A magical application of messy

Despite not feeling too well in the morning, I crawled out of bed around noon and got ready for the day before heading down to the studio. Tangie is back in town and opened it up for an open studio day, and i knew there was a high probability I'd see people I haven't in awhile. 

This always makes for conversation and geeking-out over new/new to me supplies. We share our pages and how things are going and try each others' supplies. It's great fun. I learned that I'm not the only one behind on The Documented Life project, but turning it into a different kind of planner seems to be the way to go. Having a written record of my emotions and general health would be super helpful right about now.  

I did finally get to making a mess. I decide to try and save the canvas from Thursday and use my smaller journal as an overflow book. 

I told you I tweak something each time I sit down to create; today, I found some complex poses in a copy of In Style and drew them on these pages. Was I intimidated? Hell yeah! But I knew the only way I'd get better as to try...because a "bad" piece of art is loads better than the art you never made because you were too afraid to try. I also gave them cloths, and used the Distress Inks to layer the colors in their hair to create more depth. 

And here's a great tip, and how I stamp larger stamps. Grab some of the new high flow acrylics (or airbrush colors, if your local art store has them) by Golden and brayer it on a piece of wax paper. Then apply to the stamp! I used a foam stamp and the image comes off really crisp and even. Plus, the paint dries and is easier to work over! I'm sure you can use the Liquitex ink! But I have found the Golden to be better. Thinner is better than thick!

And here's some more mess...

and textures...

here's what the spread looked like when I left. I find myself quite pleased because I can see forward momentum...this little journal is filled with experiments. And I often page back to earlier pages to get paint and texture ideas for the current one! How nice and convient!

But what happened to the canvas, you say. How did it come out? Like this. For some reason, I really love it. Not in the gaga way I do, say, an abstract from last week, but just...feel so settled. Rather, calmed. I can look at this painting and calm down and realize that's a type of love, too. And I'd love for someone to look into a painting of mine and feel something...it may be new, but it is most welcome!

I haven't listed it yet, but will probably do so next week. I want to sit for I a little longer (don't you?). 

How was your Friday? What did you learn? Let go of so you could create something awesome? Also, thanks for the tips about the Dollar Store, ladies! I found some great tools there and can't wait to start cutting them up to make pattern shapes! Woohoo! 

Super awesome special newsletter coming out on Monday...make sure to join using the form on the sidebar to get in on this action! 

Strathmore Art Journal Flip! (video)

I may still be down here in Florida on vacation, but I have a new video to share this week!  

My favorite, and I mean favorite  new art journal to use, is the Strathmore Mixed-Media journals - the new hardbound kind. I've owned a couple, and they take all media so well, including watercolor, and lay completely flat once you've broken them in. In fact, I bought one of the giant 11"x14" ones to start playing in while on vacation!

I get mine via Jerry's Artarama, which makes them much more affordable.  

Enjoy! I should have a recently-finished journal all ready for you (and some vacation art) next Tuesday.  

Playing With Spraypaint!

Years ago, before I moved to Phoenix, I used to have tons of spray paint. Nothing fancy, just whatever I could grab at Wal-Mart or Lowes. It was messy and gave me a headache when I played for too long, but I adored the look and had just started collecting stencils. 

But winter meant I couldn't go outside to use it, and spray inks were just coming out, so I slowly switched and abandoned all my cans when I moved cross-country. ​

Recently, my love has been re-kindled by the messy graffiti outsider art of MitsiB​. I grabbed the one can I had in my apartment and played, then grabbed a fluorescent red/orange from a big box store. I played for 10 minutes and my head hurt. 

So I decided to try the Liquitex spray paint, hoping 'Low Odor' meant ​we won't give you a bloody headache and burn out your nose. 

After posting to Instagram and FB, I decided it was a perfect time to test the camera on my new iPhone. C'mon....I'm a video-makin' junkie! How could I NOT test it! This little video was so much fun to put together....I wonder if you'd like more little videos like this? Talking about what I'm working on, using, and creating? I think a mini-tripod is in order (sorry for all the movement!), but I'd love to make more like this....one of the thing I love about videos and blogs is seeing someone else's world​. I can share that! 

Let me know YOUR experiences in the comments below. Or suggest my next mini-video topic! ​

An Artful Weekend (journal painting & gel printing!)

The weekend before Christmas, I ran away to Becca’s house out in the view of mountains for an artful sleepover. 

I love that we still have sleepovers! 

Both of us needed it, too! While I have been teaching on the weekends and went on my first retreat, none of those activities gave me the freedom to just be and paint. In fact, it’d been a month or so since I’d painted in my journal — actually, I think it was longer! I may work in it every night, but it’s been much more collage and markers and watercolors than simple paint and symbolism, and last week, I finally reconnected while marathoning Prime Suspect on my iPad. 

(Are they not the most marvelous things? Mine sits on the corner of my desk so perfectly, and when I feel lonely, I just jump on Skype and ring a friend!)

Check out these industrious book-maker's at Saturday's class!

The wonderful thing about an artful sleepover is that we can just….paint. There’s no awkward silence or need to chat…we just play and paint and politely ask if we can borrow this or that we spy on the other half of the table. Yep, we were working on a folding table, the both of us, and I created quite the mess! 

The influx of someone else, of simple creativity, is always inspiring, and I found Becca jumpstarting my journaling with her ideas — she really is a background queen! I keep telling her she needs to teach an online class because they’re just so yummy…I ran with one of her ideas and fell in love….and she created an amazing spread!

shhh! the page on the right isn't finished!

the stenciling along the top was Becca's technique....love it!

After a full night’s sleep (we didn’t wake up until mid-morning!), we pulled out my gel plates and started printing away! I wanted to draw girls on mine, inspired by Carissa’s recent prints, and we were soon doodling away, making prints on any paper we could get our hands onto. I brought a bunch of dictionary papers and some scrapbooking prints, and Becca pulled out some kraft paper…oh, how I love what I made! 

In fact, I love all the journal pages I made! And now thanks to my Catalyst Tools (my constant companions, both in classes and when I’m in my studio!), I can now run my hands over my pages and feel all that yummy texture.

my favorite gel printing tools!

Becca's tools. Note her handmade brayer!

A print of Becca's on a page of Found Magazine. I love it!

don't forget to "clean" your plate in your journal!

Becca drawing on her plate with a Catalyst tool.

Still working on this one!

I’m launching something awesome tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled (and if you’re on my mailing list, check your inbox for the soft-launch message)! Time to do a little more planning for it and get all my ducks in a row so I have more fun pictures to post for it!

An Artful Friday Night...

I gave myself a little time to play today. I've been busy with a mega huge project that consumed my weekend and beginning of the week, and last week was fraught with hospitals and a reactive FMS flair-up. I'm rockin' this week without any of my pain medication, which has been full of random, crying breakdowns, a lot of self-love, and coping techniques. Oh, and amazing friends! Now, which one of you wants to help me with meals...and do any of you deliver? 

As some of you know, I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month this month, in my 10th year! I decided to write my entire 50,000 word novel on my new-vintage Facit typewriter (it's older than my mother!). Yesterday marks the halfway point, and I am so excited to say I'm still going strong! It may sound hard to write 1,667 words every single day, but I find it clears my head, and allows me to sink into another world. Last night, I did 8 pages! Today, I took my machine in to be looked at, stuck keys adjusted, and to learn how the tabs work and see the inner workings. I have to say, they continue to fascinate me, and the local shop has so many kinds, I can stay there for hours just talking typewriter mechanics! 

If anyone wants to read a non-plotted or outlined, completely off the cuff, slightly sci-fi novel, well, I have it all scanned, up to page 61! 

I have been dying to play with my new Catalyst Tools (thank you!) since they arrived in a color-filled box. They are fantastic for playing with on your gel plate, making the awesomest patterns! I plan on some more play tonight, and layering up paper for little journaling kits & embellishments I plan to stick on Etsy for the holidays.

The Catalyst Tools are just so colorful, intuitive, and ergonomic! They sit in your hand well, and I'm just having fun! I did a little painting with them today, with some modeling paste and texture gel, over an old canvas. 

When I was in Florida, one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring things of my life - and simple. We visited the ocean at the end of the day, just before sunset, when the water was so cold, my lips turned a bit blue. As we warmed up on the beach, I witnessed birds skirting across the sea, so close, they could almost touch it. Watching them as the sun went down was amazing, and I found myself saying, "I wish I could take pictures with my mind and print them out," before I realized that's why I paint! 

Created with the Catalyst Tools, layers, acrylics, and crayons. I was just playing - it was fun to have pure play! And I love it...it says to me what I wanted to express.

But what has made me happiest? Being driven to paint on a canvas again. Rather, Birch! I haven't done a large painting in awhile, even though I dream of doing so every night. Other things take my time, such as creating things for the 'net, putting together classes, admining orders, etc! But I've decided THIS weekend is for painting! I'll be transferring the antlers girl from my journal to the wood, and see what comes through. Expect lots of texture!

(Of course, I'll be doing that AFTER I edit a tutorial video for Journaling Deep. My brain literally hurt after three 12 hour days editing, so I really needed to rest it before I got a migraine!)

And one last little thing - if you notice, the comments are disabled. I had a long discussion about this with friends, expressing my curiosity as to why my comments have dropped overall...and I think I need to remember WHY I blog, so I'm turning them off for a little bit. But you can always hit me up on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or send me an email! I love hearing from you, as I'm thinking my word for 2013 will be connection!

(There's also a link down there to share my posts, now, or just hit like!)

Journal It! Book Love <3

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this new art journaling book, Journal It! by Jenny Doh and I really like it! 

If you've chatted with me, you know I'm very picky when it comes to art books. I have such a great time discovering things myself, and have been doing this for so long, that many art journaling books are simply too basic or don't really catch my interest. I can count on one hand how many I've purchased in the past few years! 

But Jenny has done a fantastic job of bringing together a myrad of different styles and approaches; that was the first pleasant surprise of this book. The other is the variety of short tutorials spread throughout! You really get to think differently about jouraling and what you include when presented with all these new ideas. There are artists I've known for years and others I've never heard of, all of them journaling for different reasons, with different materials, and creating beauty in all its shades. 

A few of my friends are in here, and I couldn't be more proud to see their progression. I've known Debra and Roben-Marie for years, and Kathrin and I used to run in the same Moleskine circles way back when I was getting started. 

I tried a few tutorials and ideas already! I can't wait to sink deeper into this book and try out all sorts of fun stuff....like the tree rubbings and custom journals? How cool is that?! And watercolor progressions....it seems so calming!

I really love this book, and wholeheartedly recommend it if you're looking to grow your journal practice! Check out this little book trailer for more!