A couple of weeks ago I was discussing my dreams and plans regarding my career as an artist with my husband Doug and I kept starting my sentences with "I'm trying..." At one point he said to me, "Are you doing this or are you dabbling with this?" I immediately thought of Yoda's quote! Our discussion as well as my attitude changed after that. I AM doing this, I am NOT dabbling. I decided that this change needed to be documented in my inspiration journal and I had just the page waiting for some profound words!!
This background was inspired by the fact that my 12 year old son Sam wants to take a paint ball gun to the walls of my basement studio to give it more character so I thought a quote from one of his favorite Star Wars characters was appropriate for this page as well. If I had to pick a favorite Star Wars character is would definitely be Yoda too. Wisdom is sexy!!
I started this page by adhering strips of book text across the pages and inclusion. Then I white washed over them. Since I don't have a paint ball gun (and no one in this house is getting one any time soon) I decided to try to use a straw to create what was in my son's noodle...I watered down my acrylic paints in my happy colors and sucked just a bit up into the straw. Then I blew through the straw at the pages. I was using too much paint at first so I got some drips and big splotches that really just looked like I spilled paint on my page. Once I figured out to use less paint it became fun, just like Sam envisioned! To remedy the messy parts I stood the book up and sprayed it down with water. Parts still look like I just spilled paint but I can live with that...evidence of something I learned. I used white India Ink for the quote.
Here's one other thing I've been working on...
I started with a sheet of watercolor paper and smeared a blackberry all over it to get that purple background. I loved the color so much I almost left it alone. I didn't want to lose too much of the purple with the next layer so I started to tangle with a white signo pen. After the first two designs I was on the fence...I lost quite a bit of purple in the tiny circles but the pen doesn't really like to write over the berry so it has a 'carved' (for lack of a better term) look to it which is really cool. It's difficult to see that detail in the picture. Anyhow...keeping more purple won out and I decided to stencil the rest of it with acrylic paint. Now I'm not sure what to do with it...I did make another sheet of berry pulp paper and have considered tearing a small rectangle from it to put a quote on and adhering it somewhere. I've also considered it might just be finished. I'm also not sure what to do with it when it is finished, it's my first piece that is not part of a journal. I'm not sure if it's 'home' when complete effects what happens to it next or not...maybe I'm really just over thinking it! If you have any thoughts I'd love to hear them!
Thanks for stopping by! Have a colorful weekend!
Dawn
6 comments:
Cool pages! I vote for adding the quote, it would add a great focal point for the page. Love the berry idea!
Recently I started creating lose leaf pages and had the same dilema. My solution was a 3 pocket folder now if I fall in love with the pages I can 2 sided tape them into a blank sketchbook page. Thanks for explaining your work I would not have known it was a berry how cool is that?
What a greate page. I love al the splatter and color. Thanks for sharing
Popping by from artistsinblogland.blogspot
Thank you all for your kind words! I do appreciate every one!
oooh - I love both of these pages! A blueberry - how fantastic. Using a straw - also fantastic. And your tangles are amazing. Well done! And I agree -- do not let your sons paintball your basement!
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