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Getting a few last minute things done--and squeezing in a tiny bit of journaling--before we head to the mountains for a few days camping. Plenty of sunshine, hiking, startling canyon depths, fresh air, good company, and a few new knitting projects will be keeping me company.
Hope you have a great weekend, too!
I didn't get much art time this weekend, but I'm trying to make some time to get into the studio this afternoon in between loads of laundry, errands, etc. so here's just a quick few more from the BIG journal to share. And thanks to those of you who joined in the challenge to try something new! Leave me a link or email me a pic (if you haven't already) and I'll post them here so we can all be inspired to get out of our comfort zones! And if you've been wanting to start your own big (or small!) visual journal but need a little more help in that direction, check out my class and 20 others over at 21 Secrets: An Art Journal Playground for more inspiration, tips and techniques than you could ask for! See the right-hand sidebar for details.
Connie's class over at 21 Secrets has convinced me to go big. Way big. Meet my newest journal. All 4 pounds, 11x16 in. of her. This is not a book to tuck into your bag for some light journaling. This is a book to wrestle with. She can take it.
The pages are thick and toothy watercolor paper with lovely deckled edges. Perfect for soaking up giant messes.
A page I did for Connie's fabulous class, a just plain fun creative exercise to get into the flow of painting:
And once you're deeply into the flow, who knows what could happen.
Here's your challenge for the weekend: try something new creatively. Do you usually work on a smaller scale? Go BIG. Is big no problem for you? How about a 2.5 x 3.5 ATC for a change? Do you typically reach for a soft and muted palette? Just this once, go bold. Is there a technique you've been dying to try but some thing's stopped you? This is your chance. Then come back here and tell me about it. I've challenged myself to a new color palette. Not that I'm going to give up my beloved reds and blues but I bought a whole new range of color to play with: deep sea coral and buttery yellow. Grass green and steely grey. Meet you back here on Monday to compare notes!
Two new canavases:
Some details:
More details:
A new stack of brightly colored napkins is a beautiful thing. I've been collecting colorful dishes from thrift stores and, surprisingly, dollar stores for a few months now and have quite a wonderful collection started. I've been wanting new dishes for a while but have been completely unwilling to put out the money to buy them. Too many other things I'd rather spend several hundred dollars on.
Unfortunately, since the napkins my sewing adventures have come to a screeching halt. I can't decided on anything to sew! I've been scouring the internet and my rather large collection of sewing books but nothing sounds right. I don't want anything too time consuming. No quilts or difficult clothing. Not in the mood for kid stuff, although maybe later. I'd like something I can enjoy now. An easy summer dress, a tote bag or purse but nothing with fussy interfacing. And nothing that requires too much fabric. I want to use what I have and a trip to the fabric store doesn't sound like fun at this point. There are plenty of pretty but useless (to me) tutorials out there which is usually what I go for but I'm not wanting to spend my time on something to sit on a shelf. Plus, I don't have the brain power for following a lengthy online tutorial. Just give me a easy pattern to cut and pin. Oh, and it has to be a downloadable pattern. No patience to wait for the USPS either. And, although there are still hundreds of possibilities out there that fit my rather rigid criteria, I'm already bored with looking.
Man, what a complainer I've turned into. Hopefully, I'll be pulling out of this funk soon. Maybe I should just get back to what I know best. Or maybe another nap would do the trick.
