Category Archives: art challenge

Share New Products

January 30, 2010 By in art challenge, art journal, facebook, graffiti, ilovetocreate, stencil, tulip fabric paint cannon 26 Comments


It’s so much fun to Share Art! Especially when you find some cool new product. I recently heard about something cool from all of the Face Book chatter filtering in from CHA, Tulip Paint Cannons.

I had to find out more so I took my Michael’s coupon and headed out before the impending snowstorm left me housebound.

Now, when I go to Michaels I never go over to the isle where these little babies hang out so I had to ask where they were. They’re over by the T-shirt paints and had I not been intrigued with the idea of being able to use paint like a spray paint, I might have overlooked them. Then I found the Graffiti line of stencils… ok, now I was even more excited! Stencils usually make me think of old fashioned crafting and they’re usually kind of boring. Not these! Very edgy and cool just like the name implies.

So I picked up some Paint Cannons, and stencils and headed home to try them out.
I used my fluid Golden paints in them, with a little water, pumped them up and voila, spray paint effect with no fumes!!!

All of these journal pages were created in about 15-20 minutes from start to finish. Gotta love that! I used a watercolor notebook and the pages stayed nice and flat and absorbed the paint nicely.
when I posted the pics on FB, people started asking for a tutorial so I did a quick little video showing this page from start to finish.

You can check out the video here,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj0RKfv7-Bk

And here are the Dauber Bottles that everyone asks about.

The lovely people over at ILOVETOCREATE saw the video and are sending me some more products to try! How nice is that? I promise to share some more techniques with you all when I get them. Please leave a link if you try these so we can all see what you create!

And don’t forget to Share Art!

More sharing coming in the near future so stay tuned…

Come Over to the Dark Side

October 8, 2009 By in art challenge, art journal, black, green pepper press street team, michelle ward 17 Comments

Well, I had to stop in to see what Michelle Ward was up to and the Street Team challenge was something I’ve been playing with already so I’m in!

Working on a black background is such a great way to think a bit outside the ordinary. Colors play differently and the dark under layer adds an air of mystery.
Love stretching that artistic muscle in new ways. If you have time to play come join in the fun!

The Challenge of Transfers

August 31, 2009 By in altered book, art challenge, halloween, melange team, recipe, somerset holidays, stampington and company 11 Comments
Transfering images onto your mixed media work can be challenging.  On our Melange Team thread over at Etsy, we have had an ongoing discussion about all of the different methods ‘out there’ and decided to do a challenge to show some of the different ways they can be done. 
This is a transfer that I did on my altered Halloween Cookbook for Somerset’s Holiday edition.  I used an inkjet transparency and gel medium which worked fairly well.  I like that it came out a bit rough, which helped with the aged look I was going for. 
The method that I like the best is using hand sanitzer.  It is so much less messy.  I use inkjet transparencies with it, but I know that others use photo paper.  I find that for myself the transparencies seem to work best. 
I think the key to getting good results it practice.  Experiment with different methods, find one or two that you like and practice.  There is a ‘knack’ to it that can only be learned by actually doing it.  Take a minute and visit our Melange Team blog to see what everyone had come up with!

Safe Harbor

July 30, 2009 By in art challenge, art journal, harbor, melange team, mixed media, panpastels, portraits 19 Comments

What is your ‘Safe Harbor’? Do you have a place to go where you can be yourself, your true self, the self the world only gets glimpses at? Melange on Etsy has the weekly word prompt up and it is ‘Harbor’. My first thought was to add the word ‘Safe’ . A port in the storm. My ‘Safe Harbor’ is my journal. It is where I can work things out, experiment, paint right over the top of it if I don’t like it, just as I did on this page. I started it with a sketch in a reddish brown pencil. I didn’t really like it but I moved on. Later I went back and added a few layers of paint right over the top. Then because I could still see the sketch I drew it again right over the paint. working, reworking, layering.

This next set of pages started with a sketch also, then I added some PanPastels for some color. They are really soft and lovely on the Moleskine sketch paper. Then I poured some feelings onto the page. My college bound son wants to get an apartment with his cousin, who is also his best friend. Another empty room in the house? Will I be his ‘Safe Harbor’? This will take some more journaling to work through…

This is a favorite saying, ‘She believed she could, so she did’.

I remind myself of it,

I wear it on a necklace,

I pull it out when I need to hear it again.

This piece was done mostly with PanPastel on museum quality sanded pastel paper.

‘Believe’ is available in my etsy shop.

Melange Weekly Challenge, Fly

June 4, 2009 By in art challenge, art journal, bird, etsy, flying, melange team, travel 18 Comments

Here is my Melange Weekly Challenge page for the word ‘Fly’. I find it really fun to work the challenge into my journaling. It makes for a stress free way to participate. If any of you want to play along you are welcome, no need to be a member of the team.
This page was done in my Moleskine Journal. ‘She dreamed of taking flight’, these words capture the feel I have as we enter summer. I long to take off and explore some new place. The traveling itch. When I go I will of course bring my journal along…