A Bitty Book!

A Bitty Book

{Altered Composition Book Cover}

3.25 x 4.5"

"A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark"

- Dante Alighieri

I was out with a girlfriend recently when she pulled out the tiniest little composition book you ever did see. Well okay, maybe you have seen one before, but I had not and I loved it! It was just like the old-school black & white books that come to mind, but only colorful. And itty-bity. And I knew right then what my next project would be. . . .

As luck would have it, an accidentally-on-purpose trip to the dollar store (where I had heard such tiny things live) shortly thereafter found me beaming over 3 little books bundled together. SO cute. And at 33 cents each, a guilt-free substrate to alter. 

I took my little books and some limited supplies with me during an outing with the family last week. And in case you wanted to see it, I took a ton of process shots along the way. Ready? Okay, go:

Protect composition book with wax paper and painters tape

Apply several coats of gesso and then sand for a smooth surface

Sketch girl and spray with workable fixative

Begin defining her features with watercolor and acrylic paints

Add heavier acrylic, gouache paints and black ink.

Final details include oil pastels, shimmer ink and plenty pops of white

And there you have it! A little bitty book. And now that she's done, I can't wait to try my hand at more. . . . 

Happy Friday, Happy Weekend and Happy PPF!

To Love & Art,

Kristin xo

Willowing & Friends!

"Thank You"

I'm so happy to be a part of Willowing's online course, Art, Heart & Healing. Not only am I meeting some wonderful new artists (there are almost 1,000 people participating at this point!), but I'm also learning new tips and techniques for painting faces, something which is very new to me. Week 1 (of 4) challenges us to create a journal page expressing our intentions. My journaling (underneath all the paint and gesso) was the repetition of an old Hawaiian statement (Ho'oponopono) meant to help clear the mind and heal the heart. It reads, "I love you, I'm sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you." Therefore, my single chosen word/phrase (found in her hair) is Thank You. . . .

I took a few pictures along the way in case you are interested in seeing the page come together:

Pencil sketch on 12 x 18 cold press watercolor paper

Applying color

(unfortunately I did not have the proper supplies, so I fudged with acrylics instead of the suggested Caran D'Ache crayons)

 Beginning background

Initial stamping

Completed Page

By the way, if you are interested in learning more about Ho'oponopono, consider picking up a copy of the book, Zero Limits by Joe Vitale and Ihaleakala Hew Len. It was an incredible read that I highly recommend. Thank you for looking! I'm SO looking forward to next week's lesson . . . 

Kristin xo

The Artistic Mother's Group

 

Butterfly Reminder

The Artistic Mother's Group: Project 5

 

 

Project five of The Artistic Mother's Group is to create a Butterfly Reminder from a clipart image and balsa wood. The inspiration comes straight from Shona Cole's new book and is meant to serve as a reminder of what we hold dear. I choose to include the title, my gift, that I found in a vintage book of poems and hang it from the bottom of the butterfly's wings with a jewelry charm that I distressed and embellished with paint and Swarovski crystals.

The body of the butterfly was enhanced with gesso, a text stamp, water-soluble oil pastels, pencil, a photograph of Kendra (jumping on a trampoline), a crown sticker, matte gel medium, glitter and Swarovski crystals. The handle was created from wire and more Swarovski crystals, this time in the form of beads.

Thank you for looking! To create your own butterfly reminder, consider checking out all the beautiful images at The Graphics Fairy like I did. You'll love what they have to choose from!

Kristin xo