Tuesday TECHO Pages

Enjoying the first signs of Spring

here in Ohio...

I hope everyone who celebrates

Easter had a lovely holiday with

family and friends...and perhaps

a few goodies!

Linking up for T Tuesday over

at the Altered Book Lover blog...

where we share our beverage of

choice, and a wide assortment 

of...well, most anything! Do stop by

for a visit...

Rusty Swap Pages

There's something about being in an Art swap 

that can get you thinking outside the box. 

Often you are given a subject or color or

 material to work with that you don't normally

 use.  Very good for making your brain

 look for alternative solutions.

Elizabeth has received her Rust Pages

from me, and has asked me to post 

them. Above, painted card stock,

scrapbook paper, fabric, and brass ornament.

Collage and pocket with tag. I used

text and images from a vintage book,

fabric, magazine scrap and a vintage button.

Paint is either acrylic or gouache in

Burnt Sienna. Please pardon the blurry

scan. The 3 dimensional quality of the

button causes that, but I felt you'd still

get a better view than from a photo.

Assorted papers, brass label frame, thread,

washer and tiny key. Acrylic paint and 

permanent marker used to 'rust up'

the metal washer.

Corrugated cardboard, book text,

computer generated text, acrylic 

paints and gesso.

My favorite page! The old truck is from a 

roadside photo that I took with my phone in

2015. I think it was at a truck stop in Kentucky

or Alabama. This old gem was just sitting 

out front as a decoration, I guess!

Watercolor and Sharpie pen on 

watercolor paper.  The license plate was

drawn and painted from an image on the 

internet. The license plate is definitely

my favorite part. The metal clip prompted

the painted swirls on the next page...

Acrylic, assorted papers, and computer-

generated text:

"Patina- a surface appearance of

something grown beautiful with

age or use."

Of course, there was quite a bit of

coffee consumed while creating

these pages, and while creating 

this post... Linking up with Elizabeth

for her T Tuesday T party...

drop by for some inspiration and

a cup of tea. (or coffee!)

Peepers, Lambs and a Dragon in my Techo

Still drawing and painting in my

Hobonichi Techo.  Yes, I did watch

the final episode of Downton Abbey.

Sad to see it end.  Is it too much to

hope for a holiday special?

The dragon art is inspired by the cover

art work on "A Dance with Dragons" by

George Martin.  Rereading the last book,

trying to re-familiarize myself with the 

complex plot and numerous characters.

The author needs to publish the

next book already. It's been five years!

The chorus of Spring Peepers is

pretty loud around here...and the

monsoons have begun. Well, ok.

Maybe not monsoons, but our 

yard is a lake right now.

I did this sketch of lambs without realizing

that this breed is born mostly black (with

a few grayish white markings) and then

the wool turns white later...

Lamb sketch done from a 'phone photo'

taken in the barn--my daughter and SIL's

newborn lambs.  Sooo cute!  It gets

complicated if the mother rejects any of

them though.  A lot of work. Fingers

crossed that the babies all make it

this year...

Recycling a coffee sketch for the 

T Tuesday blog hop, 

in which we can blog about whatever

we are up to, as long as there is a

 beverage-related image.  Join us!

Techo on Tuesday

Watercolor and white acrylic paint

in my Hobonichi Techo, above. The paper

holds up very well. Even though the

pages seem thin, the paints do not

show on the back at all...

Our last snow fall was very pretty

sticking to all the trees. I could hear

the wind blowing clumps of snow

off of the branches and hear it

hitting the ground with a 

wet 'plop.'  It all melted the same day.

A friend gave me some pages from

a children's book that she was preparing

to use as an art journal.  I can't resist

Winnie-the-Pooh, and had to paste

this conversation into my Techo.

I am thankful we don't get many

earthquakes where I live, though

they have been known to happen!

Some days the Techo drawings

are pretty random...

A sketch of my travel mug for

the T Tuesday blog hop-- to 

qualify as my 'beverage reference.'

On Tuesdays, anyone can join in

the blog hop, as long as you reference

a beverage, with a photo, artwork, or even

a video clip. Join in for some fun!

There is usually a wide variety of viewpoints.

The Techo has somewhat

replaced my enthusiasm for

The Documented Life Project 2016,

But I am still keeping up with it.

I don't like to quit a project once 

I've started it. Modifications are definitely

in order though, as these calendars show.

The daily tiny drawings from January

became 'several days at a time' on

February's calendar.  In March, I

decided to do one large image

for the month.  The crocus photo

was taken by a friend, who permitted

me to draw from her photo. I am not liking

the distracting lines from the calendar...

the diagonal striped page is a pre-printed

scrapbook type page that I had chosen 

for my monthly divider. Perhaps not

the best choice. Maybe I should try this

image again on plain watercolor paper?

Happy Tuesday!

Scrap Border Journal Page Tutorial

Every tiny scrap of scrapbook paper, painted paper, lined paper, junk mail and doodled paper is fodder for a scrap border art journal page.  An artist tends to see the potential in unlikely sources and materials...even the grocery list.

This is a technique that beginning journalers can use, but  also appeals to veteran journalers as well. The scraps, colors, patterns and textures you choose make it your own.

THE PROCESS:

1.)  Apply a light watercolor wash to your page.  I just use Prang watercolors. Artist grade watercolors would be even better. (I don't recommend Crayola brand watercolors for this, as they seem to have a more waxy content, and it's difficult to get a pen to write over them.)

Light watercolor wash-didn't show up on my scan very well...
Yellow, red, blue, and a bit of orange. Green created by overlap of yellow & blue.

2.)  Collect your paper scraps. I sort through them picking scraps which have colors that coordinate, but also include scraps for contrast as well.

3.)  Some scraps of painted papers (from when I am cleaning my brushes off) may have just a few strokes of paint on them. (below) Add some highlighter to them to make the colors on the page really pop.

4.)  Arrange some of your scraps along the outside edge of the page. I don't usually put collage in the 'gutter' side, as this makes the journal more difficult to close with the addition of extra thicknesses of papers.  Choose different sizes and shapes, coordinating and contrasting colors. Try a variety of 

arrangements before gluing down.

Cut and tear an assortment of colorful papers and arrange
them into a border. Try different arrangements before gluing.

Hint: If you accidentally disarrange the scraps and can't remember how you had them placed, (as I invariably do) take a picture with your phone when you find an arrangement you like.  Refer back to the photo for the original placement of the scraps!

5.  Glue down scraps. Add more highlighter if you like bright colors!  You can add highlighter to the background or the scraps, or both.

6.)  Then doodle and shade the border arrangement.  You can add all types of swirls, patterns, dots and shading. I use a Sharpie pen (not a Sharpie permanent marker-- it will bleed through the paper. A Sharpie pen will not) As I was gluing the scraps down, I came across some leaves that I had drawn and painted; so I cut them out and added those to the border also.

7.)   The result is a lovely decorated page that you can journal on.  Add text in your own handwriting, with stamping, or computer generated text.  Journal your thoughts, a quote, or whatever you did that day. 

script added in the top border; hand-drawn text on the page
is a quote from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

When my grandson was little, an "adventure" was when we would put a few toys in his wagon, along with a blanket, and some snacks. Then we would go outside for a walk, stop to play on the swings, and find a nice tree to play under. We would read books and play with his little cars. We still like to have adventures, but they have to be a bit more exciting the older he gets! This page makes me think of those times with my own children, and with my grandchildren.  Memories captured in a journal...

Please let me know if you try this technique, I would love to see the results!  You can also see other tutorials in the side bar~ click on the tea cup.

Linking to the Art Journal Journey Challenge for March 2016:

"If You Go Down to the Woods." 

Techo Tuesday

Back to the reality of everyday

things at home, it's sometimes

difficult to decide what to draw

in my Techo and other journals.

Tried my hand at drawing a

character in a book...

Turns out that when someone dies,

their seat on the town council is

called a 'Casual Vacancy,'

according to J.K. Rowling.

Random entries: I've noticed that 

when you are preparing to do a swap

of art, it's really easy to obsess about

what to do, and whether or not the

recipient will like it.

The water brush is wonky...and I

'wasted' un-used stamps, 

but they are so pretty...

I am fortunate to have found a

group of mixed media artists who

meet-up once a month. A fun time!

It's hard to decide what to take to

the meeting to work on. I have to

really focus and not take 

too many supplies and 

every journal!

"You can't wear a tiara until you're married."

The Hobonichi Techo has taken over

 as my favorite journal at the

 moment,but I am not giving up on

 The Documented Life Project. 

It's still fun, so I will keep going.

What will happen in April when

I want to add doing a Fake Journal

in addition to DLP and my Techo?

We shall see. 

Linking up with

T Tuesday~ where the bloggers

are all creative, the pages are all

handsome, and the beverages

are all above average.