Playtime is not just for paintings...

...because when I get in the studio, time can involve bookish things as well.  This green book from the rainbow series was finally finished this week entirely due to the push from a journal playdate this past Friday.

Here are the back and front covers, followed by an even greener interior (if that's possible):

Now I have to tell you that the word of the day on Friday's play date was CROOKED...and you can see in the photos that I took it to heart, ran with it and scored half a dozen touchdowns.  As always, I'm slightly square-challenged when it comes to photos (oh, and also rectangular- and straight-on challenged), and have displayed that to the max here.  😃  I will point out that I wasn't the only one.  ☺

I hope you've managed your middle 'G' this week - greatness, gentility, gratitude, genius, grace or whatever word's your fancy. Catch me up on your doings in the comment section below, please...and add a link if you like. 

Not so Mellow

It's been some time in the works, but the next Rainbow Series book has been completed.

Not So Mellow     Altered children's board book     © Win Dinn 

First spread - my love of Vincent van Gogh's work takes over

A nod to Degas' delightful dancers

Rossetti & Klimt

Angels...in just the perfect place

Tiffany stained glass windows, filled with yellow light

van Gogh meets cocktail hour

The sun motif ties the pages together, along with an eclectic collection of quotes about the colour yellow. And because I cannot seem to tone down my colour, the Not So Mellow (yellow) seems the perfect choice for a title.

Some Helpful Hints when altering childrens' board books:

• Sand the pages thoroughly
• use masking tape between the pages
• gesso tape and boards before you begin
• dust each page with rice flour when completed to keep them from sticking together (that plastic acrylic paint is the dickens for stick-to-itivness!

Above all, have fun!

Tic Tac Toe...

is finally below.  I've been playing with these nine 4 x 4 x 1 1/2 canvasses for what seems like eons.  I started with the small pieces on a Gelli play day, covering the sides and front with some lively patterns.  In a later session I added some palette paper layers and a 'word of the day' to each.

Over the weeks, I've added bits of paper, additional text and goodness knows what else to the point where they're finally done.

Now that the photo session is done I've learned two things:

1)  that 'Play Kid' needs a much better haircut, and  2)  I'm already itching to start another set.  Where did I put that Gelli plate?

If you want to see what the Gelli plate is all about, I'm doing a couple of demos here in town this week.  

Why not pop over to the college on Friday and take a peek?  Oh, and buy some plants while you're at it...I know there are some heritage tomatoes (and much more) for sale!

Orange you glad?

I love altered books, and I usually have anywhere from three to six on the go at any one time. This particular one is part of a rainbow series, and from the title you know what colour is involved.

Cover - Orange You Glad? altered book

The books in this series start out as children's board books.  The pages are sanded, gessoed, and then re-energized with photos and/or papers.  The red one in this series is so crammed with embellishments that it can neither be opened, closed or photographed!  I guess I'll need to do another.

The desiccated orange mummy in the photo above made me think of the fake tans that so bemuse and mystify me, hence the quote that says 'Wow!  That orange spray tan really suits you.  Said no one ever.'

The combination of the lovely painting on the left with a painted pastel paper made me smile.

The crayfish (I think) on the left seems to hide in his surroundings, and I was amazed to find one of my crystalline papers that matched the colours...it's a miracle!

What do you do with disused books - got some ideas for me?