ANOTHER MIXED MEDIA GIRL

Wow!  I have so many things to blog about and I am sure that once the novelty of having my own blog wears off, the posts will be less frequent but until then.....I will keep on posting!!!!

Also, I must tell you that I recently discovered the TV program "Doc Martin" and have become ADDICTED!!!!!   And.....I have this beautiful 23" computer monitor in my craft room from which I can watch all the episodes and draw at the same time!!!  I'm feeding two addictions at the SAME time!  How great is that????

MIXED MEDIA GIRL:

This is another mixed media face that I painted using Tombow markers, and Prismacolor pencils.  The background was made by using Derwent Inktense pencils with a layer of Ranger Distress Ink stenciled on top and a few doodles.

I took a picture of the first layer of medium....the face and dress painted with Tombow Markers and the background painted with Inktense pencils.  Hopefully, this will show you how the painting can transform from what I call "the ugly stage" into something of beauty.  So.... don't panic if the girl looks a little jaundiced!!!  This can be fixed with the application of Prismacolor pencils.

Now, here she is after a layer of Prismacolor pencil was added to her face; the stenciling, doodling and lettering added to the background and the other fine details added like her glasses, and heart headband.

So...."Don't Worry, Be Happy."  You can easily correct the color of your girl!

REPEAT THE FOLLOWING S'IL VOUS PLAIT:

I am working in my altered book journal again and this time I decided to do a little collage work.  I have this beautiful hand stamped paper that I rarely use....only because inspiration doesn't hit me.... and I also have bits of ephemera and handmade Washi tape that looks gorgeous with the stamped paper.  Boy...that handmade faux Washi tape has really come in handy!  I seem to be using it in everything!!!  Many times it is just the right accent to add interest to a page.

This is how I made this page:    I scribbled and then rubbed Faber Castell Gelatos over the entire background.  Because the book paper is slick, they moved around with no problem,  No need to add water!!!  Then I started gluing the hand stamped paper and ephemera.  I did a little stenciling with the Gelatos, a chevron design, but covered up most of it with the final layers.

Now it is time to start doodling and adding Zentangle patterns with alcohol markers.  I used Prismacolor markers and fine line Sharpies because the vivid colors do so well on the book paper.  I also own Letraset Promarkers but the colors didn't do as well.  When I applied them the colors seemed a little washed out and they seemed to bleed a little.  I had to experiment with my pens to find the ones that worked the best.  Then I added lots of handmade Washi tape, the text blocks, and white pen accents.  There you have It.....

Just in case you can't tell which is the handmade Washi tape; the ticket and center of the tall flower is tape made from dinner napkins.  The green dotted flower center, the pink and red dotted tape,  the purple tape with squiggles, the blue tape with squiggles and the green and blue chevron design are  all faux Washi tape doodled using alcohol markers.   

Hmm......I wonder if you would get this hand drawn look if you used commercial Washi tape?   

MIXED MEDIA FACE

This girl was painted on watercolor paper using Tombow Markers with a wash of water, Koi watercolor, Prismacolor pencils and Pan Pastels.  I like the combination of the smooth blending that the Prismacolor gives with the painterly look of the Tombow Markers and koi watercolor.  I also like that it does not have the hard edge of a black ink pen.  This is a new technique that I learned from a very talented classmate, Linda Moore, from the Joanne Sharpe, Color Love 101 class.  Linda made a great youtube video demonstrating the process.   Here is the link:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWCKTAKJBdk  I know you will love it!

Notice the homemade faux washi tape?  I have gobs of it and try to use it whenever I can.   The text blocks are tape made from using old receipts.   

ALTERED JOURNAL - ANOTHER FACE

This is another Prismacolor face that I had done in a much larger scale and decided that she needed to go into my altered book journal.

I also decided that this was going to be a two page spread and to include the quote:  

"Be content with yourself just the way you are.  Let this knowledge settle into your 

bones and allow your soul to sing, dance, praise and love."  

Oops, lost track of who said that or I would give them credit.  Guess that I will need to do some research.   

This is how I made it:  There were two photos on the page that I decided to cover up by gluing a torn map over them.  Then I sprayed blue Smooch and Black Dylusions in certain areas and mopped slightly.  Let dry.  Then I dabbed White and (red) Barn Door Distress Stain on the page, misted it with water and allowed it to bleed and drip.  

Then using a stencil, Soot and Mustard Seed Distress Ink pads and a brush, I stenciled the checkerboard squares and misted slightly.

Using white gesso and a circle stencil, I created some texture, outlined the circles with a black pen and added dots of Barn Door Distress Stain.  Then I added some of my homemade faux wash tape, glued the girls face, added more faux washi tape, the lettering and I'm done!

Hope that you enjoyed this and that it inspires you to try drawing faces using Prismacolor pencils.