Wednesday 30 November 2011

aRT eVERY dAY mONTH ~ the last day

Well, here it is, the last day of November and the last day of Art Every Day Month.

Today I did a double page in my journal.  I applied the acrylic paints directly to the page on the left, whilst the page on the right had a layer of gesso to start with.


I haven't decided what I am going to do with this background.  I may journal on it about the month's experience.  Or I may not.

In the meantime I would like to thank Leah who set up the challenge.  And thanks to everyone who has visited my blog every day and especially to those who have left comments.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

AEDM ~ penultimate day

29 days down and only one to go!

And today I did two pieces of art.

This is the page in my AEDM journal using Dylusions spray inks as watercolours and then Neocolor II crayons on top



The second piece is for a friend ~ if she approves of it!


Monday 28 November 2011

AEDM - day 28

I'm so pleased that I have managed to do some art every day for 28 days.  Only two more days of the Art Every Day Month to complete.

Here's today's art.  I randomly stuck down tissue tape across the page and then inked the page with Distress Inks.   While I was tidying up I found the tags that I'd been playing with for something else ~ can't remember what!!!  Anyway, I stuck those on and then found some rub-ons to put on.


It's hard to tell that there's any ink on the page.  When it's dry I may have to go back and ink again.  The tissue tape seems to have absorbed all the ink!

Sunday 27 November 2011

AEDM ~ 27th November

Continuing yesterday's theme of using Dylusions stamps, I stamped around the edge with a stamp from the Around the Edge set and then across the middle with stamps from the How does your garden grow set.

I drew over the stamps with Glaze pens so it looks more like me doodling than stamping.  What a cheat!


It all looks confused and over the top.  At least I've learned not to do it again!

Saturday 26 November 2011

Art Every Day Month ~ day 26

Today I experimented with gesso.

I spread a thick layer of gesso over the left hand page and stamped into it.  Each time I lifted the stamp on the left I pressed it down on the righthand page.  I used the Dylusions stamp from the Further Round the Edge set.   The page on the right is ready for tomorrow.

When the gesso was dry I sprayed it with Dylusions mica ink.




When the ink was totally dry I stamped over it with black and plum Archival Ink.  Here I used the stamps from the Dylusions Around the Edge set.
And then played a bit with some lettering.


Friday 25 November 2011

AEDM ~ day 25


I didn't have very long for today's experiment and you can tell - 'cos it doesn't look finished!

I stamped with black archival ink using some new stamps from Anneliese and then put a very thin coat of gesso over.   When it was dry I used Distress Stains over the top - Weathered Wood, Wild Honey and Peeled Paint.  I used a wet paint brush to blend them and after drying wiped the ink off with a baby wipe.    Then I stamped over the images with Distress Ink.

Thursday 24 November 2011

AEDM ~ day 24 ~ Thanksgiving

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK but I thought I would use it as a theme for trying out various lettering.

I tried out the different alphabet stamps, that I have been collecting lately, around the edge of the page.  Then I tried out 5 different styles of lettering that I found in copies of Somerset Studio.   I used Ranger Distress Inks for the background - Seedless Preserves and Ripe Persimmon.  I used these inks to paint inside the letters.


Wednesday 23 November 2011

AEDM ~ day 23

Continuing from yesterday's background and inspired by pages by Karen Grunberg and Roben-Marie Smith I did this page today.  I think the heart was better before I drew round it with the black pen and it is possibly too big in proportion to the rest of the page.  But then the whole point of doing these daily pages is to experiment.


Tuesday 22 November 2011

Art Every Day Month ~ day 22


I love the background of this.  I spread gesso with an old credit card so that there was some texture.  When it was dry I put watered-down acrylic paint with a brush and add some lime green with the credit card.   The numbers are stickers which I then coloured over with Neocolor crayons.

Monday 21 November 2011

AEDM ~ 19, 20 & 21

I was so busy over the weekend that I didn't get time to blog but I did do some art every day.

Day 19
I went to a workshop run by Anneliese to make a Junque Journal.  However instead of making it using a composition book we altered an old library book instead.

Here are 3 sets of pages that I did.




Day 20
On Sunday after church I went to the Solihull Crop where I had a fun time.  It is, however, where I get to hone my procrastination skills and come home having done very little.   Yesterday I managed to start a minibook that I have been commissioned to make through WhollyCreative and here's a sneak peek of it.






Day 21 - Today
This page, back in my journal, is a practice piece for use in a different journal!!!   Random pieces of paper were glued to the page with matte medium and then a layer of gesso put over.  Whilst the gesso was wet I dry brushed some acrylic paint around the edges.  When it was dry I stamped with my new Paperartsy stamps and then coloured the flowers with a Neocolor crayon and a wet brush.


Friday 18 November 2011

AEDM ~ day 18

This morning I was watching some technique videos by Moira Richardson over on the Art Journaling group I belong to.

So today for Art Every Day Month I have done a page of experimenting with different techniques.

First I used Ranger Alcohol Inks through a stencil.  Alcohol Inks are supposed to be used on glossy card but I've tried them on cartridge paper before and they were okay.  I hadn't tried them with a stencil before though.  I did some with the blender and some without.

Then I sprayed some Dylusions inks over the paper and dried it with paper towel.  I used a Wild Honey Distress Stain around the edges and then tried spraying water through the stencil on part of it.

I wrote 'experiments' with a brush and Dylusions Black Acrylic paint before outlining or dotting with a Posca Pen.   I also stamped with a Dylusions stamp and some Archival Ink.


The scruffy black bits around the edge is the black acrylic I used yesterday on the back of this page!

Thursday 17 November 2011

AEDM ~ Day 17

Another experiment courtesy of Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.  I didn't have any black gesso which what was suggested for black background so used black acrylic paint which I applied rather to thickly.  I used Neocolor II watercolour crayons to apply the colour.


Wednesday 16 November 2011

AEDM ~ Day 16

I ordered some Crafters Worskhop stencils, a Kaisercraft stamp and some Hero Arts alphabet stamps and they all came this week so I thought I would try them out.


Tuesday 15 November 2011

AEDM ~ 15th November

This piece was relaxing to do but I don't like the finished result.  The words are totally overpowered by the background.


Monday 14 November 2011

AEDM ~ Day 14

Wow! Almost half way through the month and still on track.

While I've been taking part in Art Every Day Month I have been trying out different techniques hoping that eventually I will identify a style that's really me.   Today's technique is really simple.  Derwent Intense Pencils and water.


Sunday 13 November 2011

Saturday 12 November 2011

AEDM ~ day 12

And I'm still going.

This is inspired by a page and tutorial by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer using watercolours.  I dripped some Dylusions spray inks down the page and then drew with a waterproof Posca pen.  That in itself is amazing for me. Normally I would draw it with a pencil and then go carefully over the lines and get annoyed with myself when I didn't get the lines right.  But I aimed for total freedom of line drawing and splodged paint on wherever it landed.

And I'm really pleased with it.

Friday 11 November 2011

Should I or shouldn't I ....

... take part in Journal Your Christmas this year.

See what Shimelle has to say about Journal Your Christmas

And if I do, there's so much to decide
  • type of journal
  • size of journal
  • art journal or scrapbook

And it's only November 11th and I don't want to think about Christmas for ages yet.

Although I did buy some rather nice stamps at the NEC


AEDM ~ 11.11.11

This has an unfinished look about it, but I lacked inspiration for anything else.


For other artwork I've been doing please look at my other blog

Here's a taster:

Thursday 10 November 2011

AEDM ~ 10th November

Well, I'm 10 days in to Art Every Day through the month of November and I'm still going.

A third down.  Two thirds to go.
10 days in.  20 days to go!
33.33% done.  66.66%  to go.

Well you get the picture! 

And here's what I've done today.  It's definitely a technique page.  I'm not sure whther I'm going to do anything else to it or just write what technique I used and leave it that.



What do you think?

In no particular order ~ 10 on the 10th

If you're not a Strictly Come Dancing fan I should look away now!

Here are 10 of my favourite moments from Strictly.

Tom & Camilla's Showdance in 2008


Mark & Karen's Argentine Tango
 

Chris & Ola's Charleston

 

Alesha and Matthew's Waltz

Pamela and Jame's Viennese Waltz



Matt & Aliona's Charleston to the amazing 42nd Street


Kara & Artem's Argentine Tango



Jason & Kristina's Quickstep


Holly & Artem's American Smooth



Gethin & Camilla's Waltz


So what have been your highlights?

To find links to other people's 10 things go to Shimelle's blog

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Art Every Day Month ~ 9th November

Got up and got going early today.


I stamped with the Iced Spruce Distress Ink and then with Black Archival over the top to try to give depth to the flowers.   The page looks more monochrome in the photo than in the journal.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

AEDM 8th November

Here's today's page:


And an update of the chart page:


Monday 7 November 2011

AEDM - days 6 & 7

I didn't complete a journal page for day 6 however I did do some art!   I prepared the background for day 6 and part of the background for day 7.


The page on left started with a covering of Dylusions black Primer.   And here it is after some more acrylic paint, stamping and writing.  Who knew I had so many colours of Stickles!


And here's Day 7.


Saturday 5 November 2011

AEDM ~ 5th November



heART quilt


I was inspired by a friend's piece of artwork to do this today

Friday 4 November 2011

AEDM ~ Day 4

Today I thought I would try out some of the other new things I haveacquired ~ whether bought earlier or yesterday at the show.

I am using the Art Every Day Month to try out different techniques to see if there are ones I particularly like and should develop further.

Today I used the new Ranger Distress Inks ~ Ripe Persimmon (orange) and Seedless Preserves (purple) plus the new Papermania stamps I bought yesterday and two of the stencils.   I only bought 3 stencils so you've seen all of them in action now!


AEDM ~ 3rd November

Yesterday I spent the day at the NEC helping out on the Craftsulove stand which left very little time for doing a page in my November journal.

Earlier in the week I had found this video

Knowing new products that come out in the States take a while to arrive here in the UK, at the show I was most surprised to find the 6x6 version of the stencil used in the video.

So here is my take on it, using another stencil that I bought yesterday.


Wednesday 2 November 2011

AEDM ~ Day 2

This has taken me all day.  I'd do a bit and then go and do something else and then do a bit etc.  This afternoon I was shredding 6 years of child protection paperwork and the shredder had to keep cooling down!

Consequently it was dark by the time I finished this journal page and so the photo is not as good as it might be.


Tuesday 1 November 2011

Art Every Day Month: day 1

I've started ... so I'll finish. 

I mean it this time.   Honestly.   I'm going to do some art every day for the month of November.   And put a photo of it here on my blog.

Today I did the intro page:

And a chart page to record what I have done each day for the month.
I borrowed the idea from Kate Crane.  She is featured in the latest edition of Somerset Studio.  I have tried to do the monthly calendar before but haven't ever managed to finish it. 

Story of my life!!!!  And a story that needs to change.