More Fun on Saturday

I spent a couple of hours on Saturday at my local arts and crafts store with some very creative women. While we didn't work as much in our journals that day, we did a similiar group exercise that we'd done the previous week. Last week we each had a piece of card stock and after following a prompt we passed our paper to the person to the left of us. By the time our own work had gone around the table several times with a new person and a new prompt, it was transforming. This week I spread a large piece of brown paper in the middle of the table and that became our shared canvas. Everyone participated in the prompts so it was one big creative collaboration, each person adding their twist. We learned that paint can be put down with things other than paint brushes. I asked them not to get too attached to the areas or sides they were working on and switch to the other side of the table. Like turning a canvas, switching to the other side of the table allowed us to see it from a different perspective. While we did not completely fill the paper, we did have a good beginning. I found it to be quite a lot of fun and I think they did as well. I am enjoying the day off from work today and am off to go play in my studio. I hope you are having a peaceful day. Thanks for stopping in.

Something Different

I led an art journaling workshop again at my local AC Moore (arts and crafts) store on Saturday. IN previous workshops I have been working on giving them prompts in the beginning to kind of loosen us up. Sort of like getting ready to play. And at the same time I try to share with them something new. Like working with Citra Solv or the gelli plate or deli paper. I wanted to try something different this time. I wanted to build a sense of community with the group, to suggest that we share or create something together.I did not tell them in advance what we were going to do. I gave them each a piece of card stock and gave them a prompt. After each prompt was completed in about 5-6 minutes I had them pass their work to the person on their left. Glue down some images or an image that speaks to you. Move some paint around with a credit card. Draw a flower. Outline something in black pen, marker or paint. Add some pink, purple and red paint. Cover something up. Write your name with your non dominant hand. Draw some hearts. You get the picture. And so it went. It was interesting for me to give them a prompt and then have them ask me questions. They wanted to know, should they cover the page completely with images. I don't like pink, purple and red together they said. I'm not good at drawing flowers. My answer was "Do what ever or how ever you want to do it." There is no right or wrong. After each prompt what was on the paper grew and grew with comments and oohs and aaahs. I think the coolest part of it was all of us looking at our originals and seeing what had been added (or taken away) by someone else every time it came around. Someone might not have liked how it started but was excited to see how it ended up. I thought it was so interesting to see through someone else's eyes. I could feel a lot of "what if's." And that's really what playing is about, I think. What if I did this because there are no rules. We had a lot of fun and two hours went by very quickly. I loved seeing the look on their faces as they played, loosened up and let themselves just have fun, and do it as a group. I think they had so much fun they gave me permission to take pictures for this post and that makes me very happy. So, thank you Faye, Marion, Liza, Laura and Martha for such a fun two hours spent with you.

Saturday's Art Journaling Workshop

Another fun couple of hours at AC Moore this past Saturday. I just love to watch people at work and having fun creating art. My daughter has not created art with me since she was a little girl until that day and she brought her boyfriend's sister with her so it was even more special. They both told me they really enjoyed it. I had us start with a warm up again like last week. I wanted us all to loosen up. We filled a piece of cardstock again with chosen images that were in the middle of the tables. Then they were asked to scribble, journal anything that made them smile on top of the images. Then paint and gesso were added. Then more doodling on top of that. Then I asked them to cut a big heart or lots of hearts from that and use it in or on the front cover of their journals. I've been working on the pages of an old photo album that I'm recycling in to an art journal. I'm not sure I have the arms right yet; I must have reworked them half a dozen times but I think it's looking better. Thanks for all your wonderful comments on Paint Party Friday. I appreciate them so much. Hope you had a good weekend. It was really hard getting out the door for work this morning after being off last week. No more late night trips to the freezer for ice cream. Thanks for visiting here.

Two Hour Mess

Although there were only two participants in the two hour art journaling workshop I led at my local AC Moore this past Saturday, I still had a lot of fun with two very creative women. I had us start with a warm up exercise. I spread out two bags of magazine images on the table and in about 5 minutes we were to glue down images or pieces of images that we chose. The idea was to work fast without too much planning or thinking. Glue sticks instead of neatly pasting with Mod Podge. Next I got out markers. We wrote fast, scribbled anything that came to mind for the next 5 minutes. Yes. Do it on top of the images. Next we painted and gessoed over writing and images, leaving what we wanted. Again, in about 5 minutes. ok. maybe a few more because we didn't really like some of what we painted. Our inner critic started to step in and tell us we had made ugly messes. We persevered.After drying with a heating tool, it was time for another 5 minutes of doodling with markers or pens on top of what we had done. Are we going to do something with this? they asked. Yes, I said. I want us to find an area on our paper that we like and trace the lid of the yogurt container. Cut it out so we can use it as part of the cover for our journal. I had a wonderful time making art with two special women. We laughed a lot, we shared ideas, tried each other's paint and stencils. I couldn't think of a finer way to spend a couple of hours. Thank you Faye and Marion!! ** Participants have given permission to have their art shared here.

Gelli and Deli Printing

So I've been having fun with more printing on the Gelli plate on plain card stock and deli paper. It's very easy to get on a roll with this process. I have no problem creating big piles of prints. I am using some of them on the inside page of the journals I have made for my art journaling workshops at AC Moore, and some for collage in my own journals. I love how some of them really look on deli paper. Some journals for the workshop. I think I may have a few more people for this Saturday's workshop than previously. I'm excited and hope to be able to show you some pictures next time. Here's using the deli paper on my journal page. Hope you're having a good week. Thanks for visiting.................

The End of the Challenge

This is the third year for me participating in Tammy Garcia's the ICAD challenge. I have made 61 pieces of art on a 4x6 index card, to be finished on the last day of the month. I am showing you the remaining ones in case I am too tired to post on that day. And that would be kind of a bummer, you see, as I would be a bit annoyed with myself if I didn't show you on the "due date." lol. I have to laugh at myself. So, I am showing you this before the due date. So, here are the last 3 (if I counted right. ha ha ha ) At some point in the next two days I will lay them all out and see if I can get a picture of all of them. I remember someone one year had displayed her ICADS so beautifully in a mosaic kind of lay out. I wish I could remember the name of the program. It's on the tip of my tongue but I am having a brain fart. If you've been reading my posts you know I had my first two art journaling workshops at the local AC Moore craft store last week. It was fun. Tiring but fun. I have scheduled 3 more back to back in August. I am looking forward to it.Also thank you to those who have been to my Society6 site and have become followers there. Your support is much appreciated. Thanks for visiting and your comments mean you support me and that feels very good. Thank you......

Happy Paint Party Friday!!

It really feels like a Happy Paint Party Friday to me, guys. Not only was I was off from work yesterday and today, I got to spend part of it both days teaching a two hour workshop at my local arts and crafts store. I had done a two hour demo in the store this past Saturday,which was interesting in that I was making art in public, and trying to get people's attention in hopes they might be interested in signing up for the workshop. I had two people yesterday and three people today. Both classes were a lot of fun. I learned some things in the process, and while I won't tell you everything I learned, I will share this with you. It takes a lot of energy to set up and clean up. Some people are totally new to art journaling while some people already had an idea, they just needed a gentle nudge to forge ahead. Get rid of that inner critic and give oneself permission to play. I'd say these past two days were kind of a crash course on art journaling with introducing stencils and other mark making tools, the use of gesso, introduction to the gelli plate, and simply playing and making messes. I provided them with simple journal already made with a 9x12 envelope and card stock. They worked on filling their pages. Participants did express wanting to return so I will be trying to schedule some further workshop times. Unfortunately, I did not think to bring a camera so show off some of the wonderful art that was made. Maybe next time. I created something new. Because I have been creating art on an index card for the ICAD challenge, I was on a roll working with that size. This was a result of putting three 4x6 pieces of card stock together. I kind of like it and I also like it here. Here Here and here. Seeing one's art on certain items gives new meaning to creating. I think the pillow would look awesome on a white or black couch or love seat. I did order one of my tote bags to check the quality and the color and I was impressed. I am ending this with some icads. I am so glad I participated in this challenge again this year. It is interesting to see some growth, some changes in my art and at the same time I think I am beginning to see my own style coming out. Art on an index card can be food for bigger things. Do I feel guilty for not following any of the prompts this year? No. I do not. It's just been plain fun and fun to see what others have created. I know this was a long one. Sorry. I got a bit long winded. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I hope you are having a good day and hope you have a wonderful messy painty weekend. I am headed over to the party to see what others from all over the world have been up to. Thanks for visiting here..................