Crayon Drippings

 I have seen these, but never a "how-to" so I figured I would just play around a bit and see if I could duplicate the effect.  It was quite easy!  First, I used a craft knife to slit the papers on the crayons.  I will save some of the wrappings for collage.

 I used an old canvas that had a painting on it that I no longer cared for.  I used black gesso to cover it up, leaving the textured circles that were part of that painting.  Using gel medium, I glued my selected crayons to the top of the canvas.  I did try to put pleasing color combinations together, but I think random would work just as well. Or even all greens and blues would look great on the black.

 I put the canvas on an easel, and used my heat gun to melt the crayons.  It doesn't take much, and it was fun to watch the drips.  If I angled the heat, I could get splatters across the canvas too.  Be sure to put paper towels or waxed paper at the bottom of the easel or on the floor to catch drips.

And here is the finished project.  Some of the ends of the "drips" are not quite attached to the canvas, but the overall effect is pretty cool.  Fun project.

In its own Time

 I just completed an art journal that I created TWO YEARS ago!  I made it at Valley Ridge, in a class with Michelle Ward.  I adored the look of this journal, and still do, but I could not come up with what to put IN it.  After cleaning up my studio, I decided to revisit it, and as with all my favorite work, it pretty much created itself. Sometimes a piece just has to wait for its time.

 The pages were actually created from a single roll of paper; Michelle would guide us through a couple of techniques, and then we would try them on our rolls of paper, let them fall to the floor, and move to the next part of blank paper.  When we accordian-folded the papers, the effect was stunning.  Here I've added various tapes and my own "stickers."

 I love, love, love these colorful squares on the black.  And the little cardboard rectangles mimic the shape in a textured way.

 I had several of these hearts left over from a Christmas card I created years ago, and it is so striking here.  In the background you can see various stencils that were used with watered-down gesso.

Even the simplest techniques--such as the dark lines dragged through with a comb, are super cool.  I will definitely be playing around more with these techniques.

New Camera/New Studio!

 I finally purchased a new camera so now I can take photos of my newly-organized and painted studio!  It took about 3 1/2 weeks to do this (not working on it every day), and I am so very happy with the results.  It's a joy to work in here now, amidst my aqua walls, which are both calming and refreshing.   This wall contains letters, numbers, collage clips, tapes, various background papers, my stash of books to alter, my library of resources,  fibers, feathers, and to the right of the lamp is my "works in progress" section.

 Here is my purple hat!  After all, I am Purplehat Artist.  Yes, it looks like a pimp hat, but I love the goofiness of it.  I bought it in Key West, so it has great memories attached to it.  The drawers contain my stamps, and the bookcase houses all my paints, pastels, watercolors, and inks.  Very handy--right behind my work table.  To the right of the bookcase is my Inspiration Board and my Artist's Prayer.

 And here is my work table, right next to the window that overlooks my (now sorry-looking) Pear Tree.  I love the carousels that contain all sorts of tools at my fingertips.

 I created this piece of art specifically for my new studio.  I had the sign already; now it rests inside a drawer that helps inspire me every time I enter the room. On the shelf underneath are my markers, pens, and colored pencils.

 The closet now stores less-used items such as my metals, beads, beeswax & pot, ribbons, and sponges. I also now have a great way to store my collage necklaces, so they don't tangle.

 My craft paints are now easily within sight, and the colors help inspire me from my worktable.  I did throw out a bunch of very old paints, so I will gradually need to replace some colors. My brushes are also here. The drawers hold 3-D embellishments, as well as background papers sorted by colors.  On the wall are charms, tiles, brads, buttons.  EVERYTHING is clearly labeled, which makes it much easier to put away.  It's as if each item has declared a "home," and  I actually enjoy putting things back in their homes now.

And here's a look at my worktable and what I'm currently working on: an art journal about Joy, and an altered book that is waiting for its theme.

I am so glad I spent the time and effort to revamp this room.  It's a pleasure to sit at my worktable now, and I feel more "present" when I do.

Back in the Studio Again!

Yes!  I am back in my studio again, and so delighted with how I can now create.  I am designing some magnets for a few special people for Valentine's Day.  And it amazes me how I am working differently now.  There were some basic materials I was planning to use, but I am also finding embellishment options that I wouldn't have thought of before.  For example, I realized I needed something silver to repeat the silver in the background, and as I scanned the room, my eyes came upon my stash of fibers.  Hmmm, did I have something silver in there?  Sure enough, I did, and I found it quickly.  And what about those little wooden hearts I had?  I knew exactly where they would be stored.  I opened the bin, and they were smiling back at me.  Ahhh, I am in a happy place.

Almost There

I think I will be finished up today!  All I have left to do is to glean pages of text from about 20 books I have been saving.  And why do I need to save the whole book?  I can't possibly use ALL these pages!  Yes, they are pretty cool books; one is a math textbook with lots of diagrams and numbers and formulas, one is an old atlas, one is a very old child's book of poetry.  But to save the entire book is a waste of space.  So I intend to tear out a few pages and then recycle the books.  If I can't bear to tear the book apart, then I will save the book, but keep it in my library.  Now THAT makes sense.

This whole experience has taught me a lot.  I had to make decisions about how to store things so they would make sense to me. For example, I had a lot of circle shapes in various sizes and of various materials.  And they had been stored in 4 or 5 different places.  Now I have a bin of "Circles and Circle Makers."  How cool is that?  If I want to add a circle, I can find one the perfect size, paper or metal or wood--OR I can use a template to make one OR I can use a circular shape dipped in paint to make a circle.  All my choices in one place.  (big sigh)

I also have an area dedicated to Works in Progress.  It holds substrates and frames, but it also holds partially completed projects and altered books.  Previously, these items were scattered in various places.  Now I can instantly jump into a project if I'm in need of inspiration.

Which is the other thing I still need to finish--my inspiration board.  I had a bulletin board, hidden behind the door, that held all kinds of stuff I never looked at.  Now, after a coat of bright pink spray paint,  it will be behind my chair, and will contain visuals and words to inspire a new project.  Much more functional.

Speaking of bright pink, I was also intentional about what I used for storage.  I realized that I need to SEE what's in it, OR it needs to be bright and attractive.  And everything, absolutely everything, is labeled with either a sticker or a tag.  Just seeing the visual label will remind me what I have.  Yes, I found stuff that I had forgotten that I had.  Really cool stuff!  Now it will be readily seen and therefore used. If it wasn't really cool and I hadn't used it, it will get recycled.

As I sit in my fresh, new room, I feel a sense of order and calm.  And peace.

Fresh Aqua = Fresh Studio

I so wish I had a camera so I could publish the color of my studio.  The painting is now done; finished the last wall today.  The color is refreshing.  That's the best word to describe it.  The room now feels fresh and alive and happy.  The color is called Teal Ice.  But I would have named it Fresh Aqua. (not to be confused with the toothpaste!)

I still have much, much work to do in culling, sorting, re-organizing.  But now that the background of the canvas is complete, so to speak, I feel motivated to make everything I put back, look inviting and clean.  Amvets is coming Thursday, and I have a lot to donate.  I also have a LOT of more artsy stuff, like paints & stamps, to donate to an art teacher.  Hopefully, I'll find someone who wants it all.

One problem I've run across as I go through all this stuff, is the fact that I never use some of this stuff (like game pieces, for instance.)  So the question is:  Did I not use them because I forgot I had them?  Or will I never really use them, so just toss them?  So far, I'm going with the latter.

Getting There!

Today I painted two of the walls!  It's a pale aqua, and I love the color.  It's enough to show that it's a color, but still light enough to be bright.  Wow, what a difference it's going to make for the whole mood of the room.  Previously, the walls were a dull khaki, and too dark for a studio.

When the walls are dry, I will spend the rest of the day vacuuming, dusting, and putting things back (most of which I've already cleaned out and re-organized).  Then tomorrow, I'll move everything on the 3rd wall and paint that one.   Unless I wake up tomorrow too sore!

It feels good to finally be making some progress.  Believe me, it's disheartening to see all my materials scattered all over the place. But the only way to get to the good part is to get through the messy part.  I feel like I'm finally starting to get to where I want to be:  which is back in the studio, happily creating in a fresh, organized, and clean room.