MORE TOTEMS

This is another Totem created with collage and a rubber stamp that I made by carving a rubber eraser.  Simple, simple, simple!!!  After the collage was glued into place, there was very little embellishing that needed to be done.  Just a little shading here and there to create depth and the addition of a few doodles to create interest.  Ta-dah!!!  A totem is born!!!

The following picture is the collage sans shading and doodles.  Like I said…simple, simple, simple!

Collage prior to shading and doodles

Carved rubber stamp

Until next time….

Huggs,
Ginny

TOTEMS

totem |ˈtōtəm|
nouna natural object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and adopted by it as an emblem._____________________________________________________________________

Funny, how someone can plant a seed in your head and it grows into something that you had never imagined.  In this case it grew from something scary into something beautiful and not scary at all. You see….I always though that totems were kind of scary…something that I would imagine to be present in nightmares. (They never appeared in any of my nightmares but anyway…)  Animals and faces with snarly teeth and squinty eyes…ready to dance around you and pounce on you once you run out of ground in which to escape but after I saw the beautiful artistic quality of the totems created by Teesha and Tracy Moore...I became excited about drawing totems. I saw them in an entirely different light. They're not scary at all!!! They are "totems" of beauty!

Footnote:  Teesha and Tracy Moore, in the Artstronaut's Club, are currently exploring drawing totems using different media.  

Until next time,

Hugs,
Ginny



                                                                         

HAPPINESS DOES NOT DEPEND ON…..

"Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are, 

it solely relies on what you think"

Buddha

I couldn't wait to use these retro black and white bonnet heads.  They sat in my basket just begging to be used in a collage.  They spoke to me!!!  And….I love black and white against a bright yellow.  What could be more retro than that I ask?

Finished Collage

I tried something new in this collage…pencil!  I don't know why I hadn't done this before but while watching Teesha Moore in one of her videos for the Artstronauts Club she said that she uses pencil to add lines for interest…so I thought that I would give this a try.  I added lines around the rocks and a few lines for cracks. Then I shaded with pencil which is more subtle than the black gel stick that I usually use.  I really like it!   

(Oops!  I got carried away and started to alter the collage before I photographed it.  You can see the pencil lines around the rocks.  Guess I was really anxious to try the pencil.)

Collage prior to pen work

Until next time….

Hugs,

Ginny

THANK YOU FOR BRIGHTENING MY DAY

This one was a sleeper!  

I put off doing the pen work because, well…I just wasn't inspired 

by the color or subject matter but as I said before…

put pen to paper and go with the flow!!!

Just let it happen!

Completed collage

Collage prior to pen work.

I don't think that this needs further explanation…it is what it is!

The bug on the girl's dress and the lettering is from a collage sheet by Teesha Moore, the rest is from magazines and children's books.

Until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

THE UNIVERSE SPEAKS

Aaarrrgh….this collage was a real stinker!  I painted, repainted, added more collage, painted again.  I have sooooo many layers of paint on it that I finally had to say ENOUGH!

I think the problem was that the composition and colors didn't speak to me.  It started out predominantly red and yellow so I introduced the color green in order to provide more interest.  I made the heart shape into a martian face but it was too dominant and took away from the main character, the girl with the headdress. The solution was to cover the heart shape with a flower girl collage piece by Teesha Moore and by adding yellow paint to the main character's skin.  This created a better balance.  

Finished collage

Collage prior to pen work

This would have made a good Valentine's Day theme collage but you know how it goes…the painting sometimes takes on a life of it own and BOY…did this one ever!

Until next time…

Hugs,

Ginny

BLACK AND WHITE JOURNAL

I am currently working in a black & white journal that is patterned after two different journals that Teesha Moore showed us in the Artstronauts Club.  I made mine 6"x8" with 21 fold-out pages.  All of the collage and pen work will be in black, white and grey on grey paper.  I can't tell you how much fun is is to make these journals.  I have made five so far and I am sure that I will make more as they make lovely gifts.

I still need to make the closure for three of them.  I'm not sure if I will use ribbon like the one shown or do something different.  Hmmm…decisions, decisions!

Journals made with double-sided scrapbook paper.

Black, White & Grey Journal

Sneak peek at journal in progress.

Sneak peek at B&W journal in progress.

I know, I know….I started another journal without first finishing the one I was working on.  Actually, I do that often.  I become interested in new and different things before I am finished with the projects that I am currently working on.  I guess that keeps me from becoming bored…but not to worry...I'll return to the old projects and finish them up someday!  Then they will be new projects all over again.  Anyone else do this?  I know I am not alone...so come on…fess up!!!

Until next time!

Hugs,
Ginny

I HAVE A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO….

WOW!  I hadn't realize that so much time has past since my last post.  Not that I haven't been busy working on lots and lots of creative projects…but I have been busy...and do I ever have many new and different things to show you!

Let me start with my "Teesha" journal.  I have completed two more pages and only have twenty more to go.  I'm a little over half way through but I had to set it aside temporarily in order to work on gift making for the many friends and family who have Birthday's this time of year.  I'll show you some of those gifts in a separate post but first,  let me show you the two completed pages and their before and after shots.

Completed collage

Collage before pen work

Completed collage

Collage prior to pen work.

There you have it!  Two more completed pages in my "Teesha" Journal.

I welcome questions about the supplies used or the process.  I love to share..soooo...just ask!

Until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

STEAMPUNK ANYONE?

I love Steampunk!  I don't know why it doesn't find its way into my art more.  It appeals to my love for old Victorian things….the clothing with gowns of leather and lace, corsets, petticoats and bustles…suits with waistcoats, tails, top hats and spats….Oh MY!  I love it all!  Real and fantasy!

I also love the post apocalyptic gadgets such as gas masks and machinery made from found objects.  It brings back memories of playing with an old respirator/face mask and goggles when I was a kid.  I am sure that it didn't come from the Victorian era (I'm not THAT old!) and that it was just something that my parents used when they built the first house that I ever lived in but I can pretend that it dates back to earlier times.  Anyway….here is my first attempt at Steampunk art.

Until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

THERE ARE NO LITTLE THINGS….

"There are no little things.  Little things are the hinges of the universe."

Fanny Fern

I watched a Teesha Moore video on the Artstronaut Club site and saw where Teesha used Faber Castell Gelatos to shade her drawing so I thought that I would give it a try.  So with my set of  Gelatos that I picked up for $3 bucks in the children section of JoAnn's, I set about to mark my page.  I selected metallic purple to go around the head and some of the border.  Not too bad!  I liked the look so much that I thought that I would try my Caran D'Ache Neocolor II crayons also and they did a decent job too!  Wow!  More tools to experiment with and use in my art.  I'm beginning to feel like a mad scientist!  lol

Let me give you a tip about where to buy the Gelatos without breaking the bank. Buy the children's sets (10 crayons) if you can still find them.  (I noticed that they had a few sets left on Amazon.com)  The children's sets, made by Faber Castell, are called gel sticks and are identical to the Gelatos but at a fraction of the cost. Different packaging but the same stick inside the box.  They don't come in all the variety of colors that the Gelato sets do but the colors are pretty awesome just the same.  Especially the metallic ones which have six colors in the set (gold, silver, purple, blue, green and melon).

In case you are not familiar with the Gelatos they are delicious little lipstick like tubes of water-soluble  crayons that can be used with water and a brush to give a watercolor look or straight from the tube to make marks like a crayon.  You can even shave bits of the stick into a mini spray bottle with some water and make your own sprays.  They really are very versatile.  I used them in my collage straight from the stick like a crayon and then rubbed them a little with my finger to smear them.

What do you think?  Does this sound like fun?

Until next time,

Hugs,
Ginny

"STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE…..

It's been about a year and a half since I started meeting once a week with a group of friends who happen to be like minded about their art.  Most of us met at Yoga class.  The yoga class is made up of over 60% creatives.  Coincidence?  Anyway, I didn't mean to get off track.  I started to explain how important belonging to an art group is to artistic growth…. besides forming wonderful friendships, your art friends can encourage, inspire, trade tips and techniques, offer constructive advice and keep you focused on your art.  But most important…you learn from each other!!!  This is true whether you are involved in an on-line Facebook or Flickr group, an on-line class or if you meet in person in a classroom or with a group of art friends.  Art friends are best!!!  Yay!  Rah Rah! Rah!  (The "Art Friends Are Best" cheer.  lol)

I just love my art friends!  Without them I would be stuck somewhere trying to decide what to do next.  Add more color, shading, highlights, embellishments, etc…..

Take for example my collage of the girl with the globe head.  Of all the collages that I have done, it is perhaps one of the least inspiring.  I don't know why but I had a hard time getting started.  So I did what I always do when I feel that way…I put pen to paper and added some dots here and there.  If I "prime the pump," unusually one thing will lead to another and before I know it, the collage will begin to take form.  But this one….I got all the way to the point where the background needed some patterning and stopped!  Then my friend Judy pointed out that she would like to see the lines from the grid below the flower continue through the background.  Something that I hadn't thought of.  (This is where the harps play and butterflies are released in the universe.)  Anyway, I added some lighter curvy lines and fell in love with the piece!  Something so simple but yet so powerful…it was the glue that tied it all together!

Collage before embellishing

Let me tell you about some of the challenges with this piece. You can see from the before picture that the collage lacked color and vibrancy.  Except for a little pop of red and yellow, the collage is pretty much monochromatic….brown and tans.  Also, the collage pieces themselves seem dull….so the first thing that I did was to liven up the collage pieces with pops of neon gel pens and Prismacolor pencils.  I added highlights and shading to give them depth.  Then I added some cool tones with the touches of blue and the green vine.  I completely colored the face and hands using Prismacolor pencils and lastly, I added shading to the background using a dark brown Prismacolor pencil and a red Faber Castell gelato.  The light tan curvy lines were painted with a Molotow Paint Marker.  I love these markers, they write on everything and are permanent when dry!!!

If you have any questions about the techniques…please feel free to ask!  I love to share!  Or….maybe you have a technique that you would like to share!

Until next time!

Hugs,
Ginny

GREATEST GIFT OF THE GARDEN

"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses."

Soon it will be Spring in Florida.  The oak trees are dropping their leaves like crazy…getting ready to put out new ones and my African Iris put out one bloom….trying to get an early start.  I can't wait!

This has been a really cold winter for Floridians.  I know that you Northerners would probably think that it is bathing suit weather compared your temperatures but we have a damp cold that chills a body to the bone.  Anyway, I am ready to put away my winter clothes in exchange for shorts, sleeveless tops…and flip flops!!!!

Here is the latest journal page in my "Teesha" journal.  I guess you could say that the garden was definitely on my mind…not initially but that's how it ended up. When I first start a page I seldom plan a story or theme…it just sort of evolves and then when it presents itself…I choose the quote.  Some people call this tuning into the universe or being guided by your muse.  Whatever it is that guides me…the universe, a muse or something else…I give thanks!  It is this part of the creative process with it's unexpected twists and turns that gives me the most pleasure when making my art.

Until next time!

Hugs,
Ginny

WE DO NOT NEED MAGIC TO CHANGE THE WORLD

This is a quote by J. K. Rowling that I stumbled upon and thought that it was perfect for my journal page: 

"We do not need magic to change the world.  

We carry the power we need inside ourselves already.  

We have the power to imagine better."
J.K. Rowling

I hadn't planned for it to be about magic.  She was going to be a modern day "Alice In Wonderland" but it didn't work out.  When I put the rabbit in her hand...she looked more like a magician than Alice.  Oh well, sometimes those things happen and you just have to go with the flow! 

I drew the top hat as I couldn't find one without going through the trouble of scanning, resizing, etc.  It was just easier to draw one from scratch.  The chalkboard effect was a pleasant surprise…I drew the radiating lines with white Prismacolor pencil and then roughed in the lettering with a white charcoal pencil. I like the look so much that I quickly grabbed the Krylon Fixatif and gave it a spray.  If I had gone over the charcoal lettering with white paint pen in my usual style…it would have competed with the white scrollwork and the white stripes in her shirt.  I hope that you like her!

Collage before the pen work

Until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

MOVING RIGHT ALONG

I'm moving right along in my "Teesha Style" collage journal.  I'm working on several pages at a time.  First, I prep four pages, front and back, next….I do the collage work on all eight pages and lastly, I finish each page with paint, ink and pencil.  Working this way really seems to speed up the process as I can do all of the collage work in one sitting and utilize many of the magazine clippings that I planned for use and then decided otherwise….I find a use for them somewhere while they are still fresh in my mind.

Here is my latest journal page.   I really like the way that this page turned out.  I love the colors and the wormhole pattern used for her hair and tree roots.  Also, an unexpected feature is the way that the Prismacolor pencil bled through the white pen used to write the word "When"…. giving it an ombre look.  What a happy accident!

Completed journal page

Journal page before embellishing

Well, until next time!

Hugs,
Ginny

MOMENTS THAT TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY

This is my latest journal page in my "Teesha Journal."  I think that the famous artist's pictures are from an old calendar and the rest is free Artist's papers from Somerset Studio Magazine.  Everything else is by ME!

I discovered that it is a lot easier for me to use magazine clippings or art from discarded books, especially children's books, than to use collage sheets of other people's art.  I guess that when I uses other people's art the end result sort of looks like that person's art and not mine, even though I have altered it to make it my own.  I guess that the way around that is to make my own collage sheets from my own art.  Now…where to begin!!!

Here is the collage before altering with doodles, coloring and adding the quote. (Sorry, I got carried away and started altering before taking the "before picture." The white pen work and the diamonds on the elephants pants was not on the original.)

Until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

"TO ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS"

Today is a perfect day for staying inside and making art.  You might think that is a funny statement coming from someone who lives in sunny Florida but "baby it's cold outside.!!!!  I know…I know…it is nothing compared to the freezing temperatures that you folks are having up North but here in Florida it is a damp cold that chills you to the bone.  Don't get me wrong...I am not complaining.  The cold weather does have it's advantages like killing off fleas and other pesky bugs. And besides….we only have a week or two of cold weather and it will soon be Spring!  I can certainly live with that!

Here is another journal page I made using Teesha Moore's collage sheets from the Artstronauts Club.

Oops!  This isn't exactly the before picture.  I guess that I didn't take one thinking that this picture is the before picture.  This picture is a picture that I took before gluing to show the placement of the pieces in case they got moved by my cats. Anyway, you all get the idea!

Well…until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

PREPPING PAGES

I spent the evening prepping all the remaining pages for my "Teesha Journal."  I first separated the pages from the spiral binder and then painted both sides with acrylic paint.  I'm using a Strathmore 9" X 12" spiral bound, mixed medial journal.  The pages are painted by dropping globs of two or three different colors of paints, spreading them around the page with a little water and a paint brush and then rubbing and blending the paints with a paper towel to ensure a smooth finish.  Once both sides of the pages are complete with a finished collage, I will put them back into the spiral binder.

The bonus of painting the pages and rubbing with a paper towel is that you end up with colorful  tie-dyed looking paper that can be used in other mixed media projects.  I plan to use the pink and red papers to make Valentine cards that will be stitched on my sewing machine.

Until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

ARTSTRONAUTS CLUB

If you haven't joined the Artstronauts Club…run don't walk!!!  What is the Artstronauts Club you ask?  Well….it is this fantastic club that Teesha Moore and her husband Tracy created that provides a source of inspiration to it's members in the form of on-line workshops, how-to and informational videos, interesting articles pertaining to many art forms (not just collage), printable collage sheets of Teesha's art as well as many other guest artist's (Mindy Lacefield for one) and a Facebook Group to share your ideas and art.  All for just the low price of $5.00 per month.

I also might add that the club will appeal to both men and women.  Tracy Moore demonstrates how to make a journal cover and a Christmas card using wood and a wood burning tool...Tory Brokenshire demonstrates how to make rivets in assemblage art...and Jim Flagg painted an outer space background in acrylics. Lots and lots of information to pique your creative spirit...whatever your interests may be.  Anyway, If you are interested in learning more, here is the link to Teesha's blog.

This is my latest collage using two of Teesha's collage sheets made available through the club.  I have to admit that it was more difficult to use someone else's art work as opposed to using magazine clippings.  That is…for me anyway!

I hope that you check out the Artstronauts Club.

Hugs,
Ginny

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, 

trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, 

changing yourself, changing your world. 

You're doing things you've never done before, 

and more importantly, 

you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, 

and my wish for myself.

 Make New Mistakes. 

Make glorious, amazing mistakes. 

Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. 

Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough,

 or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.” 
― Neil Gaiman

I love this quote by Neil Gaiman!!!  It really resonates with me because one of the things that I learned when making my art is that "You are going to make mistakes."  I have learned that when mistakes do happen and often I might add, that they take my art to another level.  A level that I would not have achieved if it had not been for the mistake in the first place.  A mistake…forces me to erase or paint over it and try again or perhaps to be creative by continuing to paint and make the mistake into something completely different…what many artists call "happy accidents."  Either way, it pushes my creative mind into gear and adds to my artistic experience. 

My wish for each and every one of you for the New Year and the rest of your life is to embrace your "glorious, amazing mistakes!'  Lose the fear (if you have it) that your art "isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect." Quit comparing your art to that of others and start experimenting, learning and practicing your amazing art.  And by all means….do not fear making mistakes!  Mistakes happen…make them part of your art!  

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS PERTAINING TO MY ART:

Have you made your New Year's Resolutions yet?  I usually make them and then about half-way through the year…they start to slide.  If you know what I mean. Maybe this year will be different because they are written here and I can keep referring back to them to see how I am doing. 

1.  Paint or draw every day even if it is only 5 minutes.

2.  No new supplies unless they are to replace the ones that I have.

3.  No new journals.  Complete the ones that I have.

4.  Limit buying art books.  I need to read the ones that I already have.

5.  Limit the on-line art classes.  I need to finish the ones I'm in.

6.  Spend less time on the computer and more time on making art!

7.  Try painting with a credit card or pallet knife.  Make it loose and edgy!

Whew!  I could go on and on but then they wouldn't be very realistic.  I think that these are pretty realistic except for #6.  I spend way too much time looking at all the pretty things on Pinterest which leads to discovering new art and other people's blogs.  So it's not all bad.  Is it?  Oh!  Oh! I think that I'm in trouble if I'm already trying to rationalize it.  lol!

FAMOUS ARTIST COLLAGE, "REMBRANDT."

Before I sign off I wish to include a collage that I put together last year to include in my "Teesha Journal" (doesn't it sound ancient when it was only completed last week?)  Anyway, I hope that you enjoy it. 

Have a Happy New Year!!!

Hugs,
Ginny

HOW I PAINT MY LETTERING

Ok!  I had a request for a tutorial on how I paint my lettering in my collages.  This is something that I learned by watching Teesha Moore in a Mermaid Circus video and that I adopted for my own colleges because it is very easy for me to do...and I think that it really gives my collage work a polished look.

Here goes:  I mainly use Molotow paint pens but you can use any acrylic or poster paint pen with an extra fine or fine tip.  I have a collection of the Molotow (1mm, in black and white and all other colors 2mm), Painters (Elmer's) and Sharpie (poster and acrylic paint pens.  Not oil!) that I use for this purpose.  I find that the acrylic paint pens will write over almost anything, even waxy Prismacolor pencil backgrounds.   Note: The white Signo Uni-ball pen also works great but it is not waterproof so I opted to use the acrylic paint markers instead.  Also...a nice feature of the Molotow markers is that they are refillable.

The first thing that I do is to layout the words using a General's white charcoal pencil.  I play with the size and position of the words to ensure that they all fit within the allocated space.  Just rough it out…you don't have to be too neat or precise at this stage.  The important thing is that the words are positioned where you want them.

Next, I draw the letters.  If you have taken any of Joanne Sharpe's lettering classes, you will recall where she said to use your own lettering and fatten it up…add curlicue ends, serifs, etc.   Make it your own!  This is what I do…I make a block letter in upper or lower case and then fatten up the letter on the curves and some straight lines (this is just my personal preference).  You might want to experiment to see what works for you.  I form each letter, fatten it up and add the serif before I go on to the next letter.  I watched Teesha do it this way and it made perfect sense to me.  If I made the whole word before I fattened it up and added the serif, I was then trying to condensed the letters to keep them from running into each other.

Once all the lettering is done with the base color...go back and erase the charcoal lines with a kneaded eraser.

Add the shading:  Shading can be done using a paint pen, alcohol marker, or colored pencil.  I like the clean look of a paint pen so that is what I usually use. Again, this is just my personal preference.  Use what you like.

When choosing a color to shade with, I often experiment until I find the look that ties the lettering to the rest of the collage.   Sometimes it is a paint marker that is in the same color family but darker than the background or sometimes a contrasting color works best.   Even a medium color letter, blue for example, looks great with a white shadow or outline.  There are no mistakes here…experiment and try to find what looks best.  If you don't like it,  just paint over it with another color.

Where to make the shading:  I always like to shade the left and bottom of the letters because I always make the light source in my collages come from the upper right corner.  Pay attention to where the light source is coming from and shade the opposite side of the letter.  Your collage may have a light source coming from the bottom and left side of the page and therefore, the shading will be on the right and top side of the letter.

1. Draw letter with charcoal pencil  2. Draw block letter  3. Fatten letter  4. Add serif.  5. Shade letter.

There you go…that's how I paint my lettering.

Now…go have fun!

Until next time!

Hugs,
Ginny

COFFEE, LATTE, EXPRESSO…OH MY!!!

I finished this journal page several weeks ago and didn't post it because it wasn't one of my favorites. It seemed out of character with the other pages in my journal but HEY, isn't that what journaling is all about…letting the work flow and seeing what comes out???  And sometimes the resulting work IS something different and out of character with your other works…that's how new directions or new styles happen!

I wouldn't exactly say that this is a new direction for me but it certainly shows my state of mind when I created it.  I was apparently craving coffee….or screaming COFFEE!  lol!

Hmmmm, coffee does sound good right now.  Well, I'm off to make a cuppa…...

Credits:  Collage sheets from Shelly Massey, Glitterbug, and PaperScraps.

Until next time!

Hugs,
Ginny