Organized Ephemera

Daily Paper Prompt #54 - Organize Ephemera.

Well- I didn't do this in one day - this is how I am all the time.  And this isn't all the ephemera I have!  I can organize and categorize things forever - sometimes I spend more time organizing than creating - and it drives me nuts!  And then, of course - there's the organizing so well that you don't remember where you organized something to!  But I love my boxes.  The two large ones stay at home all the time.  The black accordion box comes with me if we are driving someplace on holiday, and the little green accordion holder come with me when I fly.   That way  I have little bits with me - and then I add to them wherever I am.

No art today because I was stamping last night and again today.  Hopefully I'll get a bit of doodling in later.

Have a good day!

Joan

White and Neon

Daily Paper Prompt #52 - White Page

This went completely in it's own direction.  I had scrounged up a number of white things and was just going to create a collage - but one of the white things was a feather from a bunch I had picked up after our Terry Fox Run yesterday morning.    I was only going to add one feather - but then I drew the face on a separate piece of paper, cut her out and gave her feather hair.  A bit creepy maybe - but I had fun and that's what counts.

Daily Paper Prompt #53 - Triangles

Can you tell I used neon paint!?  I didn't clean my brush between colours all the time - so I got a bit of a mixture.  They certainly don't work the same way as acrylic paints!  I was going to doodle in each of them, or outline them in black - but I decided just to let them be.

Hope your day is great - 

Create something fun today.

Joan

Bordering Zentangle

Daily Paper Prompt #51 - Borders

Some of the spray ink from the previous page went over onto this one - so I just added a bit more and some stencils.  Then I drew some borders before adding one of my favourite zentangles to the inside.  I've never drawn a border before - but I can see where I'd like to do it a bit more often.

Have a creating day!

Joan

Vogue - Negative - Fall

Daily Paper Prompt #49 - Vogue

This was difficult!  We were suppose to create an imaginary magazine cover including headlines for articles.  That was the tough part.  But I just picked things that have been happening right now - 

Daily Paper Prompt  #50 - Negative Space.

This was fun - I painted a bit of a background so the "negative" wasn't stark white.  I then adhered a silhouette cut out from a magazine and painted around it….then added some thoughts.

I also spent the weekend working on a piece for my front entry.  It took a number of transformations, but I'm happy with the end result.

I'm hoping to get some more arting done tonight - I've been designing Christmas cards - so I'd like to get a bit messy before designing more.

Have a great day

Create something negative.

Joan

Abstract Girl

This abstract girl is for the Tangents & Tactics series I'm doing with Tammy at Daisy Yellow.  I practised drawing some quick faces last week - and then added a face to a background that I already had in one of my books.

I didn't have the high flow acrylics that Tammy suggested - so I used my Stampin'Up! reindeers.  They worked differently because they are ink instead of paint - but the effect is similar.  It took them FOREVER to dry, and when I spritzed them they bled together nicely.  I added some white strands to the hair to help with the definition.

My only regret is the chunk of washi tape on her chin! But it was on  the page already.

Hope your day is fab!

Create something abstract today.

Joan

Staples, Circles and a Ransom Note

Daily Paper Prompt - Day 46 - Staple Collage

I like doing these staple collages - everything isn't completely tacked down - so you can peak underneath the layers.  I tore apart one of my old cards and used pieces in this.  

Daily Paper Prompt - Day 47 - Stamping Circles

I scraped paint onto my page for the background and then used plastic lids, a couple thread spools and a couple Stampin'Up! stamps to create the circles.  

Daily Paper Prompt - Day 48 - Ransom Note

I had a hard time coming up with a note for this prompt.  I had words spread all over my desk and then this quietly evolved.  I had the first word as "We" but changed it at the last minute.

It's been a good arting day so far - lots of catching up!

Hope your having a good day - 

Create something everyday.

Joan

Brainstorming & Leaves

Daily Paper Prompt #43 - Brainstorming

I decided to brainstorm about things I thought I could spend forever doing.  I don't think about what I like to do that much - I know what I feel like doing from time to time, but over the years, the activities that have made me happy change as my ability to do them changes.  Like horseback riding.  I love galloping through a field, but I'm not sure that I will ever get on a horse again in my life.

There's not much doodling on this page - but I tried to change up my fonts and the direction I was writing.

Daily Paper Prompt #44 - Acrylic Leaf Prints.

I love fall - mostly because I love shuffling my feet through dry fallen leaves….so this was nice to pick leaves that were still supple and to print with them using acrylic paint.  I've done leaf rubbings with classes, but not paint prints - lots of fun!

I'm working on catching up with my Paper Prompts - so there may be more than one post in a day.

Have a good one -

Do some brainstorming today.

Joan

Hand Lettering outside the Box

Daily Paper Prompt #42 - Hand Lettering

I did this page the day after the prompt - but I used the events of the day for the prompt.  It's kinda hard coming up with different ways for lettering - but I managed.

The words were inspired by the different ways I lived outside of my box that day.  I don't usually talk to strangers - I don't usually talk when I'm in a big group of people I know…

1) - I had a mochachino with a muffin for breakfast (downtown Banff) and that is NOT the sort of thing I have for breakfast!

2) I answered a couple of strangers when they asked what kind of bird was hopping at our feet while we were all waiting to cross the street - it was a magpie and I went on to talk a bit about it.

3) When passing a restaurant I saw a wife whose husband was reading the menu on the outside of the building.  I stopped and told her that if they hadn't eaten there before, the food was good.  She seemed to appreciate the information.

4) A group of tourists were standing in a line outside a store with a friend taking their picture on an iPad.  I asked if he would like to be in the picture too - they were all happy about that.

5)  And this is the biggest step outside the box.  I was invited to the Spa at the Banff Springs Hotel with a couple of women from the conference.  I did not have a bathing suit, and would have been happy to lounge and doodle in an art book…..but since we had to drive downtown, I was given the opportunity to go to the Bay to buy a swimsuit - in 5 MINUTES.  And I did it….ran in, found one, looked at the size and bought it -WITHOUT TRYING IT ON.  

And - since it was just such a perfect day from the beginning…..the bathing suit fit and it's one I think I'll be keeping in my suitcase for just such an opportunity in the future.

It's scary to live outside the box sometimes - but sometimes it works too!

Hope your day is great - 

Create some outside of the box art today.

Joan.

Quickly Drawn Faces

I've got a couple of things on the go right now….things I started working on in Banff this past weekend, but want to clean up - or finish up before I post them.

On top of that, I had to do this little piece before working on my next Tangents & Tactics piece.  I was suppose to divide a card into little squares (I used a half sheet of card stock) and then fill each square quickly with little faces.  It was fun to do - but a bit hard to figure out how to not let them all look the same.  Practise, practise, practise!

I realize I'm behind on my Daily Paper Prompts too - trying to find a day just to spend arting.  It will come….eventually.

Hope your day is going well.

Create some faces today.

Joan

Evening Mandala

I'm just sharing a quick mandala I did last night.  I sure do need continued practise on getting shapes equal in size!  Oh well - it's just a bit wonky - like me!

The paint is layered on a piece of scrapbook paper that is in this little (and my first) found paper book.  I scraped the paint on with a plastic card - it was probably paint that was left over while doing another project.  I'm always using up leftover paint by scraping, brushing dragging it onto pages in my books to create interesting backgrounds.

I've been packing up my arting stuff, ready to go to Banff for the weekend.  It's so hard to know what to pack because I don't know what I'll need - the Girl Guide in me wants to be prepared, but I can't take EVERYTHING!  

I'll be catching up on my Daily Paper Prompts, and working on other things - so I'm looking forward to the trip very much.  

Create something wonky today.

Have a good one!

Joan

Scraping Paint

Prompt #41 - Scraping Paint

This is the page I did last year and it is probably the page I least like out of all the ones I did.  I think it's the colours I chose, because scraping paint is lots of fun!  

Here's a mandala I did on a watercolour background while sitting next to the river in downtown Banff. What a beautiful August day that was!

Have a wonderful day!

Create something but scraping something away!

Joan

Puzzled

I'm close to finishing the Daily Paper Prompts that I skipped last year - and rejoin where I left off.  This prompt, #34 is "puzzled".  I took a puzzle that I have that has "child sized" pieces as well as small ones, put a few of them together and traced them into my book.  

I used my watercolour crayons to colour them in, and then zentangled them.

I am suppose to make a list for today - but I'll save that for tomorrow…..and I will probably try to redo tomorrows prompt.  I was not happy with last years result!  Guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see.

Until then - create something that fits together.

Joan

Catchup...

Well, I have a bit of catchup to do.  I'm getting to the point where I will be creating new things for the Daily Paper Prompts because I didn't do them all last year; and there are a couple I skipped last year.

One of them was "Creative Reading".  I guess that this time last year I didn't have many books on journaling, or zentangles, or just creating.  I have increased my library a bit and the four books pictures are just a few.  I was introduced to "Journal Fodder" by Eric Scott and David Modler by Emily.  She was lucky to have been able to take a workshop with these authors.  I have skimmed the book, but beginning in August I decided that I was going to work through some of their prompts - and some of them have been shown on the blog already.

Zentangle Untangled by Kass Hall, was given to me by my husband and was my first zentangle book.  I have a couple more now!

"Raw Art Journaling" by Quinn McDonald has some interesting ideas.  I haven't delved into it very far yet.

"Art Journal Freedom" by Dina Wakley has pages marked for me to refer to - It has lessons and then little assignments too.

So that's were I get some of my inspiration and where I get to learn new things.  That's in addition to the blogs I follow and the challenges there.  I am a sucker for challenges!

Daily paper prompt #31 was "finishing".  Well, I started this a week ago and finished it tonight.  There are a couple of other things I've started and not finished yet - but this is the most recent.  

Daily Paper Prompt #32 was "invent a font".  

The Tangents and Tactics I completed here is "Beach Umbrella" - I followed Tammy's tutorial and filled in the spaces with words ----and invented a new font as I went.  I love doing this little doodle so I just added it to my letters.

I'll do the Beach umbrella technique again - and share some photos.

Until then,

Create something new everyday…..or do your best - 'cause sometimes life happens and gets in the way.

Joan

Painted Lines

Prompt #39 - Paint lines

Now - the whole purpose of this exercise was to not get hung up on having perfectly straight lines….which is good.  I did use my watercolours for this so that's why some of the lines are thick and thin as they go across the page.  Looking back, I remember I was working on these last few pages while I was in Banff staying at the Banff Springs Hotel.  What a wonderful place to sit and create!

Earlier this year, at Emily Lagore's birthday arting evening - I created the basis of this page; painting circles and lines.  Finally in August I drew some mandala flowers within the paint.  I really like how some of these turned out!

Have a good day.

Create something everyday.

Joan

Colour Grid

Prompt #38 - Colour Grid

Just playing with water-colour paint - mixing colours and adding them to a grid I drew out to begin with.

In August I played around with water-colour and my brushes to experiment and see how they moved.  I then began working on a set of prompts from the book "Journal Fodder 365"  The first week was to focus on "I am" - so I decided to jot down different adjectives to describe who I am within the little paint markings.  This is not an easy process!  I tend to dwell more on the negative aspects of who I am - although those are the ones that are the hardest to write down!…..and I wrote them upside down!

Anyway - have an awesome day.

Create something outside your box!

Joan

Block Letters

Prompt #37 - Block Letters

I've never done anything like this before - drew the lines on the page first and then wrote out my favourite scripture verse.  I had to flow from one line to the other with one word, but I had fun filling in the letters with vines.  All the little splatters of blue and neon pink come from a future page.  Yikes!

Sharing another mandala from my Fire book in Winnipeg.

Have a good day.

Block off some time to create something!

Joan

Messing with Paint

Prompt #36 - Messing with Paint

Oh there's something therapeutic about splashing paint around.  Not a lot of thought went into this, but I think because I already had the orange ink daubes at the top, I went with round splatters of paint.  Fun, fun, fun!

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I picked up a couple books this summer on art journaling to try to get a better handle on my collages and such.  One book was "Art Journal Freedom" by Dina Wakley.  She gives little lessons on colour and composition, and then little assignments.  One of the things she includes in her collages quite a bit are silouhettes.  But it's so easy!!!!  She cuts models out of fashion magazines and then spray paints them black - easy peasy!  This woman was holding a megaphone, and I liked her stance - so she was my first try.  And along with that came the inspiration from the words to one of Stephen Curtis Chapman's songs that I love.

I had fun with a stencil technique from the book too - a process I'll share another time.

Have a wonderful day!

Create something splattery.

Joan

Documented Markers

Prompt #35 - Document Markers

This was an easy one to do (although the colours would be a bit different this year if I did it again).  I love our Stampin'Up! makers and it was fun to create a page documenting them in their colour groups.

I had a lot of fun this summer creating some found paper books.  I found some ratty old Hardy Boy books at Value Village - took their insides out and created art journals using the new binding process that Emily and Karly taught me earlier this year…which I have a brief description of in THIS POST.  I think one of the things I enjoy about making art journals is creating the covers.  I never know how they're going to turn out!

Have a fun day!

Create something colourful!

Joan

Grid Collage

I haven't had time to sit and art for a couple of days, so I'm quickly sharing something I was working on a couple weeks ago.  It came from Tangents and Tactics over at DaisyYellow and Tammy Garcia.  

First I had to create a grid of paint…..I selected colours that I liked, but I was NOT suppose to clean off my brush between colours.  That way, different colours got included in each little grid.  I liked this idea a lot!

One the paint was dry I added little bits of ephemera to each block.  I have all sorts of little bit of things that catch my eye - so this was  wonderful way to get rid of them.

My favourites…..the saddle shoes!!!!!, arc de triomphe, keys, music.

Create with little bits today.

Have a good one.

Joan