Summer Sunshine

I've been joining in with the Journal Journey free online art class but it's been ages since I had any time and today I have just finished May's page. The monthly theme was 'If I ruled the world' and the lessons included techniques with water colours and making our own stamps. I've used inspiration from several other challenges to create a summer page representing my love of the beach. 

 The background is created using Gelatos and gesso similar to the technique below and the stamps are by Rogue Redhead. 

As well as a journal page each month I'm also keeping a separate technique journal for examples of the techniques from each months lessons that I try. I've used a couple of these techniques on my page - wiping stripes of paint from the beach huts and dabbing the sky with a baby wipe to create clouds. 

I'm sharing this page over here -
Unruly Paperarts - The great outdoors
Our Creative Corner - What makes you smile
Allsorts - Blue as the ocean
Artistic Stamper - Summer is on it's way

Thanks for stopping by - Happy Crafting....Esther xx

Grateful / hopeful Journal Page

I'm trying to use my art journalling to help my stress and negative thinking so this page is all about hope and gratitude. It's based on the lessons learnt during this months Journal Journey and also inspired by IndigoBlu's challenge theme 'off the edge''. All the stamps I've used are from IndigoBlu. 

The Journal Journey lessons were about inclusions and dye inks and the theme for March was nature. I sprayed a layer of the palest ink spray, then stamped and embossed the flowers to create a resist before adding darker shades on top and Distress ink on the edges - I also created a smaller panel which would become my inclusion. I stamped the grasses across the bottom in Stormy sky DI and round the top with the edge of 'Ella Bella'.  

I created a little pocket on the inside of my inclusion and tucked in a tag with my journalling on.

 I stamped the other side of the smaller panel with the sentiment and 'Ella Bella' (off the edge), heat embossed in violet pearl EP before splattering with ink and using Distress ink on the edges - I had to remember to leave a border along the right which became a folded flap tucked underneath to secure it to the main page. 

I decided it needed more detail/layers so after adding strips of tissue tape I used grunge paste through a script stencil in the corners.

I'm also sharing my journal page here -

Country View Crafts - Anything Goes

Mixed Media World - Anything Goes

Inkspirational - Image of women/She art

Thanks for stopping by - Happy Crafting - Esther xx

  

Journal playtime (Warning LOOOTS of photos)

I've done some experimenting this weekend - firstly the week 9 Journal 52 prompt was 'Restraint', the challenge to use just one shape and colour (with black and white). Well the colour was easy - purple everytime and I chose circles because I love the Tim Holtz stamp I've used. 

I created the background by simply painting layers of circles through a stencil in several shades and sizes, finishing with a coating of watered down gesso which I allowed to run down the page. I stamped the circles in black archival and applied crackle paste through a stencil in the corner.  

I'm sharing this page over at  - 

Pan Pastels - Stencil it, 

Mixed Media World - Anything Goes 

Country View Challenges - Anything Goes

The other journal group I'm in currently is Journal Journey 2015 and this month we're focusing on Dye inks. I have several bottles of dye ink mainly Dylusions and Adirondack but have never really explored how they work with other mediums, so I've had a bit of play. Apologies now for the number of photos but I thought I'd share my results. I've used a turquoise Dylusions spray and purple Adirondack over different mediums and I sprayed each sample with water too. Some mediums take on the colour of the ink and others resist in different degrees -  

1. Gesso

 2. Gel Medium (Pebeo)

 3. Bead Gel (Golden)

 4. Left - Ranger Glue N Seal / Right - Microglaze (wiped off once ink dry)

 5. Golden Molding Paste

 6. PaperArtsy - Grunge paste

 7. Wendy Vechi Crackle Paste

 8. Ranger Crackle paint - Clear Rock Candy

9. White Acrylic paint

My favourite effect I think is over the crackle paste.

I'm also going to try adding this to the Link over at Brenda's fab blog Bumblebees and Butterflies where she's hosting a blog party to share visual journal inspiration (this is my first attempt at such a thing so hope it works).

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Crafting...Esther xx

Journal Journey 2015

I'm taking part in a great free Art Journaling course running over at Kreative Koncepts (there is also a great associated Facebook group) called Journal Journey 2015. Each week there is a lesson with video links and technique tips and a monthly theme. February's themes were backgrounds and quotes and I finally got around to finishing my page today (I'm making lose pages to bind together at the end).  

The background was created using lots of layers including paint, spray ink, masking, printed tissue paper and stamping with bubble wrap and corrugated card. 

I also added some texture with grunge past through a stencil. I love stencils and never need any encouragement to  use them on my projects  - The theme over at Pan Pastels is currently Stencil it so I'm sharing my page there. The theme at Artist Trading Post is 'Alphabet Soup' so I'm also sharing there as I've used dictionary printed tissue paper. The challenge theme over at Country View Crafts is 'Anything Goes' so I'm sharing my page here too - they are also celebrating their 2nd birthday. 

 I struggle with lettering and am not completely happy with this  - but I will keep practising and am being brave and just going with how this turned out.  The words on the the 'white' strips are on old book page paper that I've painted with a layer of gesso. 

 I'm also making a technique book as I follow each lesson - below are the first stages of creating the background.  

Thanks for popping over - Happy Crafting...Esther xx