#cjs2021 – day 1

This year is the 10th year of Nathalie Kalbach‘s Creative Jump Start – I’ve missed a year here and there, and am so excited to be participating in 2021. There’s a new video every day, from 45 amazing artists from around the globe. It’s a great way to kickstart my art practise for the year. It’s not too late if you want to join in, and there’s no pressure to work daily if you don’t have the time or energy.

Today’s video, from Nathalie, was about sign writing a word that will inspire you throughout the year. For me, this course is about reinforcing the habit of daily art, so practise sprang to mind. I didn’t make a sign as such, but did go for an aged look in refernece to a story she told in the video. I’m working in a 5.5×8.5 Dylusions journal and used mainly Dina Wakley Media paints and Stencil Girl stencils.

New art journal

I’ve been waiting (im)patiently for some new art supplies and they arrived this week, but playtime had to wait until the weekend because I’m working from home. I was super excited to get a Dina Wakley Media blue edition journal and I love it! I had one of the original mixed media journals Dina put out and enjoyed it, so was interested to see her using denim. I also got some of her collage tissue, a few paint colours and some of her new gloss acrylic sprays.

The thing about new supplies is there is always a learning curve. Not all acrylic paints work the same way, tissue papers are different weights and so on. With a mixed media journal you need to learn what the various substrates do. Often there’s some completed pages you love early on, and a few you’re pretty ho hum about.

The only way to get really comfortable with new supplies is to play, play some more, and then play even more. Test, retest, and start to understand how they work. Today I’ve done 3 pages in the new journal. Two I’m super happy with  and one is in the ‘ho hum basket’ but that’s ok. As I say to people when I teach a class, in the end it’s only paint and paper…

 

CMP weeks 40 & 41, and Auckland

Playing catch up after spending last weekend in Auckland with my sister Ailsa. The flights were my birthday and Christmas present – we shopped, went to libraries, talked, spent time with family, and had a wonderful time. I bought a bunch of summer clothes and got some real bargains.

CMP pages – Dina Wakley & Dylusions paints, stencils, Simon Says Stamp inkpad.

 

CMP17 week 9

This week’s page uses Dina Wakley paints, a Stencil Girl stencil and FudeBall pen. I don’t normally include photos, especially of me, in my journal but it seemed appropriate this week.

 

 

LD2017 weeks 3 & 4

Week 3 was about faces. I used Dina Wakley paints, stencils, pencil and a permanent pen. I watched a Dina Wakley video on drawing faces to get me started.

Week 4 was about roosters, to honour the Chinese New Year, and the year of the rooster. I used water soluble pencils.

CJS17 day 10

Today’s video was with the fabulous Birgit Koopsen, whose work I love.  I used her techniques to collage and paint the front cover of my Moleskin diary. I started with gelli printed tissue, then stencilled on the tissue with Tim Holtz and StencilGirl stencils, and stamped with a variety of older rubber stamps. I added a coat of gesso to the cover, then tore the tissue into pieces and adhered with gloss polymer. Once it was dry I used black and white Dina Wakley paint and my favourite StencilGirl stencils.

This was a fun project and I’m happy with the end result.