Project Share: Dressing Up My Naked Journal

This is the Naked Journal I received in the swap I mentioned in my last post. This cover is made from a cracker box I think. My swap partner, Carol, had the cardboard interior of the box as the cover and then she'd covered the inside cover with painted labels and pockets.

I decorated the cover with a napkin and used some of my handmade paper beads on the binding string tails. I love this journal and I'm having a lot of fun with it.

I went through and did some collaging, stamping and stenciling to give it my mark

The journaling card was from Carol but I wrote the quote from something The Diva said on one of her Zentangle videos awhile back.

I collaged shreds of colored art tissue that had given up its color.

I made a pocket out of a piece of my Zentangle inspired art

Collaging, stamping (my hand carved stamp based on a design I saw on Kim Dellow's YT channel) and stenciling

Project Share: My First Naked Journal

I created a new-to-me style of junk journal for a recent swap in the Facebook group "Trashy and Flowish Junk Journals". It's called a Naked Journal because the pages within are left as-is, no additional decoration, embellishments (ie. pockets or tuck spots) or ephemera. It gives the recipient a blank canvas upon which to create.

With every swap, I try to learn and try out a new technique. I wanted to do a hard cover so I gutted a book I found at my neighborhood cafe. I reinforced the spine with a piece of chip board from the back of an art paper pad, collaged a napkin over it (the cover was red), glued some decorative paper inside and then wrapped a strip of fabric around the spine. I had previously made decorative paper strips stitched down the middle on my sewing machine so all I had to do was glue it in place.

I'm trying to work my way through a bunch of  scrapbook paper I seem to have an affinity for buying but never seem to know how to use. Until now.

Inside is my usual mash-up of papers including copies of some of my original watercolor backgrounds I had originally created for my Zentangle tiles.

There are coffee dyed papers...

and some of my painty papers where I played around with a hand carved stamp I'd just made and a new set of mini stamp pads. There were two signatures, pamphlet stitched into the spine.

I had so much fun making the swap journal that I immediately made 2 more. I've been having a lot of fun with the one my partner sent me. I'll share that in another post.

These are collage tag and postcard bases that I made using the cover of one of the paper pads I'd pulled apart. They still need a focal point or two and perhaps some kind of word/sentiment to finish them off.

Diva Challenge #371 & Inktober

Diva Challenge #371

"Onion Drops"

&

Inktober Day 10: Flowing

Zendala Monday

Inktober Day 8: the prompt was "Star"

loosely based on a Jupiter Star Hellebore

Other Inktober drawings:

The prompt was "Exhausted"

I was a bit exhausted by the detailed studies

so I went for relaxing

The prompt was "Spell"

how do you spell...

The prompt was "Chicken"

 Inktober fun in my Trainwreck Journal

This was inspired by something I saw on CeeCee's channel

31 Days of Botanicals

The prompt was "Precious" 

this is anything but...

This is a signature I created for another swap for the Facebook Group, "Trashy and Flowish Junk Journals". The task was to make a 2 sheet signature (8 1/2"x 11" folded in half to make an 8 page booklet) using black, white, red, tan & brown.

I'm not a scrapbooker or cardmaker so I don't have the decorative papers or packaged embellishments I see a lot of people using. I art my own and use stuff from my stash of costume and fashion history images, art, travel and museum books, catalogs, postcards, brochures and stuff I just tear out of magazines. 

Last week I shared some pictures of a Flowish Junk Journal I sent for another swap. My partner posted a flip-thru of it on her YouTube channel if you want to see it and here's a video of the one she made for me.

I had a lot of fun with this.

The background is a red paper place mat I stenciled

The two sheets of paper I used were from a book of historical folk patterns

I covered this one with sewing pattern tissue

I've been into making stamps out of fun foam. 

I stamped a bunch out onto some tea/coffee dyed paper.

The corner pockets for this and the one above were from a museum catalog of kimonos

various tags and journaling cards

The backsides of the tags and journaling cards

 and a little booklet for journaling

I have to share a little haul I found at a Ross store the other day. These Faber Castell Gelato sets were
$1.99 each! Crazy. In addition to the 4 sticks they included a brush and a little floral cling stamp or a dauber. There was only 1 of each and I bought them all. 

I've never used these before so I watched a couple of videos and when I got home I made this mixed media piece:

for the Facebook group
Mission Inspiration

Thanks so much for stopping by. Your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me.

Diva Challenge # 315, Made by Joey #164 and some Travelling Tangles

Diva Challenge #315

Molygon Study

This week's challenge was to get to know "Molygon", inspired by a recent Kitchen Table Tangles video from HQ. I don't have the bandwidth for the Mosaic subscription so I've not seen it. I missed the first part of Laura's stream Sunday night, but as I watched, it started to make more sense, though I have to admit I let out an audible groan when I initially saw what the challenge was. I have the same issues with Molygon as I do with Tripoli. I love how it looks when it's done well, but I avoid it.

It wasn't required that this be a monotangle but as I continued drawing I didn't know how to stop. It's actually quite a relaxing pattern to draw, so I just kept going.

Made by Joey #164

Finish my Tile Alphabet Series "S'

Featuring: Sandswirl

Additionally: Striping

6" Zia just for fun

Including a little Molygon

I was inspired by something I recently saw on  Michele Beauchamps blog and started this with Auraknot.

Swap ATC' s

Tangled and Journaled Too! Facebook group

Reticula and Fragments

I got a few Travelling Tangles done this week.

One of my recent blog posts resulted in a swap with Joey van Oort. She had a few spares from the April group swap which was "Sky" inspired. My selection of colored pens is very sparse so I always have to figure out a way to introduce black whenever I get a starter using colored pens. Apologies for the weird colors happening in these pics.

My finish...

...to Joey van Oort's lovely start

My finish...

...to Joey's beginning
I started my blue line before I realized I hadn't take a picture.

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Challenges and Restraint

Diva Challenge #271: Beads of Courage

This week Laura's challenge is inspired by the Beads of Courage Project and its fundraising Color Run. She introduced a watercolor technique I've not seen before, called "Hefty Hack" where you apply color onto a plastic bag (I used a small sheet of acetate), spritz or brush your white tile with a little water, then lay the tile onto the watercolor then lift it off. If you want you can add droplets of color and/or sprinkle with some salt (let it dry and then rub the salt off).

The Color Run

I OCD'd ran with this new watercolor technique, creating a whole new set of tiles and ATC's. By complete coincidence, one of my Facebook groups just posted a new swap challenge where one of the options is to use color and salt-Excellent!

Made by Joey #117: Circle String Challenge #2

Pattern: "Socc" with Mr. E and Tipple

Last week, as I was writing my post, it occurred to me to try using coffee rings as my strings, I mean, you'd think that was a no brainer for this blog but sometimes one can't see the forest for the trees. 

Anyhoo, I set up 5 watercolor ATC's last week using different sized cups...

...then added the smaller circles with a shot glass to this one when the string was presented on Monday. I'm really looking forward to these challenges.

A personal challenge of mine is trying to exercise restraint. I like to fill up space. It's my thing. It's my style. Nothing wrong in that. Mostly. Sometimes things get murky because I have to shadow and highlight everything. That became clearly evident when I found myself working these to death:

Tangle within a Tangle swap series 1-4

Big Skye/Little Skye

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with them, but there were a couple (not shown) that I pretty much covered up all of the blue background. So when I completed this new set of watercolors I decided to embrace "The Elegance of Limitations", as Rick Roberts says, so that the colors and texture weren't obliterated.

This restraint was also brought about by yet another swap group I started participating in last week. It's called the Travelling Tangles Project. I start a tile or ATC then post and offer it up to someone else to swap and finish (or I can request to finish someone else's offering). 

For the Travelling Tangles Project

Microns, markers, colored pencil and white gel pen on watercolor

I sent these out last week after creating a set of watercolor tiles breaking out of my usual color palette of earthtone/Renaissance browns and blues.

I'm pondering a series of posts inspired by my involvement in swaps. I belong to several groups now (the first one I've been doing for a year now) and I see comments all the time by newbies who fear that they're "not good enough" to participate, I know I was one of them. I'm hoping to try to encourage lurking members to participate, because there's no better way to improve your art than by doing it with purpose.

The most valuable lesson I learned: The sooner you get original art into your hands, the better. Then study, copy and practice, practice, practice. By copying, I mean teach yourself technique. I will go into this in a future post. Stay tuned!

If any of you are interested in doing a personal swap, please don't hesitate to email me at michelewynne1 (at) gmail (dot) com. or PM me at my facebook page. Let me know if there's a tile or ATC you've seen here that you would like to swap for.

Who wouldn't love to open up your mailbox and find this:

 These made their way into my mailbox today, each across a different ocean, from two friends at the Travelling Tangles Project, one from Singapore, the other from Germany.
I'll post the results next week.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Your generous and thoughtful comments delight and inspire me.

Diva Challenge #269, Made by Joey #114 and a Swap-in-Progress

Diva Challenge #269

"Ellish"

I've been a bit obsessed with "Ellish" lately so I was pleasantly surprised to see it appear as this weeks Diva Challenge.

Made by Joey #114

Roman Numeral Series: XIV

patterns: Cadent, Bunzo, Shattuck, Barberpole, Papyrus and Cheesecloth

Here's another cluster of patterns I managed to cram into the confines of an ATC . Papyrus and Cheesecloth are both new to me and I really love them. There are no step outs available but Joey sketched them out. They're basically just cross-hatching.

Big Skye/Little Skye #1
with Wud and Caviar

for the Zentangle Artists Trading Card Swap group on Facebook

This is the first of my latest series of swap ATC's starring "Skye" by Margaret Bremner.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your thoughtful and generous comments inspire and delight me.

Challenges

I am the Diva Challenge #268

a bit o' black

This week we're to amp up the dramatic by adding more black. What a brilliant concept! I am constantly needing to remind myself of certain basic certainties~"Contrast equals interest". When  I was in grad school one of my art teachers used to say this all the time. 

This particular tile was a half formed study piece I started a couple of weeks ago in preparation for a swap I'm working on for the Facebook group Zentangle Artist Trading Card Swap. The rules are to use only black ink and graphite on a standard white tile with a small pop of color. We're also to use one of our initials as the string and to use patterns that start with that initial. I wasn't too crazy about this one and set it aside after only just creating the line work. I resurrected it as a practice piece for this challenge fully intending to create one I was happier with...then I changed my mind. Though it's not balanced as well as I'd like (I should have left Munchin alone), it's a perfect representation of how I teach myself technique. One of the techniques I'm exploring for this swap is to utilize graphite in the drawing rather than just as shading..."Graphite is the New Black" as they say at Zentangle HQ (which is why the above tile ended up in the reject pile).

Made by Joey #113

Roman Numeral String series: XIII

Patterns: Chemystery, Cruffle, Verdigogh, Ipso and Garlic Cloves

And sticking with my theme for Joey's challenges...yet another cluster of patterns on color in color:-P There's waaaay too much going on here, but that's how I roll.

Just for fun

Patterns: The Fab, Artoo, Fubu, Caviar, Tipple

I started a new sketchbook this week. I was very excited to use Margaret Bremner's new pattern "Skye", so this is the very first page of the book. I love this pattern and I've decided it must be the star of my forthcoming series of ATC's.

The latest swap requires us to use a biggified pattern as a string, use that same pattern again within the string, plus two more patterns. These are to be ATC sized and the use of color is fine. Goody!

So for this swap I'm going blue...completely inspired by Margaret's amazing work-Blue Skye.

It's a String Thing #144

Skye & Antidots

Finally, my Skye practice paid off!  I was delighted to see Skye featured in this weeks IAST challenge.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Your thoughtful and generous comments inspire and delight me!