DLP Title Page

I made a title page for my Documented Life Project journal back in January.  But I couldn't post it because I used a really fun napkin on the page, and I was giving some of these napkins as a gift and didn't want that person to see them.  (Napkins from Erin Smith - and by the way, the order came with fortune cookies with custom sayings inside, and her web address on the back of the strip of paper)

So, here's a look at my journal title page:

DLP Week 2

I am one of those people who works on a journal in stages.  I am committed to this Documented Life journal this year.  And I know full well that I will get behind at times.  It's a given.  But I have worked in bits and pieces on different weeks.  I am also backtracking to January to finish the challenges that I skipped earlier. 

Just because I finished Week 2 as we are well into February doesn't bother me at all.  I owned up to it, and put "completed 2-21-2015" on the page!

The assignment was to use gesso.  I guess there are so many things to do with gesso, I couldn't decide what to do exactly.  Then, a couple of days ago, I watched a webinar online by Dina Wakley.  I love her work, and I just basically repeated what she did.  (I should have used better lighting when I took these pictures.  In reality, the blue is brighter than this.)

I was happy with it yesterday, then today felt it needed more.  I added more stuff to the right side of the page spread.  I'm not sure it looks better, but there's no turning back now.

Detail shots always look much better than the full page.

Part of what I added on the right was some quotes that I jotted down during the webinar, things Dina said. 
One was "Done is better than perfect."  I may have to adopt that saying permanently.
Another was "You are the boss of the art. It's not the boss of you."

Stay tuned.  I may not be timely, but I'll catch up with the assignments eventually.

 

How cold is it?

The normally warm southern United States are experiencing brutally cold temperatures.  How cold is it?  I just saw this photo, taken in North Carolina.  This is what happens when your Jeep is coated in ice, you warm it up, then drive away.  Permanent ice sculpture left in its place.  Unreal!!

Stay warm!!

Makin' Labels

Well, I've seen other artists doing it.  Whether it is printing a journal page onto a sheet of labels or making art directly on labels, it looks like fun.

I have labels in sheets that are meant to be used in an ink jet printer.  The two sizes I used were 1-1/3 x 4 (14 per sheet) and 2 x 2 (12 per sheet).  I copied some awesome collage sheets onto them (made by my friend, artist Gaye Medbury.)  Now, the thing about printing on labels is, you have to let go of what you want to be on any given label.  When you use them, you will have parts of things on each label, which really challenges you on what to do with them.

A few weeks ago, I had brayered acrylic paint onto tags.  They were just the thing for adding labels, then adding doodles, marks, and washi tape.  It was such a simple fun thing to do, and I am chomping at the bit to do more!

Here are some of my tags and printed labels.

 

I also used circle punches to punch out parts, and used them on my goals envelopes that are in my DLP 2015 journal. 

I think I could easily get addicted to making more of these tags and labels!

Documented Life Project Week 5

This journal spread has kind of a sloppy look to it, but I was a little worried about getting too far behind in the weekly assignments for Documented Life Project 2015.  The Art Challenge for week 5 was "under paper".  That's the scrap paper we use to put under whatever we are working on, the paper where you clean your brushes, use up your paint, etc.

I have been trying to de-clutter and de-stash lately, so I didn't have much under paper on hand.  But I did have these scrap papers which were stored with other "good" stenciled papers using the same spray colors.  These are the result of spraying and stenciling, with stencils blotted on newspaper and old ledger paper.  Like I said, pretty sloppy. 

I decided not to even think much, just put it on the page.  I did prep the pages with gesso, but in retrospect, that probably wasn't needed.  I ran all these papers through a Xyron machine to put a quick adhesive on the backs, and lickety-split, all the papers were down on the page. The only thing I would change is the February calendar.  I meant to print it on old paper that is less stark white, but forgot.  So, I'll tone it down each time I add something to the calendar, and maybe it won't glare at me so much when I look at it.

I'm still adding things but I did find something interesting that happened as I worked.  After attaching the under papers, there was a big white square in the middle.  I painted some purple there and blotted some off while it was wet.  When that dried, I used a black Stabilo pencil to make circles.  I used a wet brush on the back circle then blotted it off.  It seemed to take some of the purple off too, and I really liked how it looked.

Feels good to use up those papers in this way!