Tag Archives: DecoArt

Colour Journal

Posted on by
1

IMG_3031

Avid readers may remember a week or so ago I made a couple of handmade journals. I’ve taken this one further, and created a ‘colour journal’. With an unashamed plug for all things DecoArt Media, I have used my own photos of their products as a page  background, before adding glazes of colour fluid acrylics using various techniques including ragging, baby wipes, brushes and paper towel. Headings used the same colour, just undiluted. Add gesso, pen work and a smidge of gloss and the book is complete.

Continue reading →

Art Journal: Modelling Paste Cover [Wanderlust Wk18]

Posted on by
2

IMG_3015

I’ve jumped a few weeks in my Wanderlust 2016 course – I do aim to go back and catch up, but Andy Skinner was the tutor for this week’s activity, and I just had to get grungy! I transformed the front cover of my latest (A5) journal using his techniques and I’m delighted with the results. I think it looks like embossed leather, and with the soft touch varnish from DecoArt, it even feels like leather. The trickiest thing I found was getting a uniform thickness of modelling paste, so I’ll be working on that the next time I try it.

Continue reading →

Handmade Art Journal III

Posted on by
1

IMG_3011

I came across this wallet-type 4×6″ journal when I was looking through my Silhouette cut files. I have just been given a pile of kraft card file dividers, and thought they would be a perfect place to start. The mini album design is by Lori Whitlock and available via the Silhouette design store. I’ve added the band for the closure, and rather than six pages, I’ve added five due to the thickness of the card. The journal card inserts are a smidge smaller than 4×6″ and I’ve used a corner rounder so they slide in more easily.

IMG_3012

As for the decoration, this journal is a practice piece for one stroke folk art flowers. I watched how a friend’s mother painted her canal boat accessories when I was nine or ten, and the fascination with the way a shaded flower developed with so few brush strokes. These are my first attempts, with a little extra shading added with water-soluble pencils. The backgrounds are a mix of distress paints, whilst the flowers are painted with DecoArt Media fluid acrylics. I’ve edged the journaling cards with Frayed Burlap distress ink – and I’ve no idea at this stage what will go on them! There’s a few more pages to decorate, so stay tuned for updates 🙂

Continue reading →

Handmade Journal II: Part 2

Posted on by
Reply

In my last post, I showed the start of my hand-bound art journal in response to Wanderlust Course Week 10. I promised some more pics of the inside pages… and here they are. The scrap pages allowed for some overlapping designs across spreads, and the different colour backgrounds inspired some of the colour choices.

IMG_7145 IMG_7146 IMG_7147 IMG_7148 IMG_7149 IMG_7150 IMG_7151 IMG_7152 IMG_7153 IMG_7154 IMG_7155

I’ve had fun doing various different techniques and experiments, varying my style and choice of media – there is something about the informal scrappy pages that releases a more creative side than normal. Just two and a bit more signature bundles to go to complete this particular journal, but in the meantime, I have another two more formal ones on the go 🙂

 

Continue reading →

Handmade Art Journals I

Posted on by
Reply

IMG_3007

Over the last two days I thought I’d construct my own art journals. I’ve adapted a slot-and-tab technique to make the inside pages from 160gsm white card. Each journal is A6 in size. The brown has a grungepaper cover with greyboard support behind, coloured with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Sprays and sealed with DecoArt Media Soft Touch Varnish. The grey has a wrap around cover in the same card, decorated with DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics and with a grungepaper and baker’s twine closure. Now all I have to do is fill them 🙂

IMG_3008

Continue reading →

Art Journal Page: Pictures [Pick A Stick Challenge]

Posted on by
Reply

#PASC416

I’ve taken the opportunity today to complete this month’s Pick A Stick Challenge. Ten steps, in order, mixing up the media and adding collage elements. There are more and more taking part in the challenge, and it’s the perfect way to journal when the artistic muse has wandered off.

Continue reading →

Matchbook Art Journal: Life Experiences

Posted on by
Reply

IMG_3003

Though I’ve not posted in a little while, as before, a quiet period online often hides a frenetic few days in the studio. Crafting took a small back step last week as a party loomed and the house had to be cleaned and beds prepared, and clobber hidden away from the seventy or so guests! This week I’ve been working on a couple of differently styled art journals, and this is the first to be ready to share.

IMG_3004

Inspired by an article in this month’s Art Journaling magazine by Stampington, I’ve created my own matchbook journal (3×3″) with six pages. Unfortunately the supplier listed has discontinued the matchbook used in the article, so of course that didn’t deter me and I created and cut my own using my Silhouette Cameo. I’m going to add more quotes and cuttings as I find suitable ones, but you get the idea from the first page.

Continue reading →

A Graffiti Journal

Posted on by
2

I’ve been fascinated with ‘proper’ graffiti since a child – I love the colour, the vibrancy, the illegality of the hobby and the absolute control of the medium and the application. I’ve also owned a ‘how-to’ book for a number of years, well-thumbed but never used. That all changed when I made a journal from corrugated cardboard and once I’d started tearing off the surface layer, the idea developed to make faux rusty corrugated iron complete with requisite graffiti. I’ve tried different styles and colouring methods, starting with Sharpie pens, trying an image transfer, then Pitt Artist Pens. Then I had a sudden thought of how to replicate the aerosol can at this small scale – I got out my LetraJet air brush attachment for my Promarkers and thus smooth blends appeared. Lots of Posca pen use as well to finish things off.

IMG_7112

Continue reading →

Altered Art: The Key to Creativity

Posted on by
2

Creativity Key

One of my Tuesday night regulars, Hilary, brought amongst a whole stash of other things two sets of greyboard keys and fobs. ‘Can you think of anything you can do with these?’, she asked. This is what I came up and finished this morning.

The key is textured with sand texture paste, and then layered with fluid acrylics following Andy Skinner’s industrial paint recipe I learnt last year. The tag was sealed with black gesso. I cut a smaller oval and painted that gold, and two layers of black card were cut on the Silhouette Cameo and layered together before the top layer was dampened and hammered loudly and long to create the texture. Once everything was dry, it was all glued together and two coats of thick gloss spray varnish completed the look. I’m impressed with the triple thick glaze spray – it really helps the hammered card look more like a hammered metal enamel finish.

Continue reading →

Art Journal Page: Eat Dessert

Posted on by
1

Eat Dessert

Today’s page marks a landmark in my art journaling – it’s the final spread in my very first complete journal. I have at least four journals on the go at any time, but this is the first to be filled since I started journaling back in 2011. I wanted to play with different layers, working on making the text stand out and the background to support, but not over power it. Choosing media by its opacity helped me achieve this outcome: transparent Cobalt Blue Hue allowed some of the paper white to show through the underpainting, whilst the semi-transparent Phthalo Blue provided the background to the text, printed in opaque white gesso. Spritzing with the mister and adding visual texture with stamps brought everything together.

Continue reading →