What's on My Bucket List?!

by Lisa for Meg

This was an interesting thing to think about - just what is on my bucket list?  Well there's a few things- travel, meet my Irish penpal after 40 years, a different job, learn the saxophone, retire... 😝

But what I decided to concentrate on - since it's art themed - is an exhibition!  It would be lovely to exhibit some work; especially my teabag pieces.  So that's what I went with.

I decided I would do my spread as looking into an art gallery, from a single point perspective.  I gessoed the double page, and drew my pencil lines in.  I did take a pic of this, but you can't see much, so I won't share it!

Next I made my five teabag pieces that were going to star in my exhibition.  These were made on cartridge paper, with teabags collaged on (and some teabag strings), and then tinted with watercolour.

Next I stencilled a background on my gallery walls and ceiling, and added a timber floor - made of teabags!

Glued it all together, added some little plates with the name of the art piece under each... and added a red SOLD dot to all! 

So maybe one day this one will come true...! 💜💛

Hope you like this Meg!  Happy Arting all! 

Cheers, Lisa xx

Janie's Book Journal Page.

The first thing was to create a suitable medieval book looking background. This was accomplished with the assistance of Etsy's Medieval Mirage digital papers scrapbooking site.

Next was to add more additional medieval imagery to build up layers of interest. 

Torn papers stuck down strategically, were used to accomplish this.

Finally, focal images were pasted, the page was sprayed with Lindy's Stamp Gang Moon Shadow Mist - Pegleg Pete Purple - to bring the page together and make the page cohesive.

Janie's Nature Art Journal by Pam.

The month of June saw the arrival of Janie's Nature Art Journal which is already looking very special. My entry was a little experimental as I decided to give watercolour a try. I painted the background with pretty pearlised watercolour but it didn't flow as it should.....(no idea).  So then I got some stencils out and my distress inks added the flowers and tres. Then some black paint for the dragonflies.  A lovely little butterfly arrived in some happy mail so it had to join in too.
The quote is from a song from the 50s by Al Hibler.

Hope you like it Janie.

Meg Atkinson Who are you??

Hi Ladies I created the background with Dylusions sprays and stencils with a Dash of the Shimmer spray in Pure Sunshine

Then thought about all the things I love and are a part of me.. 

I love succulents so started with the idea of a border. and the main Succulent branching out with the things that make me tick!!

I didn't take many pics this time just my base page

my sketch of Centre 

and the Finished product!

Who are you Meg Atkinson page in Sallyannes "Who are you" Journal Round 7Australian Art Swap Group

It's a busy place under the sea

I was looking forward to creating a spread in this journal as I share Melissa's sea obsession. I grabbed all my blue paints...cobalt, cerulean, ultramarine and a light blue metallic. Using these with a dash of yellow to add some green I tried to create a sense of the many blues of the ocean...going from light to dark to mimic swimming from the surface down.

I was really happy with my sea so then I sat down and drew all the creatures I wanted living there. I used a mixture of coloured pencils and crayons to create the mermaids, cuttlefish, starfish, jellyfish, whale, sea ferns, various fish and the sperm whale...the sea of my imagination.

Thank you Melissa xox

Symbiosis

My journal play in Jenny's

'The Bee's Knees'

began with pulling out my acrylic paints stashed in the campervan and taking over mama's studio.

As I joyfully used every colour in the box my head was pondering how this could somehow relate to Jenny's theme. Minor detail I assured mum and reluctantly set it aside to dry.

Next stage was pulling at all together into some cohesive page. Out came black and white. I used posca paint pens and signo gel pens. I love this kind  of journal play and find it medative, even over the riotous colour play.  Its just like life really, it can be pretty chaotic and we need to find our pace or space to rise above it and make the best of it all. 

Overnight in the campervan I was pondering symbiosis and thinking about this journal swap, and our beautiful supportive art group and how good it is to be part of a community. The next morning the joural beckoned and it came to me that ants live symbiotically and  have done for ever. They work  together cohesively and have amazing  beneficial relationships  with various plants and other insects. So my page then became an ant colony abd I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.   

Art Deco Pelican

Inside Roz's beautiful Art Deco address book are many wonderful illustrations by designer, Julian Robinson. One of them is a fabulous painting of two girls swimming at the beach with yachts floating in the distance. The diver has such great balance...

This illustration goes perfectly with the antique pelican bookends I found made by Edgar Brandt in the 1930s. He created such gorgeous birds from wrought iron, one pair with dishes or bowls, the other pair drinking from a fountain. I'd love to buy them but its a tad out of my budget! lol :)

Above : I stuck tape down the spine and painted out the address lines with white gesso, leaving the gypsy in the corner.

I then scribbled out bunches of ideas including the pelicans, borders, corner swirls and shells then set to work measuring out where they'd all go. Then I erased it all because Art Deco is all geographic and symmetrical (ish) so I had to at least try to have straight lines!

After drawing in coils and triangles (inspired by an old light fitting), I then adding a bird flying in from the sea on the right, inspired by a lovely wooden bird from a brooch (might have been a frame). Using my new favourite scissors, I cut out the pelicans printed from the 'net... one of each as I was still undecided about which one to use, I love them both!

I painted the background using acrylic paint in a mix of grey with a tinge of blue, leaving the shapes of the bird, ocean and coils.

A dark blue was used to paint in the coils and other elements. After trying to match the original print, I made a saner decision and ignored that it didn't match... "it'll be fine" I said to myself (turns out I was right! not bad hey? lol).

I glued one of the pelicans with the fountain to the page, cutting the "water" to make it shorter, to fit the page.
Where the seas met, I added a zig zag edge / joiner... zig zags are sort of geometric and triangular, therefore in my mind, def Art Deco!

Little boats of black and white sailed into the page along the bottom. Much better than little shells!
Easier to paint too :)
After giving all the blue elements another coat, I used white paint to straighten lines.

Here's a pic of the whole double page spread. The gypsy doesn't look too out of place either, as if she's keeping an eye on it all.

Thanks so much for reading my blog post. Thanks also to Roz for such a challenging but fun project. I hope you like it Roz!

Have a happy creative day!
:)
Jenny

Time for Tea with Robyn

This is my entry into Sharon Rogers Time for tea Journal

 I digitally placed the photos onto a background 

then added some digital decorations table and teapot

 and some other programs I had hope you like it Sharon xx

Robyn’s World Fashion Journal

I chose Paris France for my theme in Robyn’s journal.

 Before adding everything I painted the pages blue, white and red to represent the country’s flag.

 I then sketched a lady with a beret and coloured her in with alcohol markers. 

I wanted to include modern and classic French designs, as well as the red beret with the blue and white horizontal striped top, thought of by foreigners as the typical colloquial clothing worn by Parisians. 

I feel their daytime wear is beautiful, effortless and fresh.

 While the fashion can be toned down, at the opposite end of the spectrum one will find that French designers like to liven up their concepts and take their visions to a whole other level, called avant-garde, these show stoppers are magical and spectacular.

Sing me a Haiku- Pam.

 I really wanted to make a pretty page for Pam, so I moved away from my usual pallet and went for a baby blue background. 

In keeping with the Japanese feel of the Haiku theme, l went for trees in blossom, cherry blossom.

It took a while to hand cut the little pink leaves and stick them all down but I think it was worth it in the end. 

The little bird sings his Haiku to Pam with love. 

Where birds sing my dear, 

That is where you will find me, 

In peaceful moments.

The Bees Knees!!! Jennys Journal Page by Meg Atkinson AAJSG round 7

The Bees Knees !!!

When I started on this Journal page I  seemed to be channelling a bit of Pro Hart influence ...Shame I didn't have some Spaghetti handy......
I Love Vibrant colours and had the idea to somehow use honeycomb.
Borrowed a friends punch and punched out some Gelli plate pages in Octagonal shapes to match my background
then added away on the journal page to create my tribute page to Jenny in her Bees Knees Traveling Journal 2019

 My Finished page

Step 1 Dragged paint down the page with a spatula

Step 2

 Step 3

Cut out Honeycomb pieces out of Gel plate prints

 Step 4
Stamped page, stuck Octagonal pieces and added detail
with White and Black Sharpies

Gaia - the Earth Mother

by Lisa for Louise

As usual, Louise has made a beautiful journal that is full of lovely imagery!

As usual, I forgot to take progress pics!

It took me a while to come up with something for this journal: I'm not very spiritual but I like the idea of it all.  So maybe I am a bit?  Anyway, I found lots of great inspiration on Pinterest which I have saved. 

So my idea was to paint my depiction of the Earth Mother.  I used Dylusions paints, some of which have seen better days and were either drying out or looked like... cottage cheese.  Gross.  But adding some matte gel medium to the paint helped with a more even coverage. 

Her hair is the greens and browns of trees, with collaged bits of flowers and greenery cut from magazines.  I also added some strips of National Geographic paper treated with Orange Power!  Then finished her off with a bit of aquarelle pencil to make her look a bit more grungy.

On the other side of the page, under the flap, I drew the Earth!  I quite like how it turned out, and that Australia is central to it all... 💚

For the other side of the flap, I extended her hair using watercolour that was then whitewashed, and added saying I found on Pinterest that I really liked.  I used a Tombow for the larger words, and despite spraying this page with a protective coating, twice, it still smeared when I sealed it with gel medium.  Not happy!  So I decided to go with the flow and smeared it more on purpose.  Yes, truly, it looks this way on purpose! 😄

Here's a close up of the words: 

For the inside flap, I found a lovely poem that I thought suited my Earth Mother.  I stamped with a cheap but good set of stamps I found at Kmart recently, then wrote in the rest.

And here's the fully opened spread!  Hope you like it Louise, it took me ages to put it together but I'm pleased with the end result!

Happy arting all!

Cheers, Lisa xx