Mixed Media Art Journal Page - Crafty Gals Corner

Today is Wednesday! I'm sure you already knew that, but did you ALSO know that today is the start of the new challenge over at Crafty Gals Corner? Maybe you did, but did you ALSO ALSO know that our theme of the week is Critters? Doubt it.

For my critter this week, I chose to focus on the beloved butterfly:

This one happens to be from the oh-so-rare species of Herous Artsus, commonly known as Hero Arts. I just got this stamp set and I really like it because it's layerable, so I just stamped in 3 different tones of orange, did a little snipping, and VOILA! A butterfly appeared!

But even more important than the butterfly, this fairy wood sprite from Sweet Pea Stamps (called Fairy Princess of Autumn) called my name.

It took me a good long while to get her all colored up with my Spectrum Noir Markers and I had to use all sorts of shades of colors!

You can see that I made her wings a little bit shimmery and that was done by painting over them with a very thing layer of Perfect Pearls after I'd colored them. 

I thought this fairy was so wistful, and it had been a while since I'd worked on my art journal, so I found one of my poems that I thought matched her expression quite well. It's called Between Seasons. 

You don't have to read the poem, but the last time I posted an art journal page without including an easy-to-read close up, I got some guff. As I am a generally guff-avoidant person, I am posting it. 

To lay a base for my card, I scribbled on some gelatos and spritzed with water until the drips started rolling down my paper. 

I added some brown lacy washi and some colors of orange washi to create a focal corner in the right and then put all the elements together. 

I'm pretty chuffed with how it all turned out. I now have three of my poems in my art journal/book of artsy poetry. I can't wait until it's done! I think it's going to make a pretty cool coffee table discussion piece. 

I'm going to send this work on over to the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes

One Sweet Challenge - Things with Wings

As for you fine folks, if you use a critter - whether it be a butterfly, a bear, a puppy, a cat or any of the other kabajillion species, link it up over at Crafty Gals Corner for your chance to win:

Sweet Pea Stamps

Prize: $20 Gift Certificate

Now that's a prize! Thanks for popping by! Follow my blog or leave me a comment and I'll do my utmost to return the favor!

 

A Leafy Art Journal Page - STAMPlorations May Challenge

Texture! Color! Technique!

That's what I've got in store for you today, my lovely readers! 

It's the first of the month and time for a new monthly challenge over at STAMPlorations. This month's challenge is:

We like entries done in any style! Have a CAS flower card with leaves? Link it up! Have a mixed media masterpiece with autumnal touches? Link it up! 

I definitely opted for the latter as I was feeling like getting a little bit messy. Many of you know that my big project this year is to put some of my poetry along with corresponding artwork. I've already made one page (you can see it here if you'd like) and have really wanted to be considerate of the design when moving forward, so I'm taking my own sweet time. 

Here's how I created my second page, with my poem called Autumnal Lullaby. 

First, I applied a layer of gesso and, while it was still wet, stuck in bits of crumpled up tissue paper to create a textural base. The gesso allows my next layer to go on the page and blend easier. 

Next, I dobbed on some Distress Paint in Mustard Seed and Fired Brick. If you haven't used Distress Paints before, the thing that makes them unique is that they react with water.

Give 'em a little spritz with a water mister and they start doing happy dances all over the page. 

Depending on which way you twist and turn your page, the paint will drip into itself and start creating unique color combos that just weren't there before. Magic!

The last picture is a combination of three steps, First, I used a crinkled paper towel to dab up some of the paint and to create a sort of leaf veining texture in the background, I also spritzed on some Bronzed Copper Distress Spray Stain and painted on a shimmery border with Perfect Pearls (Forever Red). 

I added my poem and incorporated it into the design by using some of the leaves from the STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves set, along with some stenciling work from the Nested Circles ARTplorations stencil. 

I double stamped the leaves using different Distress Ink colors, but in to make them really pop, I used a Faber Castell artist pen and outlined them, then smudged the outline to create some charcoally (that's a word, right?) shadows. 

I added some wood chippies for more texture. And here you can really see how lovely that tissue paper looks. 

One of the cool elements is this dangly wooden piece. It's actually an old earring. My mom and dad go to a lot of auctions and do junk sales during the summer months. Last time I was home, she had a whole box of mismatched earrings that I heroically saved from the garbage can! Just call me SuperBecca!

Anyway, that's what I have for you fine folks. I totally think you should go get messy now too and link up some awesome projects to our challenge over at STAMPlorations. There's cool prizes for you to win, plus we give you lots of great recognition of your artwork. 

I'm also going to link this up to the following challenges: 

Addicted to Stamps and More - Make your Mark (p.s. I tried to find if I could enter things besides cards here, but it didn't say. Just let me know if I can't.) :) 

Craft Stamper Magazine - Take a Stamp

 

Mixed Media Mojo Bingo: (I went gesso, stencil, chipboard)

Thanks for popping by! Leave me a comment or follow my blog and I'll be sure to head your way, too!

My Very First Art Journal Page!! - Crafty Gals Corner Anything Goes

Last month I attended a craft fair down in Fargo, ND, called Unglued. It's a juried fair, meaning you have to apply to be in the show. They receive over 200 applicants every year and only accept about 60. I went because I'm going to apply next year. Gulp!

Let me just say that there were some AMAZING crafters there. I stumbled across this one booth that was selling old books that had been rehabbed into art journals. I drooled, and I paused, and then I bought one!

I loved the retro design and the fact that it was taking old books and giving them new life. That book has been sitting on my shelf and I've been so intimidated to open it. I'm fairly comfortable with cardmaking, but I wasn't so sure how I would like art journaling. Or if I would be good at it. 

Since it is Anything Goes week over at Crafty Gals Corner, I decided to give it a whirl. I've always had this idea to give some of the poetry that I write imagery to go along with it, and I finally took the leap. 

Turns out, art journaling is a TON of fun and, to me at least, a little bit less pressure than making a perfect card. 

My poem is about winter and so I chose to work with this gorgeously wistful digital stamp from Stitchybear Digi Outlet called Poinsettia Fairy. 

I printed her really big and it took me about two hours to color the whole thing in with my Spectrum Noir Markers. Whew!

 

After I colored the image, I sprayed my pages with Distress Spray Stains (Evergreen Bough, Festive Berries, Peeled Paint). 

I swooshed the ink around with my paper towel to create some diagonal lines and then I added embossing paste through a Wendy Vecchi Polka Dotty stencil and some Swirly stamping. 

I wrote my poem on a piece of paper, 

I distressed the edges and sponged with Vintage photo before I adhered my fairy using gel medium. 

I really like how this turned out and I liked how freeing the whole process was. I'm definitely going to be doing this with my other poems and I can't wait! 

Again - you can link up ANY project using ANY type of stamp over at Crafty Gals Corner this week. And we have prizes to sweeten the deal! :) 

The Paper Nest Dolls

Prize: $20 Gift Certificate

AND

Stitchy Bear Digital Outlet

Prize: $10 Gift Certificate

As for me, I'm going to link my very first art journal page up to the following awesome challenges: 
Addicted to Stamps and More - Make your Mark
Mixed Media World - Anything Goes Mixed Media
Inkspirational - She Art or Image of a Woman (sidebar - seriously go look at this link-up gallery! It's amazing!)
D.L. Art - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -Anything Goes featuring Spectrum Noir

Thanks for popping by and a big welcome to my new bloggy followers! I look forward to getting to know you and your art better! 

Leave me a comment or follow my blog and I'll definitely try to return the favor!