A fun mix of Artworks [Part 2]

Hello everyone!

I'm glad I decided to participate in this year's Mastering Mixed Media event. Two amazing weeks of learning, creating, painting, drawing and paper crafting! I appreciate the tips and advice that the individual teachers/artists offered in their respective classes. It was also nice to be part of a global community, sharing artworks and receiving lovely feedback. 

Here are my works from Day 6 through Day 14. As mentioned, there were too many to complete them all. However, I am still working on the final one. I kept this for last, as it is a bit more time consuming. I have linked to the teacher below each photo.

Lesson: Messenger of Joy by Ida Andersen Lang

Lesson: Layers of Play by Jenny Grant

Lesson: Playing with gouache & oil pastel by Tamara Luc

I do not have oil pastels, but hard crayons work also. Those marks on the pit of the avocado are supposed to by highlights, but I did not have the appropriate white color.

Lesson: Mixed Media Pattern Play by Jessica Swift

Lesson: Enjoy the Process by Susanne Rose

I hesitated when this lesson came up, as watercolors aren't my favorite, but I wanted to try the flowy style of painting reminiscent of underwater environments.

 This is the best I could do!

Lesson: I can see clearly now by Kerstin Svensson

The original class called for an abstract portrait on a large size paper. In hindsight my small art journal was probably not the best surface to work on, as very bold brushstrokes with acrylic paint were required. Also, the original had a lot of squiggly marks across the face. I wasn't comfortable with that, so I just did some on her hair and clothing. This was by far the most difficult (for me) even though I work with acrylics daily! 

Doing the work actually helped me get back into my "flow" as I had been feeling uninspired lately. It was good to try out different styles and mediums. I hope to join again next year :)

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog.! Have a great day!

Monday Moodboard

Hello lovelies,

The month of May is when our peonies usually start blooming and I love to photograph them, but this year they are late. Instead, I have curated a peony-themed mood board. I do love this flower in all variations, but most of all in pink. I hope you enjoy my picks from around the world. Happy Monday!

Click on the links for more info.

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A fun mix of Artworks

Hello lovelies!

As I mentioned here I'm taking part in this year's Mastering Mixed Media event. Below are a few more artworks I completed. I like that these lessons leave room to experiment on your own and encourage you to add your own personal touches! These are from Day 2 through Day 5. If you're interested to learn more about each artist/teacher - click the links.

Lesson: impressionistic garden by Michelle Nyberg

Lesson: whimsical fantasy spirit animal by Andrea Gomoll

Lesson: Frolicking through the flowers by Tracy Verdugo

Lesson: Sketch, Collage & Create by Andrea Garvey

Lesson: Paper & Play by Holly Mclaughlin

As I am writing this I am about half way through the event and I'm excited to watch the remaining lessons! Once I complete another set of artworks, I will share those in a future blog post.

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful week ahead!

Mixed Media ATCs with Collage Layers & Stencils

Hello lovelies,

My youtube channel turns two years old this month and I'm quite pleased with the way it's going, although this year I've only been able to manage one video tutorial a month. Apart from the daily errands, I've been busy with preparing for an art exhibition in June (more on that in a future post), as well as re-branding my channel to align with my blog. 

I did manage to squeeze in this fun and easy tutorial. Creating Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) is very satisfying. The surface is small enough to complete several cards quickly, and just like standard trading cards you can exchange them with fellow artists. Who doesn't love to receive happy mail?! 

To fill the background easily I used stencils with a variety of patterns. Create eyecatching effects by using three harmonizing paint colors together. 

In this video tutorial I use tiny paper scraps from my leftovers basket. I tend to keep those scraps that are the negative image that have been punched out with a punching tool or a shape that I cut out by hand. By layering other bits underneath you can create interesting collage art. 

Watch the short art tutorial from start to finish here:

Chunky acrylic paint pens are a playful way to add mark making. I have several colors, some with a round tip and some with a chisel tip. Tiny bits of washi tapes add texture.

This is a beginner-friendly project and very forgiving should you ever glue down a paper scrap in the wrong place (as I did 😉) due to the many layers! 

Thanks for visiting my blog and reading along. Have a great day!

Mastering Mixed Media ~ Learning new techniques

Hello everyone!

If you've been reading along for a while you've probably guessed that I'm passionate about all things "mixed media." The other day I came across this free online event called Mastering Mixed Media. It runs from May 1st until May 14th with daily art sessions presented by artists from around the world. Apart from being loads of fun, each session is in  a different style using a variety of mediums.

Even though I know I won't be able to do them all (40 lessons!), I endeavor to at least watch them. There's always useful information and valuable advice to glean from these types of videos. Here's what I have created so far.

This art session was presented by artist Laura Horn. It combined transparent watercolors with mark making in pen and pencil. While I find working with watercolors challenging and I rarely work with them, I did find this loose, abstract way of painting enjoyable! 

This lesson by artist Toni Burt was closer to my style. It incorporated quirky face sketching with graphite pencils - which I love - and bits of collage, which I often use in my art practice.

This lesson was taught by French artist Laly Mille. I was immediately drawn to this playful, colorful style with collage layers and whimsical elements. I added some butterflies that I had punched out from my gelli prints and I also drew a little wonky house. This took some time due to the many collage layers and drying time of the paint. 

This Mixed Media event is free while it's running. Once it closes there is the option to purchase the classes with life-time access. While we're on Day 4, it's not too late to join! You can still access the sessions from the previous days. Click here for more information and to register.

 

Have a great week!

Mixed Media Art Journal Flip Through

Hello blog friends!

I finally completed the art journal that I started last year. I chose a vintage-style theme, although I did sneak in a few semi-abstract artworks as you can see above.

I did a flip-through reel on instagram if you want to take a look at all the pages. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a beautiful day!

                                                                                                                                            

Colorful Abstract Artwork

Hi everyone!

Recently, I was in the mood to create abstract art. I did not have specific ideas, but when I came across digital images by UK artist Mike Deakin, it sparked something in me. So I went ahead and painted my version of an abstract portrait the traditional way. The face is intentionally quirky and disproportional with the focus on color and expression. There are rectangular pieces of neutral collage underneath the primary colors, which add depth to the portrait. Not too bad for first try!

The next two paintings are completely non-representational. Perhaps with the above portrait still fresh in my mind I continued with the angular shapes and lines. In the first one I worked with a limited palette and used mostly acrylic paints - brushing them on in some areas and using a scraper in others. To add dimension I made a series of dots and lines with acrylic paint markers. This piece could be described as a bold graphic.

The second painting is more colorful. I used acrylic paints, crayons and colored pencils. If you look closely you can see subtle details peeking through the multiple layers. Despite the angularity it turned out surprisingly cheerful.

All artwork was done in a 20 x 20 cm art journal, mostly using acrylic paints.

Often, I use art as a visual communication when words fail me. These three pieces are an example of my emotions needing to "come out". I almost always feel way more settled once I make those final touches to the artworks. 

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll note that my style differs from post to post. This is because there is no one style that I prefer and I've made peace with it 😄 

Thank you, again, for visiting my blog. Wishing you a wonderful day and weekend ahead!

Monday Moodboard

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. The weather is finally warming up over here. I'm sharing another birthstone mood board. The April birthstone is diamond, which symbolizes eternal love, strength and clarity. If you're a bullet journaler you'll know that diamond shapes are also popular as stamps or stickers. An affordable jewelry alternative and just as lovely is the zirconia, which I have showcased here as a minimalist pendant and Art Deco style earstuds. Besides, these days diamonds are laboratory-grown. They offer a sustainable alternative and are in no way inferior to natural ones. Have a beautiful week!

Click on links below for more info.

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Colorful Mixed Media Art Journal Page

Hi everyone!

This art journal page came together quite spontaneously. I was craving color, so I picked neon pink paint, bright orange crayons toned down with a sooty gray stencil background. I applied the colors in a loose manner, added a few splatters and topped it off with pre-made collage flowers and leaves. 

Click on the short video to watch the whole process:

The collage shows the layering process from stencil background to choosing the flowers.

Here are a few close ups of the finished page:

There's a video in my channel on how I made the collage flowers and leaves. I made these in several color variations and they are great for adding to art journals and cards.

You can watch it here:

Before adhering the focal image I did some background stamping with text, numbers and faux stitching stamps. I find these make the page "come alive". 

Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave comments. I truly appreciate them 😊 Have a great week!

Please pin / share this project:

Pocket Journal with Altered Pages

Hi lovelies,

I have different sized art journals to work with, but I always come back to the pocket sized ones. They are a practical size for art play, quick sketches, and making notes. Some of mine are dedicated to just one theme, such as "florals", "autumn", "faces" etc. 

At the beginning of this year I started a new project: altering the pages in a vintage style theme with fun tuck spots, journaling cards, collage clusters, tabs, and other interactive elements. I recently completed this journal and I wanted to share some of the pages here with a short explanation on how I created them.

First, I decided on the color palette, which I used thoughout the journal: ash green, misty blue, rose, gray and cream. Plus black, white and tiny touches of brown and ochre.

I painted, collaged and/or distressed all the pages. I alternated simple pages with pages that contained tuck spots for tags and note cards. This is to prevent the journal from becoming too chunky.  

A simple "trick" to make cards look aged is to brush them lightly with watered down raw umber ink and make a few splatters. In the example below I dipped a small plastic lid into the ink and stamped faux coffee rings. 

For embellishment I used torn paper pieces, washi tape, tissue collage, stamps and added cute tabs to a few pages. On each spread I left enough space for journaling. The journaling cards and note paper tucked inside can also be used for additional notes, thoughts, dreams. 

I'm really pleased with how this little journal turned out! I like how each page is different, yet the overall look is cohesive. I like the textured elements. Bonus: I used leftover paper scraps from other projects to create the collage and some of the journaling cards.

Thank you for reading along. Take care and Happy Friday!

Monday Moodboard

Hello everyone!

If you have not already guessed today's theme - it's "patterns". As a former fabric store owner I love all kinds of patterns, especially polka dots and gingham. I'm known for sporting bags printed with polka dots. Nautical stripes are also a firm favorite. My choices here include fun stripey earrings and a vintage gingham skirt. The scarf with irregular dots is so pretty and the tote bag would be a great choice on market days. Which one is your favorite?

Click on the links below for info.

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Art Journaling with Art Prompt Cards

Hello blog friends,

I endeavour to make art every day, even if it's just a fifteen minute break in between work and chores, but sometimes I struggle to come up with an idea. This is where my handmade Art Prompt Cards come in handy. 

I shuffled the cards and then picked three. The prompts I chose were "shades of red", "make splatters" and "add stamps". On a whim I decided to film my process of impromptu art making and you can find the short video below. Don't forget to leave a thumbs up 😊

Whenever I don't have much time, I like to grab a few favorite tools, such as a brayer, grungy background stamps and paint pens. In the above collage you can see how I have built up layers with paint and stamps using the art prompts. If you look closely - in step four I made some splatters in a darker shade of red than the main red, which is carmine. (In the video I mistakenly said crimson).

If you have followed my blog for a while, you'll know that I often add face sketches to my art journal pages. Alternatively, I use this fun face stamp from Jane Davenport - and before you ask - it's been discontinued, but there may be some sets still available online. Just put her name in search + stamps. This face stamp in three sizes lets you create endless hairstyles, which I find highly entertaining. Should you choose to draw a figure the clothing options are endless, too. 

In my example: after stamping on a separate piece of paper I sketched in a short hairstyle and added just the top part of the body. Yes, my lady has lilac hair 😊💜 I also used my large alphabet stamp set to stamp some words.

A fun page created with the help of my art prompts and using some of my favorite tools! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Have a wonderful weekend ahead and Happy Easter to those that celebrate 🌸