Borders

Journaling is a way to get ideas out of your head & onto paper you review. 

I make my journals my own by embellishing them.

Making Borders is an activity that keeps the hands busy.

These are a few of the ways I create borders for pages. 

 

 

A carving block is painted with water color then pressed on the page. 

 

I cut stencils to used over & over.

Some felt tip markers do a nice job of bleeding when a small tip brush is run along the edge with water. I really like this effect.

 

This is a great way to define your edges prior to making a commitment.

 

Hand drawn borders can be scanned then printed on multiple pages.

See you tomorrow for day 3..."C"

I'm leaning towards Color.
 

 

 

Java Keeps Me Going

Java. What would we do without it? I for one would be less...
productive, energetic, awake.

I miss my coffee dates with friends.
Not to mention the relaxed atmosphere of people together
engaged in conversation, or work, or art.

 

  I will go early for my coffee dates and take time to journal.
I've posted about these great old flash cards at Brew.


 

Gotta love chalk art.

Scene from another favorite.

True. 

What special gathering places are you missing right now?

Keep Going

The Itinerant Printer said it well, & with style! 

There was lots that kept me going this winter. No trip to a warmer climate. 

Making sure THAT doesn't happen again. 

Lots of cross country skiing was a big focus. Our VASSA trail near by 

is just the ticket for us. Part of the larger TART system. Been skiing the 10K loop 

for the first time in over a decade.

 After some new metal parts and other issues fixed for both of us

 hubby & I feel stronger than we have in years. 

Don't sit still people! Get out there & MOVE!

My journal class at Crooked Tree Art Center in January was so much fun. 

One of my students has come to my home for a private lesson in canvas surface design. 

What she did with her journal since the class is amazing! 

 

I've been in production mode for a few reasons. 

One, to fill the long dark winter days. 

Two, I will be in the Peninsula Library Art Fair August 15th. 

I will keep you informed on that when time draws near. 

That's 9 different vessels in the works above. 

I just completed a month long class at NMC, our local community college.

with the wonderful Glenn Wolff. A local artist of renown.

 There were only 3 of us in the class so we had free rein of the entire print studio. 

Next up will be the details with lots of pictures of the fun we had. Some thoughts on diet, 

a trip to the Muskegon Museum of Art & more. 

What do you do during the long winter to stay sane?

 Or do you live somewhere warm with more light.

Smile and Take a Class

 

Ran across an article that stated the best thing you can do 

for yourself & others is smile. Then had a little fun 

making it stick in my brain by lettering in my journal. 

Good news!  I am slated to teach 2 classes this winter at 

Crooked Tree Art Center in Traverse City.

The first Tuesday January 14th  Make Your Journal Your Own.

I'll be sharing lots of fun techniques for saving ideas, creating page backgrounds.

A good thing at the beginning of the year to help you capture thoughts. 

Next Friday February 28th  Surface Design, Painting Canvas. 

 

Using acrylic and stencils.

It's what I do. 

Lots of options for what to do with your new fabric will be on display.

Sign up and come have some fun!

I hope you will consider joining me on these days. 

 

Stencil Mania

Here's one thing of what I've been up to, as well as company, concerts, visiting Chicago to say good bye to older son as he & wife head to London for 2 years. Guess where I'll be visiting. It's been a great summer. With Fall approaching more time in the studio is bound to happen.

Stencils!  Love making my own with card stock. Then embellish journal pages as well use them 

 on painted fabric. There has been quite a bit of that activity. 

The first image as a riff on this line drawing on the left. 

 

In progress

Finished product.

Then used on studio apron that needed some help covering up an awful graphic.

Plant motif I can use multiple times in one image. Flip, shorten, use a different angle.

These two frames correspond to a quarter page in my journal and an Artist Trading Card size. 

Containing ideas within boxes & frames works well for me.

More on things that make me ponder, inspirational stuff I've run across on the web in the days to come. parting shots of summer things I love. 

 

 

 

Does anyone know what the little black speck in the middle of the Queen Anne's lace is? Is it a male female thing. I've noticed some flowers have it & others don't.

Journaling through the A to Z Challenge

 I post pages from my journal often here. A journal is such a great place to try out ideas with no risk, vent about life, take notes during a workshop.  Journal had to be the topic for J for me.

I started adding fabric to the covers early on. I wanted them to be a work of art on the outside. Maybe a conversation starter if you carry it around with you. or are traveling. 

The fabric is canvas or denim painted with acrylic so is very sturdy,

which helps them weather the abuse they get. 

I couldn't stop there so the back gets at least one star. They are sew on as well. 

I found it helps the back from getting worn. 

I did a post in the past about my journals you can see here. It shows the exact brand & type I use and a bit about page embellishment & indexing. 

One of these lasts me about a year. They are numbered, the first was started in 2010. The current is number 7. I started using these because the paper is mixed media, which means it can withstand water. If you are playing with water color or water first then paint or ink it is very important. 

                          Lots of clippings and copying (borrowing) designs seen elsewhere.

What's in your journal?

The Little Things

Begin with a cup of Espresso. That gets things started with something little. Blk/Mkt Coffee is a new discovery for me in my town. Great place to hunker down with the journal, iPad, tid bits, and get your thought together. Their site is a thing of beauty. 

Awhile back I decided I needed a way to attach papers in my journal that remained removable and free of tape or glue. Remember picture corners?  You can find all sorts, sizes, designs, self adhesive, & tutorials out there. Of course I decided to make my own from paper scraps. I have a HUGE bin of paper scraps. I wanted them large.

 

Templates were made for three different sizes. 

It's a little thing that makes me happy, a way to incorporate ideas I want to reference without cutting it down to fit, or anchored in that spot for eternity. I can choose the best configuration to hold each item.

 Glue stick, PVA or double sided tape all work to adhere them. 

 It's the little things that can make a big difference. Don't you agree?

Draw Pardner

Drawing is a skill you can develop. So often you hear someone say "Oh I can't draw". I put myself in that category in the past, and truth is, I still do most of the time. Then sometimes I surprise myself. I've taken classes, had inspiring friends, and taken the time to practice. My journal is a safe place to try things out and get that much needed practice.

                                                     
This post is a good reminder to myself to take up a pencil with the intent of getting something I see on paper.


 I was so taken with this picture in the newspaper I had to take the time to do my version of it.

 

 

 

   

 

 

Meet Hobbs. He belongs to friends in Cincinnati. He can whistle the "Andy of Mayberry" theme song! While visiting them I did this one morning in my journal over coffee.

                                                         From a small picture in a catalog.

A few years back there was a live cam of an eagles nest in our area. I did this sketch and refined it while watching. The bird theme was not intentional.