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

"But I Have Nothing to Wear!"

 8 x 8 Birchwood Canvas

"But I Have Nothing to Wear!"

"Halloween is confusing. All my life my parents said, "Never take candy from strangers." Then they dressed me up and said, "Go beg for it." I didn't know what to do! I'd knock on people's door and go, "Trick or treat." "No thank you." 

-- Rita Rudner

Boo! I hope this finds you happy, well and in the process of stuffing your face full of candy. . . .

In the spirit of Halloween, I have a little vampire girl to share with you. It was actually Kendra's idea to give her vampire teeth, which in the end, worked perfectly with my idea to create a young, dark creature struggling with the problem of having nothing to wear for the occasion. Here's what we came up with:

Neck extending down the deeply cradled canvas

Fiber paste helped to create texture for the limited palette

And scribbly-swirls (I'm certain that's a word) define the sides

And here she is! Our little one concerned about her costume. 

I hope you & your little ghouls have a wonderful, happy Halloween!

See you at Party!

To Love, Art & Reese's Peanut Butter Cups,

Kristin xo

Just For The Birds. . . .

"Just for the Birds"

Altered Matchboxes 

"Deep inside her heart, I was feeling my home like a hay made nest."

-- M. F.  Moonzajer

I've always loved birds. Pretty little bluebirds especially, but birds and nests in general always make me swoon. So much so, that I find myself drawn to anything sweet with a bird on it: sugar bowls, jewelry holders and even Christmas ornaments have made it home with me, but delicate as they are, they don't always stay pristine. Or, um, intact. 

So, over the years I've grown quite a collection of broken birds, broken wings and, naturally, other bits and baubles. I've always wanted to do something with them, but it wasn't until I saw some large & small matchboxes in a dollar store that it occurred to me: they needed a home! And these little would-be cottages seemed like the perfect solution. . . .

Wanna know how I got there? (I took a ton of process shots just in case):

I first applied several coats of gesso before playing with the composition

Fiber paste mixed with white acrylic created this push-and-pull texture

I then applied several washes of pastel paints, splattered grey acrylic, sepia and charcoal

(Weighing their options) 

Playing with the bits, baubles and plenty of things that sparkle

And securing the drawer "pulls" with wire

And the results? Tiny little altered homes. Just for the birds. . . .

Thanks for taking a peep! I'll see you around the Party!

To Love & Art,

Kristin xo

Waxy Rainbows & A Giveaway to Come . . . .

“Don't seek to be happy; let everyone else chase after that rainbow. 

Seek to be kind, and you'll find the rainbow follows you.” 

― Richelle E. Goodrich

Hey Everyone! Happy Friday and happy PPF. . . .

I have a project here that's been in the works since - believe it or not - this year's Summer of Color! I've finally gotten around to finishing her, and took copious amounts of pictures along the way to show the progression from a quick sketch to a colorfully drippy & waxy finished piece. Wanna take a peek? Okay then, here we go. . . .

The initial sketch

Addition of collage pieces including decorative napkins, tissue paper & washi tape

Washes of blues and grays and the beginnings of her face

The rainbow is colored using 2-3 hues for each segment in a variety of mediums

Texture is added with acrylic white paint mixed with fiber paste pushed through a stencil

Using a quilting iron and crayons, I carefully melted 2 colors for each segment and let 'em drip

The final result! Additional touches include iridescent stars, Stickles glitter in her hair and tights, hash marks made with pencil, wax crayon scribbles (Caran D'ache 1), stamping and charcoal.

Thanks for looking! Now I'm headed over to PPF to see what everyone else is up to this week! 

But wait! Before you go, I'm really excited to offer you a chance to win a FREE SPOT on the next Life Book 2015! 

To do so, make sure you come back HERE this Sunday, 9/21 and enter. It's that simple. I'd love you to join us and am thrilled to offer you a chance to play along for an entire year of mixed media goodness for nothing, nada, zilch . . . . 

See you Sunday!

To Love & Art,

Kristin xo

KristinVanValkenburgh.com

He Loves You So . . .

 9 x 12 altered backer board

"Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart."

- Jose N. Harris

So I found the coolest substrate the other day as I was rummaging around my stash looking for something new to art on. I guess I've been wise for years, as I've never been able to throw anything away just in case it may perhaps be useful in some random future project. Well okay, wise may not be the right word; perhaps hoard is more appropriate. But either way, my wise-hoarding ways did serve me well this week as I found an old piece of backer board (for framing) to play with. All it needed was a little gesso to get it going . . . .

I took some process photos along the way for a little show & tell:

Getting started: gesso applied with a palette knife followed by some stamping, watercolor crayons, acrylic and mark making.

A quick sketch. I wanted to express sorrow.

The finished sketch with a sad girl, wonky house & a mama bird with her three chicks. 

Okay, so now you may be wondering what the piece is about. I created it for my girlfriend who lost her Father - after many years battling sickness - just last week. As expected, she is devistated. And she's an only child. So everything that needed to be done in the aftermath of his passing was left to her and her alone to figure out. My heart broke for her as I tried - from another state - to do what I could to comfort her. Creating this painting was the only thing I could really think of. I know it won't bring him back or ease her sadness, but I do hope that it will make her feel less alone. 

Tears created by pressing a wet brush loaded with watercolor under the eyes. 

And here's what it looks like finished:

Complete with a bit of glitter, iridescent stars (which are making their way into everything I've done lately), sequins and ink.

The road reads; "He Loves You So."

Thank you for taking a peek. And be sure to check out PPF. You'll always be glad that you did.

Yours,

Kristin xo

YOU are the Spark . . .

9 x 12 Loose Art Journal Page

"You are the Spark that ignites the World"

-- Anonymous 

Happy Easter, Happy Spring & Happy PPF!

This little girl came about shortly after hearing the fabulous quote above. I just couldn't keep my mind off of the inspiring words and, naturally, knew that there would soon be a journal page in response to them. Here's what I came up with. Pink, polka dots, and glitter; what more could a girl ask for?

I hope this finds you knee-deep in colored eggs, jelly beans, chocolate bunnies. And that you are surrounded by those you love.


To Bunny Kisses,
Kristin xo

Follow Your Heart. . .

"Follow Your Heart"

Loose Journal Page on 9 x 12 Watercolor Paper

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

- Steve Jobs

Happy PPF!

I hope this finds you happy, well and with paint somewhere on your clothes. If you're anything like me, then you have paint on almost everything. It's kinda like a badge of honor. Makes me feel legit ;) 

Anyway, I worked on a loose journal page again this week; playing with splotchy inks, metallic pens, an Amsterdam stencil and my new favorite tomato-red color. Looking at this page, I've decided that I must clean off my work desk and surround myself with other supplies. I've been using the same colors and goods for far too long now - I think I need to rotate my stash. . . .

Having said that, I do love this stencil. It reminds me of our honeymoon in Amsterdam - 

and I love the effect of simple white acrylic mixed with molding paste

The heart and headband are created with a glue pen and fine gold glitter

Here she is. I think I may actually journal on this one - her neck looks a bit bare . . .

I'm taking The Littlest Mouse to the La Quinta Arts Festival today - it's supposed to be one of the best in the country and it's right here in my backyard. I bribe the kid to go with me every year by talking up the frozen lemonade. (She falls for it every time) . . .

Have a great week,

Kristin xo