Mixed Media Resist: Vaseline & Stencils w/ Jessica Sporn Designs!

“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. . . .

"Borders 9J Stencil"

Head over to Jessica's Blog for more pictures & the rest of the story. . . .

And if you try it, please let me know; I'd love to see how you played with the process!

With Love,

Krisin xo

Valentine Blog Hop w/ Jessica Sporn Designs Creative Team . . .

"All love is sweet, given or returned."

-- Percy Bysshe

Hellooooo & Happy Valentine's Day(ish),

Today I'm playing with the Jessica Sporn Designs Creative Team as we create Valentine-inspired artwork for our Valentine Blog Hop, featuring products from DecoArt Media!

So what did I make? Why something sweet of course! Or, better put, something to put something sweet in. Check out the video below for the whole process. 

And if you'd like to try it, please help yourself to the following TEMPLATE: 

But wait! (Yeah, there is). 

"Seven Hearts"

Leave a comment here and on the blogs below for a chance to win your own "Seven Hearts" Stencil. One lucky winner will be taken from all blog comments and announced on Jessica's blog next Monday morning, February 13th.

Jessica Sporn

Denise Alloca

Marit Barentsen

Sherry Canino

Karen Gaunt

With Love, Luck & Valentine Kisses,

Kristin xo

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Out Of Practice. And A Video to Prove It. . . .

"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 . . . .

With love,

Kristin xo

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At Your Fingertips: Organizing Your Stamps & Stencils!

"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.

Kristin xo

Deli Paper Mail Art!

Deli Paper Mail Art

" 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!

Kristin xo

A Glimpse to Melt the Heart . . .

"A Glimpse to Melt the Heart" 30 x 36

"The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery."

- Francis Bacon

I hope this finds you happy, well and in the throws of creation! I for one have been on an abstract roll as I try to finish projects around the house that require a bit of art here and there. As I said in last week's post, adding my own art to my home is new for me, but I must admit, I kinda like seeing some of my favorite bits and pieces of collage or vintage materials just hanging around. Feels like they too have found a "home." Anywho, here's some details of what went down in this latest abstract:

(30 x 36) 

And here she is as a whole . . .

Thanks for taking a peek! I look forward to seeing what roll you're on this week as well . . . .

Until next time,

Colorful Kisses,

Kristin xo