Just add Color!

In today's post I'll share a few of my pages I have been working on while partaking in Kiala Givehand's "Hacking the Color Wheel."

If you have followed me for a while, you would have heard me talk about Kiala before (remember the Inspiration Decks?).  Anyhoo... I decided to take part in this class as we all know I have an affliction for color. If there is something out there to learn about it, I want to learn it!  So far I haven't had the chance to do all the lessons, but I have singled out a few that I really enjoyed.

As this is a paid for class, I can't share too much, but I will share the instructor's website link and my thoughts on the actual lesson that I have done (or still working on).

Here are a some peeks at them...

Emily Mitchell's Color Weaving

Colors used: Golden Heavy Body Ultramarine Blue, Golden Fluid Acrylic Burnt Sienna, Liquitex Heavy Body Titanium White; Golden Glazing Liquid Satin Finish.

The basic idea of this piece was to work with color to push and pull your colors on your substrate.  By this, she means the use of color AND mediums.  By pushing in and pulling back your colors, she achieves what she calls 'color weaving'.  Understanding your mediums, helps with this process.  If you go to the manufacturer's sites, they are loaded with information to help you figure it all out.  If there is something you still don't understand, fire them an email - they are always so helpful.

Emily's medium of choice is Liquitex Glazing Liquid.  She blends this with her paints when she wants to get the transparency of colors that will then allow for the reveal of the under painting.  It creates depth and yet luminosity to your piece. 

Tipster: it (glazing liquid) does tend to speed up the drying time, so if you are wanting to extend this, you will have to add another medium - Liquitex Slo-Dri or Golden's Open Medium.

Here's how I got started:

This image shows the difference between paint mixed with glazing liquid (L) and straight up paint (R). It is very obvious the difference and you can see how it will produce depth in your art. 

I didn't take a lot of pictures along the way, I started applying with my brush but quickly wnet to my fingers.  Blending with the Glazing Liquid is awesome!

You can see marks within the image shown; these were done with bubble wrap, dowel and my paint brush or finger.

Here is how it stands now.  There is still so much to do on this one - I have some great ideas on taking to the next level, having said that, I do quite enjoy where it is right now, and may very well leave it there and start this format on a larger substrate (wood or canvas)! 

One important note I did take from this lesson was the comment of  "intentional art verse intuitive art."  This is something we all should think (or not think) of while we are painting....in other words....JUST PAINT!

Mary Nasser's Mixed-Media Stenciling Techniques & Color Schemes

Paints used: Dina Wakley Media Lapis, Sky, Ocean,; Golden Heavy Body Ultramarine Blue, Liquitex Heavy Body Titanium White, Decoart Media Tinting Base, White Gesso, Ken Oliver Color Burst, Ranger Alcohol Ink, FW Acrylic Indigo Ink, Dylusions Ink Spray.

This one was a fun one, Mary's style is very similar to mine - where as she is not afraid to try different colors and mediums on the same piece.  She also uses a ton of stencils (she designs for StencilGirl Products).  I didn't take very many photos along the way as I was really on a roll and having a blast!

As you can see from my color listing below the image above, I used a lot of variety.  I simply just started pulling anything that was liquid and was blue!  Having thought back I could have used some more paints (Tim Holtz, Decoart Media, Prima, etc) and also use some more liquids (distress stains/sprays, Lindy's, Prima, Studio Calico), you get it - just start pulling out of your stash!

I simply started creating layers with the stencils, doing my usual flip, flop, turn, move and manipulate the stencils all over the page.  I tried to keep with a 'square' them on the page and used the following stencils from StencilGirl Products - S505, S414, S374, S375.

TIPSTER: When layering your stencils, be sure to not only change the colors (light to dark), but when moving, flipping, flopping them around, there is actually a method to my madness! Always look for white space (not necessarily literal) to add the next layer of color.

As you peruse the images below, you can see how I accomplished this.  You will also not that I tend to add white to my pages along the way to either brighten or tone down an area.  I used Decoart Media Tinting Base a lot on this page.  I really like using it as it tints the color without actually loosing the pigment of the color and depending on how much you use, can make your color opaque.

It was a fun lesson that allowed you to PLAY!  She encouraged you to just try.  That is something I encourage all the time - what is the worst that can happen?  You start another page/canvas/board.  It is JUST PAINT...so JUST PAINT!

Kiala Givehand

This next one was a live session with Kiala where we talked about color and how they made you feel.  I am not really a color feel like of person to that depth (ie meaning behind the colors you choose), I am the person that just grabs a color and paints. There probably is a meaning behind it, but I just want to paint.

She started us off using watercolors on our page... (sorry no pictures).  I was not overly impressed with the base, so I decided to paint over it.  I pulled out my Liquitex Heavy Body Titanium White Paint as I find it gets some of the best coverage.  Having said that, the lesson from Emily popped into my head and so I decided to bring in the Glazing Liquid into play here!

The different shades of color you are seeing are actually the mix of the glazing liquid with the white so you are able to see the under painting.  I wiped and added, wiped and added again; pulled out a couple stencils S375 & S505 - wiped an added yet again.  Then I wanted to add some black, so I used Charcoal Vines (dipped in water) to get mark making effect I was after.

These last two photos I decided to edit on my phone to show you how a simple click of a button you can change the perspective and perception of an image.

These are the same photo, I just edited them both with filters.  One was enhanced using  the Instagram filter  Lo-Fi; the next is zoomed. cropped and filtered to black & white on the iPhone Photos editing tool - Noir.

The pop of color and and the depth that one gets from these is very interesting to me. Perspective and perception are interchangeable, especially in art. Using 'words' in art is an interesting concept. 

Ones perspective can change ones perception and perception can change ones perspective.  Just a little thing to think about next time you look at your own work or even someone else's.

Don't forget to keep an eye on my Instagram and Facebook accounts (and I'd love it if you would follow along) as I tend to post there more often (just not as much detail)!

Most products are linked to my online store W2 Scrapbooking & Mixed Media Art Studio and if I don't carry it, I will often link to where you can find it.

....until next time.

Upcycled Book Journal

As promised, here is a quick mini tutorial on my Upcycled Book Journal.

This was uber quick to put together and must say a tab fun!  I started out with an old hardcover fiction book I picked up at a thrift store.  Depending on what you are wanting to use for papers inside will determine what size book to pick out. 

Since I was using some of my stash papers - let's face it, we all have a 'toteload' (or two, or three or ten) of these and for some reason just can't seem to use them.  Well, enough is enough...I'm using them!

My book measures just over 5.5" x 8.25" with a 1.25" spine.

Taking a packing knife, I simply cut down the edge of the hard cover edge where the actual book pages meet the cover, and slice down the edges being careful not to cut through the spine.

There you go, a dismantled book!  You can either use those inner pages as collage fodder or put them in the recycle bin.

I picked out some of my Prima Sunrise Sunset Collection that I have seriously been hoarding for waaaaay too long (circa 2013, but sadly I have pages even older than these)! So trial sake as I was not wanting to destroy too many pages if I didn't have to - I pulled a sheet of 8.5x11" paper out of my recycle bin and folded it in half to see if it would work in size for my inserts.  I decided to cut it down to 8 7/16x11", I know - but that 1/16" made a difference to me!  

I first cut five sheets to those dimensions and folded them in half.  Knowing that was not going to fill the journal nor make me happy, I quickly decided to make a variety of page sizes.  My pages now ranged form the 8 7/16 x 12" all the way down to 4.5x12".  So 12" you ask? Huh? Well if you look at the photo below, it will all make perfect sense!  I folded some of the pages!  Not all the pages are actually folded in half - but off centered so I could create a flip out within.

I created three signatures of eight sheets of paper per.  This ended up being a perfect fit. 

Time to set aside the signatures and decorate the cover.  I had lots of bits and pieces of papers left over from when I was making my signatures, so of course I though why now use them to on the cover!  I started placing them on the cover of the book until I was happy with the layout.  Took a photo so I could replicate...

So, how did I do?!  As usual, I didn't quite get it the same, but I am happy either way!  I then repeated it on the back.  I adhered it all using Golden's Regular Gel Matte, strictly due to the weight of this collection's cardstock. 

Next it was time to cover the inside - this time I took a vintage dictionary page strip for the actual spine and larger sections of cut papers to cover the inside. I once again used Golden's Regular Gel Matte. 

Once it was down securely, I put down the sheets on the front and back inside covers.

Then trimmed off any access.

Now it is time to bind it.  I used the similar five loop binding system as described in this blog post.  I used a scrap sheet of paper to get my dimensions correct due to my varying page sizes (more on that later). Using my awl. I punched through  the opened signature (securely clipped) and the book cover.  It is important to make sure you are in the proper location of the spine as you are inserting three signatures.  I therefore put my first signature in the center of the spine.  I used waxed linen for my binding thread. The awl and needle I picked up at our local sewing shop a few years ago.  If you have the old Making Memories Tool Kit (that has the hammer in it), it has a great awl and needle inside!

As you can see in the photo below, my first two signatures went in perfect! The third one (far right), not so much!  The spine not only was getting tight to work in, but my smallest sheet on this signature was 4.5" top to bottom which of course didn't work out so good for my stitching!

I find it is always best to have a minimum of THREE stitches on a sheet so it remains secure enough for you to actually work in our journal!  So TIPSTER - next time measure your signature with the smallest sheet inside first!  This can be hidden of course if I chose to cover the spine at some point with Book Binding Tape, or even some canvas!

Here are a few more shots of the book as it is now.... 

 

It does need a closure eventually, but does stay closed enough when laying down now (for now). But in good ol' Wendy fashion, she can't find her closures and refuses to open a new pack off the shelf as she has done that way too many times!

NOTE: This is by no means an 'original' design - it has been down before and will no doubt be done many many many more times.  It is simply my take on it. I first was inspired by a similar stitching format with a class I took with Traci Bautista where she encouraged you to use your own art pages to create a journal.  I simply went out on may own inspirations and came up with this way and all the tips I have suggested are what I found to work best in the several journals I have created since.

*-*-*-*

Today, I did my first page in the journal...you can say I broke it in!

Started off with a light covering a white gesso.

My color palette today was limited: Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White and Black (Gesso).

I started out using one stencil but all four 'colors' (blending and mixing along the way and layers). The stencil is a StencilGirl one designed by Rae Missigman called Puddles.

Again, when i use stencils, I tend to use only bits and pieces and turn, flip and move it around the page as I work and layer texture and color(s).

When you go too far, you tend to get this hot mess.  I find that the addition of white is more often than not a pages savior!

Not only white, but some more visual texture.  I brought this by using more stencils - StencilGirl stencils by Traci Bautista and Rae Missigman including: Deconstructed Cabbage, Deconstructed Zinnia, Deconstructed Lily, Imaginary Bloom, and Nonsensical Bloom.

Once the white has been added, I will often add another focal point of color, usually one of the underlying ones in its raw form.

In the photo below, you can see the brands I used for colors and also see the pile of stencils I used!

Must say, I kinda like this page and thinking I will call it done...for now!

Don't forget to keep an eye on my Instagram and Facebook accounts (and I'd love it if you would follow along) as I tend to post there more often (just not as much detail)!

Most products are linked to my online store W2 Scrapbooking & Mixed Media Art Studio and if I don't carry it, I will often link to where you can find it.

until next time...

Faux Encaustic?

Well as usual my blog posts got the better of me and I once again neglected it. Seems to be the story of my life.  I am trying real hard to take time away from the shop to actually work on art, but life just seems to continually get in my way.

The rest of May & June were beyond busy in the shop and for that I thank you all for your continued support.  I also in my infinite wisdom finally caved and took on a teaching schedule at a local shop. I taught 4 classes during that time and am looking forward to starting up again in the fall.  Had a great group of ladies that had a ton of fun seeing into my world of crazy art creations.  Pretty sure I scared some and scarred others, hahaha!!

July was a total blur as we had about 10 days of actual holidays where we spent it with my family celebrating my Dad's 85th birthday.  We had 19 out of the 34 of us which is a pretty good turn out.  Ever since we lost Mom, we make a point of getting together as a family and celebrating any milestone possible.  Needless to say, this was an important one.  We came back from our holidays a few days early as we needed to help out Hubby's Mom.  She had knee replacement surgery this past fall and it has not been an easy go.  After taking her back and forth to the city a few time for Dr appointments and tests - it was determined to be a cracked knee cap.  She has no idea how it happened but  it has and now we need to wait a bit longer to see if it will heal on it's own.  Totally unsure how that works considering it is a knee replacement, not a real live bone...but what do I know, I'm not the Doctor.

So we've been back for a week now and I took full advantage of it an decided to delve into some Faux Encaustic work.  I took an hour or two each day and tried my hand at it.  I have been reading a lot of books lately on this and even though it may be basically the same process, how they all go about it is so different (frustrating).

The first one I found about it that I thought I would try my hand it was in a book called The New Acrylic - The Complete Guide to the New Generation of Acrylic Paints (Rheni Tauchid).  I was reading it while in one of the many waiting rooms over the past couple of weeks.  I came across the article on Acrylic Encaustic so thought I would give it a try once I was home.  So in Wendy fashion, I dove right in head first, only to get hung up pretty quick.  The article did not give near enough information which I figured out too late.  So if you follow me on Instagram (@w2scrpbk) or the shops Facebook page (@W2 Scrapbooking & Mixed Media Art Studio), you will have seen a good amount of this already.

Day One...

I am working on a 12x12" (Mdf topped) Cradle-board that I made myself.  I prepped the surface with two good coats of White Gesso.  Once the gesso was totally dried, I applied a mix of  Adirondack Acrylic Metallic Pearl and DecoArt Fluid Acrylic Interference Blue paint with a 1/2" Flat Wash Brush

Once it was dry, I applied a thick coat of  3D Gloss Gel with my metal palette knife.

No need to get it too smooth, just be sure you have the entire substrate covered. NOTE: be conscience of the amount of gel you use.  I used way too much and most of it went into the garbage as I did the squeegee step!

While it is still wet, apply a thin layer of diluted transparent paint - in this case I used Golden Fluid Acrylic Phthalo Blue (Red Shade). Reminder that Gels are white out of the container but do dry clear.

Now take a squeegee or large palette knife and smooth out the surface.

Now, using a mark making tool of some sort, etch in some focal points in the wet surface.  I used a small wooden dowel.

The great part here is if you are not happy with your markings, just go over them again with your trowel/knife/squeegee, which is what I did.  Only downfall is that it will continue to move the colors.  This is how it looked at the end of day one.  

It now needed to fully dry for at least 24 hours now.  It has been a very humid summer for us which is not normal by any means.  Surprisingly enough, I was able to find my patience and wait the 24 hours! Yay me!! 

Day Two...

This was where I was starting to get frustrated on the directions in the book and the direction the piece was taking.  So after applying the wash, I went totally off and decided to add some more texture, literally!

The photo below shows the application of a Phthlo Blue (Red Shade) wash over the dried piece.

The book did not really tell me what color of wash to use, I just thought it should be a dark one as it was quite 'white' still.  So once I wiped off some of the wash with a rag, I decided to add some texture in the form of found items in my stash.  I used rough cut pieces of rug gripper, drywall mesh, a mesh ribbon and some bits from circular plastic canvases.  All applied using the same 3D Gloss Gel.

Here are a few close ups so you can see the textures.

 

 

 I needed to do some more reading and research on the Internet (videos and such) for other artists who did this sort of thing now as I was not at all happy with the direction it was going.  Once again it needed 24 hours to dry as I was using the heavy gel.

In my Internet search, I came across an interesting site with a French artist who is let's just say, very inspiring!  Laly Mille has some of the most beautiful work I have seen in a while.  I found her (again) when I did a google search of 'Acrylic Encaustic' - I say again as low and behold I already follow her on Instagram! Go figure! The one that really stood out to me was this video I found on YouTube (her channel link here). It got my mind really swirling with ideas on how I could improve what I had started and how I could do future pieces.

Day Three...

I started out applying a new 'wash' - but in this case, I decided on doing a glaze.  I used Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid (Satin) with Golden Fluid Acrylic Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold.  I allowed it to set for about two minutes then I proceed to wipe it off with a baby wipe.

I let it sit for about three minutes (ya, lost my patience again) and poured over Golden Self Leveling Clear Gel and tried to tip and tilt the board to spread it out and gave up quickly and used a palette knife.

Now once again, this needed 24 hours to dry! UGH so not good at this part of arting!  NOTE: at this point, I should have tinted my gel and I think I would have been happier, but hey...there's always a next time!

I continued to do more reading on this and pulled out some of my books in my ever growing art book collections and came up with two more that I thought were helpful.  Rethinking Acrylic - Radical Solutions for Exploiting the World's Most Versatile Medium (Patti Brady) and Acrylic Painting for Encaustic Effects - 45 Was Free Techniques (Sandra Duran Wilson).  The Patti Brady one was my favorite - not necessarily for the information (there really wasn't a lot), but it is so loaded with more general information on understanding acrylics in general.  Patti is not only an accomplished artist, she is Golden Artist Colors Inc Working Artist Program Director and you will often see her in their videos.  Here is the link to here site.  Another artist I looked for info on this was Jodi Ohl.  She has a workshop called Fearless Faux Encaustic that I have had for a while and think I need to go back and look at again.  It has been a long time and I honestly can't remember much about it. 

Day Four...

If you can imagine, even after 24 hours this was not totally dry!  But I push on and scratched and scraped in some marks using a piercing tool, chopstick and a metal staple remover.

Hard to see here, but as I was pushing in using the chopstick, it actually kind of molded back into it's flattened state.  I was able to finally get a few ridges, but hardly noticeable.

I added some F+W Acrylic Ink in Sepia in the areas where I scratched and scraped.

really working in with the brush...

I then used a cotton rag and wiped it off so to leave the ink in the cracks and crevices. 

I again was not overly happy here, so i decided to  add some solid color in the form of a mixture of Golden Regular Gel (Matte), Liquitex Heavy Body Paint Titanium White and Prima Artisan Powder in French Sage.

I wiped and added until I was happy(ish). 

End of day, getting to like it again, even though I can pretty much say there is nothing Encaustic about this anymore.  But staying positive on it as I am learning a ton on what not to do and what I can do in future applications - in the wise words of Mr Tim Gunn, "Make it work!" That I am!!

Day Five...

Here is what I was (am) hoping to be the last day of applications!  I took note from a part of Lay Mille's video and added some white scribbles using Golden High Flow Acrylic Titanium White paint in a Fineliner.

I also used some Golden Fluid Acrylic in Raw Umber in hopes of adding more emphasis on the scratches and areas of texture. 

The final application was to tone down the shininess of the piece.  For this I used a mix of Golden Soft Gel (Matte) and Golden Fluid Acrylic Iridescent Gold (Fine) and applied it with a brush first then tried to smooth it out with my Ranger Craft Squeegee. 

I did make sure the scribbles were totally dry before applying this final coat.  I used my Ranger Heat Tool and a little bit of my patience!

 

Here are a few close ups...

You can see already in the photos that the shininess is not as prominent and that makes me happy.  You know how I get with Shiny Objects...Squirrel!!

Here it is today, day six, fully dry and not near as shiny!  Am I happy with it? Not sure yet, not something I would normally do outside a journal.     

But will say I did learn a lot and will definitely try more like this.  I already have some cool ideas on how to do this on another substrate but not actually leaving the found objects in the piece.  I would like to do some using collage elements as well, I think that would be very interesting and possible not as time consuming!

If you lasted all the way through this very long post, thank you, hoping you enjoyed my trials and errors along the way and look forward to hearing your take on it too!

Until next time...hopefully not a long time...