enjoyed a bit of studio time today
cast is off, finger quite stiff and sore but am limbering it up. stiches come out next week.
pecan pie purchased for tomorrow. now tea and a wee rest. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I am thankful for so many things including you. xo Diana
I'm thanking you here for all of your get well wishes in lieu of separate replies. I appreciate it. Very much.
It's taking me awhile to get back on my feet.
Last Thursday and Friday mornings I was in the studio again. Sewing and patching eco paper. Very slowly.
Spending some time on business stuff in the afternoons. My stomach is still upset from the antibiotic.
My hand just feels very weird and uncomfortable. I looked at some old journals and thought about my birdies and how nice they would all look wearing hats. Birds wearing hats makes me smile.
I got knocked down (as the song goes) but I'll get up again. Eventually. Happy Monday. xo - Diana
Safely home from MD and now for something completely different. Sumi Smoosh was named by one of my students some years ago during a class. This post and the accompanying videos are from June 2010. So here ya' go: Sumi Smoosh with Vellum let's get to it!
The YouTube videos are linked at the end of the post.
Supply List
White Vellum Paper (you can use other types of paper)
Plastic folder, or sheet that you can fold
Inks: 2 colors and a metallic (or what you have on hand)
Spray inks or spray bottles (1 per color, I use Ranger's Mini-Misters)
If you don't have the spray bottles you can just drop some ink onto the plastic sheet
Brayer (or just rub your hand over the plastic to move it around)
Water
RUBBER GLOVES!
alcohol, needle and thread, tapes
First open up your plastic folder (clear plastic) and drop or spray some inks in like so:
Have a great weekend everyone! xo Diana
This month's Taming the Critic post is about free writing (and yes, I can hear y'all groaning out there.)
Here's your mission: print out a few copies of the Clouds picture (pdf is linked below). Sit down with your favorite pen and write. Whatever is on your mind can be your starting point. *Nothing* could also be just fine. Write for 20 minutes straight through, no thinking. Just spill the beans. Julia Cameron suggests starting with "I don't know what to write." Thoughts will tumble into your mind. Write big and sloppy. Pay no attention to grammar or spelling
Why Am I Procastinating?
Free writing is theraputic. Fold those papers up, put them in an envelope marked "PERSONAL and PRIVATE." Although people rarely take the time to read someone's writing, especially when it is sloppy.
If you like origami, here is a little video that shows how to make an envelope from a single sheet of paper. I wrote on the back of my papers and folded them into an envelope. Like Fort Knox.
I wrote on the front of my papers too. I folded them all up and put them into a bowl. You could put them in your journal.
Face your critic. He/she is probably very familiar and less scary than you think. Have a great weekend.
xo - Diana
Download Clouds journal page
in the sketchbook, continued from here
and 5 hours of skectching on Labor Day
an interpretation of an Alica Burke idea
In the dye notebook: observations, notes, lists. So much to gather right now. I'm going to devote myself to that and finalizing my syllabus(es? syllabii?) for upcoming classes. And start putting together my next online offering.
Crocheting small bowls again, trying to get proficient enough to make the fanciful shapes in the sketchbook. Felt and dye, stitch and embellish. Helping put together an big Art Quilt show. If you are a quilter, let me know and I'll send you to the Call for Artists (due up by the weekend or thereabouts).
Online: Tacket Book or Beginner Art Journaling? You decide via comments. I just can't.
An idea for you and your journal for this long holiday weekend.
Firstly, go through your magazines and look for patterns. Cut out some strips. Or get out your patterned tapes.
Next just get some color down on the page. It could be markers, watercolors, thinned acrylics. Whatever you have. My caran d'ache were handy.
I washed out the watersoluble caran d'ache. Let it dry and used a fat black marker to make the first pattern: stripes. Washi tapes were the easiest thing so I used 'em. My intention is to fill up the spaces between the strips of black and washi patterns with hand drawn patterns.
My mind has gone into a quiet state. Crocheting and letting my mind rest as I contemplate the "what" of it all. As in: what is my intention. Just walk away for awhile. I'll finish that page and post it next week. Here are some of the colors I created using the windfall papers as source. Always an interesting exercise.
Time Machine Posts are a new regular feature on my blog, 3rd Friday of the month, beginning today! For this feature, I'm going back through my archives to find cool tutorials and posts. Sometimes there will be a twist.
Today's post is Fun with Citrasolve and the National Geographic. The first time I posted this was in 2010 on the old Hub Bub here. Video is below.
Since then, I haven't seen any real difference in using old or new Nat Geo's and have done this with other magazines as well (try the magazines with heavier paper though).
You can be selective about what you choose to dissolve with the citrasolve. Paint it on only in some areas. Try using no-detail stencils to add further interest. This is such a fun and easy way to build your stash of decorative papers or journal starters. Happy Friday, everyone!
It's not been the best of weeks. Computer crashed, I crashed, now email crashed. The computer and I are better. The email - meh. We'll see. But the journal never crashes. No motherboards or outgoing server rejection or unexplained fevers.
Let's do it LIVE!
21 Secrets 2014 Art Journaling will have a live version in 2014. That means once a week there will be a live streaming webcast with Connie and one of the participating artist/teachers from 21 Secrets. It's like a TV show on the web and you'll be able to ask questions and participate via the chat box.
Who: Connie Hozvicka and one of the 21 Secrets artists/teachers every week.
What: Connie and the teacher of the week will talk art journaling, give tips, answer questions. It is a mini-class like 21 Secrets but you'll be seeing us making art in real time and you are encouraged to journal along. You'll be able to follow along, ask questions and talk with your fellow students via the chat box.
You'll need: a computer with solid internet access and a free account at Spreecast.
Here are the sale prices. As you can see, the earlier you purchase, the better the deal!
August 12 - September 1 :: $95
September 2 - October 6 :: $105
October 7 - November 3 :: $115
November 4 - January 14 :: $125
I'll be giving away 2 free memberships so watch out for that. You can see more information over at Connie's siteTo purchase, go use the 21 Secrets LIVE button on my sidebar. Woot. I'm up for a new adventure. How about you?
Ideas are like eggs. Eggs burst with symbolism. There is wonder in holding an egg.
Squinching up my handwriting so it's illegible is a good trick. So is writing backwards and turning your journal upside down and writing. My students like that because they can write in their journals and nobody can read it. I've always loved the pattern produced by writing and, let's face it, nobody really cares (except you) what you write in your journal.
It's one of those things like wearing the same clothes twice in a weeks. Nobody notices. And nobody is going to work real hard to read.
Spending some quality time with my journal lately. This is a larger one 9" x 12" (about).
My studio is my favorite place by far to journal. Everything is right there. As much as it is good to have the journal kit, I greatly miss my studio in July when the AC just can't keep up.
Looks like this will be a good week.
PS: I really like the white spaces in this piece.
Happy Monday!
