images over the next few days as soon as I’ve finished processing them. (I’m busy struggling to write an essay for my course at the moment!) So keep watching this space.

Colour and Light

In contrast to yesterday’s post, and just to prove that I have been creating some of my more usual bright work, here are the latest two – digitally altered of course!!

This is my favourite – I love the softness of the colours and the textures which the tissue collage adds to the image. I created the collage using home made background papers, torn paint tissues, acrylic paint, stencils and some Krylon webbing spray. After photographing, I digitally altered the image using filters and blending.

This one is Bry’s favourite – he loves the bright colours, and yes, it is meant to make your eyes go funny!. I created this using acrylic paint, stencils and Krylon webbing spray, then digitally altered it using filters and blending.

I’ve been playing digital with yesterdays images, but you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to see what I’ve done to them!

More Notan!

I’m finding this Notan quite addictive… so here’s another one.

I cut this one a bit differently. Instead of folding the paper into four before cutting, I only folded it in half; and rearranged a couple of the pieces to break the symmetry. I wasn’t sure which way up it should go, but I think I prefer it with the straight edge to the left. What do you think?

I’m still busy scanning some of the smaller cardboard pieces I created a while ago, so here’s a couple more.

I created this piece on recycled cardboard using acrylic paint, acrylic ink, stencils and homemade stamps.

This is another piece on recycled cardboard created using acrylic paint and acrylic ink. But this one was calling to be blended…

…this is the result – quite dramatic, don’t you think?

Painting Big!

Up until the advent of the new easel, the biggest I had ever painted was a double page in my 12″x9″ Strathmore journal! To be honest, I had never had the courage to try anything bigger. But that’s all changed now! With all the recycled cardboard from moving, I have lots of larger canvases to play on, and because they’re made from recycled cardboard I don’t have the fear of spoiling them that I might have if I’d invested lots of money in expensive canvases! And I’m really loving the freedom of painting big! Every day so far I’ve been adding some more to my 25″x25″ recycled cardboard.

I’ve added more acrylic paint using letter stencils and home made stamps and am loving how it’s looking so far, but have a feeling it still wants some more layers!

Meanwhile, I’ve been playing with some rather smaller pieces as well!

I created this one on recycled cardboard using acrylic paint, stencils, homemade stamps and a paint covered mopping up tissue to add the highlights…

…and this one on salvaged plywood using acrylic paint, acrylic ink and homemade stamps. The only problem with the plywood was that it had quite a pronounced curve from being used to protect the corners of something (I can’t remember what!) and when I tried to flatten it for the scanner it cracked across the top and had to be mended 🙁 …

…and lastly – a little bit of sparkly digital blending – you need to look at the larger version to really see the sparkles.