Tag Archives: art journal

April 2, 2014 · 5:12 pm

Feeling Springy

Are you with me? Feeling springy yet? It is happening slowly but surely in my area–a day of sunny gorgeousness and then a few days of the dreary clouds. I see nature changing her coat from brown and drab to colorful and light and it does my spirit good. How does the change of seasons affect your art and creativity?

For me I notice my color palette changes to more brights and even more sparkle. I always love flowers but I love them even more in spring and summer.

I did the art journal page above for my last video as Swirlydoos Guest Educator for March. I really wanted to use one of the feathers from the art journal starter kit and some of the printed pages included in the Finnabair art journal. This was a simple page and it was the first time I’d ever colored a feather (I used a Lindy’s Stamp Gang mist held high above the feather so it didn’t get too saturated). Here is the facing page I did simultaneously with this one.

I used a lacy leaf and many layers of mediums for this page. I really like the symmetry of this leaf facing the feather page with their similar sizes and spine down the middle. I cross-pollinated colors from each page to the other as well. Here’s a pic of the pages next to each other.

Here is the next page I did in this particular journal–can you tell the season has been changing?

I had a great time playing with deli paper and various dry and heat embossing techniques, paints, and glazes. Those bright colors energize me!

Here is a page out of my usual art journal–

One of my internet friends is Patti Tolley Parrish of Inky Obsessions. I really like her art endeavors and her videos brighten my day every time I watch them. She recently released a new line of her own stencil designs from istencils.com and they are FAB! I used the Infinity design for this page with both spray mist (bottom right) and with glass bead gel (top left). The background was done with all Gelatos and the flowers are embossed and inked deli paper.

Lastly, I went to a paint and sip painting party a few weeks ago and did this painting. It was hugely fun to go with some girlfriends and follow along the step by step process. Don’t look too closely or the illusion that I am any kind of painter will be broken–haha!

Thanks for visiting and sharing part of your day with me!

Art Out With Your HeART Out

7 Comments

Filed under Art Journal, Musings

Tagged as art journal, deli paper, embossing, gelatos, mixed-media

March 6, 2014 · 10:28 am

Swirlydoos March Blog Hop–I’m A Guest Educator!

Hello, hello Friends! I am so excited to participate in the Swirlydoos March Blog Hop as a Guest Educator for the Art Journal Starter Kit. If you have been interested in art journaling this is a fine place to begin. I know you will see many gorgeous and creative inspirational projects from all the designers on the Swirlydoos Design Team and there are fabulous prizes in store for the winners of the hop. Thank you for visiting today and please stop by again soon!

Art Out With Your HeART Out

Welcome to:

Swirlydoos Kit Club

March Scrapbook Kit Reveal & Blog Hop!

If you came here from Petaloo’s blog, then you are on the right track. If not, go back to Swirlydoos’ blog and start from there. We have some amazing projects for you to see today !! Make sure to leave a comment on all of the blogs for a chance to win!!! Make sure you have LIKED & FOLLOWED Swirlydoos on Facebook!!!

Swirlydoos is proud to bring you our beautiful March collection:

Salutations

And check out these coordinating add ons that perfectly compliment our March scrapbook kit!

Are you a subscriber? If so, your kit is on it’s way! If not, check out the Swirlydoos store to see if there are any March kits or add ons in the store!

***All of our monthly scrapbook kits are available in our store while supplies last!***

Has it sold out? – become a subscriber and not only will you never miss a kit again, but you’ll also pay less for your monthly scrapbook kits!

*Mention this blog hop and save 10% on your first kit*

We have some absolutely beautiful scrapbook projects for you to see today !!

Here is my project for the blog hop!

Swirlygirl Journal

Beautified butterfly

Loads of texture and mixed media!

Lots of goodness in the Art Journal Starter Kit at Swirlydoos.com

I also prepared a video to show you the basics on how to prepare your pages and get started with your own art journal practice! Visit Swirlydoos channel on YouTube to check that out (http:\\swirlydoos.youtube.com).

So, let’s get started! Make sure to leave a comment on all of the blogs for a chance to win!!!

You have until midnight, eastern time, on Friday 3/7 to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on Saturday 3/8. In order to qualify to win here is what you need to do:

1: Visit all of the blogs and leave a comment on each. This way we know you were there. Take your time. There are REALLY beautiful things to see along the way.
2: Before you leave each blog, look for the “special” words and write it down.
Once you have visited all the blogs and collected all the special words, they will create a sentence.
3: Finally, go back to the Swirlydoos blog and leave a comment letting us know how much fun you had, tell us the sentence that was created with all of the special words you collected. Can’t wait to hear from you.

My special word is : SHADOWS

The party continues over at Paulien’s blog. Have fun!

67 Comments

Filed under Art Journal, Mixed Media Mania

Tagged as art journal, color, glass bead gel, mixed-media, Swirlydoos, texture

March 5, 2014 · 12:35 pm

Art Journal Update for February

Art Out With Your HeART Out

Hello hello friends! A quick check-in to show you some of my creative journey from February. I worked in my art journal a bit….

Neon Garden

This page started out because I wanted to play with twisted masking tape for texture. After I put down my masking tape and gessoed over it I stenciled the bricks and started squirting acrylic ink around and one thing led to another and thus was born Neon Garden.

I love, love, love, how the bricks turned out!

Abstract to the Max

When I began this page I knew I wanted to do something abstract so this was completely experimental. I kept layering and layering with mists, paint, gloss medium, and finally Vintaj Patina for Metal! I love the effect and texture that this medium added to my page. I used it in two different ways and can’t wait to experiment with it again. Here’s a couple of closeups….

More play with another Julie Nutting stamp. A reminder to myself to live in the Present! Renewed my love for Twinkling H2Os and texture paste!

The first scrapbook page I’ve done in quite awhile….

Last but certainly not least–

Proving to myself that I will never be a professional sketch artist!

Thanks for visiting today and I hope to see you again very soon!

Art Out With Your HeART Out

3 Comments

Filed under Art Journal, Mixed Media Mania

Tagged as abstract, art journal, katyoaprty, masking tape, mixed-media, texture, Vintaj metal patina

August 7, 2013 · 7:59 pm

Summer Potpourri–Art Journal Update

As promised here are some other things I’ve been working on this speedy summer–where has it gone??!! My arting time has been more sparse than I prefer but I have been doing some creating! Here are a few art journal pages I’ve done this summer. I am still enjoying working in my art journal and experimenting with new ideas, supplies, and techniques.

I have been putting tape over my center seam on every set of pages to prevent bleed-through. I have also been gessoing every page for better “tooth”. This page I did some paint washing and then stamping and used some felt letters.

Acrylic paint over gesso, metallic paint, banner with Stickles “stringer”, stamping, outlined lettering, papers from stash.

Love the patterned paper I bought in a grab bag and also love the big bloom stamps and little poppy scraps from my stash. Acrylic paint on the edges.

One of my fav pages–hearts everywhere!! Heart stencils, heart stamps, hearts for everyone!

Must’ve been a blue day huh? Dylusions mists, Inkagold sparkly 3d paint, stamps, modeling paste. Fun and free flowing!

Experimenting with black gesso. One of the points of art journaling for me is that I want to use up some of those bits and bobs that are left over from projects. Too small to be a project on their own but I can’t bear to part with them. This page uses modeling paste colored with alcohol inks, embossed metal that is painted with gesso and alcohol inks, tiny laser cut butterflies colored with Smooch inks.

Last but not least…muted soft beachy colors and metallic acrylic paint. I textured the page with bubble wrap, and a piece of cardboard cut so it had teeth, a cardboard roll was used to make circular patterns along with a foam circle and square shapes.

Thank you for sharing my art journey and spending a bit of time with me today! Look for the glimpses of beauty in your everyday life and…

Art Out With Your HeART Out

4 Comments

Filed under Art Journal, Mixed Media Mania, Musings

Tagged as art journal, beachy, katyoparty, mixed-media, pattern, scrappin, texture

May 13, 2013 · 1:32 am

A New Beginning–the artful way

This is how I spent some of my time today. I started my first art journal! What a wonderful gift to myself on Mother’s Day. Everything happens in it’s own time and this is a prime example. I’ve been looking at and admiring many artists’ art journals while following a parallel path on my own art journey. Always thinking that I would do some art journaling someday, later, or tomorrow. Right.

Recently while shopping for some other MUST HAVE NOW art supplies I happened across the rack of art journals. I’ve been through this routine before and I’ve looked at probably dozens of art journals without ever purchasing one. Just call me Goldilocks–I wanted one not too big, not too small, the paper had to be not too thick, not too thin, the cover had to be flexible but not flimsy–maybe I should be called Her Royal Highness MS. Goldilocks. In any case this time all journals were 40% off so I began the routine of ~~fondling~~ perusing all the journals. I mean ALL the journals. Spent about 20 minutes before I found IT. THE ONE! The perfect size (7″x10″), the perfect weight and feel of paper (#120 lb), the perfect cover (nondescript and unadorned but not plain). Did I mention it was THE ONE??!! Took it home and…put it on the shelf for a couple of weeks.

I moved it around several times because it kept getting in the way. I picked it up and looked at it several times. The pages were so white and so blank and there were so many of them. I put it back on the table. It seemed no matter where I put the damned thing it kept being in the way of what I was working on. There was no way the Universe was going to let THE ONE get lost in the shuffle. So today on “my” day, Mother’s Day, I opened my new art journal and played. I got all the pretty colors on the page from the feeling in my heart as I reflect on my blessings of true love, sweet family, good friends, good health, and the companionship of a sweet dog.

Art Out With Your HeART Out