Archive for August, 2011
I am participating at the Art Camp for Women – Art Journal Project. For the purposes of honesty and full disclosure I will tell you that I am one of the partners and facilitators for Art Camp for Women. Follow the link to read and see all about the Art Journal Project .
Art Camp Art Journal Project Cover
At first I was just going to use my journal for sample pages and for posting examples on the weekly journal prompts over at the Art Camp blog. But then we, my business partner and I, decided to play too.
After 30 years here in the states, one of my best friends, moved back to Ireland last year. With a surprise change of immigrant policy by our dear Homeland Security, she has returned for an unexpected visit – I decided to send my journal off to Ireland. Hopefully as she builds her new community this will help her include a bit of art into it.
Well heck-oh-dear! That means I have to actually get the my portion of the journal finished so she can take it with her! We had a big brunch/party last Saturday for my friend and all the other people that we have as mutual friends. I was so present and appreciative of the joy of girlfriends that when the dust settled I sat down with the journal and made this page.
Girlfriends - Art Journal Project
I doodled and layered and stamped and drew and at the above stage – got stuck. The page still looks unfinished. So I went to our Art Camp blog and looked at the weekly prompt – so silly, I wrote the prompts – and got just the little kick-in-the-pants I needed. Sheesh. Here is the final rendition of the page.
Girlfriends Finished - Art Journal Project
What did I learn? 1. Total silliness goes a long way in the world of doodling. 2. Prompts really work, regardless of who writes them 3. Sharing art and thoughts makes for a deeper connections in this world that can often feel cold and lonely.
I hope you can use some of the aspects of the Art Camp for Women Art Journal Project for yourself. We expect to expand to a larger community once we catch up – go over and see if there is something there for you.
Namaste
I just downloaded a new photo editor software and am trying it out.
Mainly all I need to do is crop, rotate and re-size. But I need to do all that without sacrificing the picture quality.
The new software is GIMP and is a free download. My man says it does everything Photoshop does but is more user friendly and much, much cheaper!
I have been using a much simpler, also free, download. But alas, it somehow loses the pixel density and the pictures end up not looking sharp. So I will try this and after just 45 minutes I have edited/manipulated 5 photos. I am not using any where near the capacity of the software and think that I will gradually add to my skills as I need to.
Flying
These pictures are more pages in the little journal I made in my Kelly Kilmer class. The pages are torn, so are not quite square and straight. The small size of the journal is really fun as I can make more than one page a day if I feel like it. I am practicing the techniques I got in class in two journals as I have found many focal images that are too large for this small format. I will take some pictures of the larger journal later this week. I do not finish a page at one sitting in the larger format.
I can see that I still need practice with this GIMP. I need to figure out how to get rid of all the white space around the picture after I crop it. Well a good lesson number 2! I am really pleased with how easy it has been so far.
Flower Salute
Imagine - Hambly transparency makes the frame over the collage
Beaded Embellishment - I collaged the other half of this woman as she is just too beautiful. The words are a small transparency.
Table mate & Kelli Kilmer Fun!
Some People Work Harder at Having Fun
On the last Friday in July I treated myself to a Kelly Kilmer IRL (In Real Life) Art Journaling Workshop!
Kelly comes to Colorado once a year and once or twice a year to Arizona. I do my best to make it to at least one of her art journaling classes. The Colorado classes this year were held at a new venue, Scrap2It. I am not a scrappish-type of person, but the pens, tape, stamps and stencils sold there don’t know that and are top of the line products.
The Workshop I took was called “An Artist’s Life.” I love Kelly’s classes because I always learn some new techniques and remember some old. She brings and shares tons of pens, stamps, ink and ephemera. Also Kelly is organized and rigorous enough to keep the class moving along in a way that has you finish class with a new art journal as well as several pages ready for writing .
At my particular class Kelly had samples of the newest washi tapes which is a real plus for me. Often I cannot tell if I want a tape just from looking online and really, not too many brick and mortar places have tape available to look at. I apologize to the classes that came after mine as I am sure I used most of that wonderful tape – just kidding!
The other benefit of an IRL class is that you get to meet other people that like to do what you like to do and invariably – like to read what you like to read! Chatting and talking art-journaling-scrap-smack with the other women adds enormously to the fun.
The bonus that comes from attending an art class with Kelly Kilmer is that I come away inspired and back in action. Collaging, writing and making pages – getting me back out into the world – instead of in my head! Thank you Kelly from your fans in Colorado!
This Book Belongs to:
Sufferage? Bondage?
Favorite Page of the day - see new washi tape?
The Crafters Workshop Stencil in background
Gel Pens, stamps, collage, tape and transparencies - did I leave anything out? Oh yeah - the journaling...
Mystery & Grace - collage and stamps - has dark transparency cover that I cannot photograph
Most of the pages are awaiting script and text, but the journal itself is the perfect size for bringing along in your purse or beach bag or even your backpack!
Kelli is most generous in sharing her tape!
Love Page
You saw the beginnings of this page in the previous post (at the very end). My question is, “Is it done yet? or am I just in the middle?
Maybe I could add more of the ribbon across the top. Or more text, maybe white on the darker patches of purple.
Did I leave too much plain space?
When I first painted, stenciled and stamped this piece of canvas I thought it would be the other end up. Once I saw it dry it was obvious that the purple corner was the heavier corner and needed to sit low to the right…funny how our brains just know some things. So – why can’t I see if this is done?
I have three ideas; 1 – go back and read the S.K. Harding article again and see if that offers any insight, 2- let it sit and walk by it 20 times a day for a week and see what I see then, or 3 – ask for opinions. Okay I’m asking for your opinion. And I will do the other two options as well.
Thanks in advance for any input, I’ll read and consider it all.
