FISH, MERMAIDS, OH MY!!!

This page is a page from my altered "Potpourri" journal.  For some reason it just looked like a fish to me so it naturally became an underwater scene to include mermaids.

First, I have to say that I am not usually drawn to mermaids, faeries or the fantasy world but lately...they have been included in my life...a LOT!  If you believe that all things happen for a reason, that your universe is planned and that there are signs all around you that hint at what is yet to come...then I suppose it was only natural that while standing in the check out line at a HomeGoods Store that I spied paper napkins with mermaids printed on them.  I immediately purchased them... planning to use them on the Random Acts of kindness cards but as you can see...they made their way into my altered book journal.

I make the statement that mermaids and the fantasy world have been included in my life a lot because I recently signed up for the on-line class, Mermaid Circus, given by Jane Davenport and Teesha Moore.  It is all about mermaids, the circus and fantasy!!!  Were the paper napkins a premonition of things yet to come? Do..do...do..do!!! (MY Rod Sterling imitation.)  Anyway, I will post more about my class and mermaids later.

Until the next time,
Hugs,
Ginny

ANOTHER PAGE...

I finished another page in my Altered "Potpourri" journal.  

I could really relate to this quote as I used to love mowing the lawn and really found it relaxing...but I had to give something up if I wanted to spend more time being creative.

Until the next time,

Hugs,

Ginny

PAGE THREE OF ALTERED BOOK #2

Page three is done!!!!  I hope that I can keep the momentum going.  I have a tendency to get stuck when it comes to adding the text.  I don't know why...it may be because I wish that I was better with speaking from my heart and letting the words flow without feeling that I would be exposing my personal thoughts.

I know that I can use quotes and I DO!!!  ALL THE TIME!  But somehow, by using quotes it seems that the journal page then becomes an art piece...the significance or meaning of the journal then becomes something different..not what I would hope it to be.  I know that I am not alone in this feeling so if anyone knows of an exercise or class that would be helpful...please let me know.   What do you do?  Do you use quotes or do you write freely from the heart?  Also what do you write about?

Anyway, not meaning to get into a discussion of what a journal should or shouldn't be...this journal like the many others that I own and continue to work in has become a place for me to experiment with different art tools and lettering styles.  It is through this practice that I hope to find a lettering style that flows freely from my hand and without triggering my inner critique.

Doodled over the existing art.

Added color using Inktense pencils and Sharpie Glitter Pens

Added quote over Gesso tinted with acrylic paint.

Until Next Time,
Hugs!
Ginny

ALTERED BOOK NUMBER 2

OMG!  I almost gave these books away and I am sooooo glad that I didn't!!!   

They will make wonderful altered book journals.  

I usually start an altered book by gessoing or paining over the entire page...leaving just a hint of the text showing through but these books are different...they have beautiful watercolor paintings of potpourri, dishes, bottles and such.  I couldn't bear to cover up these little gems so I got the idea to alter them by doodling around the existing paintings and turning them into my own art.  For the text portion of the page I will apply gesso or paint and then add my own hand lettering.  Usually a verse or quote of some kind.

I got the inspiration for the paint over from a book that I am currently reading, Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals by Carla Sonheim.  In her book, Carla explains how to look at cracks and stains in sidewalks in order to find imaginary animals.  Well....when I looked at the paintings of the dishes surrounded by potpourri I began to see something else.  I saw birdhouses, big flowers, ladies with long flowing hair, hearts with wings...something other than what the artist had in mind.  Funny how inspiration comes from so many different places.  It is all around us...if we only pay attention.

This is a sample of what the pages looked like before I added my mark.

 I added a doodled border.  I wanted to keep it fresh so each page has a different design.

I doodled over the existing watercolor painting.  This particular page looked like it needed to be a big flower.  I wonder what you would have seen?

I added tinted gesso to the text side of the page.  For the tinted gesso, I mixed acrylic craft paint with white gesso.

I completed the page by adding lettering, and shading using watercolor, alcohol marker, and pan pastels.

Taa Daaa!  A finished page.  I have only finished two pages and have just about completed the doodling for the remaining pages.  Once I started doodling the ideas just kept coming and I couldn't stop!  I sometimes become obsessed that way!  Ughhh!  My OCD kicking in?  lol!

Here is a peek at some of the incomplete pages (there are 30 in all) to give you an idea of what fun I have been having!  This, in my opinion, is so much more fun than buying one of those journals with the prompts and incomplete drawings that invites you to finish the page with your own doodles.

I will post the completed pages as I finish them.  Keep your eyes open!  Oh....and in case you would like to make an altered journal similar to this one...I found several used Potpourri books by Gail Duff on Amazon.com.

Is this giving you any ideas????

Until next time!
Hugs!
Ginny

MY FAVORITE QUOTE BY ERMA BOMBECK

I always wanted to use this Erma Bombeck quote on a journal page.  Because I love to paint and draw it has so much meaning to me.

When I stand before God at the end of my life,

I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left,

 and I could say "I used everything that you gave me."

Wouldn't it be wonderful if in the course of a lifetime you were able to learn all there is to know about all art forms and to experience the use of all the many art mediums that exist in the world today? (I hate to admit it but I have a good start on that one.  That is.... owning many art mediums. Tee Hee...much to my chagrin!)  I would love to be able to stand at the pearly gates before God and say,  "I have no talent left...I used everything that you gave me."  I have lived my life to the fullest and squeezed every ounce of creatives juices from my body and soul.  I am so blessed that God entrusted me with the ability to create my art.  It is what makes my spirit sing.... it is who I am!

I painted these two journal pages in my altered book journal using acrylic paint.  I used several  techniques that I learned from Joann Luftus, a classmate in Joanne Sharpe's Color Love 101 class.  Joann Luftus is a super super talented mixed media artist who paints the most wonderful whimsical ladies and angels.  I loooove her angels!!  They are gorgeous!  I love all her work!!!  If you want to take a peek, here is the link to her blog and Etsy store:  http://www.joannloftus.typepad.com   http://www.etsy.com/shop/whimsiesfolksies?ref=top_trail

HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR PAINTING SIMILAR PAGES:

Both of these pages were painted in my altered book journal.  This journal is fast becoming my most favorite journal to use for all mediums.   It takes alcohol markers extremely well on un-gessoed pages, watercolor on gessoed pages, acrylic on both gessoed and un-gessoed pages and it is great to use for collage, Prismacolor pencils and Pan Pastels.  I really haven't found a medium that I don't like to use in this journal......and it cost me all of 50 cents at a Library sale!

To begin with, I only used four colors on these pages, plus white and grey (mixed white gesso with black acrylic paint).  It looks like I used more but that is because two of the colors are translucent and when they're painted over another color, they mix and create a third and different color.  I used Liquitex Soft Body acrylic artist colors.  OK!  OK!  They're not Golden but they fit my budget!  Besides, Liquitex are great paints and have been around forever!  Anyway, these are the scrumptious colors that I used:

Bright Aqua green, Light Blue Violet, 

Deep Magenta (translucent), and Indian Yellow (translucent)

I used two stencils for the background and made the one from a girl that I found in a fashion magazine.  I used card stock and a craft knife to make the stencil.  For the quote, I used a black Pitt pen which writes beautifully over acrylic paint.  And...did you notice how the translucent Magenta paint created the purple color when it mixed with the Bright Aqua Green?   And... the translucent Indian Yellow...well, I misted it with water and let it run all over the place and turn any color it wanted to be.

I added a few pieces of my homemade Washi tape and a piece of text from an old book and wal-la!  Done!

EASY PEASY!!!

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?   

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.

ALTERED BOOK JOURNAL USING ALCOHOL MARKERS

I tried painting a page in my "altered book journal" with alcohol markers, Copic, Prismacolor and Letraset Promarkers...right over a text page that was not gessoed and I like the results.  It didn't bleed through to the backside of the page too bad and I am confident that any bleed through can be gessoed over.  The markers went down smoothly like I was painting on bristol.

The black rectangular area under the purple flower was a B&W photo in the book that I painted over with markers.  You can't tell can you?  I think that it really adds to the overall interest of the page.  It would be flat and look all the same with out it.  You know what they say, "If you can't beat em...join them.  In this case I chose to "join them" and make the photo area part of the design.  The black polka dot washi tape also helped to balance the page.

ALTERED BOOK JOURNAL - MY FIRST ENTRY

I have always been fascinated by journals made from old books....the way the text and pictures peek through the artist's work.  So you can imagine how excited I was when at a Library sale I found a 7" x 10" old forgotten ART book.  Just the right size for journaling.  Not too small and not too big.  Just right!!!  The book is titled "History of Art for Young People."  It has a beautiful sturdy cover that I will eventually embellish with fabric, lace and some of my art creations.... that I will somehow transfer to fabric.  I haven't decided yet what transfer method I will use.

 

The first thing that I did to prepare the book for journaling was to remove all the colored artist's plates and then some of the text pages in order to make the book thinner.  This is necessary so the book will not be too thick after the pasted papers and embellishments are added.   Next, I lightly gessoed the remaining pages.......being careful not to cover up too much text. 

I think the next "old book" journal that I make, I might try to leave some of the pages without gesso and use alcohol markers on them.  The pages in my book are a very good quality semi-gloss paper and the markers bleed through very little.  If the bleed through becomes a problem I will either gesso the backside of the page or glue two pages together.

Now, I am ready to paint my pages!!  I probably will reserve this journal for the pasted handmade papers that I made last year in Deborah Cooper's class at 21 Secrets....maybe some ephemera and magazine cutouts that I have been saving just for this purpose.   I don't think that I will use any drippy paint techniques because I am not sure how the pages will take the wet solutions....but who knows?  Isn't visual journaling, after all, about being brave and experimenting?  We'll see where this goes!

This is a peek at the first page in progress.  I might add to it later.  This page was done with a somewhat  dry brush using Koi watercolors.  The lettering was done with a Pitt pen.

Let me know if you made this type of journal before and any highlights of the experience that you would like to share. 

Until next time,

Ginny