Friday, July 29, 2011

Index Cards for the End of July


Cover created for my spiral
index card pad
of index card art. (above)



"Zodiac"




"Chinese Porcelain Ornament"
Various motifs combined in
one design.




"Brussel Sprouts"




"Milk Glass"





"Forty-six"





"Bb"





"Chair"





"Inspire"

Visit DaisyYellow to see more
index card art.






Thursday, July 28, 2011

A New Book of Inspiration


Christine Clemmensen had a give-away over
at her Blog a while back...
and I was the lucky winner!!
I received the US version of the book
Scraps, that she has co-authored with
Elsbeth Gynther.  It is full of fun
and inspiration, and I love it!

It is not one of those step-by-step,
"make it my way" books, but a book that helps us
realize that collage is about "making choices." 
 The materials that you choose to create a collage
 will determine the mood of the final outcome.

To quote some comments on the back cover:
"Scraps" is an enchanting book that illustrates
 the transformative nature of collage."
                            ~~Jenny Doh

"Scraps" is overflowing with visual eye candy, inspiration,
 tips, and tricks you can use in your collages right away!
 A perfect addition to any paper artist's library."
                                       ~~Claudine Hellmuth

I especially liked the fact that the authors included
a section in the book that gives a simple explanation
of composition, and some ideas for how to organize
your collage.  To quote: "Viewers attain a certain calm
when their eyes are led around the composition."
Little sketches of the composition, or 'recipes' if you
are familiar with the scrapbooking term, 
accompany several of the collages, so you
can see how the composition translates into
the actual art piece. 

A wide variety of materials is shown in this book:
quirky and fun, exotic or vintage. 
It is "An Inspirational Field Guide to Collage"
 and an encouragement to trust your own abilities! 
Both beginning and experienced mixed media artists
will find this book from Lark Books a delightful resource.

Christine also included some of her lovely postcards
and other ephemera in my prize package. Thank you
so much Christine!  Please visit Christine's blog,
to view her gorgeous photos, and updates
on her creative pursuits.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Index Card Art


I was having issues with Blogger last night...
or my computer is not happy in this heat!
Or all of the above, as I wasn't able to
add any text to my blog post, or even see the scan
 on this post. Had to 'publish'
first and it was there on the blog, even though it didn't 
show up on my Compose screen.  Creepy.

The black and white background is a photocopy of
a drawing that I did several years ago, using Sharpie 
markers.  I cut up the photocopy and used portions
for this card. The berries were a scrap that I saved that
is acrylic on black card stock, hand-painted similar
to some medieval designs. The yellow & orange patterns
are origami paper.  The flower is from patterned
tissue paper gift wrap.  The bit of muslin was painted
with acrylics, and there is pink card stock behind it.
The bird came from on-line, but I apologize that I 
don't know the source.  These were all scraps that
I've saved and recently organized into zip lock 
baggies by color.

Went to the Cleveland Museum of Art
this week and thoroughly enjoyed myself!
Stay tuned for some sketches, notes, 
and information about my visit.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Color Swap



Color swap pages for Cath in Cyprus.
Her color theme was yellow and black,
which made me think of sunflowers.
The face (above) is drawn in Sharpie
on a vintage piece of fabric, which had been
cut for a Dresden Plate quilt.  The 
yellow tag, below, fits in the pocket.
The sunflower is also done in Sharpie,
hand-drawn after a Kate Greenaway
illustration. The flower & leaf motif is
a hand-carved stamp from an eraser.


Saturday, July 16, 2011

Halfway



Celebrating the Half Way point


Friday, July 15, 2011

Index Card A Day (ICAD) Update


'Pocket Change'




'Black and White'




 'Documentation'




'Earrings'




'Lilies: Past Their Prime'




'In My Head'



Visit DaisyYellow to see
links to the other participant's
art work. Make some art today!


Friday, July 8, 2011

Collage and Drawing on Index Cards


My index cards for June 30 through July 7, 2011









Stop by DaisyYellow's blog to see other participant's
index cards, or to join the challenge! 

I have found that it is easier for me to 
do several cards in a sitting, rather than
one per day.  But I am trying to stick to 'one a day'
in order to make art every day.
Index cards are a great 'warm up' exercise.
Then I often move on to another project or
my art journal pages... 

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Trouble


A new Art Journal spread,
watercolor, hand-carved and commercial stamps,
crayon-watercolor resist,
and Sharpie marker.

This spread was indirectly inspired
by visiting my friend Marlynn's blog,
Honeysuckle Breeze.  She has been organizing,
straightening, and purging in her studio.
She mentioned watching the TV show
'Hoarders,' which I don't receive on my TV,
but after watching an episode on-line,
I really got motivated to start cleaning! 
This spread was completed
after sorting through a stash of scraps
and magazine clippings. 




I find it difficult to discard even the tiniest 
piece of painted paper, because of the potential
that I see in it! The above tiny collage measures
1 1/2 inches x 1 1/2 inches, and is 
located on the bottom left of the spread.

I did, however, throw away a lot of 
magazine clippings, as I have resolved
to use my own drawings, images, and prints
as much as possible in my collages.  I still have
a long way to go, but feel as though 
I made a little progress!


Monday, July 4, 2011

Quilt Stars



Index Card A Day
for the 
4th of July
~Happy Birthday USA~
Watercolor and Sharpie marke

Traditional quilt star patterns:
Top left - Blazing Star; Top right - Ohio Star
Bottom left - Rising Star (simplified); Bottom right - Starry Paths

Friday, July 1, 2011

Index Card A Day (ICAD) -- Catching Up


'Alphabet'
Collage with painted papers
and markers.


'Blues'
Collage with painted papers,
fabric, and marker.



'Pink and White'
Collage



'Yellow and White'
Collage




'Coffee (and thin bagel)'
Zig pigment pen



'Simple Pleasures'
Watercolor background,
markers and pens.
(I doodled this while listening to 
a podcast of Teesha and Tracy Moore)



'Jeans'
Collage with fabric,
label and stamp



'Pink Sky'
Collage with painted fabric
and painted papers



'Rust'
Gel pen and chalk pastels



'Stitch'
Acrylic background, marker,
embroidery and fabric collage



'Watercolor Rose'
Sketched in pencil,
watercolor applied, let dry;
Pigma pen outlines




'Spring Flowers'
Watercolor, crayon,
and assorted pens

Since I started this challenge late,
I did two cards each of the six days this week,
so now I am caught up.  Be sure
to visit Daisy Yellow  to get the links to see
the work of the other challenge participants!