Happy Christmas!
There’s just time for one more post before Christmas – my Christmas angel wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas!
I like to paint an angel card each year at a this time but often have difficulty getting started. So Effy’s Soul Friend Angel Mini mixed media class was the perfect inspiration I needed to create this year’s angel. Thank you Effy – the class was amazing and I learnt so much in such a short space of time.
Soft Leather Journal Cover
Ever since I started Radiant 2 and made my own Effidori, I’ve been wanting to get a leather version for my handbag journal and have had my eye on a soft leather journal cover from YarnTreeStudioUK on Etsy.
And yeah – I finally have this one – it’s so beautiful! I chose the Quarto size which is 5.5″ x 5.5″ and am loving the square shape of the pages and the long landscape shape of the double spread.
The beauty of having a journal like this is that I can choose what kind of paper to use in it and can vary the size and shape of the pages. I stared by creating three signatures from cold press watercolour paper, and am loving the results!
I used the first three spreads to do the warm-up exercises in Iris Fritschi-Cussens lesson in Radiant 2.
Creating all these drips was great fun…
…and I love how this page turned out. Although it has been pointed out that my spelling is a little off!
Writing across the face on this spread was so liberating – I usually struggle to match the eyes on my faces.
For the main image in Iris’s lesson, I went back to using my Effidori journal.
I have resisted using oil pastels for so long, but really enjoyed using the technique that Iris taught us in this class. I will definitely be using oil pastels for faces in the future!
I loved Sarah Trumpp‘s lesson and decided to go back to my small journal and use my new watercolour paints to create some quirky people.
I called the first one Tagging Along…
…and created the second one to illustrate the fall I had a couple of weeks ago. I have really enjoyed creating these cartoon like caricatures and can’t wait to do some more.
There’s a good chance that this will be my last post before Christmas – so have a good one, and I’ll catch up with you when things calm down again.
Almost Winter Solstice
It’s almost time for the Winter Solstice and I’ve been starting to reflect on this last year in readiness for the new cycle about to begin.
I’ve also been making a fair amount of artwork inspired mainly by the amazing lessons in Effy’s Radiant 2 course – I thought it was about time I posted some of the work online. I have found it really interesting going back over my work from the last few months to notice how much my work has been changing.
This is the oldest piece, and was inspired by the lesson from Tangie Baxter. I really enjoyed using her cut-out techniques to create these pages and am sure I will use this technique again in the future.
I had so much fun creating this next piece. It was inspired by the lesson from France Papillon – I learnt so many new techniques from this class. Simple, but so effective!
Nolwenn Petitbois‘s lesson inspired this piece. It has so many layers – and i got so messy creating it – great fun!
At the end of November, I treated myself to this Winsor & Newton Cotman Half Pan Water Colour Studio Set
…and I couldn’t wait to try them out when they arrived!
This was result of that first play with my new paints! I enjoyed using them so much that I think I’ve used them in every picture I’ve made since!
My golden haired lady was inspired by Marieke Blokland‘s class – such a comprehensive lesson – so much detail. I really enjoyed creating her – especially using the gold flakes in her hair – I love the way she sparkles!
I have a load more work waiting to be uploaded, I hope to get it done before Christmas… so keep watching this space.
Visible collage!
It’s been a while since I made a collage that stayed visible after I completed the piece. Normally by the time I finish the image, the collage is buried under layers of paint, stamping or stencilling or a mixture of all three. But the last two classes I’ve done as part of Radiant 2, both have visible collage in the completed pieces!
This first piece was my response to Dyan Reaveley‘s class.
Her lesson was so great, I especially enjoyed the things she shared about her process – thank you Dyan. Although I didn’t have many of the supplies Dyan used, I think my substitutions have worked well – I love the result and the quotation taken from Sandra Sturtz Hauss’s poem “These are my wishes for you”.
My second piece was made in response to Effy‘s interpretation of Felicia‘s class.
I loved the process, and learnt loads from the note writing. I found it really interesting to create a second image in a different style – thank you for a really inspiring lesson Effy. By the way – if you want to look up the quotation, it’s taken from “On Joy and Sorrow” by Kahlil Gibran.
I haven’t quite made up my mind what to do next, but I think I might start making postcards for iHannah’s postcard swap ready for the end of the month.
Loving the Effidori!
I am so loving my new Effidori! I always love learning new book making techniques and Effy’s lesson on how to make the Effidori was so easy to follow that I enjoyed every minute of it!
And I’m loving the results – both the way it looks and using it as a journal. Thank you Effy for an amazing lesson!
Having made the journal, I was ready to start the first guest teacher lesson on the Radiant 2 course.
Felicia Borges lesson was just so much fun and really messy. I love the way she works. I didn’t have all the supplies that she used, and my alternatives created a rather different look. But I’m really pleased with the result!
Which lesson shall I do next I wonder? Keep watching to find out.
Getting messy…
I’ve been getting messy and having fun! Not content with having recently signed up to 21 Secrets Fall 2015, I’ve just signed up to Effy Wild’s Radiant 2 Course which started on 1st October. So much juicy, messy goodness to choose from! I’m loving every minute of it!! And just for good measure. I’ve signed up for the iHannah DIY Postcard Swap – Fall 2015. Yeah! – got to share the abundance that I’m creating.
So far I’ve been playing along with two of the 21 Secrets classes, and experimenting with some of the techniques in my everyday journal.
On this first page, I was trying out a letter transfer technique from Catherine Anderson’s class. Her lesson has so many cool things to try.
This is another technique from Catherine’s lesson – a really cute mini book. It’s only 5cm x 7cm but it was so much fun to make and decorate. I think I might try and incorporate some of these into my postcards for the swap at the end of the month.
I made this image while I was watching Orly Avineri‘s class video from 21 Secrets. So many great ideas to try! I still have loads more to try out yet – but I’ll use my watercolour journal next time. My everyday journal is only made with ordinary printer paper, so it doesn’t cope very well with too much wet. This page bled quite badly through onto my handwritten notes on the previous page – oops!!
This last page started as an excuse to play with my latest washi tapes. Then I added some messy paints and ink to finish it off.
Right now, I’m busy making my journal for Radiant 2. How to make the Effydori journal (Effy’s version of the classic Midori notebook) is the first lesson Effy teaches on the course. Once that’s done, I can get started on the rest of the classes. So keep watching this space to see what I get up to next!
Playing with Layers
I really enjoyed all the mixed media work I’ve been doing recently, so I decided to do some more playing with layers, both physical and digital.
This first image started out as a collage using a mixture of old papers, book pages, old paint stained tissues, and magazine clippings. This was followed by a liberal application of acrylic paint, stencilling, homemade stamps, washi tape, and more collage. The quotation made me smile, as it’s the kind of thing I say all the time!
This second image was inspired by some work I did at the weekend on the Person Centred Expressive Arts workshop that I attended run by Dinah Brown and Nuala Eden. It began life as a geometric abstract created using watercolour pencils. Although it was quite colourful, it looked a bit flat, so I gave it the mixed media treatment. I added acrylic paint, stencils, homemade stamps, paint markers and indian ink, then finished it off with some letter stamps and collaged letters.
Its been a while since I played with any digital layers, so this last image is a digital blend of two journal pages – a series of swirls drawn with watercolour pencils, and a page created to use up some leftover paint.
Only five days left before the start of 21 Secrets Fall 2015 – I’m really looking forward to working and learning with all the amazing teachers Connie has gathered together.
Taking the time…
I have to admit, I’m really enjoying taking the time to be creative again. I’ve worked my way through the free workshops for the first time now, but am thinking of revisiting some of them as they were so full of inspiration that I’m sure I’ve missed some of it first time round. But I’ll share some more of what I’ve created so far.
I created these two images in response to the workshop led by Kate Crane. I love how Kate uses recycled cardboard as a canvas to create her images – she’s definitely a lady after my own heart. I’ve been using ‘junk’ in my artwork for many years now.
Rae Missigman always inspires me with her workshops, and this one was no exception. I’m not quite sure how the pages got to be so pink though cos I am definitely not a pink person normally!
I thought I was going to struggle with Andrea Schroeder‘s workshop, but the results took me by surprise. As I followed her instructions, I found pictures kept popping into my head waiting for me to add them to the page. There’s still some journalling to do, but I’ll probably add that later.
Diana Trout‘s workshop is definitely one that needs to be revisited. Her enthusiasm is so infectious, and I only took in a small portion of the amazing ideas she was sharing with us. That said, I really enjoyed creating this page and am pleased with how it turned out.
Hmmm… what shall I play with next?
Brushing off the Cobwebs!
As part of my September fresh start, Ive been brushing the cobwebs off my creative skills and learning some new techniques as I’ve played along with a whole bunch of fabulous artists – free workshops that Connie Solera gave as a bonus for signing up to Fall 2015 21 Secrets. I love the variety of different styles that I’ve created as a result.
This first journal spread was the result of a workshop with Gretchen Miller reflecting on giving and receiving. I had great fun creating the bridge over the binder rings using some of the wool I bought recently, but its made it quite difficult to close the journal now!
I really loved creating this journal page with Violette Clarke. I didn’t follow her instructions to the letter, but I learned a lot and really like how my page turned out. I was totally inspired by this amazing lady, her incredible vitality and vibrant work.
This page was the result of listening to the 21 Secrets Conversation with Eric Scott from Journal Fodder Junkies. After listening to Eric talking to Connie I was intrigued to find out more, and went hot footing over to the Journal Fodder Junkies site where I discovered a series of how to videos. My page didn’t quite turn out how I thought it would, but I had great fun making it, and learnt loads in the process.
This final page was inspired by a workshop with Roben Marie Smith. I don’t think I’ve ever made such a busy page with so many layers before, but I really love how it’s turned out.
I still have a couple more free workshops to take part in before the end of the month when 21 secrets starts, and lots of inspiration for more pages to create – so watch this space to see what I get up to next!
Fresh Start!
The 1st September, time to make a fresh start! As you might have noticed over the last day or so, I’ve been busy giving my site a face lift, playing around with some new colours and a different header. It feels like it’s time to do some serious creating!
August has been a kind of limbo month for me, the time between the end of my studies, and the beginning of my new professional practice as an Art Psychotherapist, so I’ve been playing in my art journals exploring ideas and materials.
This journal page spread was created in my recycled Journal using torn magazine pages, fibres, gouache and homemade stamps created from repurposed rubbish.
August has also been a time for getting out and about, visiting new places and discovering wonderful bargains to add to my creative supplies.
I got this wonderful fabric from a lovely lady on a market stall in Bradford …
… and just look at all this amazing yarn that I found in the wool shop in Buxton!
September is going to be a month of new beginnings, so to mark my intention to create more art, I’ve signed up to Connie Solera’s 21 Secrets course due to start on 28th September.
I’ve got lots more artwork from August which I’m looking forward to sharing with you. But for now I think I’d better get myself to bed as it’s gone 2:00 am.