Another experimental Journal

As I was creating the black and white page for the stampotique challenge I was also working on a page for the UK Stampers challenge all about Risk which asked you to use colours or techniques you would not normally use. I painted the page with Black dylusions and stamped a Dylusions circle text stamp. I then went a little bit mad with white paint and my hair dye comb tool. I stamped Olivia and Eric from Stampotique onto a dictionary page using Red Stazon and then using a baby wipe dabbed on the ink pad to add softer details around the page. 

I tore a piece of Lost and Found paper and added ink to the edges. I then stamped a variety of Dylusions hearts and an umbrella, plus a Lost and Found Typewriter, a hat and a TH crown. I journalled around the smaller stamps and then printed out other text onto photopaper using white on black. 

I like this page but I don't think I will be getting the black paint out in such large amounts again as it is a little uncolourful for me. 

SDC38 Black white and hint of yellow colour journal page

This challenge has taken me way out of my colour comfort zone. Kaz at Stampotique set the challenge "I'm setting you another colour challenge as you all did such a good job of the last one. This time it's to use black and white and add just a hint of another colour." I used my new journal for this and swiped black dylusions over the page with a baby wipe as I had been mopping up paint from another page (still in progress). I then used a mix of bottle lids to stamp circles with white and yellow acrylic on both pages. I then stamped Eric and Olivia onto the page and embossed them with TH Black distress powder. I used a Ranger medium pen to write my thoughts and embossed that too (I took a chance on you, worth the risk). I think my head must be full of Abba songs and advertisements as there are two well known catch phrases in there.

My stamped figures were blending into the background so I drew white lines behind them which helps bring them out and then I went a little doodly with the white pen. The facing page also has a Lost and Found Gramophone stamp on it. It is disguised within the white doodles. I used the last of the Tattered Floral pieces from the TH die to create a flower and leaves and added a paper ruler stem. Another part of the flower gave me the love heart balloon.

I'm off to the monthly EK Craft and Crop tomorrow so hopefully will have lots of times to play or finish stuff. I have about five different projects littering my desk at the moment and none are quite finished yet. Thank you for dropping by and I love reading any comments people make.

First pages in my new journal

Although I have been completing my pages for the UKStampers journal I felt I also wanted to start a new journal. One of the reasons is that my UK Stampers journal is made up of many single pages that I am going to bind into a journal at the end of the challenge - that is if I can fit all the pages in my my binder. As I have been reading more about the process I decided it would be a little different in an actual journal so I bought an A5 sketchbook with quite thick pages and I have been using gesso on the pages before I add any layers.
These pages are very layered and I used stencils and bits and pieces that were lying around to build up layers. I also used my fingers to blend the dylusions paints which was fun and sprayed and rolled some ink layers too. I used the Dina Wakely Stamp and a selection of stamps from the Lost and Found Everything stamps.

I prefer this side as I think the colours and layers work better, but I do like the other page too.

I think I might come back to this page and change the colour of the journalling...

Stampotique Challenge Red Yellow and Orange and what the dog did next!

When I read the prompt to use Red Yellow and Orange for the Stampotique challenge I just had to give it a go as it tied in with an idea I had for a journalling page about Wildlife for UKS. The prompt was about animals, pets and asked us to use an animal print so a (very impressionist) Tiger print was chosen for various reasons. As I had just finished reading "The Tiger's Wife" I was thinking about Tigers and would recommend it as a great read. You might be wondering about the tape down the side and the bite marks. That was our puppy, Jasper, aged 9 months. I was reading outside and popped in for a cold drink stupidly leaving the book on the table and came out to find it severely damaged.

I initially created layers with water coloured kitchen towels and and glued them to my page but it was too wishy washy so I dived in with liberal applications of dylusions acrylics. The first verse of William Blake's "Tyger, Tyger" was running round my head so I added that. I stamped Stampotique's Oh Dear and Angel Boy onto acetate and then added them. I also added some scrap copper metal that had been through a texture plate and some more paint.

WHAT THE DOG DID NEXT...

It gets worse

Since I photographed this I have added more journalling about what the dog did next (yesterday afternoon). I was dying my hair upstairs and my visiting mother was in the garden with the dog or so I thought. Unbeknown to both of us Jasper had sneaked up onto the work surface and stolen my glasses case with my very expensive varifocal specs - these are a sign of my advancing years. Now they look like this but how he managed to open the case I don't know.

For those that wear glasses you will understand how unusable they are now. It is a visit to the optician's for me tomorrow as with my old specs I have to take them off every time I want to read something and as a teacher that is constantly reading and looking up and reading again it just doesn't work. Not sure what the insurance company will say.

Art Journal - Commitment, I'm still hanging in there, Afth 10th Birthday

This prompt was all about Commitment - think Efemera wondering if we can all stay the 52 weeks. I had got quite far behind with this but I have another 2 in progress (taking ages to dry) and after that just two more catch ups until the next prompt post on Sunday. I used a dictionary definition from a 1950's dictionary and the meaning was all about committing a person to a place, a cause or to bind yourself to another page. Now the word commitment is constantly bandied about in terms of relationships and has now derivatives such as commitment-phobe. Oh dear wandering back into English teacher territory and I am still on holiday. I used a great deal of paint and Banana Frog's Paisley pattern stamps with more paint. I do love the dylusions paints and am beginning to run low on some colours.

The blue green background was one I had made a while ago when I was trying out ways to apply paint but I decided I did not like it and decided to act a coat of black paint.

I then stamped over the black and I was ready for my journalling - that is another thing that is running out - my white Sakura gelly roll pen which I always seem to reach for. Then I didn't like the dictionary definition left so pale so washed on some more paint.

 The Paisley Pattern just seemed to lend itself to journalling around and I added in some more lines. I'm not sure about anyone else but I never seem to create the page I had in my head to begin with - it just sort of evolves. I take so many pictures to remind myself of what I do so I can look back over the ones that do and don't work. Just noticed some of the photos are landscape but it makes it easier to see some of the journalling - at least that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

One last thing I wanted to remind people that Art from the Heart have 10th birthday celebrations coming up and have lots of fun taster sessions. (Lens Guy are you reading this, hint, hint...)