Jungle circles

Because, like Julie Bell....circles are my thing, thenI keep producing pages of them.
Here is one in a style that I have used before, with PA fresco colours, archival stamping, Lin Brown flowers and this time I have added some cuttings from a magazine of jungly style leaves.

My journal is now so full that I couldn't straighten it to take a level photo.

I am entering this into the PA challenge.

Summertime with my family

It was a huge surprise while I was on holiday in Spain, to receive notification that I had been selected in the Top 3 of the CVC challenge for May.

It actually boosted my confidence and consequently, I agreed to enter a Guest Design piece.

I had recently acquired some beautiful stamps from the talented Emma Godfrey who designs for Paperartsy and the CVC theme being" Summertime", these stamps were ideal.

First, I glued to my journal page a page of summery words from a dictionary.
Next, I dripped some very bright paints from Lin Brown's latest collection of fresco paints. My drippage was probably successful because I added water to the paint.
I scribbled with bright Portfolio pastels and rubbed some of the colour away through a dotty stencil.
Next, I filled in the gaps with Emma's word stamps and also made my own washi tape using Emma's word stamps and made a criss cross pattern.

I added a bit of splattering to the white space.

Finally, I added a recent holiday photo of my Grandchildren and painted a couple of flowers!

Obviously, my bright colours and words from Emma's holiday themed stamps give a summery feel!
You can link up to the CVC blog here.
Thanks for looking!

Circles without lines

I have called this circles without lines because I have created circles without drawing the outlines. It is another trick of the eye where we figure out that these shapes are circles.

I started by cutting out various sized circles into a couple of pieces of A4 card.

I used these circles to dab paint through, stamp through and stencil through.

I chose a selection of PA fresco paints and archival inks.

By dabbing the paint and ink through making it stronger at one side, it gave the illusion of 3D.

I have used PA stamps also for a little text interest.

The hardest thing was balancing the composition and keeping the white background clean.

Pleased with the finished result....has endless possibilities!

I am entering this into the PA challenge.

Circles body

Fired up once again by the New topic on the Paperartsy blog tonight, which is circles!
Love circles and include them in lots of my work....so get ready for post overload this fortnight!

I have always been fascinated by the way that our minds seek order and sense when looking at images! We sometimes see what we want to see and not what is actually there and we wrestle to relate words and images to our own experience and knowledge!

I selected an image from a magazine of a model and drew around parts of her with a circular lid.
I cut them out and arranged them onto a piece of manuscript.
I added some black circle stencilling with Archival and added a little script.
Finally, I scribbled around the circles and added a few freehand with my black stabilo pencil and went over the lines with a wet brush.
Some of you may think that I have lost the plot, but it was an exercise in placing the images and training the eye to look at what is really there. I know what I am on about anyway??

So, I am entering this into the PA challenge!

Monochrome girl

Just needed to post my latest portrait!
I decided to extend my repertoire by including the body! this is not easy, as it involves adding proportion etc and highlights mistakes.
Anyway! I chose a pic from a magazine and sketched it quickly with my black Stabilo pencil.
Next, I added strips of papers from a range of black and white papers called Paris Nights using matte multi medium..

It was quite a scruffy journal page as my journal is nearly full.

Next, I chose fresco paints Little Black Dress and Snowflake to paint the girl.

I needed to loosen up my technique and painted it as freely as I could with a large, flat Dina Wakley paintbrush....the idea being that I wouldn't get bogged down with detail!

I think that it worked...and I was obviously in the right frame of mind.

I only used a tiny brush to dot the whit highlight in the eye!

I am entering this into the latest PA challenge... the link is a bit tenuous, but I did use matte medium for the papers and to be honest, am proud of my work and wanted to show it off!

Also, Kim Dellow's  Face on Friday is a good place to share my work!

Shabby clematis

It was such an enlightenment, watching the videos by Leandra from Paperartsy, demonstrating Gels, Pastes and Mediums last night on the PA blog.
I am relatively new to crafting but still felt like I had had my head buried in the sand for some time.

So, part way through one of the videos, I paused it and prepared a journal page by spreading Crackle Paste with a palette knife.
This morning I mixed French roast with Matte Glaze and painted over crackly surface.
Next I mixed Sand Texture paste with Fresco green olives and pushed it through a leafy stencil!
I added a bit of dimension to it after it had dried by adding Distress inks, intense and water.
I mixed bead gel with fresco Rose and applied through a stencil too. This was also aged with distress inks.
To make my flowers glisten, I mixed mica flakes with Gloss glaze and added it to the petals.
I mounted my photo, which I took in my garden last week, added scruffy calico and some corrugated card.
I used my PA Words 2 stamps to stamp the word Shabby and also randomly in the background.
For an experimental play, I am quite pleased and want to thank Leandra for taking off my blinkers!

I am entering this into the PA challenge.

New face

Not done a face for ages so had a play this afternoon.
Have used Dina Wakley paints and large dry brush technique!
After I took a photo of it I noticed that the eyes needed adjustment! still not happy with them but better than they were. I am going to enter this into the Kim Dellow faces on a Friday challenge!

Paua Shell Effect

Lots of us were fascinated by the technique that Lin Brown demonstrated on the Paperartsy blog on Wednesday night! Much twittering and experimenting has been happening.
Here is one of mine!

I started by following Lin's instructions using Heavy Gel and tried it on Wax paper, a brown deli bag, some metallic film and a white deli bag.

My best result was the brown deli bag.
I used the whole bag and it fits perfectly into my large journal.
I added my new HotPick stamp in brown archival and clear heat embossed. Also stamped with brown archival onto some Kraftcard and cut out the flower and butterflies.
I rubbed some Treasure Gold, Onyxite onto the gel and around the outside of the bag.

The hardest bit was photographing it to do it justice.
Thanks Lin for your fabulous playing!

My Bro

Another cache of fabulous ideas on the Gels and Mediums Topic on the Paperartsy blog.

It reminded me of my first ever class that I went to, a year last December, by the super talented Finnabair.

I started by covering my journal page with some pieces of Chatsworth paper.

Next, I pressed Heavy Gel Medium through a stencil with a palette knife!

I added the date of my photo and my brothers name to the page using 3D foam numbers and letters.

I added some TH washi tape and then, when the gel had dried, sprayed some of the areas with Perfect Pearls sprays.

I added a little dotty stamping in coffee archival .

I like the way that the mica sprays highlight the raised areas.

I sprayed a brown tag and a little envelope; distressed some more bits of Chatsworth and mounted the photo of my brother....he must have been about 2....the boy on the right....onto the papers.

I have included the envelope so that I can add little messages from time to time. Love and miss my bro, who died 11 years ago!

I am entering my journal page into the latest PA challenge.