We've all got a ton of plastic around the house, and I think using it to create interesting backgrounds is a great technique.
This background start was created using plastic objects from the studio (yes, I do keep a stash of outlandish plastic bits and bobs there), followed up with some ArtFoamies.
If you'd like to see how this was created, check out the video (and I'd love it if you would subscribe to my channel while you're there!):
I think creating patterns with plastic is a unique technique:
and when you add ArtFoamies to the mix you're in for some fun.
Of course that's not all that went on in the studio this week. Given the season, there had to be some card-making, because I inevitably leave things to the last minute.
I think it was exceptionally talented of me to get the front and centre card upside down, don't you? They don't call me Wingding for nothin' you know! :D
And while I was studio cleaning, I found the tags that went missing a couple of weeks ago - yay! Now to make some more!
I hope your week has been filled to the max with creativity - playtime is highly underrated, my friends! 💛💚💜💙♡💚💛
. . . who the heck turned winter on?!!! With the snow on the ground this morning, I'm glad I've got something with a little heat to show you.
This lovely pooch belongs to my daughter, Rochelle - check out her page; you're going to love it! I've been working on towards this piece for weeks months.
Daisy
The original photo shows a wee bit less colour, as you can see.
I'm a rabid fan of Dean Russo's work and have been trying to create a stencil of Daisy for a long time. This side by side of Dean's pooch was approximately where I wanted to go.
So from the time I started up til now, I've burned nine stencils, printed around 15 of them on gel prints, and created a massive pile of no-goes! It can take dozens of hours to even get a start on a new technique, right?
So now that I have a reasonable stencil made (above, left), I can create another painting any time at all...Rochelle might be getting a new one every year for Christmas. Can you hear her cheering???
And yes, I promised you a video this week that takes the book folding a little further, so here is the process for turning the basic folded book into a wacko 'Expat Offspring'. It took ages - in my world that is - to video just one page tear, and to do the original Expat from Arcturus took that x about 150, so be warned. It is not a fast process!
You may wonder why the 'Offspring' has googly eyes and so few tentacles when the parent (is that male/female/androgynous?) is eyeless and heavily tentacled.
You may not have known that on Arcturus, only babies under 25 years have eyes - the fully matured adult sees through their third, invisible, inner eye. Each year, they grow a new tentacle and when they reach 25 they start to shed an eye per year. Aren't they are brilliant? By the time they reach 162, they are truly stunning.
Whatever planet you're from, I'd be delighted to hear what you're up to...your comments keep me on my toes and creating! Sending tentacle-y love from my planet to yours!
I got into the gel plate again this past week - it's really difficult to get some new paints and not test them, right? The Golden Open acrylics that Meg sent me are just waaaaaay too fun. One of them was a very pale green - couple that with a fresh batch of carrots from the farmer's market, and it was time for some leaf printing.
First print, carrot tops
Ghost print, carrot tops
Haunt, carrot tops
Of course I used my journal as a brayer clean-up area, and then brayered the painty leaves onto that. This spread's going to be fun to finish. What goes with carrots? Maybe some peas.
Brayer clean up and brayered painted carrot tops
And for some reason, I was having a giggle the other day about Alice Saltiel's suggestion of adding googly eyes to a book sculpture some years back. Wouldn't this look awesome with a host of them nodding and googling?
Expat from Arcturus
That led me to realising that I've never done a video about book folding, book sculptures, or any book tutorial at all. You know what that means, right? So here's the first step in most of the book sculptures I've created. I'll make sure to finish this for you next week, and perhaps a different one in the week after that. I'll expect to see you sometime in March or April, then, 'cause it's really hard to stop.
Of course I'm working on a dozen other projects as well, so who knows what might happen. In the meantime, catch me up on what has your creative juices flowing in the comments below - I'd love to hear!
Tammy made individual poppies for each of the fallen soldiers from WWI for the ground beneath the donkey's feet.
Tammy Bradford (Museum Manager Extraordinaire), Lynne Mizera and me (missing from the photo is my John, who was taking it - he did all the research for the project, as well as some stapling to boot!)
Donkey Bombing complete
And on another note, I was fondling ribbons in my ribbon stash this past week, and was inspired to create this video using a particularly lovely patterned ribbon, brayer, gel plate and some paints.
As always, when I get going with the gel plate it's really hard to stop. And you know I have a very large stash of ribbons, right? This could get crazy!!!
And if I've got a large stash of ribbons right now, what's going to happen when I start looking/shopping for patterned ones? Heaven help us!
