10: Art is Magic: Make Create Express 23-24

 Empty Bowls Art Journal with Pamela Vosseller

This project included making the decorative papers, the cover, and the pages that are in the journal.  The closure is made from a wooden spoon.  Its handle fits through a paper loop attached to the cover paper before it's glued down.

This is the front cover, which was made by crumpling deli paper, and pressing it onto a gel plate with different acrylic paint colors, letting it dry, and then gluing it onto the cut backing.  The front and back covers were made the same way, but from different pulls off the gel plate, so they are a bit different:

The pages are made by cutting the decorative papers to shape and gluing them onto handmade paper from India, and adding marks, using black and white pens and other colors for mark making.  Then the paper is glued onto larger black cardstock:

And this is the back:

I used a thin red string to wrap around the book and tie it off by hooking it under the spoon.

This project was one of my favorites and took the longest of the classes I've taken so far in Make Create Express 23-24.  I had to order the black cardstock and the handmade paper from India.  When everything was ready, all the steps took a while, and I took my time to get things right or re-do them if the first pass didn't work out.  

This kind of handmade artwork is so much fun to do, especially since mistakes are expected and add to the preciousness of the finished piece.  

9: Art is Magic: Make Create Express 23-24

Bloom with Saskia van Drunen

8. Art is Magic: Make Create Express 23-24

 Happy Hound, Free Creative Weekend with Emma Petitt

I created another art piece from this class for a friend of mine who has a cat.  This is Henry, who loves the little foster kittens his mom, Kim, brings home for him to take care of.  Isn't he gorgeous?

Henry is the Cover Cat on a little booklet I made with various papers.  He's pure black (and white), and the undercolors are peeking through his beautiful black coat.  

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Expressive Creatures, Mini Lesson by Galia Alena

This was my sketch that I made on the back of an envelope, to see if it was something I wanted to do.  I actually ended up loving this little creature more than the painting I did in my art journal.  

And here's my creature that I did in the journal:

These were actually fun to do.  I never draw faces, so this was something really new for me and I think with some practice I might do okay with faces.  Especially quirky faces, which is probably what I'd enjoy the most.

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 Fractured Portrait:  Mini Lesson with Galia Alena

5. Art is Magic: Make Create Express 23-24

There is Never a Shortage with Fonda Clark Haight, Week 5 of 52

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Spring Blooms Collage with Francisca Nunes, Week 4 of 52

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 Nature Mandala with Consie Sindet:  Week 3 of 52

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 Prayer Flags with Rakefet Hadar, Week 2 of 52

Paper:

Various cloth pieces and ephemera:

Sari pieces: 

1. Art is Magic: Make Create Express 23-24

  A Still Life of Colours with Kim Dellow, Week 1 of 52

Hot Colours - Tag Tuesday

The Challenge for this two-week period on Tag Tuesday is "Hot Colours."  That goes right along with the weather we're having right now in the high desert - HOT.  

I actually love all these colors, they are happy and expressive and fun to use.  

As usual, my artwork is crowded and busy - I just can't seem to stop, you know?  😁

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

Greyscale - Sunday Postcard Art

The Challenge this week at Sunday Postcard Art is "Greyscale."  

I've not been doing much arting lately, and I'm missing it!  This looked interesting to me, so I decided to give it a try.  I recently heard this quote, and decided to build my greyscale artwork around it, so I'd have something to remember it.  I do that a lot when I hear or read things I want to remember - make a graphic with the saying and save the artwork.

So, here it is - I took a little artistic license and added some color to the greyscale:

It makes so much sense, I'd never seen this quote before or even thought about the concept. I told a teenager about it, and he wasn't sure it was true. 

I think that, only as we get older, would this make sense. A young person doesn't have a backward glance to see how and why things really happened sometimes. So it's probably a matter of perspective, and at my age, it makes complete sense, but an 18-year-old doesn't have that same perspective.  

Interesting, right?

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

Unusual Hat - Digital Whisperer

The current challenge at Digital Whisperer is "Unusual Hat."  

 I've been wanting to make something Steampunk, and this is the one that ended up being my steampunk artwork.  I don't know why, sometimes it just takes looking at one element, and my mind takes off, and that's what happened today with the Unusual Hat challenge.

This was so much fun to create, and I love the colors!  Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

 

Red Roses - Sunday Postcard Art

 

This week's Challenge at Sunday Postcard Art is, "Red Roses."

I immediately thought of a graphic I downloaded free from DigitalScrapbook.com.  In fact, many of the elements in my artwork this week came from this website.  I'm finding so many beautiful elements there - you can download five free graphics each day, but I also enjoy just purusing the graphics in the gallery, and marking "Heart this" or "Wish List." 

When I go back looking for something in particiular, or just want to snag my five free downloads for the day, I already have them in my Account Settings and I pick my five favorites for the day.  Tip:  If you do this, be aware that if you leave a comment for the designer, your freebies for the day go up by one.  And I always start with Wish List, and after downloading the element, the Wish List goes away, and I Heart the item.  There are so many elements that have been up for months or years with lots of activity and downloads, but very few people take the time to thank the designer with a Heart and/or Comment.  It seems like that's the least we can do for the time and creativity the artist put into her work.  

Anyway, this is truly a site that is, per Marisa Lerin, the owner of the site: a digital scrapbooking community designed to help you unleash your creativity. You can upgrade for unlimited downloads, and the cost per month is different for a personal or commercial license.  There are also kits that are for sale.  If you go to the site, look around and you'll find what works for you.  

I won't do a lengthy plug again, just wanted you to be aware of this website.  I'm not connected to the site in any way, except as a greatful downloader.  There are also tutorials available, and I'd love to watch some of them and start designing my own free graphics to upload to this site!  

There is a box in the right top corner that's a link to the site if you want to check it out.

To give credit to the designer who was the catalyst for this artwork, Red Roses, her name is Lisel Rice, click on her name to go to where the "rose on denim" jpg is located.

I had so much fun making this piece of digital art, I have quite a backlog of elements, and it was nice to have a bunch of new items to choose from, too!

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

Use a Photo - Art Journal Journey

For January, the Art Challenge at Art Journal Journey is:  Use a Photo.  I took a photo of a hand-made canvas journal cover I put together last year.  I love the journal, and the cover graphic turned out really well, I thought.  So it's not only a photo, but a photo of a photographer on the cover of a journal!  And I added an old camera in the corner, a theme within the theme?

The journal has three signatures and the pages are made from magazine spreads, different kinds of plain and tea-dyed papers, half pages, pages of different shapes, etc.  Most are decorated and embellished with pockets, envelopes, tags, and other kinds of ephemera.  There's even a piece of canvas in the center of the middle signature upon which I printed a photo spread of the front of my house.  

It's my favorite journal; I've had it for a year now, but so far I haven't wanted to actually journal in it... I just love looking at it. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

Snowy Winter - Art Journal Journey

The Challenge this month at Art Journal Journey is, “Snowy Winter.”

I had recently seen a photo of my chicken coop in the backyard, covered with snow from last winter.  Perfect!

So I've put the chickens and my dog Charlie into the shot with some other elements, and ended up with what might be my Christmas Card this year, lol!

I put hats on them all, if you click on the photo you can see the hens' hats, they are really cute!  And of course, Charlie is in top hat and tail(s).  

Happy Winter, everyone!  

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll see you next time!

Friends - Our Midweek Muse

"Friends" is our challenge at Our Midweek Muse this week.  

Thanks for stopping by.  See you next time...

Artist - Sunday Postcard Art

This week's  Challenge at Sunday Postcard Art is, "Artist."

I planned to find a great graphic of a famous artist, one of the Old Masters, but when I saw this man drawing on the street, my search was over.  I love this picture!

So I added a bunch of other graphic elements, and found appropriate text to include.

Originally I made this an 8x10 piece of graphic art, and when it was done and saved, I realized it was for SPA - Sunday Postcard Art!  The requirement is postcard size, 4x6 inches, so I had to change the size of my "canvas" and move all the little elements around - and re-sized - to get them back where they were in the first piece.  

GGGrrrrrr!  I hate it when that happens, and this is the third time I've made my graphic art the wrong size. 

But I'm happy with the results:

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

Bee You (Anything Goes) - Tag Tuesday

Tag Tuesday's challenge this week is, "Anything Goes." 

I was looking through some of my computer graphic elements and saw this photo of Katie, my dog who died four years ago.  Katie was a little Deer Chihuahua, my co-pilot for the seven years I full-time RVed, and she was great company.  I used to post about her on my RV blog and include photos.  

One year I used some different graphics and put her head on them to put her "in costume" for different holidays.  When I came across this one today, I decided to find some words that would go with her little picture and put Katie on my tag.

And here we are:  bee you, my little Katie Bee.

I still miss her so much!  

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

Vintage - Sunday Postcard Art

Our challenge this week at Sunday Postcard Art is "Vintage."  

I thought this scene of an older couple in their horse-drawn wagon full of what looks like all their belonging was pretty vintage!  Leaving town for a new life?  Arriving in a new town with high hopes for their future?  Whatever...  They look happy, don't they?

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

In Disguise - Our Midweek Muse

Our Midweek Muse has a fun challenge this week, "In Disguise."  There are so many options for this one!

I think this gorgeous white horse has taken a shine to the beautiful Unicorn, and he's come a-calling!  🦄♥️😊

Pretty awesome disguise, don't you think?  How can she resist?  

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

Sparkle & Shine - Try it on Tuesday

Our challenge this fortnight at Try it on Tuesday is "Sparkle & Shine."  

 I love the colors and all the sparkly gold elements!

Thanks for stopping by.  See you next time...

The Written Word - Our Midweek Muse

The challenge this week from Our Midweek Muse is "The Written Word."

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

Autumn - Try it on Tuesday

Try it on Tuesday's Challenge this week is Autumn.  I took a previous piece of digital art I'd done and reworked parts of it to turn it into a tag on a background.  I like the final piece - maybe more than it's original!

I'm really enjoying adding digital ephemera to my recent artwork, and my desk stays clean!!!

Here it is:

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

 

Gargoyles - Our Midweek Muse

The Challenge this week at Our Midweek Muse is "Gargoyles."  

I've never paid much attention to gargoyles and even had to check my spelling, but I sure found a lot of them in the research I did.  I kind of liked this guy, so I grunged up his suroundings and ended up happy with the result. 

I'm really enjoying the "Grungy Look" lately!

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...

Spells and Magic - Sunday Postcard Art

Sunday Postcard Art's Challenge this week is, "Spells and Magic."  

It's so strange how my original artwork ideas morph into completely different areas of a topic.  For this one, I was thinking more about Magic - a Magician with his Assistant on stage performing a magic trick, or tricks - that kind of scene.  And I ended up with "Wizards, Witches, Black Cats and Bats!"  

I love this piece, it was so much fun to put it together.  I hope you enjoy it, too.

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time...