Red Kite

I wanted a messy background for this page of my journal, so I dug out scraps of paper from the trash, tore them up and glued them on. Then I painted and splattered with acrylic paint. 

The white part of the page seemed like a good place for something bright so I thought of a red kite. 

It took me forever to draw the girl. Draw, erase, draw, erase. Hopefully, I'll get better at it the more I practice.

W & M Veggie Burger

This veggie burger from W & M was gooooooood! I had it with cheese ($4.40). 

New Pocket-Sized Art Journal

Thank you CQ and Kaori for the journal and Jane Davenport for the inspiration.

Blue Pages

This is what I did with the two blue pages.

Dylusions Ink Spray

I'd been wanting to try Dylusions Ink Spray because of the intense colors that it produces. Only thing . . . it's expensive . . . around $7 to $8 a bottle.

This After Midnight was just under $4 on Amazon so I ordered it.  


I sprayed it on a couple pages of my art journal. 


I also sprayed my hand. 


And my shorts. 


And the floor. 


I didn't get a chance to look at the pages until a few days later. When I rubbed my fingers on the ink I found that although it had dried, it hadn't set. Powdery dark ink stained my fingers. 

Researching online, I found that I shouldn't have prepped the pages with Gesso. It prevents the ink from being absorbed into the paper. O-M-G.


And so I did the only thing that I could think of . . . I painted Mod Podge onto the two pages. 


This is what I have now.  !!!!!

Grateful

I think about you readers all the time . . . some I've met . . . most I've not . . . but ALL have kept me going for all these many years. 

I just want let you know how grateful I am for your support, and as a thank you, I'd like to give you a couple (or more) of my hand-painted greeting cards.

Can you email me (JalnaA@aol.com) with your mailing address? I promise I won't use it for some unscrupulous purpose . . . I just want to give you some cards. 

The Aim of Art

Thank you for all of your positive comments regarding the sharing of my artwork. I feel less hesitant about sharing now (and possibly boring you) and really do hope that it'll inspire you to try your hand at creating something yourself. 

I got some washi tape years and years ago in Japan that I never used. I'm so happy that I'm finally making use of them in my art journal book. 

This tape surprised me. After I tore off the cellophane covering, I found that the tape was cloth-like and stretchy and kinda see-through . . . so cool. 

About Birgit Kerr

I have been relentlessly scouring the internet lately for painting ideas, looking for inspiration in attempts to hone my "skill". And that's how I found the blog Birgit's Daily Bytes. 

Birgit's "About Me" section totally resonates with me. Her words are my thoughts exactly. And I'm pretty sure that it could hold true with you too.

Here's what she says:

AN UNINTENTIONAL ARTIST.

I never really set out to be an artist. Mostly, because I was convinced that I just didn’t have the “talent” to be a “real” artist. In my mind, ”real” artists go to art school, they have amazing talent, practically out of the cradle, they have a keen eye for proportions, only to be enhanced by crazy cool skills they just sort of acquire through the years. 

And me, well, as far as I was concerned, I didn’t really have any of that. Sure, I was creative in many areas, but “real” artists paint and draw, and I couldn’t do that. I know, my definition of an artist was quite ridiculous, really! 

But, you see, “I have proof,” said my mind, whenever I picked up a pencil or a brush and tried to translate something from my mind or eye to the paper. “You might really want to do this, but clearly you don’t have what it takes!” Whatever I had produced looked like something a 3-year-old had drawn and nothing like what was in my mind’s eye or what an “artist” would draw/paint!

And of course it would, because without practice, you very rarely acquire skills. Unfortunately, when it comes to art, we tend to compare ourselves to the pieces that inspire us, the art of masters, not to the artists on the level we’re really at.

And comparison is indeed the thief of joy at the best of times, but particularly when we become our own worst art critics by making absolutely unfair comparisons.

So, for many years, even while making my living as a digital scrapbook designer (which is essentially being an artist,) I would stay away from actual paint. Sadly. Because, really, it was calling me! I just didn’t have the courage to open myself up to that calling. 

Until one day I did! I gave myself permission to just play!

The colors, the paints, the mess, the stamps and gesso and crayons - they were all calling my name. And instead of expecting a master piece, I just started to play. And I was hooked!

So, I painted, and glued, and layered, and smeared, and dripped and stamped, and sketched like never before. I got gloriously messy. I explored the material. And while I was having all that fun, I learnt. And practiced. And acquired skills.

And everything changed and shifted and eventually this whole new world opened up for me and is still opening up as I walk this path!

And through art and within art, I have found ways to communicate, to inspire, to save  and  to heal. I have found courage, as well as vulnerability, amazing possibilities and connections and maybe most of all - joy and gratitude!

And I’m so happy that I get to share it all with you!

Collage Greeting Card

Sorry to bore you with all of my painting projects, but no more nothing else to share with you lately.

Here's a greeting card that I made with some of my leftover painted paper and acrylic paint. I'm thinking of making more similar cards but without the busy background and using watercolor paints instead.

In case you're wondering . . . the sheets of paper I used for the collage is from a prospectus that some company is required by law to provide to me. The paper is almost tissue paper thin so worked perfectly. I have no clue what all the words mean.

Two Collages and an Announcement

I have two collages to share with you. Although it wasn't intentional, the theme is similar and probably the result of what I've been feeling in my heart lately. 

Remember the sheets of paper that I painted with acrylic paint? This is what I did with them. The circles I colored with oil pastel crayons and smudged them with my fingers. 


This second collage was made with similar sheets painted with earthy-colored watercolor paint instead. It looks so subdued compared to the acrylics, yah? Inspiration for the butterfly came from SchulmanArt blog and can be found here. Isn't it cool? 


If you haven't guessed what my announcement is about yet, here it is: I'M RETIRING!! 

35 years with the same company and now . . .  October 31 will be my last day. I feel Sad, Nervous, Excited . . . in that order. Hopefully, by next month Sad and Nervous will go away and I'll just be left with Excited. 

A new chapter begins . . .