Mixed Media Mayhem - Tribal Patterns

I enjoyed watching JournalArtista, http://www.journalartista.com/, Paula Phillips, work through her journal pages.  I was particularly inspired by her video,  Art Journaling Fast Forward 3 Bright Collage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laO36tC_24Q#t=144.

  

I followed her example by spreading a blue acrylic with the credit card palette knife and stamping number 9 over a gessoed background. For papers to collage I looked through my Gelli stash and found some beautiful multi layered deli papers.  Then I went in a new direction.  Stamping on the Gelli papers gave me translucent images of tribal masks to cut and glue with gel medium, stenciling with Stazon insured vine images would adhere to the background. My clip art collection of West African images provided the round graphic which I printed on transparency.

Mixed Media Mayhem - Beware the White Rabbit

When I was teaching in Xian, China, (#1 High School), I came across the bagged candy, White Rabbits, in the local supermarket.  Creamy, chewy, sweet, these taffy-like candies became my go-to treat.  When I came home, I was able to satisfy my craving finding them in import stores... until the Great Melamine Scandal.  No more to be found...then last week shopping in World Marketplace, I was happily reunited with these tiny joys.

To make this page, I inked the background with several colors of Ranger Inks using a cosmetic sponge and added texture with TCW stencils and some old rubber stamps of concentric circles.  I drew the rabbit trying to make him scary, not cute, and used fiber paste to give him fluff.  The text is stamped on deli paper.  When I glued the text down I forgot that the gel medium would reactivate the ink...

Architecture - Mixed Media Mayhem

This journal page began as an experiment with new stencils - Crafter's Workshop Template 6"x6" - City Grid and Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions Stencils - Shattered and a new set of Ranger inks.  I added impressions from homemade stamps in circles and zigzags.  What emerged was a geometric pattern that called for an overlay of map images.  In my stash, I found my tourist maps of Hanoi that had the blue and yellow needed.  An old art book provided the text.  I scanned architectural images and converted them to stamp outlines with photoshop and printed them on transparencies.  What I really enjoyed was the unpredictable randomness that led me in what seemed to be obvious directions.  Love art journaling!

Mixed Media Mayhem - Faces in Flowers 2

I filled several pages of my journal with my stamps of flowers then had to decide how to use these backgrounds.  I used images from my sketchbook which I photocopied and glued to the page.  To make the copies more transparent, I filled in the back side with a solvent based marker - one yellow and one brown.  I used a variety of media to paint on the faces to try to add some dimension.  I will keep practicing learning to draw.

Mixed Media Mayhem - Faces in Flowers

After practicing making foam stamps and printing them in my art journal, I had to take the next step.  I have been practicing learning to draw faces (not portraits!) so I wanted to incorporate two very different results.  I transferred the outlines of the faces to my page to match the composition of the flowers.  I experimented with paint, colored pencils, Inktense pencils, and Faber Castell Brush Markers to bring color to the faces.  Since my face drawing lessons were originally based on using classic proportions and forms, I found text from an old art book to caption the page. NB- I fixed the stamp background with spray then gesso before going forward because I had stamped with water soluble markers

Mixed Media Mayhem - Making Foam Stamps

I love the convenience of stamping and I want the results to have my own work as much as possible. Making foam stamps based on images I see solves this problem.  (I do love everybody else's stamps too and I have the shelves to prove it.  I stepped out the process from finding images in a fabric swatch to printing on paper.  There are lots of ways to get the image on to the foam..I like to use my Iphone, print, and trace.  Cut out the pieces or engrave with a sharp point to give detail.  If you print with water soluable markers you can spritz the stamp with water to get more prints and a watery effect.  I like to do this with kids and simple drawings.

Mixed Media Mayhem - Fashion Square

As a materials junkie, I couldn't wait to try my new Dylusions Spray Ink, and, as usual, I did not have a plan.  After spraying several layers of alphabet stencils, I had a vibrant background that didn't speak to me.  To tone it down, I layered dress pattern paper unifying the random color splashes.  I liked the graphic lines the pattern paper provided, but what next.  Just that week, fellow art chix, L. W., dropped off a pile of old fashion patterns.  I scanned and resized them ( so as not to destroy these bits of fashion history) and made foam stamps from some of the silhouettes. Dictionary papers grounded the models and pieces of the pattern pocket identified the source of the images.  To show the vintage of the pieces I aged the page with Golden Nickel Azo, Distress Inks, and Walnut Ink.  My favorite medium for aging...Walnut Ink...you can dilute the grains to any strengths.  So here is the final result....You can see the letter stencils in the detail pic...just visible.  I also used a spray fix to keep the dyes stable when I wanted to add another layer.