The next Bible journaling session at The Studio (10th February 2020) features as its theme ‘illuminated letters’. I’ve long loved the mediaeval manuscripts with the fancy drop caps and the shiny gold gilding. Could this be done in modern-day Bibles? Yup! Here are four examples and bonus conventional illustration:
Another challenge blog, another challenge! This time, it’s the Less Is More challenge to do a one layer card with the focal point off centre. In card making, one layer cards are quite tricky – you have one time to get it right, and if you’re layering or positioning stamps it’s easy to misprint and have to start all over again! Of course, you only get to see the final take…
Over at Passion for ProMarkers, this week’s challenge is to include a tag. No distress inks here, it’s all done with ProMarker alcohol pens:
Over the last month or so, I have been working on a new sculpture of a dragon. Made from scratch, I first start with a tin foil armature (the essential shape and skeleton of the beast) and then cover it in stages with Pal Tiya, a specialist modelling material that handles like clay but hardens in water. Once the Pal Tiya has cured for a week submerged in the pond, I let it dry. Fine details were modelled with an epoxy clay which sets rock hard over 24 hours. The fibres in the Pal Tiya make fine detail modelling quite difficult, especially at this relatively small scale. I finished off with dry brushed acrylic paint. The sculpture is designed to go outside and should be weather resistant.
Another weekly challenge has landed over at Passion for ProMarkers. I was pleased to be in the top five chosen submissions in last week’s challenge, so I thought I’d have another go. Gotta be in it to win it after all. The theme is ‘animals’. Some time ago I encouraged people to use the tag #nbu – never been used – in an effort to use that crafty stash that once purchased languishes unloved in a drawer or box. This stamp is one such example…
I’ve done two art journal pages today… but I’m only going to share this one! I’ve not played in my Dylusions journal for a while and thought I’d get out my Dylusions paints and have a play. The shiny silver bits are not foiled, rather where I used Molotow’s Liquid Chrome pens to trace over elements from the stencil. I’m still stunned by the shininess the pens create. It’s nice enough as it is, but I’m not sure it’s finished.
Side note: I had to resurrect one of my paint colours – a quick tip is to use a couple of drops of ammonia in your water when trying to thin a gloopy semi-dried paint. I really must use up paint before it dries up!
The observant may notice that Bible Journaling 8 is missing – never fear, it’s coming soon. It’s just that I did the prep for that one before this one, so we’re out of order… The theme for this month’s Bible Journaling session (tomorrow night, 13th January) is ‘I am a new creation’ – it’s the new year, so it seemed suitable. I thought it would be interesting to do five different illustrations for the same verse as a test of design skills and came up with these:
Over at ‘Passion for ProMarkers’ this week, the challenge is to create something ‘for grandparents or older people’. I don’t have any witty sayings or almost-insulting pictures to colour in, so I went for the traditional retirement card for gardeners. So here’s my challenge entry, coloured with ProMarkers:
I’ve left it as a topper for now, until such time as I find someone to send it to! I’ve used my aged stash of Art Impression stamps for the images. I stamped either with ProMarkers for direct colour (be quick else the ink dries) or inking with Memento Tuxedo Black and colouring in if there were outlines required. Extra lines (fence and watering can handle) and the text are drawn with permanent pigment pens (either Sakura or Unipin). Much of the colouring is tone-on-tone with the same colour ink layered to give texture and shading.
Happy New Year! After a break for Christmas, and some online classes taking up some time, I’ve been crafting. I’m working on a dragon sculpture, currently curing in the pond, and I’ve been learning 3D modelling software – part of which included animation of a lamp model you may spot in the blog header from time to time.
Anyhoo, today’s bit of crafting was the latest ‘Less is More’ challenge – a project with minimal layers, minimal embellishments with lots of white space and this time using the Pantone colour of the year 2019 and 2020.
They’re not two colours I would immediately choose to put together, so initially, I had a mental block. I ended up with two cards, one of which I don’t like, and one that I do!
I have a penchant for sugar-free mints, especially when they are on show at the till in an Aldi. Their ‘complimints’ come in a small lidded tin, and I have often thought how suited to altered art it would be. So, this weekend I got on with altering one, upcycling it to enclose two mini-albums.
