Jumping In with Journal52: Week One

I am happy to be starting 2014 off with a few new art adventures.  The first is Journal52, which is a weekly online art prompt and the second is called Creative Jumpstart 2014.  So with the first creative prompt of "up, up and away" and with some inspiration from "jumping," I created my first journal spread of 2014.

I used a journal I had on hand.  In order to keep the book sturdy I plan to reinforce each page with tape.  I think it will end up pretty thick as things progress.  The tape shown here is hot new product from Graphic 45.  I am absolutely in love with it.

I tried to get the texture thing going on this page with layers of ink, molding paste by Liquitex, distress stain, stickels and a few drips of alcohol inks.  I also buffed on some gilders paste, edged my pages with stain and used pencil to make marks and scribble.

The circles were from prints I made on a friends gelli plate a few weekends ago.  I was happy to put one of my freshly made images to use in my journal.  Lots of details and marks were added with markers, paint pens and even water.  I love playing with the distress stains, you can achieve some great texture with this product since it interacts with water.  Here is where I used Natalie's prompts from Creative Jumpstart, using household items to make my marks.

My goal in this book is to actually journal!  This is a tough one for me...one.  Not only do I have to be open to commit words to a page, I have to scribble my handwriting all over the page, which while it may seem simple, for me it is a daunting task.  

Let's see if I can keep this momentum grooving!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Mermaid Metal Deck

I have to say that my Steampunk Metal Deck is probably one of my favorite creations to date.  When I took this class from Leighanna Light I was so inspired, I purchased another blank deck with the intention to make a mermaid themed project.  I am so very excited to finally have the chance to show it off.



This book is quite heavy and has lots of flotsam and jetsam.  By using all kinds of charms, found objects and trinkets I was able to add the element of movement to this book.  It was difficult to find wire similar to what we had in class for the binding.  I finally scavenged some from a construction site I walk by near work.  The gauge was really too heavy for the project, but I just had a make it work moment.



I used lots of gesso, stamps and stencils when making the backgrounds of each page.  Texture was the intended goal.  The carved mermaid trinket below was given to me by my cousin Gail.  I am so glad to have finally found a use for it.  I added a bit of paint and rub as well as rub and buff to bring out some of the intricately carved details. 

This was one of my favorite pages.  I love the look of the real sand as well as the rusted mermaid with her filigree backdrop.  The texture of the wavy page is delightful too.  The sand used here was from Mud Puddles.  I ran out of it quickly though and had to improvise on a few other pages. I was surprised at what I was able to achieve with a bit of experimenting. 

This is another top notch set of pages.  The one with Graphic 45's Botanicabella has to be my favorite.  I affixed my altered crab a bit off the page and then managed to use the holes by his legs to attach more junque.  There is also lots of texture made with my very own sand mixture. 

The stencil I used here reminded me of bubbles, fitting in with the underwater idea.  I love the big carved fish too.

Lots more stuff that I rusted is on display here.  I just love putting age on items and transforming them into little relics.  Here I also tapped into some old German scrap that I have been hording.  I had an entire sheet of really interesting fish and shells. 



This art stamp is on that I really enjoy so I was happy to find another application for it.  I also used many random fibers I had on hand to add to the flotsam and jetsam.  Some of them were bits of silk that I hand dyed as taught to me by Joanne Huffman.  I thought the color palate of the fibers fit well with the project, while adding antother textural element. 



The patina on this seahorse took a few times to get it right, working with this medium is very unpredictable at times. 



The image on this card is by Sheila Wolk. She has some really pretty mermaid imagery in her work. I had been hanging on to this greeting card for quite some time.  This special project called me to use it and I have no regrets. 



The waves from this stencil made for another appropriate background.  I used a heavy duty glue to attach many of my precious trinkets to my deck.

Obviously this was an amazing class if I am still using and applying my knowledge almost a year later.  Leighanna is teaching again nearby soon, perhaps I will need to indulge in another class from her! 

Cheers,

Rhea