Thursday, February 12, 2015

Documented Life Project 2015 the Journal

I am slowly working to get caught up on the Documented Life Project 2015 (DLP) and so far I have finished 2 weeks worth.  They issue the prompts on Art to the 5th every Saturday and you can work at your own pace doing the projects.  No stress!  They have a gallery you can post your work on and a page on Facebook but I am not sure if it is an official FB page.  It goes by the same name DLP 2015 and you can find it here.  It isn't one of those things that you absolutely have to do each week and you can work at your own pace as I said before.  Each month has a theme...January's was The Blank Page and How to Face It.   Each week has a challenge that fits in with that theme.

Week 1 has an Art Challenge to use Book Paper and a Journal Prompt: "Be Your Own Goal Keeper"
 As you can see I used torn bits of the book paper and collaged it on the page with flat gel medium.  My goals are to promise myself to learn, create, share, do, care etc.  I have several layers of paints on my pages and added some coarse texture gel flowers via stencil and hand drew the bigger flowers and vine.  I am a work in progress and I don't really care for my flowers but...they will do!

Week 2 has an Art Challenge to use gesso and a Journal Prompt:  “The beginning is always today.” -Mary Shelley
I gesso'd the entire page on both sides and then wet them a little and sprayed Dylusions inks on them.  I used Dylusions and Tim Holtz stamps and stencils to create the pages.  I also used Tim Holtz distress inks and markers and Spectrum Noir alcohol inks.  The white outlining is done with a Uniball pen and the textured leaves are a Dylusions stencil and coarse texture gel that absorbs the color from the page below. 

The challenges and prompts are up to your interpretation and there is no wrong or right in it.  Come play!

Friday, February 6, 2015

WOYWW February Art Journal Calendar

Well always an hour late and a dollar short but I decided regardless of how late I am I will still join WOYWW this week and make it around to as many desks as I can before next Wednesday.  Hey! You gotta give me an A plus for effort!  What is WOYWW?  It is a group of folks/artists that enjoy one another's company and snooping around one another's desks each Wednesday.  Go check out Julia's blog Stamping Ground and she will fill you in on the details.

My desk today...yeah I know it is a mess but you should have seen it earlier!!
I have been working on journal pages and lessons and paint is everywhere.  I am going to stop a minute and clean up and get ready to go again tonight! 

My February calendar for the Art Journal Calendar Challenge is finished and I really like the way it turned out.  I mixed up my own sprays for this and was surprised how well the Tim Holtz Barn Door and Festive Berries reinkers worked mixed in water.  I think they turned out pretty bright for the background.
Next I punched out the date hearts with a scalloped 1 1/2" heart punch and then used the "punch holes" as a stencil for the sides and a stencil for the back ground.  I used a Close To My Heart swirl stamp set for the background in Vintage Photo.  The month and year are cut from Stampin' Up! whisper white using Cricut Plantain Schoolhouse cartridge.  I don't remember where I got the vintage Valentine paper that I cut the Valentines out of and collage on the background but I wish I had more cause it is such a cute paper pattern.  I also found some candy hearts stickers in the stash that I used to fill in here and there. 

My next project was some tags for a swap on Creativeblock StampersAnonymous a Yahoo Group.  In the group we use only StampersAnon stamps and make tags each month from a prompt given to us by the group leader Sandy.  This months prompt was Steampunk Valentines. 
I used shiny silver cardstock to make the tags then ran them through the Vagabond using the riveted metal folder of Tim Holtz.  I brushed some black soot distress paint over it dull it down a bit.  The stamps are from the Odds and Ends and the Time Travelers sets.  I used all sorts of bits and pieces from my stash an most of it is from the Tim Holtz Ideology line. 

Hope you like my desk and art work today.  I had a lot of fun making them.  I am hoping to hop around to several desks this week and if you like what you see leave me a comment!