Language Art Journal Page

The theme this month at Art Journal Journey is LANGUAGE.

As I played around with this page, I thought about people who talk in circles.

I stamped a large stamp on a mixed media paper.  Aligned my circle dies over the writing, taped them with Washi tape so they wouldn’t move,

then ran them through my die cutting machine 

To get a variety of circle sizes.

I glued the circles to my page using a spray glue.  When the glue was dry, I wet the circles with water as well as parts of the page outside the circles.  Then added watercolors sloppily around the circles in light and dark tones.

When the paint was dry I stamped writing in the two largest circles with black Archival ink.

Using a circles stencil I drew circles around the outsides of the paper circles with a black Zig Writer marker then added scribbles over the drawn circles.

Lastly I scraped modeling paste through different stencils on the page outside of the circles.

I thought the modeling paste would take up some of the watercolor but it didn’t.  That was a surprise but I liked that it remained white.

Of course I kept thinking what should yet be added.  I liked the page as is so I decided not to ruin it with overkill like I usually do.  It is so hard for me to learn to STOP!

I didn’t intend it, but I now see the scribbles as noise vibration (that could be heard along the telephone lines way back when) of those who can be so good at talking in circles.

Yakety yak!

Me vs. Paints and a Flower

Me vs. Paints is typically a battle and the trash bin wins the prize of a quite unfortunate painting.  This time is different.  I think this painted watercolor flower is not completely unfortunate.

I think me and my inexpensive paints did a fairly decent job of it.  

I struggle with several painting issues.  The most debilitating of which is not being able to visualize the finish during the process.  So I don’t know when to quit fixing it.  Or even whether or not it needs fixing.  Another is not waiting for layers to dry.  For once I did use a heat tool at times to get it dry faster.  But I kept painting on it and making it worse.  It was destined for the trash bin.

Once I finally drew the scribbles, I could see it so much better.  But that just started a whole new fix-it process.  I thought one of us has to give in and I didn’t want it to be me.  I think I ended up with a fairly decently painted single flower for Sheila’s (Orange Esmeralda) A Single Flower theme at Art Journal Journey .

I haven’t actually pasted it into my journal yet as I’m undecided as to what I might want to do, if anything, with the page it will get pasted to.  

Update:  I have finished the page.

This theme runs for the entire month of March.  All mediums of art are welcome to join in.  It’s such a great theme to welcome the arrival of Spring.

Watercolor Experiments

I've taken a couple of watercolor experiements and turned them useful.

This one turned into a postcard and went off into the mail.

Even the address side was stamped using watercolor paint.

This one turned out nothing like it was in my mind.  I wasn't sure which way I would use it.

Turned the opposite direction I saw a blue forest across the lake.

I needed a birthday card for my granddaughter who loves skulls at anytime of the year.  And blue is her favorite color.

This is what the blue forest turned into.

I'm glad some of my experiments are being useful.

Watercolor Mail Art

I keep trying to make watercolors work for me.  When something happens that I like, I'm always shocked and pleased.  I did these envelopes and card fronts with Tombow markers and water.

When I tried to recreate the same look, of course it didn't work.  That is not always a bad thing.  But this envelope below and card really needed some help.  I pulled out my neocolors to fix both.  I forgot to take a photo of the fixed envelope.  This one isn't totally lacking, but it was much brighter when it was mailed.

The marker watercolors were really lacking on the card, but the neocolors blended well.

I did the brush lettering with the Tombow markers.  They were reviewed on amazon that their brush tips hold up well.  I don't find that to be true, so I'm pretty disappointed on that point.  With some practicing and writing the envelopes with black, then a bit more practicing play, the tip on the black marker is done.  I need to work on how not to let that happen. 

Wishing everyone a good mail day.

xxx

Annie