Handmade Vintage-Style Collage Papers

Hi everyone!

Autumn has arrived here in the western part of Germany. It had been raining for the better part of last week along with a significant temperature drop. Not that I'm complaining. After a scorching summer we can certainly use a bit of rain. The trees are happy and so are the birds. 

Downstairs, the light in my studio isn't the best at the moment, but I still wanted to share my recent makes. I gathered old book pages, toned sketching pages and regular printer paper and applied various paints, inks, pencils and pens in a predetermined color palette. I wanted to keep these fairly neutral, as I will be using them as backgrounds in my art journals. My palette consisted of white, cream, taupe, raw umber and black. 

I also enjoyed making a batch of flowers and leaves as "collage fodder". I used fineliners in black to draw simple flower and leaf shapes in a loose and scribbly fashion, filling up two sheets of drawing paper. I cut all of them out - which required quite a bit of patience!

These leaf prints were done with stencils and ink sprays. Splotches are inevitable, however, I don't really mind, as most of them will be covered with either paint or other collage pieces. These were done on grey-toned sketching paper. 

After I was done I felt like creating a journal page. I selected a few of my papers, tore them up (yes, I hesitated at first) and adhered them in my journal with gel medium along with a few of my scribbly flowers. I'm loving all the texture and patterns!

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

Junk Journal Fun

Hi everyone!

I endeavour to make art every day, but when I don't have much time or energy I pull out my handmade junk journal for some simple art. Usually that means throwing down some paint, making marks and perhaps adding a bit of collage. The junk journal pages already have color or pattern on them which serve as a starting point. I just allow myself to play and have fun!

For those interested, I have included my video of how I made the junk journal at the bottom of this post. This is a longer video (about 10 minutes) as I am demonstrating how to make it from scratch. 

The above page includes a background of vintage music sheet, stamps and stencils. You can watch the YouTube shorts here:

The above is a recent page I made with acrylic paint and lots of colorful layers and bold marks. You can watch the full YouTube video here:

And lastly I'm sharing the video of how to make the Junk Journal here:

Thank you so much for visiting! Have a great week ahead!

Mixed Media Tag

Hello friends!

Just a quick post today. I wanted to share this colorful tag that I made recently. The background is super easy - done with watersoluble crayons, stamps and acrylic paint pens, and topped with a stamped leaf motif. 

You can watch the video tutorial here:

Thank you for visiting. Have a great week!

Mixed Media Collage with Inks

Hello everyone!

The other day I wanted to experiment with acrylic inks. I have a few colors that I have not tried out yet. I did not have anything in particular in mind, but while going through my stash of art supplies I came across a bag of colorful flower ephemera (originally bought to create greeting cards). These sparked an idea! I thus set about to create these semi-abstract collages with "messy" ink backgrounds with additional marks made with crayons, pens and stamps, topped off with little flower clusters. 

What I learned from this experiment was that some inks are more transparent than others. Yes, I know there is an indication on the bottle, but since I watered the inks down I got a different result as opposed to using them straight from the bottle. Surprisingly, the bright green turned out yellow on the page and the yellow ochre mixed with neon pink results in an orange-y color, which is quite appealing. 

Most of all, I really enjoyed making these little collages!

Thank you for stopping by my blog and have a wonderful week!

Art is good for the Soul

Hello everyone!

Numerous studies prove that art and creativity have a positive impact on health and can help process experiences that are too difficult to put into words. Making art is comforting, and  like many others I feel it's more about the process than the result. These past few weeks I've spent lots of time in my studio making a variety of art. As I've mentioned previously, I'm not set on one specific style. The card at the top of this post is made with bits of leftover paper scraps, white gesso and a focal image.

The loose portraits above are done with gouache and colored pencils. I painted the flowers with aqua markers and fine liners.

I used distress inks to create the soft background in the art journal page above. Then layered with a few stamps and a stamped butterfly image.

And I've finally uploaded a video tutorial! The artwork below has lots of yummy layers and cool effects done with stencil paste and inks.

You can watch the full video on YouTube here:

Thank you for visiting. Wishing you a great day!

A Simple Art Journal Page

Hello dear blog friends!

Getting back to art after a long, unforeseen absence has me feeling unsure where to start. It's like I'm afraid I may have forgotten how to make art. I know, silly, but still I hesitate. I'm feeling a little stronger, a little more myself again...so I simply wanted to play in my art journal with no specific goal in mind. There's a soothing quality to art journaling and I come back to it again and again, if only to calm my mind. I chose some of my favorite colors and supplies, such as my Aqua Markers, a stencil plus a few flower and mark making stamps... and then I decided to film the process as a way to review it later on. If you would like to see my process for this page click on the link below the image. This video does not contain a voice-over (I'm not ready for that kind of editing yet) - however, I added some relaxing background music:) And one more thing before I forget: If you are watching my videos on You Tube make sure to click on the setting wheel (find the cog at the bottom of each video) and adjust to at least 720p quality.

CLICK TO WATCH

Note: This video shows how I created the left page. If you're interested in learning how to create the right side page - there is a full tutorial in my channel.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and your lovely comments!

Easy One Sheet Mixed Media Booklet

Hi everyone!

Weeks ago I had prepared this blog post, but not quite finished editing it. So, it's been sitting in draft and then this happened. I've scheduled this post for today, but I won't be able to reply to any comments as I am currently in the clinic. Just fyi. 

Anyway, on to a happier topic!

I've been making these little mini booklets for years. They are a simple and fun paper craft with endless variations. All you require is one sheet of paper. I like using drawing paper of 160 gsm weight. I tried a heavier weight, but then it gets tricky when folding. Besides, since I apply mixed media techniques it's going to get a little fatter anyway. 

I started by creating a textured background on my A4 size sheet paper. I covered the entire sheet, alternating applications both vertically and horizontally for a non-directional result. For full instructions on how to fold this sheet into a booklet you can watch the video below. And if you're there, I would so appreciate a "thumbs up", as my channel that I have worked so hard to build hasn't seen much traffic since I've been absent.

Thank you so much 💕

I like to decorate my booklet covers with some collage fodder. I had some pre-made mushrooms in my stash which added a pop of color to the blue-green background. I created two tags to slide into the openings and used a simple binder clip to close the booklet. Now it's ready to be filled with journaling, photos, doodles, tiny art or whatever else you desire! 

Thank you for stopping by and reading along! And thank you for your kind comments re my health issues. I am doing everything in my power to recover and get better, so that I can get back to blogging again. Just know I appreciate all of you 😊 Hugs!!

Please pin / share this tutorial

Trying out the Studio Light Brush Markers

Hello lovelies,

It's important for an artist to grow. While I mostly paint with acrylics and gouache, every now and then I step outside my comfort zone and try a different medium. If you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know about my love/hate relationship with watercolors!

But I actually want to feel at ease with them. The other day I came across a relatively new product from Studio Light. I think I've mentioned this Dutch company on my blog before. I have a couple of stamps and stencils which I enjoy using, as they have a unique design. 

Recently, they have expanded their product range to include water-based brush markers, called Aqua Markers. These markers come in sets of six in pre-made color schemes. The four sets I have are Disco, Sunset, Foliage and Sea & Sky, which I have swatched in my journal. Alltogether there are 14 sets available, however, I chose the above as these colors are ones I would likely use for my flower sketches, stamped images and background washes. All of the sets can be mixed and matched allowing for a customized color palette.

I stamped a flower image in my journal on 200 gsm hot-pressed watercolor paper. The markers are designed for drawing, coloring and hand lettering. They have two brush tips, one regular and one large to create varying widths. The larger tip is more flexible than the smaller one, in my opinion. The application is smooth and darks layer fairly well on the lights. I used a size 4 round brush to create the typical watercolor look, but I found it's best to use a brush with stiffer bristles, perhaps a watertank brush. Since these markers are water-based, they are odorless - an important issue for me.

These markers are quite "juicy", especially the green and blue ones. Another way to apply color, is to add pigment to a palette, spray lightly with water and either pick up the paint with a brush or place the substrate directly on the wet paint to create an expressive background, like I did here. The colors mix on the paper which gives interesting effects.

I am going to continue to experiment with them a bit more. My verdict: These brush markers come in a wide color range and are an affordable option for coloring stamped images or using them in coloring books. As mentioned, it's best to use a stiffer brush to pull out color to create the desired watercolor effect. They are best stored laying flat in their original box. I may yet warm up to watercolor painting after all :)

This is not a sponsored post. I simply like and frequently use different products from Studio Light in my mixed media artwork.

Thank you for reading along. Have a beautiful day!

Modern Abstracts

Hi everyone!

Every so often I feel this creative urge to paint wildly abstract. Abstract art has always been the style that I'm most drawn to, even as a teenager! You wouldn't have found any posters of TV stars on my bedroom walls at that time - instead I hung pictures with bold, abstracted images! I like that modern abstracts leave room for imagination and evoke an emotional response. When I paint abstract I try to capture a feeling and use color to tell a story. 

Below I'm sharing my recent practice pieces I painted in my journal. This is a useful exercise for when I decide to go large. This artwork was inspired by both nature and urban environments.

 

I've already heard some interesting interpretations of my artwork from people on another platform. I would love to know what you see when observing these paintings. Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for visiting and have a lovely day!

Colorful Art Journal Page with Flower

Hi everyone!

Maybe I had summer on my mind when I created this page, as I was automatically reaching for the oranges and yellows!

In this beginner-friendly art journal page I have utilized simple techniques that resulted in a cheerful page with some pretty amazing effects.  

I used mainly acrylic inks for this piece plus color pencils to color in my stamped image.

You can watch the process in my short video here:

By the way, if you have any questions about the techniques shown or tools and paints used, don't hesitate to reach out to me via the comments below or on my YouTube channel. Speaking of...I have a new YT banner! What do you think?

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week where ever in the world you may be!

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!