Hello, friends. I’ve been away for awhile, but I’m still here. I came across this short video that’s just too much fun to keep to myself!
Paint & Ink
Mixed Media Art Video: Watercolor Flower Tag
I love getting snail mail, don’t you? Not bills or flyers – I mean something addressed to me in someone’s handwriting, with stickers or colourful embellishments to grab my attention. And if that envelope is just the wee bit on the chubby side… well, who knows what goodies await?!
Just such an envelope was waiting for me last week. Excitement! Inspired to reciprocate, I pulled out my watercolours to finish creating a tag I’d started on another project. Here’s how it turned out. Have you every tried painting with watercolour? Let me know what you think!
Mixed Media Art Video: Making Shiny Tags
If you’re looking for a smaller project, creating tags is a great option. Smaller in scale than an art journal or canvas, the techniques can be applied to any paper substrate. Here I use distress inks in various ways, ink sprays, mediums, stamps and perfect pearls to achieve eye catching, shiny tags.
The finished tag. Leave a comment and let me know what you think of the new opening for my youtube videos!
The Freedom of Creating an Art Journal Page When You Don’t Care About the Outcome
The painted background of this journal page had been sitting for a while in my art journal. When I’m feeling the urge to create, but I don’t know exactly how to express it, I work on background layers. This one was made using some golden paints and stencils. I came across it, realized I really didn’t like it very much, and thought it would be okay to wreck it. To me that meant experimenting. In this case with black ink running down my page as we see so many art journalists doing this days.
The nice thing about not liking a page is not really caring about the outcome. We aren’t expecting perfect and can really let go. So I made the drips and forgot about it. Then one day I was flipping through and BAM! I saw insect legs, which led me to looking for a body. Since I don’t like insects all that much I was looking for a cute body. My ladybug was born!
I wouldn’t have created this page if I’d thought too much about it. One thing just led to another, and all because my not liking the page freed me up to do whatever I wanted. Isn’t that the point of art journaling anyway? I think many of us over think our pages and lose the process of flow as a result. That calming space in making art where we are so into what we are doing that we lose track of everything that’s happening around us. If this happens to you, embrace it! You’re on the right track!
xo, seena
Supplies I used for this project:
Galaxy Quest aka Shaded Circles
The lovely frandalicious56 commented in my last blog post that one of her obstacles was shading white circles. Well, these circles aren’t white, but I find them just as challenging! I had already been playing with my Zig Clean Brush markers and shading in my art journal and promised frandalicious56 I’d post it.
When I’d finished the shading I thought it looked somewhat like a galaxy of planets, so I colored grey in around the orbs and added white “stars.” I achieved the shading by using either a light and dark color in the same hue or one color blended until it faded out.
So you see, not all pages are works of art. Playing and trying this and that, it’s what we all do to discover new techniques and improve. I’d love to know what you’re playing with right now in your art journal! xo, seena
Seena’s New Black & White Journal: Page One – Before and After
Hello everyone! Happy New Year! It’s my first post of the new year and I’m still reminding myself that it’s 2015. I know protocol says post every day (my cousin who works for the great oz, Google, said it so it must be true, right?), but honestly, how can art be authentic if we’re forcing ourselves to do regimented blog posts each and every day? I’ve actually stopped following a few artists on facebook, because their posts have become spam. (15 more days! 14 more days! 13 more days! Uggh.)
I had a great rest over the holidays and came home feeling rejuvenated. 2015 is going to be a great year I think. It was an embarrassment of art riches for me over the holidays, between gifts and boxing day sales. I’ll be sharing that with you, as well as some AMAZING books I’ve found, both for inspiration and collage.
Anyhoo, hubby and I went to Starbucks yesterday and I have to tell you the “Flat White” is my new favourite coffee. Love it! I brought the grey journal he gave me for Christmas in which I’m only journaling in black and white. It’s a fun challenge. Here’s the before and after of my first completed page. I painted in the white frame before I though to take the photo. Pardon my blueberry square:
Before pen work
After pen work
Wishing you all the best 2015 can bring. xo seena
Awesome Gelato Clouds!
This technique makes clouds look quite amazing, but the technique is really simple! It’s Gelato clouds! Click here to see my short video tutorial featuring Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft.
Pickle Things: A Personalized Canvas
I made this canvas for a family member for Christmas. Happy to say he loved it! I’m lying low for the holidays, so no more posts from me until January. Well, maybe one. I do have a Design Memory Craft post coming out next week! Need a rest and time to create more art to share. Merry Christmas to you!
Simple Christmas Holiday Photo Tags
I have a new post up on the Design Memory Craft blog today! I created some seriously fun Christmas tags with a twist!
Here’s a sneak peek. Head on over to the Design Memory Craft blog for the full post and lots more pics. You may even recognize yourself while you’re there! If you have an extra moment, I’d love it if you’d leave me a comment after you’re read my post!
StudioSeena 