Art Journal Page: Jittery
October 1, 2009 at 1:29 pm | In Art Journaling, Artistic Pursuits, Collage, Mixed-Media | 1 CommentTags: anxiety, art, art journal, collage, jittery, mixed-media, nervous, paint, tense, visual journal
Last week was not pleasant for me. I had what I’ve decided to call a mild but long-lasting panic attack. I was so full of nervous energy that I couldn’t focus on anything, and felt very worried and anxious for no discernible reason, and had trouble sleeping too. It’s not an experience I care to repeat. However, out of that came this page.
The text teads:
“Check Facebook. Check Facebook again. Pick up the knitting. Put down the knitting. Stand up, pace the room, sit down. Check Facebook. Pick up the book. Put down the book. Round and round in circles, too nervous and tense to sit still, and for no reason at all. At night, I couldn’t sleep. I’d lay awake in bed, willing myself to drift off, till nearly dawn, and then wake up at noon, groggy from the heat, and just as anxious. This lasted for three weeks, and it was awful.”
[Edit: Five minutes after posting the song "Times" by Tenth Avenue North popped into my head. I wish I'd thought to listen to it last week.]
Continuing Love for Somerset Studios, and a Solution to my Magazine Quandary.
September 28, 2009 at 10:16 pm | In Art Publications, Artistic Pursuits | 2 CommentsTags: glimmer mist, magazine, protective cover, somerset, stampington, tattered angels
Somerset Apprentice
First of all, my copy of Somerset Apprentice arrived today. Yay! I’ve just started looking through it, and I am already enjoying it. Looks like I might be pre-ordering the Spring 2010 issue as well as the Winter 2010 issue of Art Journaling. I do have one concern though. For any who have ordered through the Stampington & Co. website, is there an unsightly mailing address sticker? I know it’s silly of me, but I feel it would mar the cover!
Magazine Covers
Second, I’ve finally found somewhere to order protective covers for magazines. I am steadily adding to my collection of art related magazines, and I’d like to keep them for a long time, but I’m worried they might not stand up to wear. I thought it would be easy to find a simple plastic cover much like a book jacket, but ooooooh was I wrong. I found the mylar sleeves to store collectors editions in (basically, the magazine is nice and protected, but you have to unseal the sleeve and remove the magazine to read it) as well as the heavy duty covers libraries use, which are either$10.00 apiece, or worse, sold in lots of 100. I was beginning to think I was crazy.
After much searching, I found what I was looking for. A simple dust-jacket like plastic cover by Brodart, and sold at $1.50 apiece. I knew I couldn’t be the only one to think of such an idea. Needless to say, I am ordering a good number, and saving the link for future use.
Other Quick Notes
I have taken an interest in Tattered Angels‘ product Glimmer Mist, and would like to try it out with some stencils. The website has some fun technique videos as well. I checked the Joanns website, and found not only the Glimmer Mist, but some victorian frame and border stencils made for use with Glimmer Mist. Whatmore, I had a coupon for Joanns in my mailbox. I thought I was golden. Lo and behold, I searched high and I searched low, but there is not a trace of Glimmer Mist, nor anything remotely like it in Joanns. Or Michaels. I even tried a smaller local shop I’ve been meaning to visit (and finally managed to locate in the maze of small shops in Old Town Temecula) but I forgot that they are closed mondays. Looks like I will be paying them a visit tomorrow if I can fit it in. I am almost positive they would carry it.
Also, I have a few pages in the works, and if my creative energy doesn’t fizzle out (as its been annoyingly apt to do lately) I should have some new work to post soon-ish.
Somerset Studios, How I Love Thee!
September 15, 2009 at 8:16 pm | In Art Publications, Artistic Pursuits | 2 CommentsTags: art journal, magazine, somerset, stampington, visual journal
The 2nd Art Journaling issue has come out, and I didn’t even realize it. I was in Barnes and Noble to purchase a going away gift for a friend, and I happened to wander through magazines to see if any of the art magazines I like had interesting issues out– and to my glee, not only was the Art Journaling issue out, it was sitting right there on the shelf. So far, it looks great. I’m really excited to try some of the techniques, and all the artwork is absolutely gorgeous. I am sooooo sad I wasn’t able to get the Winter issue. I’ve been trying to find it on ebay, but no luck. Anyone have a copy they no longer want? I know its available digitally, but I want a physical copy. I like flipping through pages.
As a side note, I also picked up the current issue of Somerset Studio, and I’ve ordered the Somerset Apprentice magazine as well. I have lots of eye candy to attend to.
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Firsties- Early birds and Night-owls
August 18, 2009 at 10:04 pm | In Art Journaling, Artistic Pursuits, Mixed-Media | 2 CommentsTags: altered book, art, art journal, collage, creativity, gesso, mixed-media, paint, self-exploration, thoughts, visual journal
My first page(s) in my altered book/art journal. I decided to dedicate it to my disfunctional relationship with the earth’s rotation.
I am glad I’ve started, and yet I have mixed feelings about this page. Its not at all what I envisioned (although by now I aught to know to expect that). One of the biggest challenges, aside from the gesso issues, was working in the double page spread. This is a first for me. I’m still not certain I’ve really pulled it off cohesively. I solicit any advice, be it specific to this page, or just in general. It just looks either too balanced, or too heavy on either side, but either way, as if it doesn’t match. How does one counteract that? I’m not entirely sure it’s done. It doesn’t help that it’s about 394 times uglier on the computer. Imagine more pastel blues throughout, and imagine the edges with more blue, less shadow. Mostly, just imagine it less ugly. (edit: blues are fixed, mostly)
I apologize for the terrible picture quality. I just remembered that the reason I’ve been working small for so long is because then it fits on the scanner. Being that the whole book is big, photographing the pages is going to be an ongoing learning experience, and an unpleasant one at that, I suspect. (edit: outside in bright sunlight helped some, but still not great. )
Update on Journal Process
August 15, 2009 at 10:16 pm | In Art Journaling, Artistic Pursuits, Mixed-Media | 3 CommentsTags: altered book, art, art journal, gesso, messy, mixed-media, visual journal, work in progress
I’ve hit a bit of a snag that may slow my process. Two, in fact.
- Snag #1: In the past, I have successfully used wax paper to separate gessoed pages while they dried, but its not working so well this time. One had to be removed completely because it was so mutilated. So… each spread has to be gessoed one at a time, and I don’t have a heat gun to speed this up.
Snag #2: Whatever kind of ink/dye used on these pages seeps right through the gesso, especially the red. I have to do at least two layers to get it sufficiently covered, and even then, there’s a pinkish tinge. (Anyone else experience this?) Extra layers means extra time.
I AM working on it, but the gessoing issues put me behind a bit. As soon as I get a good handful of pages prepared (tomorrow or monday perhaps?) I can start the fun part. I am impatient to begin!
My Muse Returns…
August 14, 2009 at 10:50 pm | In Art Journaling, Artistic Pursuits, Mixed-Media | 2 CommentsTags: art, art journal, creativity, gesso, video, visual journal, work in progress
My muse took a 3 month long vacation without my permission. I should fire her (him?) but as I have no other applicants, I let her keep her job, with only a stern warning.
I’ve been watching some videos on art journalling on youtube and a few were inspiring– albeit very strange at times. Artists are just like that I suppose. [tangent: I would like to be interesting, but I believe I've discovered that there is a line between interesting and just plain odd...]
After watching these for a few days, I really really wanted to art journal. Hurrah. However, I had work. For friday playdate with the student I tutor, I brought art supplies (he actually does like art, so it wasn’t entirely selfish). I just brought some cheapy supplies such as construction paper, poster paints, pastels and watercolors and such, and spiral notebooks to fill. I thought I’d get him to experiment a bit. His excitement was short lived. He quickly reverted to line drawings with crayons, and looked at me as if I was crazy, smearing paint and tearing paper. I, however, enjoyed myself, to the extent allowed by the limited materials.
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When I got home, I was itching to use real supplies (which I couldn’t bring to use with my student) and more importantly, pages just a bit sturdier than lined paper. I fished out this fairly large and very outdated craft book I have had laying around. Not even sure where I got it, but somehow it ended up in my possession in middle school or so.
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This thing was published in the 70s and it shows. Take a look at some of the pages. There was no way I was ever going to need this book again! |
Tonight, the process begins. So far I’ve gessoed the cover, the spine, and 4 spreads. With luck I can begin either tomorrow or sunday, as time allows (busy weekend ahead!)
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I never learn
May 15, 2009 at 12:40 pm | In Unfounded Scribblings | 2 CommentsTags: card, musings, thoughts
I SAID I wasn’t going to make any more cards. I realized I was horrible at it. And what do I do? My college roommate’s wedding comes up, and I don’t want to give her an impersonal store card when the gift is already something from the registry rather than something with any thought from me. So, despite previous lessons, I made a card. It is the most horrendously ugly thing I’ve ever seen. For a WEDDING. Where things are supposed to be pretty and elegant. And now, I have a few hours to find a solution, which will likely be some store thing, only with less time to choose a nice one.
I am an idiot.
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