“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things,
because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
— Walt Disney
Hellllooooo & Happy Design Team Thursday!
I'm especially excited for this one, as I played with an old mixed media technique - in a new way - for my latest project for Jessica Sporn Designs.
Remember the "peeling Paint" trick? How about trying it through stencils? Welllll, it works! And is totally fabulous through the "Borders 9J Stencil" by Jessica Sporn for Stencil Girl. . . .
"It is Spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart."
-- Rainer Maria Rilke
Spring is absolutely, positively my favorite time of year. Not only is the weather gorgeous, but the air itself seems to be drenched in sweet smelling, saturated color.
So the idea of creating in the theme of Spring for our latest blog hop with Jessica Sporn Designs, gets my head spinning in all kinds of whimsical directions. And! I had a cool idea I wanted to try out: what if I took Jessica's "Build-A-Villa" stamps from RubberMoon and enlarged them to create the focal point in a collage? And, if I did that, then wouldn't it be cool to see what's behind the windows and doors? Anyway, that's where my mind wandered, I hope you enjoy watching along:
For more Spring Fun, keep hopping! Check out what both Jessica Sporn and Denise Alloca did with the theme, and be sure to comment on all posts you visit. Jessica will be giving away her (beautiful, stunning, I must have this!) "Layered Peonies" stencil from Stencil Girl to one lucky winner.
"Surround everyone you can think of in bubbles of love."
- Diana Cooper
Happy, Happy, Happiest New Year!
And welcome to my first post of the year for the Jessica Sporn Desgins CT. . . . This go around, I've been art journaling with a loose piece of "scratch" watercolor paper and my very favoritest (that's gotta be a word somewhere) stencil by Jessica Sporn for Stencil girl.
Head over to Jessica's blog to for more, including details on the process. . . .
Oh, and while you're there, be sure to check out all the Design Team YouTube videos: there's a ton of talent, fabulous products & tutorials and a whole lota loveliness awaiting you there!
To celebrate all things crisp, cool and Pumpkin Spice-ish, I'm thrilled to be playing along with the Jessica Sporn Designs Creative team for our very-first-everBlog Hop! October's theme is "Frightfully Fall," and I for one, can't wait to see with everyone did with it!
Anddddddd while you're hoping, be sure to leave a comment on each post! There's a fabulous giveaway up for grabs, and every comment counts. There will be one lucky winner to win both the Cascading Leaves Stencil and the Tree of Life Stamp. . .
For your chance to win, simply leave on comment here and on every post you visit. All comments on all the blog hop participants count, so be sure to leave your love by Monday, October 10th. Comments close on 10/10/16 at 9:00 PM EST, and the winners will be announced on Jessica's blog the next day.
Wanna see what I did?
I played with the Horned Owl Stencil and created an Owl for an Owl, of sorts. Anywho, I hope you like watching along . . .
"My big thesis is that although the world looks messy and chaotic, if you translate it into the world of numbers and shapes, patterns emerge and you start to understand why things are the way they are."
- Marcus du Sautoy
I learned something last time at bat in the studio. As you may have guessed by my lack of posts or art or really anything of creative value this Summer, I've been totally absent. Absent from painting, absent from drawing, and absent from the very room that I usually long to play in. {Although, having said that, I did spend weeks - literally weeks - transforming that hot mess of a room into a real working space with proper storage, organization and a new YouTube set up, so that was exciting}.
I think my absence in part comes from the fact that this was the first Summer that I didn't have The Summer of Color, an annual art event I hosted for 5 years, keeping me busy. And I think in part because of all this time I had on my hands, I just froze. Like a deer in headlights. But like, one that's holding art supplies and stuff.
So back to what I learned. For me, when I'm out of sorts or out of practice, I find myself waffling when I get back to it. And my waffling, turns out, comes in layers. Many, many layers. I don't know if its insecurity that makes me want to throw every trick or technique or color that I ever learned, used or bought to the table, or honestly, if my picker is just off. You know, that voice that tells you when enough is enough. Maybe that voice is just quiet right now. Or, I guess there's always the opposite, that this page just didn't want to stop being played with.
Either way, I filmed the process and you can be the judge. If you too have been absent from creating, I hope my lack of direction in the above video inspires you in some way. After all, sometimes all we really need is a bit of messy & chaotic to get us back in the game . . . .
"When you start recognizing that you're having fun, life can be delightful."
- Jane Birkin
Helllllooooo!
I hope this finds you happy, well and hopefully, with your hands covered in some sort of fabulous neon paint. . . .
Speaking of paint - and neon - I played with a bit (or okay, a lot) of both for the above project that was filmed for the new Jessica Sporn Designs Creative Team.
Just pop over HERE to watch the video and help us celebrate the beginning of what I know will be a throughly delightful year.
I hope this finds you happy, well and in the throws of creating something fabulous. . . .
Speaking of creating - and fabulous - I have exciting news to share! I along with 7 other artists from across the globe (six countries actually, how cool is that?!) will be representing the ever-so-talented Jessica Sporn and her beautiful line of stencils and stamps from Stencil Girl & RubberMoon.
Starting this September, you can expect weekly posts and projects from the Creative Team (many of which will be filmed) as well as occasional guest bloggers and blog hops to keep us all inspired!
Wanna know more? Head over HERE to meet the artists & learn about the Creative Team Celebration GIVEAWAY happening right. this. moment. (Seriously. You don't want to miss it).
Good luck and we'll see you back sooooooooon for some stencil & stampin' fun!
"Unity is strength . . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."
- Mattie Stepanek
One of the things I most look forward to every year is a trip I take with my friend Daniele Shannon. We actually met here - online through our blogs - several years ago and decided to meet in person at an art retreat in Portland. Long story short, we had such a good time that we've made it a tradition, and have been meeting every October since. We don't actually go to a formal retreat anymore, but rather make our own adventure by picking a place somewhere cool and lugging our stash to make art.
For our most recent trip - to the wineries in Temecula, CA - we decided to do something different and brought a huge (I mean, huge) canvas to the party. The intention was to create a collaborative piece that Daniele would then take back to her new home in Colorado. Wanna see what we did with 3 days, the 2 of us and a lotta wine? Okay then, here we go . . . .
(The canvas in it's entirety)
(The sides)
And there you have it: An Arty Collaboration! And although I highly doubted our ability to finish both that huge canvas and all the wine bottles we had, I'm happy to report that we we successful at finishing both. . . .
" I love the rebelliousness of snail mail, and I love anything that can arrive with a postage stamp. There's something about that person's breath and hands on the letter."
- Diane Lane
I love deli paper. There's something so magical about drawing something on a translucent surface which can later be altered by adding it to something busy, colorful - and in my case lately - incredibly bright. My friend and fellow lover of the stuff recently (well okay, like a year ago) sent me a huge stash from her own collection so that I could play, play, play. Thank you Linda for sharing it with me, I've been having fun with it ever since!
As a matter of fact, I've recently decided to create a series of mail art using deli paper as the base. Wanna see what I came up with?? Okay then, here we go. . . .
Deli paper sketch with pencil, Micron black & Sakura white pens
As she appears on top of her altered Priority Mail envelope
(Alpha stickers played a part here)
Little Blue Girl on a small Priority Mail Box
(Back view)
And in case you wanna how I did it, here's the exact, technical-ish process:
I first collected several US Priority Mail boxes and envelopes in various sizes. Once I decided which combination of materials I wanted to work with, I began by painting both the front and back of each substrate with gesso. Once dry, I began playing with a variety of supplies and mark making materials including spray inks, homemade stencils, oil pastels, charcoal and pencil.
In order to bring something different to the now colorful backgrounds, I decided to draw several quick sketches on translucent Deil paper to place on top. The sketches were first created in pencil and then brought to life with black ink and pops of white for definition. Once complete, I then tore around the images and glued them on to each box or envelope.
Further details were then added with bits of collage including bubble gum wrappers, pieces of decorative napkins and other bits of dried paint on deli paper from a past project in which I used deli paper as my palette. Lastly, I added white paint over stickers that were removed once dry to create the “Somerset” and Zip on the pink envelope (so okay, for those of you paying real close attention, you now know where they're headed ;) and added stamped lines on the fronts of each piece to represent the addresses.
Oh yeah, I also did a simple black and white pen & ink drawing on a large Priority Mail box to send the whole lot off.
And there you have it: Deli Paper Mail Art!
Until we meet again, I wish you creative days & colorful kisses!
But somehow (where has the time gone?!) we've already reached our last week of The Summer of Color. And I must say - like so many of you have already - this year's installment has been one for the books! I love seeing which hues you choose each week, love seeing all the gorgeous, drool-worthy work you've created and, on a personal note, have loved playing right along with you this year. Thank you once again for sharing your time and talents with us all!
Although It's Our Last Week:
I hope you'll still consider joining us if you haven't done so already. You can read all about the event here, join our Facebook group for more SOC fun and check out our Flickr pool to see all five years of color palettes in one place. As for the rest of social media, you can find us everywhere else using the hashtag #TheSummerofColor5.
This Week:
We'll be working on our sixth - of six - weekly color palettes. It's bright, bold and possibly the palette that best represents the colors of Summer. Again, we're double dipping here, so if you're up for the challenge, I encourage you to choose different hues for this palette than you may have used in weeks past. So, are you ready for it? Okay then, here goes! Our last palette for SOC 5 is:
1 Orange + 1 Orange + 1 Blue
And remember, what you do with the prompt is all up to you! The only stipulation being that you work with the colors provided above and here below:
Well, I um, created a boat of sorts. It's a little different but hey, that's part of the fun, right? So, without further adieu, here's my latest YouTube video on the subject:
What About Our Last Giveaway?
Oh, it's a good one! There's a lot of my favorites in there, including a couple of the Montana paint pens (that blue is a new color in the line!) that you've seen me play with throughout the Summer.
{Two Dylusions Ink Sprays in London Blue and Pure Sunshine, three rolls of adorable washi tape in oranges and blue, two blue floral embellishments, two large Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pens in Phthalo Blue and Orange Glaze, two Montana Acrylic Paint pens in neon orange and light blue, one Poppin leather-bound notebook in a gorgeous teal, two bottles of Liquid Pearls in Pumpkin and Royal Blue, one Dr. Ph. Martin's bottle of Bombay India Ink in Orange, one (it's my last ;) decorative napkin for collage and, last but not least, several iridescent confetti stars}
And Last Week's Winner?
I've got it right here! Last week's giveaway was randomly chosen to go live with . . . .
(please note: all winners will be selected at random via a Random Number Generator.
The photos / proof of each week's winners will be on file and happily sent to anyone who would like to see them.)
Congratulations Linda! Please email your address to Kdvanvalkenburgh@msn.com and I'll send your pretty, pretty things right off.
Ready To Play?
Please link your Week Six pieces to the widget below. To qualify for the oranges n' blue giveaway, simply copy and paste the direct link (from your blog, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram - or any other feed that can be linked here) to the widget below. You have until this Sunday (10:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time) to do so. Only one link per person, please.
Have Fun!!
Enjoy your last week and we'll see you back here next Monday, July 20th for our Closing Week as we reveal:
* The winner of our oranges n' blue giveaway
* Your 2015 participatory Artist Badge and. . .
* More information about the SOC.
* Oh, and to finish our Anniversary Year in style, this time, I have a little something extra for you as well.
"All the other colors are just colors, but purple seems to have a soul - when you look at it,
it's looking back at you."
- Uniek Swain
And Colorful It Was!
Pinks & orange, Pinks & orange! It was a virtual circus around here full of bold pops of color and whimsical takes on the rather ruckus palette that was on show last week. Isn't it fun to see the variety that's out there, all based upon the same basic color group? I Lovity-love-love what you did with it, and can't wait to see how you attack the next challenge!
But I Digress:
If you're reading this for the first time, please know that you're welcome to join us at any time. Each week stands on it's own, so if you're itching in jump in, do it! If you want to read all about it, pop over here for the event details, over here to join our Facebook group and over here if you want to peruse our Flickr pool. On social media, our hashtag is #TheSummerofColor5.
This Week:
We'll be working on our third - of six - weekly color palettes. It's elegant, rather royal and most likely a challenge (um, at least it was for me). But hey, that's what we're here for, right? So are you ready for it?! Yes? Okay, without further adieu, our palette for Week Three of the SOC5 is. . . .
1 Purple + 1 Purple + 1 Yellow
And remember: you can create anything at all that you'd like, as long as you're using your favorites from the colors above. Oh, and below:
Wanna see what happened when I played with Week Three's purples n' yellow? You do? Okay, here we go. . . .
Oh! And Wanna See The Next Giveaway?
Dugh. Of course you do. Here it is:
{Two leather-bound Poppin mini notebooks, a few pages of vintage children's illustrations, a gorgeous stencil by Balzer Designs, three Caran D'Ache Caran D' Ache Neocolor 1 and 11 (water-soluble and wax pastel) crayons, two Gel Xtreme pastel rollers in purple and yellow, one package of iCraft Deco Foil, two bottles of Liquid Pearls in Hydrangea and Daffodil, two Acryla Gouache paints in Lilac and Red Violet, three sets of washi tape and several iridescent confetti stars}
And Last Week's Winner?
Yes, of course! The winner of last week's pretty, pretty package goes out to none other than. . . .
(please note: all winners will be selected at random via a Random Number Generator.
The photos / proof of each week's winners will be on file and happily sent to anyone who would like to see them.)
Congratulations Michelle! Please email your address to Kdvanvalkenburgh@msn.com and I will happily send your package right out.
Now, on with the show!
Please link your Week Three pieces to the widget below. To qualify for the purples n' yellow giveaway, simply copy and paste the direct link (from your blog, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram - or any other feed that can be linked here) to the widget below. You have until this Sunday (10:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time) to do so. Only one link per person, please.
Now Get Arting!
Have so much fun and we'll see you here again next week, Monday the 29th, for Week Four's tricky Palette (there's a surprise in this one!), Giveaway, PDF, Video and Randomly Drawn Winner. Okay? Okay!
