Get Inked

Art-it does a body good, is continuing the journal challenges-a new challenge will be posted every other Sunday. Don't miss out on the fun and sometimes experimental chances play along.

Okay so the first challenge was INK, I have been wanting to try my hand at gelatin printmaking and this motivated me to do it. I made my gelatin last week, no problem. I waited for my family to get back to work and school so I could give it my undivided attention...ha, my gelatin tore, but lucky for me a fair sized hunk was useable.

I rolled on the ink, laid a paper doily on it then my paper. Hum not really what I was expecting, but hey such is the nature of art. I made a few more papers with other colors of ink and although as a "print" they were not frame able they would do for my Challenge Journal.

I cut a corner off of another paper doily and spray painted it red. I used black gesso for the background and removed a tad bit of gesso with bubble wrap. Once the background was dry I glued on the red corner and a white doily. I folded in the corners. Did some gel ink text.

Cut the gelatin prints to size and placed my preferred three sheets inside.

All in all not a horrible journal page, I think.

Thanks for dropping by and having a look see.

Make it Spooky

Or challenge yourself to capture something about this season; make it autumnal, or anything else unique to this season; Perhaps pull from a past season and use that; Could be this current season reminds you of how much you prefer another one and that is okay too. So Says Ky at Art-it does a body good, the journaling challenge blog.

This page was assembled because all I could think of was

Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet, Give me something Good to eat

I used orange acrylic paint on gesso, stamps, gel ink, stickers, confetti and googly eyes.

It is both sorta freaky and funny. Like when people get scared and then laugh cause they were. I really had fun putting this together and remembering making the rounds with my siblings. Here is a Secret I have gone out Trick or Treating with my kids. Yeah, no big deal you think...but I was dressed in costume and collected candy just like they did. I even got more than they did. And in order not to jip any of my generations of kids I have done this three times; Once for my daughter born in the late 70s, once for my son born in the late 80s and once for my son and daughter that were born in the early 90s. Crazy-I know, but what's a mother to do?

Oh I know pop around to check out your pages. You are playing along with the challenges or at least with some of 'em right? Well you should!

Don't BE a Boob

WARNING PG 17

Art-It does a body good, challenge for this week...Theme Mammogram - "In "honor" of our reluctance, we will take a challenge. We will explore our feelings about these misgivings in avoiding what we know we should do. The second element in the challenge - use something that represents what would be lost to cancer if early screenings weren't done to catch it early. Please tell, in your project description, what your focus was, what your symbols mean, anything you'd like to add. I encourage you to write about it on your page so you can look back on it."
I used acrylic paints, gesso, photo I took, gel ink, rubber stamp, tissue paper and a little attitude.

I did not take multiple photos of the process this time as I was in the zone. What zone you may wonder...I had a hell of a scare this year zone and I don't want you to go through that. Breast Cancer has touched me by way of Co-worker, Aunt, Friend and a Dear Internet.

Get 'em done ladies and gentlemen. Yes men can get breast cancer too...do y'all know what that means? Time for a manly examine, check 'em both out HIS and HERS.

And remember what you fear to know may kill you

And I hope to see you soon.

Ahhh, copper chipboard

This week's challenge from Art-it does a body good, was to use blue and copper and chipboard (cereal box) hum what to do?


I started with a gessoed page, I painted on the copper, let it dry coated it with good old white glue then after a couple / few/ minutes added some navy blue (loving this color lately). When the paint dried followed by the glue it made a streaked grain. Not bad, but really I wanted more copper to show...credit card tech to the rescue.

We are actually having an autumn here, 50 degrees F. at night and not over 80 during the day-amazing. I took a turn around the yard looking for inspiration and found it. I keep looking up but then I heard a pop-crunch and laying there at my feet I found it. Our only tree, an oak, sharing its yield of nuts for whom ever chooses to partake. I almost yelled out me, me I want it. I cut out an acorn shape onto a cracker box.

I added some cross hatching for the cap and a brushing of luscious copper. I adhered the acorns with tiny brads, they can be rotated out of the way to reveal stickers with positive affirmations.

I added some white on the opposite side to camouflage / hide some letter beads.

And this is the finished page

Yes, I'll be around soon if not sooner.

Transfer It

This week's challenge from Art-It does a body good was to do some kind of image transfer, such as Gel Medium and a glossy magazine picture. Okay can do, was my attitude as I have done this before, well not with a journal page but on canvas.


I prepped my page with gesso and while it was drying I thumbed through a handy photography magazine, I found a couple of images I wanted to use. They sort of had an Asian feel to them. I then rummaged through my newspaper collection and found what I was looking for. Now this is a trick I gleaned from Karin of Beyond Words-use a foreign language (one you don't speak or read) newspaper, magazine or book that way you are not distracted by what it says and you can use it artfully.

Alrightly then, I glued 'em down and then swiped some barn red around on the page. Worked on that painting that is struggling to come together while my page dried. Applied the gloss gel medium, smashed down the images and brayed them a bit. Then off to do other studio things till the next morning.

I dampened the images and rubbed off the paper backings. Humm, not so good. I think because my images were dark they did not show up very well on the dark red background. Oh well, onward ho!

I smeared some white paint, then some aged gold and then found another image and thought I'd use more white paint and maybe this time it will show up better. Did the gel and stuck the image down and left it all day. I dampened and rubbed and this time the image was seeable. Not great, but doable foir me.

I smuched some more red and gold around, added some blue, sanded...glued down some papers I had found at an Asian market and a bit more newspaper. Not too bad, my husband likes it. For the most part I think the magazine I choose may not use the best inks for this type of method so next time I'll try a different one. Here is the final page, hope I didn't bore y'all dear people too much with my rambling.

I'll be around soon if not sooner, till next time happy Arting

This is a bonus shot that I really like the angle on

The Challenge

this week over at Art-it does a body good: And I quote here " Your assignment this week is to make a page using a minimum of 3 inchies. The inchies can be exactly alike, or all different. Additionally, I want you to use this quote for inspiration: "Enjoy the little things, for one day, you may look back and realize they were BIG." ~Robert Brault. It doesn't have to be written on your page, but it should be apparent by your page design or subject (don't get scared - remember, this is FUN)."

Humm, this is the first time I have heard of inchies, what can I say other than I suppose I live a somewhat hermit kind of life.

Okay then, so in honor of the first day of Autumn September 22, and because I liked a fall picture from a magazine, I used that for my overall page theme. I began with gessoed pages; smeared on a vibrant yellow, acrylic paint. Ya know I really like using my fingers for painting these days.

Next layer was finger smuchings of grape followed by iris purple acrylic paints. Then a smear of extremely light green (credit card tech). That dried for a few minutes then off some of it came with a baby wipe. After the page dried I lightly sanded, to end up with this.

So here are my inchies, magazine page cut into inchies. I adhered them with glue stick to my page. Lined around them with gold gel pen and purple gel pen.

I added some text on a bit of lined paper

then added my final inchie

And this is the final page. I quite like it and hope you do too.

Yes, yes I'll be around soon if not sooner.

Journal me a Movie

This week’s Challenge over at Art-it does a body good was to actually use journaling, written word, more on our page, based on our favorite movie. Well I’m of the unique sort and seldom have favorites, mostly because I don’t like to limit myself in any of the art genres. Please don’t judge me for my opinion as it is a personal one. I love movies and have more then I can really store reasonably. But to keep to the movie theme I have chosen one of my memories. Yes memories are just like the movies only with our own scenes, scripts, celebrities, etc.

So the gist of this Mental Image movie called Glory, we had gotten some bad news and that evening was one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen. It filled me with hope and love and the faith that all would be well. The journaling I did is the actual story, it resides in an envelope disguised as a Theater Marquee.

Okay, y’all surely know the drill by now…I’ll be around to see your page soon if not sooner.

Go Forth...

she said, who you may wonder? Well that would be our Challenge Hostess Ky over at Art-It does a body good...Go Forth (find a blog...), Discover (something that inspires...), Create (a page...), Return (to Art-it does a body good), Share (what we have done...) That in and of itself was great inspiration for my Genius Muse AKA Smartassicist Thinkeruper.

Within the last week I have been inspired by visiting lots of places, but here are a few that sprang to mind...I love how iKerriLove uses flowers on her pages. Flowers so loverly I can almost smell them and my page must contain flowers. Period. Also I watched Eveline's video about her new travel journal with the neat-oh-peat-oh pockets and flaps and secret places. Ok something like that is a must as well...hum flip up/out/open flaps and some pull out tags, yeah. And then there was the video that Paula put up over at Art Journaling (your really should join) about how to carve your own rubber stamps. I have made a couple before, but who knew I wasn't holding my tool right? Well Paula did, so I had to try my hand at making some-while holding the thingy the right way.

Oh I threw in some symbolism. What I mean is I sort of used some things that were already out there Only I made them my own. Now this page did take me a while to do (don't tell my Husband), but it did. This is the page with all the little flaps closed.

and the following are the words, symbols and suggestions that are behind the flaps and on the tags that pull out.

Humm, whatda ya know, that worked out really well. I hope you dear people like it. I'll be around to see what y'all have done, soon if not sooner.  W~H~A~T! You are not playing along? Well I suggest that you do, because I for one love seeing how different dear people create. Don't you?

This week

This week's challenge from Art-it does a body good, was Hurricane- "include the category measurement, wind speed; play with straws, compressed air or any other method of blowing paint or ink around on your page. "


On September 13, 2008 Hurricane Ike hit Galveston Island, Texas. It was a direct landfall on Port Bolivar. Estimates ranged from 75 foot to 20 foot waves. By the time Ike hit our shore the winds had died down from 255 MPH to 110, hence its category 2 rating. Which as far as hurricanes go was not too bad. I have seen worse, but it was the sheer size of the storm that was really the bad part, it made the storm surge totally devastating. From the center (the eye) of the storm out the hurricane was 275 miles by 120 miles. Ike was the 3rd most destructive storm ever to hit the United States.

You may view Here, an image of the Hurricane as he entered the Gulf of Mexico on September 10.

And this is a photo of Gilchrist . The single house you see had just been rebuilt after taking a beating from Hurricane Rita, they were lucky to have a structure remaining as you can see.

We visited Galveston Island and Port Bolivar in January of 2009 (4 months after): Galveston still had boats lying aground where they did not belong and pickups where they shouldn't have been.

Crystal Beach, Port Bolivar, Rollover Pass, Gilchrist and other townships will never be the same. In fact I understand that they still have not found all the missing. From time to time I hear about search and recovery missions out on Mustang Island, where some of the bodies were found. It is speculated that the remainder will never be found.

This is my journal page I blew runny red paint through a straw, needless to say it represents the loss of life. When a hurricane comes in everything is gray, the sky, the water the rain, the clouds get darker and swirl tossing up tornadoes like gray-green whipped cream. If it is daytime when the eye passes over those that are lucky see a brilliant blue sky offering hope that the storm is half way over. By the way Ike continued on his destructive tour north-north east to howl, rain and flood all the way up to the Great Lakes.

For other photos of Hurricane Ike you may look here.

Childhood Memory

When I read this week's journal prompt at Art-it does a body good (Childhood Memory with a quote) the first thing that jumped to mind was Roller Coaster Hills...Then I thought of the many camping trips, but decided to go with my first -POW- of the hills.

When I was a little bit younger, than I am now {wink}, I would ride my bicycle for miles and miles. Of course when I say "I", I mean us my siblings, friends and I...but this memory is mine and they just happen to appear in it. Sorta

During the days of summer I would ride through the neighborhood to get to a certain bridge. The bridge was really meant for walking over, but everyone rode their bikes on it too. What did the bridge cross? Well it crossed a deep and wide ravine, that the local bayou would flood into during super heavy rains and it would quickly subside into a mud hole. Now once I had crossed the bridge or rode down through the ravine, I would take to the common trails. I would ride over the hills just as fast as I could peddle. It was always a race at the hills...who could get up them the fastest, who could go down the fastest. Oh and if by some freak chance no one else was there all the more I would get to ride the hills without sharing.

Sometimes I would just go riding through the woods ending up at Lakewood Elementary, Brock Park, under the road bridges at Tidwell or even on Green River Dr. The mud was so gooey it would mound up on the bike tires so thick I couldn't peddle anymore and would have to stop and scrape the tires with a stick.

Man those were the days; flying free no worries, except to be home by supper time. Hence the quote by my Mom (probably everyone else's mom too) "Be home for supper!" Now these days, this week to be exact, has been a bit hectic. So very busy that I wasn't sure I would be able to even do a journal page, but I worked on it as I could and being busy explains why I don't have my usual progress recorded in photographs.

So without further ado and him-hawing here is the completed page.

Special note: the bridge folds out and a short poem is written on the back

I'll be around to see your pages soon or sooner. If you haven't done one...I dare, no I double dog dare you to join in.

Sunshine & Butterflies

This week’s challenge over at Art – It does a body good, was to pick a Song. Journal about it, the feelings it evokes, a certain event or happening while that song played, etc. use whatever media you like; include the title or something appropriate so that the song is recognizable for everyone.


I chose Pocketful of Sunshine, by Natasha Bedingfield. It’s about love and being safe and protected by it and I’m all about being in love with my husband.

So I knew I wanted to include a few things…like a pocket, sunshine, a secret place and butterflies (I know duh huh?).

Well if you are going to have sunshine one needs a sky and what’s a sky without a ground under it?

I have some paper that looks like denim and I love blue-jeans, so that’s the pocket that the sun is pouring out of.

Oh the sun, turned out pretty cool, err hot. I took some yellow paper that had stars on it, cut it into thin strips, inked the edges with orange. Cut some orange flowered paper into strips too. Glued them together and it looked okay, but I wanted more heat and life from that sun. I glued on some strips of clear packaging, hit it with the heat gun, and of course it singed and curled. Neat, what else can I do to get some dimension? I curled some of the yellow strips (like you would curl that thin ribbon) and tada-a sun that actually beams. Here is an angle shot of the sun, don't worry you don't have to squint your eyes {wink}.

The secret place had to be behind a door, hum what should be on the other side?

What could be better then the song lyrics and when the song page is unfolded…look out the butterflies take flight

 

Title of the song {check} pocket {check}, sunshine {check}, secret place {check}, butterflies {check}. To add interest to the foreground in the bottom right corner I added some gold embossed musical notes spilling out of the pocket. And here is the finished page

Have you joined in the fun yet? If not WHAT YA WAITING FER?

 

I showed you mine now please won't you show me yours.

Gesso Texturing

This week's Art Journal Challenge from, Art-It does a body good!, was about texturing with gesso. Have I mentioned that I find the smell of gesso somewhat comforting? Weird I know and I blame my mother, actually I blame her for all my art'ing adventures. I'm working in my Prompt Journal made special for prompts. Here is what I did; began with plain ol' white gesso, brushed on with a fairly stiff brush. It dried. Hum not so much texture.

I proceeded to mix a bit of color with the white gesso to give it a little tint and brushed each one in a diagonal fashion. These almost dried when...

I went on to cover over them with gesso tinted with orange and brown, well I just wasn't pleased with how this page was going. Just not feeling it, ya know? I think really it was how the day's studio frivolity affected me, which I will tell you about at another time. They were sorta heavy and not quite dry...

So I got some plastic wrap and laid it on top, smooched it around, then bunched up the wrap and rolled it around. Well that's interesting, but still not liking it.

I took a break and made a very pleasing ATC (I'll show & tell at another time) I broke out the clear gesso and after a quick clean up I finger painted it on. Got out my squeegee tool with notches and just wriggled it across the pages. Then went back to making ATCs

I suppose this page could be finished, yet not being happy I continued one. Adding some acrylic paints med-dark blue, then white using the credit card tech. I added some finger smeared white marks and dry brushed on some blue-gray kinda swirly.

and at last I found my page. I went on, applied some paper cut into cloud like shapes, white tissue paper to texture some of the clouds and a poem I wrote that this swirly wind looking page brought to mind.

Now that I have finished my page, I'm off to check out yours. See I can't really look at other peoples until after I have finished mine, otherwise I may become disheartened at my work. See you soon if not sooner.