LIM DT: Festive OLC

Another challenge is live at Less is More. This time it is a one layer card with the theme ‘festive’. As before, one layer cards mean just that: no hiding behind layered papers or mats, perfect printing first time and minimal embellishments. Even die cuts aren’t allowed as they are an added layer. I normally paper-piece the stamp I chose to use, so that was not an option in a one layer card. Instead, I went with some colouring-in:

I stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black using a stamp platform, and then again with Versamark as I then decided to heat emboss the outline with clear gloss to make it stand out a little. I then coloured in with ProMarkers adding lots of layers and then highlights with a correction pen and Posca markers. Finally, I added some stickles and liquid pearls to give a little more interest to the card.

Used for this card

  • Woodware clear stamp: Huge Noel [FRS219]
  • Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad
  • VersaMark ink pad
  • WOW! Embossing Powder: Clear Gloss Super Fine
  • Letraset/Winsor & Newton ProMarkers: Denim Blue / China Blue / Cool Grey 3
  • Ranger Stickles: Waterfall / Gunsmoke
  • Ranger Liquid Pearls: Royal Blue
  • Tippex Correction Pen
  • Posca Pen [PC1-MR]: White

LIM: More than one type of foliage

It’s recipe time at Less is More and the theme chosen is ‘more than one type of foliage’. One of the main aims of the challenge (aside from making sure the card is clean and simple) is to make the theme to be the focus of the card. There was only one stamp set I could think of in my collection that would fit the bill – a set of five fern fronds by Hero Arts. Here’s the eventual winner, from three I made, for my design team card:

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Bible Journaling: Acrylics, masking and off-the-page

It’s a while since I have done any Bible journaling, but for this month’s session, I did an off-the-page piece. I wanted to encourage my class to work outside their Bible and show off their skills. This is designed to fit into a Ribba frame from Ikea and is approx. 8″ square. It is available to purchase here.

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Art Journal Pages: Washi Tape

Next month’s art journal session’s theme is ‘Washi tape’. This versatile patterned translucent sticky tape is ideal for decorating pages, but can also be used as a masking tape. Here are two pages for your creative inspiration.

art journal page - stripes of distress inks art journal page - circles of colour Continue reading

Bible Journaling: rubber stamping

Our next Bible journaling session has ‘rubber stamping’ as its theme. It will be a departure from my normal style, and it took some time to find suitable stamps to match some verses and themes. When creating, I also chose to break my ‘rule’ of not working over the text areas of the page. I made sure, however, the work I did was transparent and the text still readable:

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Art Journal Page: #PASC0119

For the unfamiliar,  PASC stands for Pick-A-Stick Challenge. It has been a long while since I last participated in the challenge, and the format has changed slightly. The team now randomly draw words which it is left to us to interpret artistically. The only stipulation is that the order of the steps is followed. Everything else is artistic licence, and anything can happen before, during and after the steps to complete the page. There’s also a shorter ATC (Artist Trading Card) option. Here’s my January 2019 layout:

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Art Journal Page: 2016?

On Monday night I have my art journal session in The Studio, and we’re using the prompt ‘New Year’. This layout developed from a teaching session I did with a new Studio guest a few weeks ago, showing the difference and similarities between Distress Oxides (left-hand side) and Distress Inks (t’other side). A quick layer of acrylic paint forms the background to the white text. The purple text is a combination of stamped and handwritten, using Distress Oxides and Posca pen respectively.

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Art Journal: Board Books

It’s not often that I deliberately go into a cut-price bookstore with the sole intention of buying several copies of ‘My Little Pony’ children’s books. Well, this happened sometime in late winter, with the intention that I would be using them in a class. On Monday 1st October, attendees at my art journal session will be using the board books as a base for an art journal, included at no extra fee. Unfortunately, it does mean that my little ponies will be painted out. What a shame.

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Art Journal Page: Hexagonal Monoprinting

Hexagonal MonoprintingIt has been a little while since I have had my gel plates out, so I thought it was time to play a little with monoprinting into my journal. The experimentation was also inspired by the delivery of several texture printing plates made from rubber from Carabelle Studio. These are designed to be used with gel plates, and have text the right way round rather than a mirror image as found on rubber stamps. This means that text is monoprinted the right way round, and if used as background stamps in art journals, for example, it’s the wrong way round. The texture plates are very easy to use – just lay them across a painted gel plate, lift and then print with the gel plate.

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Bible Journaling: Deuteronomy 6:5

It’s not one of my go-to books, but this verse from Deuteronomy was one of the readings I delivered last Sunday in church. We are perhaps more familiar with the New Testament context of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:27) and then His response to the question ‘which commandment is the greatest in the Law?’ (Matt 22:37).

Deuteronomy 6:5  Continue reading