Regular Art Journaling with Kate Crane - March

Hi everyone!!

So it was our Monthly meet this weekend with Kate Crane at AFTH for our regular journal class and this month we got to play with some of Kate's very new stamps from Stampotique!!!  They are brilliant!!! It you would like to get your hands on Kate's new stamps you can get them HERE!

So we did a couple of painty backgrounds with Kate showed us how to use small images on a large page and various ways to colour in her stamps!! 

These are the two pages that I got done!!!

This first one was done in one of my vintage ledgers

This one was done on a piece of card from a cereal box!! one of Kate's favourite substrates!! lol !!

It was a lovely chilled out day getting messy and colouring in!!!

What a way to spend a Sunday and we really appreciated Kate giving up Mothering Sunday for us!!

Thanks Kate your a star!!!

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Stampotique ATC swap

Hi everyone!

Last month I rather rashly signed up to take part in and ATC swap which was being arranged on the Stampotique facebook page.  I normally don't sign up for these sort of things because I find that I just don't end up having the time to do them and I hate agreeing to do something and then having to back out.  But this sounded like so much fun that I couldn't resist!!  We had to create  2 ATC's by swapping around parts of different stampotique stamps!!  Great Fun!!!

'Live outside the box'

With this first one I created the background by spraying inks on the paper then I stamped over it with a background stamp in ink which was a similar colour.  I used 3 of the frame stamps and covered up the original head with heads which I had stamped from other characters as well as adding the crown.  I mounted the background on black card as well as the 3 frames. With them stuck in place I added the quote, a little bit of colour to the figures and some doodling and it was done!

'Love 2 Fly'

With this second one I stamped  and coloured the heart (by France Papillon) then stamped out the small bumble bee and several characters (I'm sorry I cant remember the names of them) I swapped out the head and the legs and put new ones in and then stuck the character to the bee so the wings showed!!  I stamped out 'FLY' and stitched round the edge of the card.  Then it was just a matter of sticking them all down and creating some shadows round them.

I was so pleased with this little guy that I was really reluctant to put him in the Post and send him off to Australia!!!   But he arrived safely so it was fine!!

This was one of the ATC's that I received in return.  

It was made by the Valerie H Wilson who designs for Stampotique Originals and it made me giggle when I saw it!!  I really want the parrot stamp made by Magda Polakaw

This is the second ATC that arrived in the post!! It was made by Lisa Mason and the wonderful colours in it cheered me up on a dreary day!!

I loved receiving my ATC's and seeing what other people had come up with in the way of mixing and matching different Stampotique Stamps.

I definitely would take part again it was so much fun.

How about you have a go yourselves!!

xxxx

'Live your life in Colour' - canvas workshop with Tracy Scott

Hi!

As I told you in one of the recent posts there has been some new tutors at AFTH and one of them is Tracy Scott.  I have already done a post about the fast and fabulous class I did with her but now I want to show you the canvas class we did with her last week!!!

I'm always a bit nervous doing canvases - for some reason I find them rather daunting!! Which is probably why the only canvases I have ever done have been ones in a workshop where I am talked through the process step by step.  One of these days I will step right out of my comfort zone and do one myself - but it wont be this week lol!!!!

Though at times I struggled with the process I'm rather pleased with the end result.  Hand drawn flowers, painting and having to do large letters in my own writing should have been enough to send me into a panic, but thanks to Tracy's lovely calm teaching style I didn't.  She talked me through the bits I struggled with and encouraged us to try the bits we weren't sure about and at the end of the day all of the canvases looked amazing and so very different.

I love the vibrant colours and for once I didn't end up turning it too grungy!!!

I hope you all have a great week!

xxx hugs xxx 

Dyan's Regular Journal Workshop - March

Hi folks!!

I had a fab day at Dyan's regular journaling class last week at AFTH - fortunately Dy is in the country for a little while so we get to do some workshops with her, before she fly's away to do more teaching round the world!!!

We got to play with her new paints again and using one of her new techniques we make a couple of journal pages.  Click HERE for a link to her demonstration her new products and techniques.

I cant wait to get my hands on the new paints, there have been some delays with getting them to the UK but hopefully they will be here very soon!!!

With the addition of some of her new stamps and quotes these are the pages I made.

We had a lovely creative day, catching up with friends and eating way too much cake!!!  It was Perfect!!!

Happy creating everyone!!

xxxxx

France Papillon workshops October 2014

Hi everybody!  

While doing my last post about last years workshop with Finnabair, I was thinking about all the amazing tutors I have met and been taught by in this last four and a half years.  (that's how long I have been doing mixed media, altered art and journaling - all started off by meeting the wonderfully inspiring Dyan Reaveley).  

I was surprised by just how fortunate I have been in being influenced by such amazing artists!!!  

That's when I realised I had also not done a blog post on the wonderful France Papillon!!! 

In November last year Sue Tucker of Art Workshops arranged for France to do her first teaching session in the UK and she came up to the North East to do it!!!!  I cant tell you how excited we all were about it.  A lot of us had been following her blog for a while so to actually get the chance to meet her and be taught by her was thrilling!!!

We had a great weekend and this was some of the work that I created!

1st workshop - Book of Dreams - altered book!!  Loved altering this book, I keep taking it off the shelf and stroking it!!! 

2nd workshop - Stampotique goes ATC - unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my work from this class - I cant seem to find them!! lol.  We learnt loads of techniques and used them on the ATC's and used Stampotique stamps to decorate them.  France is a designer for Stampotique so we got to play with some of her stamps.

3rd workshop - Try out and let go!! - amazing class.  We got to try out loads of the new products that had been released and then we went on to do some exercises which resulted in the following 3 journal pages.

These first 2 didn't originally have purple down the middle but I was rather to generous with the purple spray when I did the last page and I got it everywhere!! But its not a problem as it doesn't bother me.  If it did I would just add a bit more purple to the pages to make it look like it was meant to be there!!

France is such an amazing lady - so inspirational, unbelievably creative, a great teacher and a wonderful person!!!  If you get the chance to do any of her workshops please go - it is an experience you wont forget!!!

So explore and try new techniques with the products you have - there are some amazing videos linked to the 3 wonderful ladies I have already mentioned so go have a look at their blogs and I'm sure they will inspire you to play!!

Fortunately for us Frances first teaching session in the UK went well and we didn't scare her off  as she is coming back again in May!! I cant wait to see her again and see what adventures her workshops take us on this time!!

xxxxx 

Finnabairs Workshops Autumn 2014

Hi!
As I said in my last post I realised that I had not blogged  the first workshops which I did with Finnabair last Autumn, so I thought I would do a quick post to show the work I produced.
Again the workshops were held in Middlesbrough and if you would like details of any up coming workshops being held there please have a look on the Art Workshops facebook page.
If you get the chance to either do a workshop with Finnabair or attend one organised by Sue Tucker at Art workshops I would strongly recommend you go!! You will have an amazing time!!

12 x 12 paper layout - Frost Fairy. She is now framed and hung in my hall way!!

Long Canvas 50 x 20 cm.

Front cover of the journal

Back cover of the journal.

Journal pages

I find it interesting looking at the work I produced last year in Finnabair's workshops at it is so very different from what I produced this year!!  Obviously Ania is a major influence in what we produce in class but I can see my work changing as I learn more from different people.

I hope you get the chance to be influenced by those whose art you admire!!

Happy Creating!!

xxxxxx

Finnabair workshops in Middlesbrough

Hi folks - I'm finally managing to get my energy levels up after an amazing weekend doing workshops with the stunningly talented Finnabair!!

Ania is not only a wonderfully creative person but she is a brilliant teacher as well as a lovely lady!!

If you ever get a chance to do one of her workshops I would highly recommend it!! You can find where she is teaching on her blog in the link above.

The workshops were held just outside Middlesbrough and were set up and run but the incomparable Sue Tucker!!  If you would like details of any up coming workshops please have a look on the Art Workshops facebook page.  These workshops are well organised in a great setting and they get some amazing mixed media tutors in - really I cant praise them highly enough!!!

Anyway here are the pieces of work I did in the 3 workshops!!

Colorology - 12 x 12 paper layout

Everyday treasures - mixed media shadow box 

Tea bag journal and pages

First pages

second pages

15 minute exercise - very freeing doing this spread with limited products - Great fun!!

I loved the whole weekend needless to say and can wait to go to more of Finnabairs workshops!!!

Having done this page has just reminded me I didn't blog last years workshops with Ania so I will be posting that next.

Oh - well I hope you get a chance to try something new and spread your creative wings!!!

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