Happy New Year!

Chalkboard lettering/chalkboard art has become very popular lately  Just before the holidays I took a day class in chalkboard lettering.  We used a white charcoal pencil for lettering - not actual chalk.  

Now taking a class for a few hours does not a lettering artist make.  Not by a long shot.  Even though I had some previous calligraphy knowledge and skill this type of art was a bit more challenging than I thought it would be.  I'm still struggling with the layout/design part.  Like all art, it just takes time, practice, patience, and a willingness to create.  So here's my beginner projects for the beginning of a new year.  

Supplies used: Generals White Charcoal Pencil, Faber Castell Eraser, Canson Mi-Teintes Paper in black.

Important note!  you know when you erase something with a pencil you just automatically brush away the eraser bits form the paper?  Well don't do that with this medium!  I can't tell you how many times I "brushed" and then smudged my lettering.  Grrrrr...  But hey the eraser did a great job!

 

 

I cannot take credit for the snowglobe design.  I saw a similar image on wrapping paper and in a magazine so I used that idea to create a similar image.  Even saw a similar image on Pinterest - so its a popular one.  I like how it turned out.

seize the canvas...

A fun little project this summer was working with a mini canvas and easel.

I belong to an art group called Cream City Calligraphers and Paper Arts http://www.creamcitycalligraphers.com/) We issued a challenge to members to decorate a mini canvas and easel over the summer and bring the completed pieces to our next meeting.

Since many of my summer activities revolved around water (ferry boat rides, touring sailing ships, etc) I decided my canvas should have a water theme. 

The canvas is 3 inches square.  Since it was so small it didn't take me long to complete. I used acrylic paints and glued a small seashell on the lower corner.  I wrapped the legs of the easel with string for that "nautical rope look".  The lettering was done with a micron pen.

I can't take credit for the caption - I saw that on Pinterest and thought it was perfect!

If the thought of painting/decorating a large canvas seems intimidating I encourage you to start small with a mini canvas.

It would also be fun to do several of these and put a grouping together on a wall.

stenciled rug

My summer project has been painting/stenciling a rug for our porch. I've been wanting a rug on the porch for some time now but I could never find one in either the size I wanted or the colors I wanted (to match the house).  So, after searching the web on painting rugs, I decided to try painting a rug.    Getting this project done when it wasn't raining or wasn't too humid to paint proved to be a challenge.

Numerous sites mentioned using porch & floor paint so I went with that.  I also read about using Frogtape (a painters tape) to keep the lines crisp.  A foam brush was used for the stencil and a 4 inch roller and brush was used for the larger areas.

I measured the area, did a design sketch, and then started taping. 

I decided to paint the entire area with the lightest color.  I figured this would give me a "blank canvas" to start with.

 

According to the tape package directions I needed to wait 3 days before applying the tape to newly painted surfaces.  I gave it a few more days due to the humid weather.  Then the fun of laying out the tape began.  I had to figure out which areas to paint first in order to get the tape down correctly.  I double checked the measurements and placement and ended up moving the tape a few times. 

 

Part one painted! after this was done I waited almost a week until I could apply new tape for the next color.

 

now the checkerboard pattern is starting to take shape.

 

the tassels of the rug were handpainted with a small brush. 

 

now the stenciling starts!  I stenciled all of the cream colored squares first, then waited a week and stenciled the green squares. The stencil is called "starflower" and is made by www.thecraftersworkshop.com

 

Behold the completed rug! I like how it turned out. 

I've read a few places NOT to apply a sealer since it may discolor the paint and make the surface slippery.  Now all I need is to add some chairs, a small table, and an ice cold beverage for a relaxing retreat.

 

 

 

 

Buttons and Baubles - Heart Canvas

taking some time to dust off this blog...(ooh lots of dust here) and it feels good to get back to posting some artwork.

With Valentines Day around the corner I wanted to make a new décor piece.  All of the items in this project were in my studio just waiting to be used. I'm calling this piece the "Buttons & Baubles Heart"

I had a 6 x 6 inch white canvas with wooden frame that became the starting point for this project.  Initially I thought of painting hearts on the canvas with some lettering. 
But after cleaning up the studio (yes, at times that does happen)  I noticed several embellishment boxes were overflowing and in need of some organization.  As I poked through the boxes I found a jar of wine colored buttons and that started the idea of creating a heart image of buttons.  Then more embellishments came out and they were added to the mix.

I started by painting a heart shape with acrylic paint.  I lightly traced some pencil points on the canvas to give me starting points. Heart shaped stencils could be used here too.

I let the paint dry for about an hour then started placing buttons and pieces on the canvas.  For adhesive I used Weldbond Glue.  I really like this glue for glass, metal, and plastic pieces.

I just kept adding pieces until I got the look I liked.  As some piece dried I placed others on top to give it added dimension.  I let it set overnight to dry.

To finish it I added a ribbon around the edge - mainly to cover the staples on the canvas edges.

 

after letting this dry for a few hours the piece was ready to display. I'm happy with how it turned out.  It felt good to use some embellishments I had been hanging onto for years.  And that reminds me...I still need to organize those boxes.

stencil and embossing paste

after a recent (and much needed) cleaning/reorganizing of my studio I unearthed some supplies I had not used in a long time...brass stencils and embossing paste.  One of my fav stencils is one with a Celtic knot design.  Since St Patty's day is around the corner I thought these supplies would make a great St Patty's day card.  I am using Dreamweaver Pearlescent Embossing Paste.  The brass stencil is also from Dreamweaver and is called Celtic Hexagon.

The first thing to do is create a hinge with a piece of removable (or low tack) tape on one side of the stencil one your paper.  The hinge just makes it easier to lift up and remove the stencil when you are finished.  Removable or low tack tape is important so it won't leave marks on your paper.  I am using Scotch Low Tack Tape here.  The paper should be a thicker paper or light cardstock weight to handle the paste. 
After one side is taped then cover the rest of the paper and sides of the stencil with more tape or scrap paper.  The goal is to just have the stencil open for the paste and not to get any paste on other areas of the paper.

I had to stir the paste since the jar hasn't been opened in awhile.  The paste has the consistency of frosting.  The paste gets spread over the top of the stencil to fill the areas then the excess gets scraped off.

The scrap paper or tape gets removed and then (using the taped hinge side) the brass stencil is lifted up and taken off. Set the image aside to dry.  I usually like to wait a few hours or overnight. The brass stencil should be cleaned immediately with soap and water.  If you can't get to it right away then drop it in a container with soapy water until you can gently scrub it clean.

Then I put the brass stencil over the dried image and colored the pear surface with inks.  I used daubers and a variety of ink pads.

It may be hard to see in this photo but the raised image shimmers with different shades of green.

And here it is applied to a card with some rubber stamping and extra shimmer from gel pens. 


Happy St. Patty's Day!

happiness jar

Life isn't just one moment...it's a journey of a thousand of moments, some good and some bad. I don't know about you but sometimes I tend to focus on (without really realizing it) the bad moments that have made such an impact (sometimes a huge crater of an impact) on my life. 
So in an effort to focus on all of the good things/blessings (big and small) I created the 2015 Happiness Jar.

I didn't come up with this idea but loved it so much I had to make one for my own.  Thanks to Laura P. for the inspiration!

Throughout the year if something good happens or makes me smile I'll write that on a slip of paper and put it in the jar.  It could be something small like listening to my cat purr, or bigger things like seeing my beautiful niece dance on stage or hit a home run in a softball game.

Next New Year's Eve I'll empty the jar and read all of the papers.   I think it would be nice to start off the new year by remembering the good stuff... and as you can see I already have some paper in the jar!

However your year has started I hope you find time to find the little joys in life and remember them.

alcohol ink demo and card making class

If you're in the Milwaukee area I invite you to stop by Artist & Display on Sunday January 4th.  I'll be doing a demo of alcohol inks from 1:00pm - 3:00pm.

Alcohol inks are permanent fast drying inks that work great on non-porous surfaces.  The inks are translucent and can be blended to make wonderful vibrant background papers. The demo and class will work with alcohol inks on glossy paper.

Then on Saturday January 10th I'll be teaching a card making class using alcohol inks.  It's a one hour class starting at 10:30am.  This will give us plenty of time to make a few cards using some different techniques of alcohol inks.  We will even use metallic heat embossing powders on some of the alcohol inked papers. 

Alcohol inks are easy and fun to use.  There's nothing like a cold winter day to make you want to work on some art projects. Hope you can stop by and have some fun learning about alcohol inks. 

Artist & Display is located at 9015 West Burleigh St, Milwaukee, WI.  Phone 414-442-9100