Collage journal page with Kate Crane

Hi again folks another quick post - I forgot I hadn't put on these lovely pages that I did in another one of Kate Cranes workshops - back in March I think?!?!? the year is going by so quickly I cant keep track.

It was a creative collage workshop. 

 I managed to get 2 journal pages done in the day!! 

So paint and stencil backgrounds and cut out shapes to make the focal points and doodling to finish off!!

Haven't really been able to get to grips very well with collage, I've always been a bit dissatisfied with the end results but could never figure out why.  These 2 however I was very happy with.  Loved the eyes I added to the left hand house for a bit of fun lol!!!

Used the every useful stabilo write all pencil to add shadows and some extra detail.

Some washi tape was added to this one for a bit of extra detail!!!

They are quite different from a lot of what I do but I love trying 'different' and one of these years all these attempts at 'different' are hopefully going to merge in to what will end up being my style!  Well I live in hope.... I just need to practise more!!

Take care

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Regular Art Journaling - drawing whimsical faces

Hi folk I hope the weather is not as confusing for you as it has been where I live - we have had sunshine, torrential rain and warm temperatures today - confused... totally.

Earlier on this month I was yet again at my home from home AFTH but this time it was to go to regular journaling workshops which Kate Crane has just started doing.

We didn't know what we were doing before hand but as it turned out it was whimsical face, much to the horror of some of the ladies in the class.

So we started off doing some practise and trying out some different styles.

From there we went on to explore adding colour - I really love my inktense pencils and neocolor 2! 

Then we finished off painting a face in our journal!! 

I had a great day and learnt to much and watched some amazing faces being created!! Even the ladies who were convinced they couldn't draw faces ended up with some wonderful work!! 

So remember don't let your fear stop you - have a go anyway!!

Have a great month!!

xxx hugs xxx

She Art Canvas with Michelle Webb

Hi Folks hope your not getting too burnt with all this sunshine!!!

Had a great time last week at AFTH in a workshop with Michelle Webb and we made 2 she art canvases!

I have admired some of the she art I have seen over the last couple of years but haven't got round to having a go myself, so this was the perfect opportunity! 

To make the day even better we got to play with Dina Wakley's lovely new heavy body paint which have just been released and tried the Faber Castell Big Brush Pitt Pens which I haven't used before.

So it was a inky messy play day trying new things!!

 I loved it needless to say!

This is what I ended up with!!

As always Michelle had done loads of prep work for us and it was great to add our own take on her project!!

These are a bit different for me and I wasn't sure about them half way through the day but by the time I headed away I was very happy.

I added the quotes on when I got home and it finished them of nicely.

If you have thought about giving it a try - stop thinking and just do it!! its great fun!!

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Altered Matchboxes Workshop

This week I has great fun doing the sometime fiddly altered matchboxes workshop with the lovely talented Kate Crane!

So we got messy inking, distressing stamping and sewing and I ended up with these little beauties!

Made a little journal to go in the big matchbox!!!

A concertina journal in one of the minis - along with a paperclay heart!! Still need to put finishing touches to the journal and colour the hear!

Made 12 little cards to go in this one - going to put journaling prompts on them - still have to do that!!

Lastly made a teeny tiny brown paper journal for the last one!!!!

I had such a great time making these minis that I had to buy some more matchboxes from AFTH while I was there so when I have a few minutes I will play and make some more!!

Give it a go guys - its super crafting fun in miniature!!

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May Calendar Journal Page

Hi everyone - well here we are at the beginning of another month and I have just managed to get this months calendar done!!!

Ok I have to say at this point I don't like it.....Yet!!!!!  This month I think is going to be a work in progress. 

I decided to stop for now because I think I've been looking at it too long and I still cant see what to do with it to make it feel more finished for me!!

I like it better than I did an hour ago and I'm hoping by tomorrow I will like it more or will have come up with something to tie it all together!!

I started by using bits and piece that have been sitting around for a while - just bits of half done 'things!!

The background has loads of layers as I started off with spraying and dribbling inks over a month ago.  Each time I looked at it again I sprayed or splatted something else that come to hand.  Next time it was a bit of stamping and some mica, so its a real hotch potch!!!

The bird was a card that I had in my 'Journal Soup' box on my desk which I made after doing a workshop with Dina Wakley about adding animals to your art. (I will get round to blogging about those wonderful workshops one of these days lol). It was just a bit of a play using gloss card and a printed image.

'May' I cut out of a piece of inked card which has been in my paper stash box - like forever!!! And it seemed to go with the over all colour way.

So I put the heavy elements on, the month and the bird card and realised I had no clue as to how I was going to do the day spaces.

After much pratting about and fiddling I got my old faithful write all pencil and started to mark out the spaces, I hate it when I miss count and can't fit them all in.  But the marking turned to scribbling and the application of a water brush blurred the pencil a bit more and suddenly I had rather messy spaces.  They looked too light weight compared to the other elements so I scribbled over them with a glaze pen.

It still doesn't quite work - but its getting there.

I wonder what it will look like by the end of the month when I have finished writing something for each day and adding other touches to try to make it 'feel right'?!?!?

Well its going to be a bit of a journey!!

I hope you all get time to express your creative side this month!!

Happy May guys!!!

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P.S. as I finished the post I thought of something that I thought might make a difference.  You will probably all think Im mad but all I did was added some black distress paint round the edge of the page and it made a big difference for such a small thing!! I know you can hardly see the difference but i'm happier now!!

 lol