Hand Art and more from the studio…

Let me lend you a hand, shall I?  A little LOVE for you.

I had fun painting my hand to contribute to Art is You.

I’ve also been working on a piece using Wood Icing.  I love this product. Not sure how I’ll finish it yet, but here’s how I got there…

I started off with a piece of cardboard from a cereal box (12×6″ish).  Gessoed it, let dry.    Then spread a layer of Wood Icing with a palette knife.  Then I made marks on it for texture, using a butter knife and the little center plastic thingie-majiggie from a roll of transparent tape. After the Wood Icing was dry, the cardboard started to bow a little, so I let it sit under a heavy book overnight.  That did the trick.

 

I spread brown paint all over the Wood Icing and smooshed it into the textured grooves and patterns.

  

Then I wiped the surface off with baby wipe or damp paper towel, but leaving the paint in the grooves. Groovy!

I just love this look.  The surface has a bit of a crackle to it.  It really looks like wood.

  ‘

Once the “stain” was dry, I stared to spread some Cobalt Teal Heavy Body acrylic paint along the edge.  Yes, you know this is my favorite color.  Then I spread some Raw Sienna and Nickel Azo Gold acrylic paint.

 

I took a tiny bit of black acrylic paint and rubbed it in sections then wiped it off quickly.  Just to give it a worn look.  I’m not done with this, but this is what is looks like now.. I love these colors.    Wood Icing is pretty amazing.

 

Next up are a few background papers I was playing around with when a friend (hi Raine :^) ), came over and we took over my kitchen table and painted and sprayed and had a blast.

I used deli paper for the surface of these pages.  Lots of spray inks and acrylic paint and stencils….

 

For this surface, I used a Tyvek envelope.  Tyvek is the same material that Federal Express uses for their envelopes.

Acrylic paint (yes, I know.. teal again). Rubber stamps and stencils.

Where are you going?  I’m’ not done.

One one of my recent posts about my cousin, Wayne.. SEE POST HERE, I decided to take a piece of corrugated cardboard and see what I could do with it.

Here is my mixed media piece.  It’s about 4×6″ish.  Gessoed first, then added my handmade polymer clay Button ‘n bellishments, copper wire, stencil background with small bits of newspaper, image, handmade copper/patina paper that I had hanging around that I made years ago.

Getting up in the studio has been a challenge lately with my corporate job taking up a lot of my time.  I still try to balance my personal and business life.  Do I succeed?  Sometimes, I don’t think so.  All I know is that when I finally get up in the studio, I’m happy and peaceful creating art… for me… and for you.

More art and more recipes to come.  I’m reading a couple of new art books that are really challenging me to try new things.  Stay tuned on that….

… and as always.. thanks for stopping by my blog and your interest.

Judy ♥

A New Year.. Promise To Make it Creative!

Hey Blogsters…..

Happy New Year.  How long do we have to say that to everyone we talk to?  I think 2 weeks is time enough, don’t you think?.. and then that’s it.. alright, well, maybe just a few more here and there.

So, I hate the word “resolution”.  It’s sounds so demanding. YOU WILL RESOLVE TO GET THIS DONE.  How about just making promises to yourself?  Do things that you know would make you feel better and make you feel that you really have accomplished something.  Something that you know wouldn’t have happened it you just didn’t nudge yourself a little bit harder (or as they say in Boston.. “hahda”).

Course, my first thought is be more healthy and fit.  Ok, I said that one, so let’s move on to fun promises….  be more creative and do more art.  Ah, that feels like a promise I can keep for myself.  Reorganize and clean your studio/workspace  (ok, so maybe not so fun); donate what you don’t need anymore; give them a new life – you’ll feel the new energy surround you after you’re done.

One of my promises to myself is to learn how to video tape and load those videos on to YouTube or even in my blog.   With the help of my 15 hr. old daughter, of course.  It can happen.. it WILL happen.

Being creative just makes me happy.  When I’m working in my full-time job, I want to be in my studio.  When I’m not working, I don’ t get in the studio like I want to.  Why is that?  I own it, I know, my fault.   Ok.. I have a family to think about, yes.    Another promise – get in the studio; make more time and get in your creative bubble.

I’m keeping Melodie Beattie’s book next to my computer and I’d like to share another excerpt from her “Journey to the Heart” book.

“Let Your Creativity Blossom”

“Allow your creativity to blossom.  For too long you have held back.  For too long you have limited your natural creative learnings and talents….. You are creative.  You have a creative self within that wants to play, wants to be let loose, wants to create.  Set that part free!  Let yourself play – with life, with work, with projects. “

“Creating brings you into harmony with the universe…. yourself and the rhythm of life.”  – Melody Beattie

How perfect is that?  Very calming and freeing, to me, when I read her meditations.

Tell me what you want to promise yourself this year?

I’ll leave you with this beautiful winter early morning scene from the back of my house (not enhanced at all).  Love the teal sky.

Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Next up… mixed media mirror frame.

Studio Time !

Hey Blogsters..

Time for what’s been happening in the studio lately.

In a previous blog post, I mentioned I was taking an on-line class with Julie Prichard.  You can still join all her wonderful lessons.  Check it out here.

One of the books we made was called LTS (Long Tall Skinny).  I had a hard time with this book so for many reasons. I could write a whole blog post on my mistakes.   When I take a class, I usually stray from the original lesson and take a detour and make it my own.  With this journal, I used scrapbook paper with designs to use as a deep background as my first layer.  I also wanted to use what I already had and not purchase more paper.  These pages were much bigger than the instructions, but I wanted to see how this could come out.

I used Weldbond glue, to glue the folded edges together to make the binding.  The glue was very stiff when it dried and seeped through the paper.  When I tried to open the journal and turn the pages the next day and after being clamped together overnight, they were all glued together and I mean TOGETHER, as in FOREVER.  I had no choice, really, than to pry open the pages and the centers tore apart.  Note to self: don’t do that again.

I love Weldbond glue, as it  is extremely strong; it’s used by NASA, however it’s not a PVA glue nor flexible in working with paper.  It’s great for gluing objects in your mixed media work, however.  Maybe the scrapbook paper was too weak for the glue also.

Anyway, long story, short… my pages were a mess… I had worked so hard on it by cutting the book board, preparing all the ribbon hinges and ironing them all.. yes, you heard it.. I ironed.  When I tried to open the journal pages and they would hardly budge, my jaw dropped and I said “what the bleepety bleep am I going to do” (I really didn’t say those words, I just bleeped out the swear).

I salvaged the center of the pages with scrapbook paper strips, textured the front and back covers with molding paste, tissue paper, stencils, caulking, fabric and polymer clay.  I started filling the pages with mediums, textures, objects and paints.

In the end, I’m happy to say, I love my misfit journal that I brought back to life.  I felt like I was in “Grey’s Anatomy”… “CLEAR!”

Here are some pictures of the book and some of the inside pages that I haven’t finished playing with.  It measures about 12 1/2″ tall x 6 1/2 ” wide.

front cover:

front cover, details

back cover:

back cover, details:

Some inside pages:

I enjoyed this learning process.  Making mistakes really challenged me and I embraced it.

Thank you, Julie, for a fun workshop and sharing all your ideas.  You are a great teacher.  I hope you like the journal.   You made it look so easy to make, but I guess I took the long way around to get the job done.

I’ll leave you with this eye candy for now… I do hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for stopping by and leave a comment.

Next up:   mixed media collage on wood and very cool funky fabric cuff.

The Canvas Project – A Great Ending

Hey Blogsters!

I’ve been creating some fun things in the studio to show you,  but first I want to share the results of my submission to the Canvas Project.   Here is the post that refers to it that shows my final 5 canvases.

They chose only 1 out of the 5 submitted canvases for each of the 700+ artists that contributed.  The 84 page book is below.

As you can see, they chose my “impound” canvas.

I’m excited to be part of this project and honored to share a little bit of success with my good friend and outstanding artist, Amy, whose chosen canvas is on the opposite page called “instigate”.

Amy reeled me into doing this project and I’m glad she did…. thanks, Amy and congratulations!

Thanks for stopping by!

Next up:  Time for some art and what I’ve been up to in my studio… also…my misfit journal.

“Studio” Paints Color Chart – Quick Tip

As some of you know,  Claudine Hellmuth, Mixed Media Collage Artist, now has a line of products with Ranger Industries called Claudine Hellmuth Studio.  Her semi-gloss paints are luscious, creamy and highly pigmented.  Claudine was kind enough to make up a color chart with all her paint colors and the new colors you can make by mixing any of them together.  You can get that on her blog in the above link, to the right, under her demo video.  I printed the chart and cut the color sections equally, laminated them with my Xryon machine, punched holes, threaded and hung with clip by my side.  Now it’s waterproof.  This is so much easier than keeping the paper copy next you, losing it and/or making a mess of it.  Here are a couple of pictures to share and hope it helps you  in your “studio”.   

Thanks for stopping by.