TTTPL Art Journals Week Two

Good afternoon, happy Sunday to you.

This Art Journal endeavor has taken on a life of its own.  I had envisioned a project where we worked on parts, set them aside and then revisited every month or so.  Clearly, the enthusiasm has propelled this into a multi-week consecutive process.  My students have asked for yet another week of the same initial phase of this project.  This means that anyone who has not yet started their art journals at MacKomics Studio has another week to get in on the action! 

Supplies and activities available the past two weeks and next include:

Paper: tissue, sheet music, handpainted rosettes, scrapbook-patterned, doilies, vintage imagery (1910-1970), maps, books, mini commercial die cut, fine art, cardstock, velum, handmade

Other: see-thru colored plastic, metal frames and brads, jewels, ribbon, buttons, stickers

All sorts of glue and mod podge, fancy edge scissors, glitter, image transfer files, fabric, markers, paint, colored pencils, art pens, metallic powder paint, pastels

Table top die cutter to make custom envelopes, library pockets, and various flower shapes in the paper of your choice.

The tables are not sufficient to hold all the materials so we've cooped the work tables on one side of the room just to hold all the bins!

The pictures below depict work begun this week and alterations to work begun the week before.

Here is a completed front and back:

Here is a front and back from last week with some beautiful additions.  The inside surface of these covers are shown just below.

 Here are the inside covers of a few pieces completed last week:

I can tell from these photos that a few projects got out the door prior to picture taking so I'll be making some calls and updating this post when they come in!

Speaking of updating posts, there is one more completed Vignette Jewelry Brooch update and one Open Cards Crafting update - click the links to get the latest!

Last week, I started the post with pictures of books I've checked out of the Library to bring inspiration to this project.  The first one, Painted Pages by Sarah Ahearn Bellemare,  I chose specifically for its approach to creating an artistic journal page. 

In an attempt to emulate this style and thereby teach my students.... I created three successive pieces.  The first picture is a scan from the book so you can see what I'm talking about.... I really appreciate the use of white, the simplicity and balanced layout of these pages.

As you can see from these examples, I get super excited about the materials and then just put too much on the page.... the piece below has an image transfer, stamps, three different grid papers, paint, magazine image, gel medium, gesso, wallpaper sample, cancelled stamp, colored pencil, sharpie, metal frame and brads... I really need an art-intervention here!

So, I started out with the same materials and actually had to cut out part of the image since it was going down the same path as the one above.  However, I believe it is closer to the graceful simplicity from the examples in the book.  It still has a cancelled stamp, colored pencil, gel medium, stamps, a tag, image transfer, decorative tape, paint and two kinds of grid paper!

So, I decided to actually do an exercise from the book... there is no collage here, but I think I got a lot closer to my goal of serenity.  This is a little piece, just about 6 by 6 and I'm pleased.  What do you think?

So... in other news... my Fascinating Fascinators class at the Lawrence Arts Center is swinging into its last two weeks and we have finished up two weeks of upcycled projects and are moving into our final projects.  Here are some pictures of the fun pieces I prepared for the upcycled portion of the class.

I started with a random selection of materials I regularly save for art projects or the Earth Day recycled art event (more to come on this later!)

Here is the a casino-ready fascinator made from fruit bags, playing cards, tiddly winks, and one die all attached to a plastic hot chocolate lid cut to make a shallow cone shape.  This accessory lies flat on the head.

This diminutive red one was created by cutting circles from hard plastic packaging and applying heat to transform the shape.  It also contains a red circle cut from a metallic coffee bag, "feathers" cut from a warped badminton birdy, the backs of playing cards, a few beads and lots of hot glue.

This clear one also employed heat on a circle cut from hard plastic packaging.  I cut a spiral into the circle and bent it into a rosette shape as it softened in the heat.  The "leaves" were made by layering two pieces of plastic cut from one of those flexible zipper pouches new sheets are encased in.  In between the layers, I placed cancelled stamps and some large webbed fruit bag netting.

This mini "pill-box" hat was made from a strip of hard plastic packaging taped into a circle.  I unwound a new (1) bath scrubby and cut a length from it, opened the tube (yes, they are tubes of netting...) and inserted the plastic circle.  I used invisible thread to secure the inside to itself and then just tied a knot/bow in the center.  The spiral decorations are paper clips.  

I cut additional pieces of hard plastic packaging into feather shapes and then applied some heat to warp them slightly.

This next piece is fairly elaborate... the plastic hot chocolate lid base is covered with fabric flower petals and then scrap netting, pieces of a broken christmas decoration and another bath scrubby were used for the top.  The wings were cut from hard plastic packaging and scored with scissors to give them more dimension.

I really enjoyed preparing these examples for my students and tried to only use materials COMMON to any household... the fabric petals may have been stretching this definition a bit!

I've asked my students to bring in all their creations this week, so hopefully, we will have a gallery of their fabulous fascinators to show in the near future.

One last question: I've started this little piece and wonder whether it should be a brooch, barette, or just part of a larger fascinator compostition... what do you think?

If you haven't checked in recently, I'm up to 63 dresses over at Dress-a-Day!  Click the link and leave me a comment!

I hope your weekend is going great and that the week ahead brings you fulfillment, happiness and plenty of rest.

Take care

Liza