Shopping for MORE...

This past week was a beading break. I was in the studio & pricking my fingers endlessly until the air was blue...that's enough...time to clean up & just stop pricking my damn finger. I read articles from magazines that had been sitting in the book pile and I just enjoyed my time researching new products on-line. When I go through books & magazines I mark pages with tabs for future reference. I make notes in a little book I carry with me & when I have some time I go through the tabs & do in-depth research into the products & how they're used.Then it's all about shopping. Where can I buy some of these products... So that's what I've been doing...Shopping for future art paraphernalia. Hopefully I'll be able to show something I've done using TerraSkin paper or my new Ampersand Claybords...not today but hopefully soon.

Once again I used canvas that had been sealed with gesso. I then added molding paste using a stencil for texture. Painted with metallic paint & then I added another used, painted & melted dryer sheet. I really am addicted to dryer sheets and as much as I use them...the pile just never seems to go down. Every week I have another batch to add to the stack.

 

MIxed Media Journal Cover 2

 Here's another journal cover that I made using canvas. It started as plain canvas that I painted with gesso, copper metallic paint & then I added the design. The design is made from a used dryer sheet that was painted with alcohol inks & then I heat gunned it to melt parts away in order for the base colour to show through.

I attached the design using a gloss gel medium. It turned out to be a very sturdy journal cover.

Teenage Head

I had fun making this piece a couple of weeks ago. I was a little nervous about it so I just left it in the studio for a bit. After a weekend barbeque, I've been encouraged to post it on my blog. I've been collecting computer parts for months because I just love the colours and the shine. I know very little about computers but it's been fun developing ideas. My family  has been helping me collect pieces and I really loved this one that my son brought home. I put it on top of the pile because I just knew I had to use it in something. My husband brought home the copper wire that was like a ball of hair actually, it was so fine. The copper mesh was from my father. It's actually slug netting and he uses it in some of his floral designs. Too beautiful for slugs if you ask us. Then I added the Moosehead bottle cap and dissected cell phone parts...from a moment of teenage rage.

I started with a board that I painted with a copper oil stick. Then I coated the board with encaustic wax.  I then layered a painted and distressed dryer sheet on top of the board and built the design with the bits I had around my studio.

Creative Embellishments

This was the beginning of play. Needle nose Pliers, fun foam and a stamp. I cut the fun foam into a circle shape but I didn't like how the edges looked so I pulled with the pliers until I had the ruff looking edges that I wanted.

Then I heated the fun foam with my heat gun and embossed it with the wooden stamp.

Added a little paint.

Painted the ATC as well for a background.

Then I added some thread goo to one and a background of painted and melted dryer sheet to the other.

Then I thought that adding some of those spare pounded copper pennies to the centre would add some interest &voila some ATC's ready to swap.

The idea for the medallions of fun foam came from the book Creative Embellishments by Sherrill Kahn. I saw the book at a friends house and just fell in love with the way this artist made her pieces glow with paint. I'm just starting to paint so I have just never seen such beauty and certainly didn't know how to create that look. So I thought that I would give a section of the book a try. I can't wait to try the air dry clay section. If you're interested in pimping up your  art work, this is the creative book for you. Just a beginning but I really like the outcome. I really hope you give it a try if you haven't already.

tyvek sample

I'm in love with melting tyvek. Recently I borrowed a book from a friend called 'Surfaces for Stitch' and in it there is a section on tyvek. It re-inspired me to head back to the studio and melt more tyvek. In this sample I used gel medium to adhere a used, painted and melted dryer sheet to a FedEx tyvek envelope. Once dry, I then placed it between parchment paper and heated it with an iron. I just loved the texture, however, some of the FedEx print was showing through the holes in the dryer sheet. So then I had to add more paint in order to cover it up. I used my inks and dropped randomly around the piece and let it run. I also rubbed ink over the surface until I got the effect I was looking for. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the sample but I had fun and I'll add it to my basket of goodies.