The Art Journal: Finale?

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Yes! I have completed the Art Journal! (Mostly)

There are only two pages that need just a little something, then I can call it FINISHED! Take a gander at the closing moments.


Practice Map:   In my recent issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors Magazine, there is a Reader's Challenge for mixed-media maps. I decided to try something out in my journal just to have a go at it and see if it was something I might want to pursue. (I think I will, time permitting.) So I just applied Dylusions ink mostly carefully and then used a Sharpie to draw in my ideas.


I like parts of it and other parts I don't so some editing will be in order. I also think I'll add torn paper to the "areas" as well as some kind of paint or ink. This practice page doesn't say "mixed-media" to me yet! But it's a good starting point.




Grinchy Christmas:   After having sprayed the right page green and then smoothing the left page over it, I noticed that the space in the middle looked vaguely familiar. Is that a Grinch outline in the middle of my book? And how fortuitous, as I was going to do a Christmas layout but had no idea where to go with it. So I used up old Christmas stickers and added a few rhinestones.
 

The lights I cut out myself and added in the wire. I wrote in the quote from Ebenezer Scrooge and will add a quote from the Grinch on the other side. (This is one of the pages I need to finish up! Just that one quote.) I was thinking of adding some features to the face of the Grinch but decided to leave it alone. Maybe he's got his back to me! I just got a bit scared of ruining it.


Dandy Robot:   I am, in fact, obsessed with robots right now. Tim Holtz just introduced a new stamp set that features them and Lawn Fawn came out with some a few months ago that are too cute. This page spread features some Stampers Anonymous stamps from the set called "Dandy Robot". I just wanted to try them out and get a feel for them. I layered some Pure Sunshine Dylusions Ink over some turquoise and green. In the corners I tried to add a touch of copper Glimmer Mist. My gears stencil got another workout and I just added a quote from my collection.



Blue Gill:   The only reason I can come up with as to why I am obsessed with sea life is that I watched WAY too much Jacques Cousteau as a child! (And I adored Jacques Cousteau...I looked forward to every film and documentary he made!) Again I was testing out new stamps, this time from 100 Proof Press. The "life-size" blue gill and the seahorse. I was delighted to have LARGE stamps again. While the stamps are good sized, they don't lack detail. They also stamp very crisply. I have avoided large stamps for many years because I had such a hard time to get them to stamp evenly. But these, because they are only mounted on cling foam, stamp like a dream. Standard background inky procedure with stencils and torn paper detail.

 

 Special Blessings:  Yup, this page spread is special all right. My experiment into "many layers" turned a bit ugly, at least to me. I tried to step out of the comfort zone of blue/green with black splatters to something more "don't think, just do". My opinion: I need to think! This page might grow on me as other "ugly" pages in my past journals have but time will tell.
 

I do know that the collage in the center helps a bit and I do like my hearts. The title comes from the quote out of a fortune cookie that I kept, "You have been given special blessings."




Potions:   I painted a couple pages black because I wanted to use my Perfect Pearl sprays over them. The shimmer doesn't photograph well but it's there in the background when you tilt the pages. I had sprayed dictionary paper with a variety of inks for no more reason that it was fun! I tore out bottle shapes from them and stuck them down. I can't decide if the border at the bottom needs something or I just want it to sit there. My gut says, let it sit.

 

Happy:   This is the last page in my journal and it was used as a mop-up page for various stuff. I decided to experiment with purple and green. I wasn't totally mud and I rather liked the shade of mud it produced. I had a piece of that dictionary paper (from the Potions page) torn out that looked like a body so I followed that thread to use up as much of the left over paper as possible. The legs are a fabric tape that I just like.
 

I went around her with gelato after she was collaged down. Before I decided on a face, she seemed scared. I didn't want that; I was feeling happy. So I grabbed my googly eyes. She still looked scared. I gave her a smile. Now she was Happy. (And so was I!)

That's it, that's all. Ok...well...almost. There is one other incomplete page that I haven't shared here. But it will be it's own separate post when I finally get it done. Just a couple more touches.

Feel free to comment or question. Feed the fish at the bottom! Those babies get hungry!
--Wy
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