TECHNIQUES for Art Journaling-on T Tuesday

Techniques for Art Journal pages can include anything that fits on the page! Here are some ways that I create my pages.  

• Take Notes-  I like to write down excerpts of interesting historic facts, art history information, and descriptions of art styles or techniques.  Noting the author and source is important to me.  When I don't do it, it's frustrating later and I wish I had the information!  I like to add sketches to the page for clarity of information if possible.

• Doodle-  I can fill a lot of pages with doodles! geometric shapes, curlicues, eyes, mouths, faces, flowers...on and on.   I believe this is a quote from a podcast featuring Teesha Moore.   Which also brings me to the idea of-
• Fill your Journal up with what you did that day...notes, lists, what you did, what you noticed...it's amazing how it can bring back memories when you re-read it...moments frozen in time!

• Found Poetry- These are phrases and words that I found interesting, and wrote them surrounding the image of people. Use any book or magazine as your source, just combine words that you find that make an interesting combination. For me, they don't even have to 'make sense.' (frustratingly, this is one of the times I didn't note my source!)
• Respond to Someone Else's Art-This page is from the Scrappy Green Journal that Elizabeth made...and I embellished or drew on the pages that she had made.  I was reacting to someone else's images and layout, which is a really interesting challenge and helps you create things you might not normally have envisioned.

• Draw what's in front of you- Combined with scraps of decorative paper, and thoughts about the day, a sketch of your coffee or tea seems a comforting image to me.  I really don't remember what prompted the sketch of the scissors and the paintbrush...they were probably on the table when I sat down to draw!

• Use ideas from the Masters- This page was inspired by patterns in a Picasso painting and I wrote about what I was doing while I doodled. A very simple page, and fun to do.

I will do another post about 

Techniques for Art Journal Pages

next week.  I hope to see you then!

♥ ♥ ♥

Linking up with Bluebeard and Elizabeth for

T Tuesday.

Please visit Altered Book Lover to see what 

others are 'up to' in their studios!

Art Journal Angel

Medieval angel inspired by a tiny photo

in an old book, of an illuminated parchment.

Felt pen, watercolor and white gel pen.

My art work is done over reproduction images 

 of vintage perfume labels, thus the words

peeking through the watercolor...

Above, journal page using a color copy of

a face that I drew myself.  The large flower 

on her head is a sticker intended for scrapbooking. I

outlined the shapes within the flower in pen to

make the page cohesive with my additional

drawings, using felt pen and watercolor.

Scrapbook paper collage, above.

Pen and watercolor...how do

you find the time for everything 

you want to do?

◙ ◙ ◙

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

Thanks for stopping by...

I'd love to hear about 

the art that you create 

 on your journal pages...

Sewing Box and other Tuesday Necessities

We just returned from Tennessee
for a visit with our son and his family.
It was so nice to see them all!
Art Journal page, above, about
the road trip home. (click for a larger view)
Lots of fall color...

My son has worked for Southern Star Wood Display Cases, which
creates custom display boxes.  Above, is a gorgeous hardwood
 sewing box designed for stitchers to keep all their necessities.

The lid shown is glass, but can be ordered with wood
instead.  That lid would be the ideal place to mount one
of those cross stitch samplers that I love so much!
The lining fabric can be ordered in a number of colors.
The rectangle on the right is a pincushion with a 
hardwood base.  Again...I can see it covered with a
sampler that matches the lid!  

The tray holds spools or embroidery floss bobbins...
You can go to Southern Star Wood Display Cases on Facebook
 to find out more about ordering a custom
sewing box, or any other display box.  Many of their customers
use them to display firearms, knives,  relics, and other collectibles.

Of course, I keep visualizing the box filled with patterns,
 thread, scissors, needle keep and a pincushion!
♥
One of our area radio stations has begun their annual
playing of Christmas music-- I am not ready!
...but it IS a good time to start Christmas shopping...

Linking up with Bluebeard and Elizabeth
at Altered Book Lover for T Tuesday, with my virtual mug...
inspired by my snowman mug.  What journaling
should I add to the page?  
♥
Someone asked where I get my quotes.
I just type into my browser
"quotes about ________."
Fill in the blank with whatever topic you'd like,
and then choose your favorites...
♥
Be sure to visit Elizabeth, and also
Southern Star Wood Display Cases!
Happy Fall!

Halloween Greetings

Happy Halloween!

Above is a card that I made using ideas from

a book titled Outstanding Mini Albums by Jessica Acs.

I drew and cut out all of the elements myself,

rather than using pre-made scrapbook items.

I saw these spooky eyes on the internet

and thought they were fun! 

The negative space suggests the eyes...

just orange card stock glued onto black

with white gel pen highlights...

I drew pumpkins on orange card stock, mounted them

on patterned card stock, then glued the outside

edges onto the card to make a pocket.

The name on the card is covered by the scrap

of black, just temporarily for this post...

I am very pleased with the way the tag

turned out. Skull drawn on white card

stock, cut out & glued onto black;

 white gel pen border,

and various hole punch dots from

card stock for the polka dots.

Unfortunately I do not know the designer for these cute

Halloween sculptures.  I purchased them at a very reduced

price at a flea market.  They are probably 'seconds' or

overstock, but I love their whimsy!

Above, my Halloween boxes on top of the 

inevitable electronics.  The reproduction sculpture of

Egyptian queen Nefertiti (I had a thing for Egyptian art in college-

and it's never gone away!) has been crowned with a witch's hat.

My son-in-law thought it was really weird to have a black

sculpture of a head in the house. My daughter just said

"It's an art thing."

It was my son-in-law's idea to add the hat...

I liked it!

Some of the pincushions I've made. These are some

that look a bit "fall-ish."   I really like the

blackbirds, which I adapted from a Prairie Schooler 

pattern.  There are a lot of cross stitch pieces in my house!

The pear-shaped pincushion in the upper right came from

a free pattern on the Samplers and Santas blog.

Nefertiti looks lovely in her hat...don't you agree?!

Just had to include one art journal page...

Linking up with T Tuesday today, over at

Altered Book Lover's blog.  

And adding my 'virtual' tea mug...

♥

Thanks so much to all who visited the

Notforgotten Farm blog to vote for my 

penny rug bag! (#4) Voting ends on Halloween,

so there's still time if you haven't stopped by. There are many

wonderful primitive cross stitch designs in her shop,

and a terrific assortment of Finishes of this 

Halloween pattern!

♥

Hope you have a colorful and delightful

Halloween...watch out for chocolate!

♥ ♥ ♥

Pumpkins on T Tuesday

Stitched pumpkin pillow with wool front.

Primitive pumpkin pattern from "Threads that Bind."

The features are reverse applique'.  Which means you

cut out the shapes and sew the contrasting color behind

the opening, instead of stacking contrasting colors 

on top of each other. 

I rather like this sad pumpkin face...

Voting is still open over at Notforgotten Farm

for your favorite Finish on the cross-stitch pattern

that I used on the penny rug bag.  There are so

many lovely pieces there! Of course I would be
delighted if you vote for number four...

Below, the painted pumpkin doll that I

created several years ago. He's a rather

large fellow.

I saw a similar doll in a shop, but didn't

want to pay the high price, so I made

my own version.

Love how the dangly legs turned out!

Please visit Bluebeard and Elizabeth over

at Altered Book Lover blog for more

T Tuesday activities.

Happy Fall - T Tuesday!

Halloween Stitching on T Tuesday

Joining Bluebeard and Elizabeth for T Tuesday

over at Altered Book Lover blog.  

 Thought I'd do an art journal page with

a Halloween travel mug...wouldn't this be

a stylish way to have my coffee or tea? 

Here is a sweet pattern that 

was created by Lori, the designer of

Notforgotten Farm.

She published this wonderful Halloween

freebie on her blog, and invited her readers

to get it stitched up by October 15th.

Readers were urged to come up with an original

finished project.  I decided to make a 

'little black bag' to hold fall foliage.

It's hanging from my ladder back chair.

It would also make a nice door decoration!

  It is stitched on Natural
 48 count linen, with black and orange floss.

 The finished design is appliqued onto
 the bag with blanket stitch in black thread.
Tan felt scallops decorate the bottom of the
bag, with black felt circles, and orange buttons
for a 'penny rug' feeling.  Loosely stuff the
bag with fiberfill, and place artificial fall
foliage in the top of the bag.

♥

Lori is taking

a vote on her blog starting on 
Oct. 16th, 2013, to determine the readers' 
favorite finished project  from this pattern.

Please go to  Notforgotten Farm
blog, and place your vote.  Click on
 the number of your favorite in the right side bar.
Voting ends on Halloween!
The winner receives a
gift certificate from Lori's etsy shop.

♥

To get the free pattern from Notforgotten Farm
go here.  No stitch colors are given on the chart --
do whatever you like!  It would be very striking
stitched in all black, or all in orange on black fabric!
The challenge is over but you can still
stitch a fun Halloween decoration!
Thanks for stopping by, and 
don't forget to vote!

♥

Sketch of Halloween Decor

Sketch for a project I am working on...

Check back on Tuesday to see photos.

We'll see if you can spot the

differences between my sketch

and the actual finished project.

Things never turn out exactly the way you planned...

T Tuesday: Coffee, Pumpkins and Cats

Linking up with Bluebeard and Elizabeth today
for "T Tuesday" at Altered Book Lover.
My tall ceramic mug holds the mocha coffee that I love.
Continuing the Halloween theme for October...

The painted boxes are just the paper mache' boxes
that you can purchase from the discount or craft store.
I painted them with acrylics, using vintage-
inspired Halloween designs.  These boxes
 come out every year!  

The black cat mug coaster was a gift from
my daughter-in-law's mom.  It was a cute fall
decoration from her shower.

The white art journal was created from an old book
purchased at the Salvation Army.  The book block
was removed and pages with a variety of papers 
were bound in.  I learned to do this in Mary Ann Moss'
Full Tilt Boogie on-line class.  I enjoyed the class
very much, and love how this journal turned out!
(I believe Mary Ann is having a sale on her classes
right now. Visit Dispatch From LA for info)

I really like the gold and white cover. 
 The book was 'Sacraments of the Church.'
 I added the black felt, beading, and
 an antique button on the cover.
Still working inside the journal...

'Fraidy Cats Welcome'  - below -
for a Haunted House swap in 2011...
old twisted trees are a favorite thing to draw!

Pumpkin head doll -- below --
made from cardboard recycled from
cereal boxes and painted with
acrylic paints.  This guy could be
decorated in a lot of ways.  His
'brother' wears a ghost costume,
but he was unable to appear here today.
--Out haunting I believe!

Recycled cardboard again...
background of gessoed newsprint, stamped
curlicues, various Halloween images that
I drew and painted are collaged onto
the background.  Charcoal darkens the
outside edges.  The old quote reads:

"From ghoulies and ghosties
and long leggity beasties
and other things that go
bump in the night,
good Lord deliver us."

May you be delivered from any 
hauntings of the scary variety, and
be blessed with a colorful, cozy Fall!