Destination

Destination

 In many of the ephemeral images that I find I have to change them up in PhotoShop because writing is across the image.  This can be very challenging and time consuming.  In this case, writing was across this man’s hair.  You would never know it now.

Listen to Gram

Listen to Gram

 This woman is actually a paper puppet that I found. I cut her out and assembled her before gluing her down.  I love that she has one tooth showing.  I really like the colorful-ness of this series. Maybe it is a ray of sunshine during these difficult times. :-)

Under Arrest

Under Arrest

 All of the background papers in this series are ones that I made using deli paper.  They include a variety of techniques.  I am trying to use up art supplies that I have either purchased or papers that I have made.  I think I will never have to buy more supplies except maybe paper and adhesives.  In my search through what I have I am amazed at how much I have and have not used.

On a Mission I and On a Mission II

On a Mission I

On a Mission II

I loved this woman on a  bicycle so much I had to add her to two backgrounds but in reverse direction.  Thank you Photoshop for helping me out.  Thank you to the artist who created this vintage piece.

 

What the Heck!

What the Heck!

 

What the Heck! starts a new series which I will tell you about as we progress through the 26 pieces in the series.  I began working on these pieces after I volunteered to make a postcard for new members of the NW Collage Society.  There are 21 new members as of January 1.  I have been working on this series for about a week and have 15 of them completed.  The remaining 15 still need focal points and they will be done. Onward I go! :-)

Mini-Journal No. 15 - 04

 

Mini-Journal No. 15 - 04

Here we are at the end of mini-journal no. 15.  I do have a no. 16 but it will need to wait until later as I started a project and the first of the project will be introduced tomorrow.

Here is the video for no. 15.....

Mini-Journal No. 15 - 03

Mini-Journal No. 15 - 03

Some of the photography of the mini journals seems cloudy and others seem crystal clear.  Part of the issue is the photographer, me.  The best images are when I scan before binding when the journal is flat on the scanner.  There are times when the photographer, me, is so bent on getting the content bound that he forgets and then has to scan or photograph the contents more awkwardly.  I think this must be the case on here.

Mini-Journal No. 15 - 02

Mini-Journal No. 15 - 02

 A question came up yesterday about how I go about doing these mini collages.  Where do I start?  What about the pen work?  I start by adhering background papers.  I find them here, there, everywhere.  I then add middle ground and finally the foreground before doing the pen work.  So in this case I added decorative papers that had been cut into smaller size pieces.  I then add some washi tape to the valley fold and then the lantern for middle ground.  The dog was the last piece of ephemera I added.  The pen work comes after all the collaging.  It might look like the pen work was done before the lantern and the dog but it was not.

Mini-Journal No. 15 - 01

Mini-Journal No. 15 - 01

 I like the tilt of the leaf or fern to balance off the puppy in this mini spread.  There is a simplicity as well as a complicated-ness  radiating from the page.  

Mini-Journal 14 - 04

Two-fer Friday......

Mini-Journal 14 - 04

 I have just loved these pages in mini-journal no. 14.  One of my art friends mentioned that maybe these mini spreads could be a precursor to larger paintings.  How fun would that be?  :-)

Here is the video of mini-no. 14.....

Mini-Journal 14 - 03

Mini-Journal 14 - 03

 I swamped myself yesterday.  I had to drive to Tacoma to pick up the NW Collage Society Suffragette Show art pieces.  I stopped at the art store there.  It is a great one.  I did not spend too much money it it is fun to look.  I stopped at Barnes in Noble on the way home to get the latest Art Journaling magazine.  Once home I worked on 26 postcards that I am making.  The clock ran out on me and I just forgot to blog. Oops! :-)

Mini-Journal 14 - 02

 

Mini-Journal 14 - 02

I had a lot of PhotoShop work to do on this figure from a vintage Japanese matchbox because there was advertisement all over it.  The scarf was particularity difficult to do.  Also the line where the coat either zips or buttons had to be added back in.  It probably was an hour of work to get the image just so.  It was a challenge.

Mini-Journal 14 - 01

Mini-Journal 14 - 01

During this pandemic I found it harder and harder to read.  I could not concentrate on novels.  I would start one and put it down and start again and so forth.  In November I decided that I had to read two chapters each day.  I could not get up until I was finished with one chapter and later in the day I would read the second chapter.  It worked.  Now I can read again and my mind does not wander like it did.  I have read the following seven novels in about ten weeks.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

A Time for Mercy by John Grisham

Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich

Memorial by Bryan Washington

Dancing in the Mosque by Homeria Qaderi

The Return by Nicholas Sparks

How to Raise an Elephant by Alexander McCall Smith

I enjoyed each of them and they are all quite different.

Monkey Business

Monkey Business

 This postcard goes out to a Belltown Bookies member in an exchange started by one of the other members.  This recipient’s request was fall leaf colors for her postcard.  I think I managed the red, orange, brown, and yellow request.  It took a bit of finagling or might I say Monkey Business to get it done, :-)

Mini-Journal No.13 - 04

Mini-Journal No.13 - 04

 What is it about calla lilies that seem so sophisticated?  Well, I think that anyway.  The long neck of the woman and the long necks of the lilies go well together.

Here is the video of Mini-Journal No. 13....

Mini-Journal No.13 - 03

Mini-Journal No.13 - 03

 I rather like the scale of face versus background in this one.

Mini-Journal No.13 - 02

Mini-Journal No.13 - 02

 I like how famine this piece is....not just the woman but the softness around her.

Mini-Journal No.13 - 01

Mini-Journal No.13 - 01

 I have been spending time making boxes to house my mini-journals.  Each box holds three minis.  It is nice to keep the minis corralled since they seem to be multiplying quickly.  I just finished mini no. 16.

If I were to give a title to this spread it probably would be Daydream.  It seems to me that the figure has a story which is evolving on the right side of the spread.

Stroll

Stroll

 I am always amazed at how things come together since I usually never know where they are going when I start.  All of my ephemera were prepared separately.  I have boxes and boxes of ephemera to use.  In this case I started with some paper that I believe is German and has lots and lots of lines and numbers on it.  Then I I thought about some black and added a bit of napkin that you see on the upper left.  I had circles that I had altered in PhotoShop and you see two plus a tiny bit of a third one,,,,can you find it?  I added the walkers which came from a matchbox image.  Finally, I adhered the car.  It all came together.  It is all intuitive work.  I think it does a good job of creating an abstract collage with a representational feel.

Masked Man

Masked Man

 I have not used glazes in a long time.  So I decided to glaze this piece.  Well, the glaze was too opaque and so I had to wipe it off.  Oh, it worked and I liked the effect.  We can’t give up on the message WEAR A MASK!  So here we are once again with that reminder.  I know I might be preaching to the choir but still, after hearing that several members of Congress were not wearing masks and now three, at least, are Covid positive....just saying.

Japanese Man

Japanese Man

I belong to an art group of men called the Creative Gents.  We have seven members and live all over the US.  Our latest members were sent a welcome piece of art.  This is one that I sent recently. 

January 2021 ATC - Monochromatic

Two-fer Sunday

January 2021 ATC - Monochromatic

 In one of my ATC groups we were tasked with creating a monochromatic card for this quarter.  Salt Your Biscuits was the result.

Mini Journal No. 12 - 04 Collaboration

Mini Journal No. 12 - 04 Collaboration

  I totally got lost in a book yesterday and forgot all about posting here.  So that is the reason for the two-fer Sunday.

This is the video for Mini-Journal No. 12......

Mini Journal No. 12 - 03 Collaboration

Mini Journal No. 12 - 03 Collaboration

 Perhaps the cats are grouped together for support in the world of dots.  Hmm?

More on the siege of the US Capitol on Wednesday.....it is very suspicious to me when you consider how the police dealt with this siege as compared to the Black Lives Matter protests.  Racial injustice?  I think it needs to be considered and investigated.  It interests me that pushing the rioters back away from the Capitol on Wednesday was mostly pretty calm as compared to the actions taken against BLM protesters.  Just saying!

Mini Journal No. 12 - 02 Collaboration

Mini Journal No. 12 - 02 Collaboration

Yesterday I was glued to my computer watching the unfolding of anarchic activity at the US Capitol.  It was an unbelievable display.  Unbelievable that it could happen in the US.  Democracy under siege!  Democracy prevailed!  Democracy is stronger than an egocentric despot.  It saddens me that so many people are willing to follow a man who lies.  For me it was easy to see through such a man.  I did back in 2016.  A man who treats women like he does was enough for me to know that he was not presidential material.  People allowed themselves to be fooled.  They allowed themselves to forget decent behavior.  I am so looking forward to January 20 when we will have a new cool headed thinker in the White House!

Concerning this piece above.....I love the second representation of the tail and the position of the white tiger’s body.  He looks to be jumping to the left which, of course, provides movement.  You know I am a fan of movement. :-)

Mini Journal No. 12 - 01 Collaboration

Mini Journal No. 12 - 01 Collaboration

 No. 12 is the second in the set of three in which I collaborated with Elsa Bouman.  This is one proud cat!

I had my second Shingles inoculation on Monday. Yesterday I had a reaction and spent quite a bit of the day in bed.  All seems to be well today.  I wonder if there will be reactions to Covid 19 shots?

Mini Journal No. 11 - 04 Collaboration

Mini Journal No. 11 - 04 Collaboration

 This is the last spread of mini no. 11.   The fox looks a tad sad to me.  Perhaps some of the graphite pencil created tears.

Here is the video for this journal.....

Mini Journal No. 11 - 03 Collaboration

Mini Journal No. 11 - 03 Collaboration

 I am seeing spots before my eyes!  Maybe they should give this one as the sample when one has to take the eye exam for a driving test! :-)

Mini Journal No. 11 - 02 Collaboration

Mini Journal No. 11 - 02 Collaboration

 I do like words in a journal spread.  Could this be a mouse decor?  I do like the depth created here.  Thanks Elsa for agreeing to do this collaboration.

Mini Journal No. 11 - 01 Collaboration

Mini Journal No. 11 - 01 Collaboration

I asked an art friend, Elsa Bouman, if she wanted to do a collaboration with me and she said she would love to try it out.  So I did three mini journal starts.  I did the background and the foreground and Elsa did the middle ground.  Probably only Elsa and I can tell who did what.  I love how it turned out.

Afternoon Teatime

 

Afternoon Teatime

It is good to clean up my desk every once in awhile.  I discovered this postcard.  I like the depth provided by the layers.

Happy 20121!  May this year be a good one for each of you.  Happy New Year! :-)