A Potpourri of Art Activities over the weekend

Sketchbook Revival again (4th year) sort of drew me in.  Of course my life is not totally my own right now...although we are making progressing as weather improves in Wisconsin we are to get out and about more.  

But in-between I am trying to squeeze in a little art and the mini lesson on stamp carving and then layering the printing seemed to hit the spot for me.  I want to play more with that!  

 Then as we "spring forward" I started a new "mini journal" page in a new journal all together!  I got my clock up in the studio...comforting to have the old clock up there.  And then Marlene knit me some Bernie Sanders mittens which arrived just in time for the snow!  So I got to wear them!  

And Greg and I are nursing a lovely pot of pink tulips on our window sill.  So pretty and so helpful as we wander our way through the fickle and mired weather days of Wisconsin March.  

And then Zentangle is starting Project Pack #13 which is VERY different than one I've ever seen..it includes water-soluble graphite and a brush and a clear glaze pen.  The leaf shaped background is made with diluted graphite and a brush.  

My chop is an inverted V (for Virginia) and and S for Stiles. 

Everyday uses for fun stamping and collages....

Example of black stamps on tissue paper added to journal with gel medium

8 x 12 wc paper with acrylic paint, hand painted papers collaged on top, stamps on tissue paper and stamping.
Some pen and ink added.

Here the piece is cut into 4 postcards.

It's really fun to watch Jane Davies demo this postcard project.  Click here.

I definitely want to do several more.  Now that I tried one very quickly, I can see what I need to do to prepare better.  I have lots more papers to paint that is for sure.  

My journal pages above are sort of "Everyday Life" pages of movies we've seen and places we have been.  It's really fun to look back and remember!

Zentangle and a Stamped Image

Laces, Flutter Pie (v), Oakling (v), Star Map, Z-Trik, BTL Joos (v), Tink (v), Mura, Punch (v)

One of the fun things we did in Cynthia Vose's wonderful Zine multi media workshop was make our own stamps from self stick foam. (Yup the stuff you can buy at WalMart and craft stores for cheap).  You just cut it out with scissors and stick it to foam core. Voila. Roll it with ink or acrylic using a little foam roller.  Talk about making your own wrapping paper!!!  Wow.  

Anyway...I stamped one on a Zentangle tile (fluid acrylic) and let it dry and then tangled it.  It was a fun challenge and when I listed the tangles I was amazed at how many I used!  (Or versions I used.) This won't be anything I plan to do regularly...but it was fun!  

Stamps and Stencils

Okay...so here is a piece of canvas which has on it a "sampler" of watercolor textures and marks that can be added to the fractured watercolor paintings. In addition to spatter and random marks.

Optional only.

Being a mixed media artist, more or less, I am drawn to adding texture and design to most of my paintings. Most of what you see here is "stamped" with watercolor paint on to canvas. There are some "stencils" which I find are best put on with a stencil brush (bushy flat brush). But this is also only watercolor.

Some stamps are jar lids and bubble wrap. Others are professional rubber stamps I've accumulated over years of garage sales. The musical notes are painted by hand on to a stamped design...an experiment as I think I want to add some music to my Christmas painting.

I have not sprayed this, so with a wet sponge the could all be washed off. Now all these will work with fluid acrylics too (permanent then). And of course one could add ink lines, and watercolor pencil! And one could add a little gouache for areas of opaque paint! Endless variety.

Mail from Australia! Lucky me!

I don't think I've ever had anything come directly to me from Australia. This is a first.

What happened was I got lucky and had my name drawn in a raffle held on line awhile back in conjunction with the promotion of Kass Hall's new book on Zentangles®.

The prize was a stamp designed by Rachel Greig of "Darkroom Door"...which specializes in art rubber stamps and photographic papercraft products. In Australia. Click here to see her website. She also has a Facebook page at facebook.com/darkroomdoor.

The stamp is really quite large and when you print it out it makes 6 blocks that look just like postage stamps. (see below for stamp itself).

Naturally, I filled each with a tangle.

I glued the stamp to an old block of wood. Not very fancy to be sure, but it's made to adhere to an acrylic block and I don't have one of those. So I made do. I think it will be perfect for keeping a little tiny piece of a tangle as a kind of quick inventory of my favorites. What do you think?