Tagged: acrylic paints

July 9, 2016

Mixed Media Altered File Folders

Last week I watched a video on YouTube about altering file folders. I know I’ve done it before a long time ago but the video gave me a desire to make some again. I decided to try using up some scrap papers in the process as my stash is getting out of hand.

First I just covered the two file folders with strips of scrap paper cut in various widths and lengths.

Then I scraped on some white paint with a palette knife to mute the colors.

I stamped doily patterns on both folders using different colors.

I chose three colors of paint for each folder and randomly added them also using a palette knife.

Next I put on the focal points by using masks I made.

Finally I added some embellishments, stamped some script and did some finishing outlining with my Pitt Big Brush Markers.

These two folders have already been put to good use holding images I have cut out of magazines that I will use in other mixed media projects.

If you have some ordinary manila file folders hanging around, give altering them a try. You’ll end up with some happy storage for your office or craft room papers!

March 4, 2015

Journaling By 5s, Part 1 (Or How I Got My Mojo Back)

I don’t know whether it’s because we’ve had a terribly cold and long winter or what, but I seemed to have lost my creative mojo. I have been making crafts since before Christmas but have not done any mixed-media or art journaling.

Well I found a new way to get my creative inspiration back. It’s a process called Journaling by 5s and was created by Shannon Green. I have been a subscriber to her YouTube videos for quite some time, but this one really blew me away. Journaling by 5s seems to have taken the mixed-media world by storm. There are lots of people on YouTube showing their processes and finished journals.

Seeing how I am not on YouTube (yet!) I will tell you about the process and show you my results on this blog for the next five days.

In a nut shell there are a few rules you have to follow for Journaling by 5s, but thank goodness there are no rights and wrongs in what you come up with. Here are the rules:

1. You finish your journal in 5 sessions

2. There are ten media you can use in total, but only 2 per session

3. You only have 15 minutes each session

4. You have 20 pages you must work on each session.

Here is the link to Shannon’s video where she explains it better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0ohBQFKqus

So in essence you are finishing a 20 page art journal in 1 hour and 15 minutes! Why would anyone want to do that? Because it frees you up from over-thinking your art and trusting yourself to create something wonderful.

So here are some pictures from my first session. In this 15 minutes I had to use paint and/or ink to put color on all 20 pages.

Journal open. Paints and inks at the ready, timer set!

Time up! Pages have color on them as do my hands!

Letting the pages dry. Look at the colorful mess on my drop paper!

Not bad. I like this color combination.

Heinous disaster page. I hate the colors and the India ink stuck like cement to the opposite page.

Tomorrow I will show you the results of putting background and recycled papers on each page. Can I redeem the heinous disaster page? Stay tuned to find out!

April 25, 2014

Mixed Media Fun

As you may know from reading some of my latest blogs, I am getting ready to do the Vintage Home Market Show in Richmond. I have been very busy making jewelry, aprons and home decor items for this show as well as planning which antiques to bring. All I can say is that I have not had a lot of time to “play art”. I have managed to snatch a few minutes here and there to make a couple of pieces. Three of these are in one of my art journals and the other was made on 3 magazine pages that were glued together and then covered with gesso. So without further ado, and because I’m still working on last-minute details for the show, here is a quick look at my most current mixed media pieces. Enjoy!

Joshua 24:15

Trust

I choose you!

Job 12:10. This piece is considerably lighter in person.

March 14, 2013

Journal Page 4

For those of you still reading my blog, Thank you. I know it must be tedious to see someone else’s art work day after day, however, I promise I am only going to post a couple more. I said I wanted to try art journaling so I have to give it a fair shake. I will make this short and sweet. Today’s prompts that I am using from Daisy Yellow are:

decadent

tree or petals

magenta

rubber stamp

painted polka dots

diagram

This is my third journal page using prompts (I didn’t use them on the first page) and I am finding that I can combine certain prompts like magenta and painted polka dots which I did on this page. The more I look at this page, the more I like it. It started out as a piece of an old paper binder page.

Since diagram was one of the prompts I figured I could let these lines show through a little bit. The paper was covered with gesso and stamped with a tree-like vine. Then the whole thing was covered in orange which is a color I never use. But the point of this, for me, is to stretch myself and get out of the box!!! I rubbed a little red paint into the gesso print to add a little ombre effect. Next the graphics were glued on and the diagrams doodled on. Yes, I doodled! I didn’t like it at first, but when I went back to distress the whole thing with ink, the doodle lines smeared a little bit, creating a great effect. Finally the little boy got his magenta polka dots painted on. So here is the result:

I think it turned out well. This picture is not so great and the page looks better in real life. If you haven’t started your art journal yet, what are you waiting for?