Saving Your Memories

The Documented Life Project, August Theme is Faces, the Human Form & Characters. The August 1 Art Challenge: Expressive Faces, with a Journal Prompt:  What I see clearly now.

I already had a double page spread that had paint wipe offs on it ready to go. I also wanted to try out the 1.75 pt tub of all purpose joint compound that I got to try as another way to add texture through a stencil. For less than $4.00 for this huge tub, I'd say it is a bargain. You do need to wait for this to dry longer than the molding paste and don't forget to clean your stencils immediately or it will dry like cement! I'm not sure you can even see that I used it on the tulips, but I did and then went over the white with nNeocolors and added some white gel pen dots. The face started from a partial magazine picture. One eye is from the magazine the other is my own drawing. Even using a magazine picture as a base, she still looks like something I would do on my own. After I repainted on her and used china markers, and Neocolors, I added some bright blue hair with Dylusions paint. Then, I went over the whole face and hair with white gesso to make her look a bit more "misty." I used some stamps and stencils and a white paint pen for the journaling.

Hamsa and Zentangle®

Life Book, Week 31, Traced Hand Hamsa Protection Symbol with Rachael Rice is probably my favorite lesson so far this year. I loved that it was short and to the point with just enough encouragement to get us going but allowing the creative juices to flow without getting drowned in them. Of course, as a Certified Zentangle Teacher, the design work was meaningful for me. I loved playing with watercolors, markers, pens, colored pencils and pastels for this one.

Letting Go and Letting In

For week 30 on Life Book, we had a fun lesson from Flora Bowley on Letting Go and Letting In. Sometimes I find making messes like this freeing, but this week, I really didn't want to let go or let in. But, I did and this is what happened:

Mom Loved to Sing and Dance

The Documented Life July Theme is Ephemera. The July 18 Art Challenge: Photographs & Memories. The Journal Prompt:  "All that I have to remember you"-Jim Croce

My mom loved to sing and dance and she loved her polka dots! This photo, printed in black and white, was taken at my eldest son's wedding. She was in her early 70's at the time. She is long gone, but I will always think of her whenever I see anything with polka dots!

The paper polka dots were cut from a piece of gelli printed paper. I used a pencil eraser to add dots to mom's dress. Small white dots are molding paste. I used my Ken Oliver click letters for the words. I used a stencil for the smaller colored dots and Dylusion paints. Black is stamped dots, and Bingo daubers completed the joyous mess!

Time Actually Does Fly

The Documented Life  July Theme is Ephemera. The July 11Art Challenge: Focal Point vs. Layering with a Journal Prompt:  Time keeps on ticking. Wow! Yes, time just keeps on ticking away. I sure wish there were either a way to slow it down or to get more of it somehow!

Don't you just love the new Fresh Lime Dylusions Paint in the background?

You Will Never Know What I'm Thinking

Life Book, Week 28. Layers of You. We started with a collage and wound up with this:

 The "doodle" is Frost Flowers, a tangle by Kerry Heun. The large "button" is chipboard with Crackle Paint and Silver Pearls.

 

 

 

 

Original Collage

Steam Train Ephemeral Memories

The Documented Life July Theme - Ephemera - July 4 - Art Challenge: Using Old Maps, Letters, Tickets & More - Journal Prompt:  Life...with a history

A beautiful trip on an old steam engine recently left me with some brochures and ticket stubs that I wanted to save. This prompt was perfect. I made a little holder for them (removable) with the train in the front and, the beautiful aspen trees for a background.

I used a page with leftover black gesso smears all over the page. I added some white gesso with a credit card and made scrapes through. I added swipes of blue with my fingers, dark green with my fingers (I don't like to wash brushes LOL!) and added leaves with a sea sponge. The train and upper emblem were added with gel medium.