Comforted in Sorrow

Joy Journal February 2013: The Art of Appreciation

 In my last post I introduced you to my journal page titled "Comfort".  Our Joy Journal assignment was to document a moment from this year for which we were grateful. Something like that can be hard to capture on a page, especially when it is personal.

I'm working on loose smooth bristol pages I prepared to bind once my journal is completed.  I started by writing my thoughts with pencil on the page.

A few swipes of watercolor paint washed over my journaling.

 One of my uncles passed away very suddenly last month. Then I got sick and wasn't able to go to the funeral.  When it really hit me that I wasn't going to be well enough to attend the services, I was so very sad.  My sweet husband was there to comfort me.

Used tea bags applied to page with matte medium.

 I can't tell you how much tea I drank last month.  I started with a basket overflowing with a variety of teas. Now there is a lot of space in the basket. ;-)
The journal challenge asked us to collage on our page for texture and variety.  I like using tea bags because they are translucent and stained.
After the page dried, I added a bit more teal and rusty colored paint using Golden Fluid Acrylics.

Wall paper hearts, a tea bag label and doodled shape collaged on page.

 I have old wall paper books that I got for free at the paint store a few years ago.  They are good for inspiring textures and shapes.  Sometimes I even remember to use them for collage as I did for the hearts on the page.  Hearts go with comfort, right?

You never know when your doodles will come in handy!

 Since I drank so much tea during my illness, I thought a cup of tea would be a good symbol for the page.  (Bigelow Vanilla Chai is delicious with honey and milk.)
While doodling rows of heart chains I started to image the cup shape.  I tore it out to collage on the page.  The string of the tea label is attached under the cup, but the rest of it is loose.

Caran d'Ache crayons used to color the cup and add handle.

 The Caran d'Ache crayons are water soluble.  I blended and sealed them with acrylic matte medium. I also used them to add shadowing around the hearts to help them merge into the background.

Faber Castell Pitt markers were also used for shading and the bit of journaling I added under the cup.
When working on a sealed surface, you can easily blend them by rubbing with your finger.
The white lettering was done with a Sakura Permopaque marker and then outlined with a FC Pitt marker.  The red heart was done with a Sakura Glaze Pen.

The finished page.

I wish I had done more pages that remind me of special moments which can easily pass by and be taken for granted.  Today I was standing at the kitchen sink really enjoying my first cup of water for the day. The sun was sparking like diamonds on the crisp fresh snow.  It occurred to me that I should write about it, so I did.  I grabbed a fresh page for my journal and now that moment is documented. I even started adding color.
But the rest of the story is for another day and another post.

Stamping with Hero Arts

I've been trying to renew my stash of greeting cards this past month. In the past year I've discovered some very inspiring blogs that feature stamping and card making. I find the techniques cross over very well to my visual journaling as well.

More recently I discovered the Happy Heart Studio Blog. Nancy is having a drawing for the newest Hero Arts catalog which was signed by the artists at the recent CHA convention. You must make a card using Hero Arts Stamps. Both of the above cards feature E1212 Bold Birthday Candles. The the black embossed image is on water color paper. Caran d'Ache Neocolor II was used to color the image. Printed scrapbook papers inspired my color choices. I used a glitter gel pen to write "happy birthday" on the above card.

This is a set that was given to me and has always posed a challenge to me. I decided to this was a good time to take on that challenge. This is what I made:

The white card was stamped with G2678 - Art, Life & Beauty using Distress Inks.

The green "tiles" were stamped with the LL637 Woodcut Leaf Pattern Stamps using Versamark Ink on a medium green cardstock. I didn't get as much contrast as I'd hoped for, so I decided to try "chalking" the stamped image using dark blue NuPastel dust that I sanded off the stick & rubbed into the stamping. I trimmed the squares and rounded the corners with a punch. Next I added the sentiment - C1122 - Thinking of You.

Arranging the tiles was my biggest challenge. I added a matte layer to the sentiment tile. I'm not big on embellishments, but I knew something was missing. So I searched my little drawers and found this leaf skeleton that I adhered with vellum glue dots.

I hope you will check out Nancy's blog. Here's another one of my favorite paper art blogs - Jennifer McGuire Ink.

GPP Crusade No. 32 - Knock Yourself Off

The above is my latest attempt at melding my scanned artwork with Photoshop Elements text and editing. I was inspired by the GPP Street Team's latest challenge. Read on for more info-

In an earlier GPP Crusade, I played with circles. Lots & lots of circles.

The following is acylic paint on rice paper. I like it very much, but it needs to be with something.

This is a page from my visual journal from January 2009. I used permanent marker and watercolors on watercolor paper. One of my goals is to improve my faces.

Last week I sketched this face. (Both were drawn from my imagination.) After roughing her in with graphite on watercolor paper, I inked her face with a Pitt Pen. Next I added color using Caran d'Ache Neocolor II (watersoluble crayons) which were applied using a water reservoir brush. This is such a neat procedure that I paint while sitting in my recliner in front of the TV.

I can see that I'm making progress with faces. But won't it be fun to keep working on them?

To challenge myself more, I decided to digitally layer the portrait with the circles page. I learned a few new tricks in PS Elements as I worked through the process. I'd like to revisit more of my simple pages to see what I can do with them. Now that Michelle has extended the deadline for this challenge, I may try to work on new ideas that have formed.

I chose the Scripture verse because it was part of a passage read at the funeral of a dear friend last week. I've been pondering it much since then. Our friend lived a long and full life. So many lives were touched in a wonderful way because of her. She had marked this passage in her Bible and she truly was a wise woman.

I'm blessed to have known her.

Art Journal Day 28 - Faith

We woke up to a beautiful day where hoarfrost added a touch of fantasy to our landscape. It is things like that which turn my thoughts to our wondrous Creator and I am touched by joy and gratitude. Earlier this week I was reminded of a favorite quote from a message given by a former pastor at my church. Kip Hamby was speaking of God's kingdom and the parable of the mustard seed. It's easy to feel insignificant and forgotten in our world, but each of us matters. How we live our lives matters.

I took a few quick shots of the trees near our house. Then I just had to play in PS Elements last night. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that altered image, but I can see it has possibilities.

Art Journal Day 27 - Comfort

It was my day off. If I was a cat I would have curled up on a cozy spot where the sunlight pooled on the floor. Instead, I made a pot of tea. It's nice to have time to enjoy a POT of tea, not just a hurried cup before heading out for the day. When Hubby & I first moved into a house, we went to auctions to find furnishings and tools. We found great deals and the auction house atmosphere was entertaining as well. One night I spotted a teapot that I fell in love with. It was in a cardboard box with matching cups, a couple of trays, and other items I don't remember anymore. I don't remember how much we got all of that for anymore, maybe about $20. But the only person who bid against us asked what we wanted in that box. She had her eye on one of the trays and she offered us $10 for it. That was a sweet deal.
Not only do I love the blue color and the abstract pussy willow design, but the teapot is made of substantial pottery, so it stays warm for a long time.
In the afternoon I went out for a haircut. After my appointment, I had a bit of time to kill before music rehearsal, so I headed for Starbucks and a chai latte. The weather was so strange and beautiful. There was a very high and thin cloud cover. And it was very gently snowing all afternoon. It didn't seem like there were enough clouds for it to snow. The atmosphere made for an interesting late afternoon shot of the sun through the window at Starbucks.

Art Journal Day 16 - Red

Red is a strong, powerful color and I didn't think I could go with the wash of feature color on the background to start a page. As I was laying in the neutral background of gesso with some smears of brown Nupastel, I saw the uplifted face of a woman. I thought of a torch singer. So that's where this page started. I imagined a woman who is coming into her own and she is wearing red. She is strong and isn't going to hide in the shadows anymore. Hubby thought she looked athletic. I could imagine a diver who is preparing to take the dive of her life.
She is worked in Caran d'Ache NeoColor II - watersoluble crayons. They were a bit challenging on this surface, but I like the variety of ways to treat them. The background was colored on directly, then I burnished it with a fitch scrubber and finally a flat color shaper.

Beloved

"Because I am the loved creation of so great a maker,
I cannot help but be a person of great worth."

This is a favorite quote that I copied onto card stock to use as a bookmark in my Bible. The quote came from a Bible study written by Beth Moore. Her commitment and passion to and for God are evident in her teaching.
This week a group from my church started Beth's study, "A Woman's Heart." I am looking forward to growing in my relationship with God, to learning, and spending time with the women in our group.

One thing that Beth very clearly points out is how the Bible assures us of how precious and loved by God that we all are. He created us. He cares about us each personally... not in some generic, universal sense.

I have peace and joy knowing that I always was and always will be loved.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 NIV

As for this 5"x7" mixed media piece, I built up the background using stamps and inks on bristol board. The woman was painted with Liquitex acrylics and accented with Caran d'Ache Neocolors II. The verse was printed on text weight paper. The technique for this piece was inspired by the art of Paulette Insall.
Drawing and painting people is still pretty new to me, so this was a challenging project. She was drawn partly from imagination and partly influenced by photographs. [It's a great cop-out when you've intentionally NOT tried to make a face look like someone. ;) ] I've been holding on to this image for a few weeks, still feeling shy about going "public" with it. I brushed a layer of gloss medium over it to seal it, but I should have spray sealed it first. The Neocolor II bled a bit and I lost some of the details.

Another reason I have been holding off posting this was not being sure how to share the inspiration behind the piece. It's hard for me to put into just a few words the significance of what having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ has been. Being confident of His love for me has change my life.

SO. Here's just a little piece of why I am SO GRATEFUL.
I am loved just because I'm me.
-Not because I did something nice today.
--Not because I worked hard at my job today.
---Not because I had a healthy lunch.
If it were left up to me, I'd never be good enough to be loved completely for always. The good news is that there is nothing I can do to make God love me more than He already does.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! "

I John 3:1 NIV

Thanks to Lucy whose post prompted me to "just move forward" and post this entry.

Illustration Friday - LEAP

Because it's a LEAP year, this week's topic for IF is LEAP. I've been thinking about trying a portrait of an inspiring woman I met last weekend at my church's women's retreat. Her name is Marilyn Laszlo. One thing she shared is how we demonstrate our faith by taking that first step toward where we are led. Marilyn followed her calling to be a missionary which led her to Papau New Guinea where she lived with a primitive, Stone Age tribe for 24 years. In my opinion, her step of faith was more like a LEAP of faith. Go to her web site for fascinating accounts of her inspiring stories. Her book is wonderful! I was on the committee for the retreat. In a future post I will share how I made colorful name tags for the attendees using alcohol based ink, and solvent based ink.

Well, my time is limited this week, so I put the portrait on hold & decided to take a LEAP that is more familiar.... experimenting with media. I purchased a package of Ampersand textured clayboard which has been renamed "Aquabord". I used my Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons exclusively for the image of a sunflower that I interpretted in a loose manor. Last summer I tried the crayons on smooth clayboard. The results were interesting, but I prefer the texture of this board. I built up layers of color. The initial layers were blended by brushing them with a damp brush. I prefer to use a Sakura water reservoir brush for its convenience. I love the brilliance of color using this method & plan to explore more in the future.
Here are 2 generous artists, Catherine & Fannie, who have shared much info about watercolor crayons on their blogs. Take a LEAP and try this wonderful product.

It's always a LEAP to invest in new product and hope for the best. If any of you have ever used this process, let me know. I'm thinking I should seal this to protect it from smearing. Any advice?