Red Tape

GPP Street Team Crusade #31

 

It is time for the next challenge in Michelle Ward's Street Team Crusades.   The challenge is to take inspiration from anything you chose (be it a product, an image, a process, a pattern on your china, etc), then by applying your own artistic take on it, make it your own.  Like applying your unique 'artistic signature' to it!

Recently, I acquired a roll of vintage wallpaper on Ebay.  I just love the pattern.  The thin leaf branches, extending from the  cabbage rose, are a silver metallic.  Here, it is applied to the pages in my art journal, in it's regular form:

  

I dry brushed the pages with gesso, to allow a 'glimpse' of that vintage beauty to show through.  Then I doodled my way into oblivion, to commemorate a book I was reading, Life Is A Verb, by Patty Digh. I captured the key ideas of the book in small capsules of their own.  After filling the spread with  decorative elements, using  my black Pitt pen, I added watercolor to liven up the page.  Finally, added some handwritten thoughts, inspired by the title, in the large frame segment on the right side of the spread. 

If you look closely, you can see the 'shadow' of that underlying wallpaper pattern.  It is now the mysterious foundation to an overall whole page.  Without the wallpaper, the page would be fine...but with the wallpaper, another dimension is added to make it far more interesting. 

When that wallpaper was manufactured, I imagine the designers believed it would be applied to some nice 1940-50's living room wall.  Do you see it in your mind, at your grandparent's home?  I did!  I don't suppose they ever thought it would become the foundation of a crazy art journaler's page,  in 2009. 

Fooled them..... I made it my own!

First Flowers of Spring in my neck of the woods

 

another entry for the lettering Crusade....

Here in wintery New England, we are eagerly watching for any glimpse of spring we can get!  I would personally like to rig the Punxsutawney Phil forecasts, but that wouldn't be 'real' (as we all believe in the infallability....trust in the accuracy that Phil knows what he's talkin 'bout)l  We have had a ton of rain recently, with a few scattered days of sun, and here's what we got......

These little beauties were in my friend, Jenny's yard.  I photographed then sketched and watercolored.

 

Again, in sketch/watercolor mode, I captured the next siting--my Magnolia tree blooms.

 

 

I was expecting these guys first. Though I could see the yellow buds, they didn't burst till after Miss Magnolia made her entrance.  This is pen and watercolor in my art journal.

What are the first three things to bloom in your area?

......more later

Exercised by Lettering

Check out her website for inspiration and challenges!

The latest Street Crusade, by Michelle Ward, is to play with lettering on our journal pages.  Mostly....get some!  A lot of us don't do much writing in our art journals, so  this is a chance to try some. It could be in any form.  Here are a few pages with lettering I have tried.  I am not consistent!

Background:  Watercolor wash.  Lettering:  rubberstamped and scratched lettering with a skewer dipped in India ink, smearing some. For interest, I like mixing the lettering forms (i.e.stamps + handwriting).   Used oil pastels and watercolor to add in some additional color. 

  This was one of those pages on which I wanted to vent, but not be very readable at first glance.  Background:   matte medium transfer.  Lettering:  with Pitt pen, I wrote over the whole thing horizontally, rotated the page and rewrote over top the first layer, forming  a grid.

  Background:  Layered paint and photo. Lettering:   I made a computer generated library card  list, then used that list to write some more additional thoughts in a scratchy print (Pitt pen)...changing up direction of writing segments.  Also doodled a title "Top 10" to make more interest.

  Background:  DTP distressed ink pad rubbed around, newspaper and picture embellisments added. Lettering:  'Wallflower' was done in 2 tone markers then pen outlined, 'Swashbuckler' was a doodle that I embellished as I went (Pitt pen).   This page was a play on those GE ads in magazines where two unlikely people paired up then created the kitchen that suited them both!  I think they are great adverts.

  "Creative Mind' wording is done on black cardstock, with a calligraphy nib/pen and gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous Pearlescent Ink. Scribbles are bleach pen and metallic marker.  I am not a calligraphy expert in any way.  I have learned a bit of Italic, but for the most part, this is just slanted handwriting and  flowing scribbles in different colors.   This sheet has been folded in half and is now a cover for a few sheets bound into it.

  Background stages:  layers of torn text, glued on with matte medium, brushed over with gesso.  Made random marks with texture  and a few  light watercolors. It is actually a much ‘whiter’ look than this picture indicates.   Birds cut from various 'texts' and glued on.  Lettering:   I just doodled to fill up space. (Black Pitt pen or Sharpie fine point).  Also rubberstamped a quote with Staz On Ink (waterproof). Filled the curl of the ribbon,  with some journaling.  Wrote down the bars doodle at the far right, with pencil.

 

   AFTER:   I applied watercolor to the drawn doodles, with my Niji waterbrush pen (love this!)  Also used graphite pencil, fine white Sharpie paint marker, and some typed words glued to birds.  I counted 8 different types of lettering on this page.

Now that I have your attention:  What kind of white pen do you prefer, and why? (I am having issues!)

.....until later.