I'm Still Journaling Daily

 

 I've also been doing the Index Card a Day

Challenge created by Daisy Yellow.  Here are

some of last week's:

It's been abnormally busy for us the last couple of weeks! Lots of family adventures.
- Went on the Donut Trail in Butler County, OH. We visited 10 Donut shops in 2 days!
-Visited the Dayton Air Force Museum
- Son and his family visited for a week, and our son painted our house! 
- Lots of good meals with friends and family
- Trees were cut down and wood stacked
-Back to school shopping
- Games and puzzles were enjoyed
-Time with Art Buddies
-A good report at the Doctor's office
- Cutting up branches downed in our yard from storms
- Journaling and sketching
- Helped put up gutters and downspouts in 90 degree F temps and survived without injuries! (there may have been some crankiness, and some bandaids applied,but that's understandable) and LOTS of soreness...
- A nice dip in a swimming pool, and yummy pizza
- Today I'm picking up peaches from The Peach Truck, so we will be having "peach everything" for a couple of weeks

Whew! Still plenty of things to work on around the house, but I think the predicted rain may give us some time to rest. But Laundry. It's never ending...

Below, find a link to a short video of some of my Hobonichi pages.  Hope I did this correctly and you can access it! 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/R1Xb6Vn4HNXqjNiD8

Still over here journaling and drawing

every day...

...and stitching.

I hope your summer has been going well,

and you're staying cool!

Mexican Serpents

Art Journal Page: Mexican Serpents, 8" x 4 3/4".
Collage, watercolor, and marker on paper.

What had originally intended to be an

abstract collage, somehow became a

collage with Mexican serpents.  And using

orange and blue, which is my least 

favorite color combination!  For

some reason it just happened.

Interesting how what is within arm's reach

can cause the results to be quite different

than you anticipated. That orange Sharpie

was just innocently there in my pen holder...

(on my monitor the Sharpie color looks red,

but the pen is actually orange.)

The Mexican serpent motifs were suggested

from designs in a book titled "Design Motifs of

Ancient Mexico" by Jorge Enciso.  I bought it

used, so I don't know if it's still in print.  It's a

Dover publication, so limited use for artworks

is permitted.

Many motifs used today are quite reminiscent

 of these ancient designs.  We artists are

 still quite fond of repeated lines, circles, 

triangles, dots and curlicues. The geometry

of the world -- from ancient times, through

the Renaissance, into Impressionism and

beyond.  Linking up with Art Journal Journey,

where the theme for the month is 

'art for art's sake.'  

Art Mark Making

More little paintings in the

small booklet that I made.  Purple 

Canson Mi Tientes paper bound with 

chain stitch. 

I have been loosely following prompts

from Rae Missigman's 'Art Marks 30 Day

Challenge.'  

Painting with acrylics, watercolors, and

collaging with my own painted papers.

The pages were sometimes gessoed,

sometimes not.

The book is four inches by four inches. 

The theory is that the smaller size will

take less time to finish...

but sometimes it lays out on my kitchen

counter, and I look at it periodically, and

decide to make additions. And it takes

all day.

I'm thinking that maybe I should

do away with leaving the open border 

around the edge...

as I did with this one.(above) Still not sure if

it's 'done.'

How do you know when you're done?

◘ ◘ ◘

'Tis the Season~ Art Journal Pages

 " 'Tis the season...to get

caught up in the madness

of buying things."

Watercolor background, stamped

circular designs, chalk pastels applied

around painters' tape used as a mask.

Sometimes I need to remind myself

that this season isn't about all of the

stuff. It should be about time with

those we love. And I probably do

have way too much stuff...

Large lettering drawn through a

stencil, drawings of ornaments placed

within the masked rectangular areas.

Sharpie pen and assorted markers to

add more line and color.

Very 'busy' pages...just like the season!

Sharing a re-post of my wonky

drawing of a snowman mug...

and linking up with 

Bleubeard and Elizabeth for

T Tuesday. Stop by for a 

visit and a warm beverage!

What have you been

doing during this

busy season?

Random Thoughts on T Tuesday

Week 16 of the Documented Life Project:

add a cardboard box (from food) to your page.

Since we had yet MORE SNOW last night,

on April 15, 2014!

strawberries and sunshine

sound pretty darn good

right about now...

A recycled folder that I lightly sanded

and painted to make a little book...

paper yet to be added in pamphlet stitch.

A page in my Eco Green Smash book-

recording my grandson's comment about

my bag matching my clothes. How many

8 yr.-old boys notice that?! and

how cool is that?!

Practicing caricatures for a

local prom...

no erasing when you are working

solely in marker!

Had to break out the snowman mug today...

sheesh!

so tired of being cold...

visit Bluebeard and Elizabeth for

T Tuesday

to share a warm beverage and

random thoughts...

•  ♦  •

Documented Life Project-Cottonwood Style

The Documented Life Project is a

Planner/Calendar/Art Journal project

created & moderated by 5 artists.

You can read more about it on

Art to the 5th blog.

We are now in Week 11, and

the challenge this week was to

draw, photograph or collage a bird

onto your page. I already had this 

bird stamped onto a scrap of paper

so I collaged it onto a watercolor

background and added drawings

of leaves around it. The top border is

a strip of scrapbook paper.

To see my page from week 1 go here,

Above, the week 2 challenge:

Add a self-portrait to your page.

Week 3 challenge:

Put an envelope from your mail 

on your page. This was an ad for 

parents to buy life insurance for their kids.

Fun illustration on the envelope, so in it went.

I added another pocket made from

an envelope liner, and created

 tags for the pockets.

Week 4 challenge: Write a note to 

yourself and paint over all but one word.

Week 5 challenge: Draw a doodle border.

My border was Kandinsky inspired!

Week 6 challenge: Use a Pinterest board

to inspire your art on the page. The blogger

of Idemakeriet gave me permission to create

art from her lovely photo on the blog.

Week 7 challenge: Draw a shape.

Repeat. Add color.

Week 8 challenge: Add a flap to your flap.

Most pages of the Planner/Journal I made have

a flap 'tipped in' on the non-calendar page, 

on the right of the spread--

by using decorative tape to adhere the additional page.

It folds in when the book is closed. (I am

not sure that description even makes sense!)

For this challenge I added a small flap that 

opened vertically, which gives more space to add

art on the back side of the flap, and underneath it!

Week 9 challenge: Collage something

recycled onto your page.  I used security envelope

liners, copy of a map, video arcade ticket, old 

postage stamp, banana label, hole reinforcements,

book text, 'watercolor' torn from cover of a 

small watercolor pad.

Week 10 challenge: Make a list of the

things that make you YOU.  

List made in Sharpie pen, with 

ledger paper and scrapbook paper.

Had to add ETC. at the end

'cause well, there just isn't enough

room. But maybe you get the idea...

This little collage is on the back side of the 

Week 10 challenge. Really like the way it

turned out. Having painted papers 

made up and ready to use makes the 

collage come together much more 

quickly, and I always seem to have plenty

of scrapbook paper scraps to use!

Visit Art to the 5th if you are interested in

joining the challenge. There is a Facebook group

which is very supportive, and also a Flickr group.

Of course you don't have to 'catch up' unless 

you want to, and it's your journal so you can

make it your own in all ways.

  I wonder

 if I will be able to stick with it for a year...I 

figure one page a week is easy enough to do,

we will see.  What art are you making these days?

♥  ♥  ♥

Here's hoping that Spring is almost here,

and that you have a green St. Patrick's Day!

♣  ♣  ♣

Tradition of the Madonna -- on T Tuesday

Madonna:

1.  A form of respectful address

2.  An Italian lady

3.  The Virgin Mary

(Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1977)

I find various styles of the portrayal of the Madonna to be an 

endlessly fascinating resource for my art journals, from Medieval

and folk art, to high Renaissance paintings.  It is a variation of

 using master art works for visual journal inspiration.

For December 2013, I will be revisiting some of my drawings

of the Madonna, and some angels too...

The word Madonna is from the old Italian

'ma donna', meaning my lady, according to 

Wikipedia. 

Art that has gone before is an endless

source of inspiration and learning...

Linking up with Bluebeard and Elizabeth

at Altered Book Lover for 

T Tuesday...

Using my red panda mug --
trying to talk about T Things on Tuesday,

and drinking coffee instead of tea!

Stop by again next week to see more

Traditions of the Madonna..

(NOT the pop singer!)

April Fool

April Fool's Day

is a day when people play jokes on

each other. The Roman festival of 

Hilaria, held on March 25th, and the

Medieval Festival of Fools, on Dec.28th,

may be the beginnings of April Fools Day.

Iranians play jokes on each other on the 13th

day of the Persian New Year, which falls on

April 1st or 2nd, and many believe that it

is the origin of April Fool's Day.

A "fool" is also a term for a court jester,

who entertained the king and court.

According to Wikipedia, "The fool's status

was one of privilege within a royal or noble 

household. His folly could be regarded as the

ravings of a madman, but was often deemed

divinely inspired."  Jesters served not only

to amuse, but to criticize their master

and mistress, or guests.

The jester could mock and freely dispense

insight, while a nobleman could find himself

in the dungeon for similar remarks!

"What soap is to the body,

laughter is to the soul."

~ Yiddish Proverb

Have you had a good laugh today?

Pink Journal Completed

The little pink journal that had 

just 24 pages, is complete...

here are some pages that have

been posted on the blog in the past.

The "barracuda" page is my favorite...

I have left these drawings (above) without color,

but am not sure I will be able to resist adding it.

The detail of a statue (right) is drawn from an art history

textbook...such a serene expression on this queen.

She looks very Buddha-like...

Slay your dragon, whatever it may be...

jump in and make art!