All the Latest from Tangie Baxter & CO

Art Journal Emporium What a Wonderful World Zine Workshop - I Love the Doctor Zine June 20 2017, 1 Comment

Hello, Katrina Rollings here again.  I am part of Tangie Baxter's Creative Crew.  Each month I create a mixed media project to share with everyone here on the blog.

Now, I do have to confess, I had the idea for this project a while ago, well to be honest quite a while ago.  I have been moving these collage sheets I created from pillar to post on my desk for months, each time thinking "I must finish that ".  Well the time has come!  Here is my "I love the Doctor" zine.

Tangie Baxter showed us how to make these little books as part of the Art Journal Emporium Loyalty Rewards program.  They are made out of a single piece of A4 cardstock, folded in such a way it leaves you with a cute little book or journal to play with. I made mine from watercolour paper so I could use watercolours to create a background. Then the world is your oyster as to what theme you choose.

Dr. Who has always been in my life and I still enjoy his adventures.  They film it in and around Cardiff in South Wales which is just across the river Avon from my city, Bristol.  Tangie has a fantastic kit for Whovens (Dr. Who fans ) called "Love the Doctor".  I used a part of the kit in my zine. 

"Love The Doctor {Bundle}"

Love The Doctor {Bundle}

To start with you need to print out your images sized to fit your zine. If you use an A4 sheet of card your finished Zine will be roughly 4"(10.5cm) high and 2.75" (7cm) wide.

If you have been with the Art Journal Emporium for 18 months you will receive access to "What a Wonderful World Zine Workshop".  Inside the workshop you will receive a template and instructions on how to fold your Zine and some lovely images to use.  Those of you who have not been with us that long yet can still join in and make a zine by following my steps.

Take your A4 sheet of cardstock and fold as I have done in the photo above. You then need to cut the middle two 1/4's where they join, along the middle fold. 

Create your background.  I find it easier to lay the zine flat and paint the whole thing.  Don't think about it too much, you just want to have a coloured background that fits with your Zine's theme. You can add specific background details once it's folded up into your Zine.  Let background dry.

Once dry you can fold it up -

The way to do that is to first re- crease all the folds. Fold in half horizontally and crease the central vertical crease so you have a cross shape.

You can then fold two of the cross sides around to form the covers of you zine. You might need to fiddle around with it a bit to ease the folds a little but it will end up as a little book.

Now the fun bit...............make it your own and decorate it.

Here is how mine ended up-

My front cover

First pages.

I added some stars through out my Zine using a product called Buff-it by Pinflair Creative Crafts, through a stencil.

Of course you have to have a Dalek where there is Dr. Who, although it was the Cybermen that scared me when I was young.  I love to create my own lettering.  If that's not your thing then perhaps use letters cut from a newspaper or magazine or just use your computer to generate your letters and cut them out.

Last 2 pages.

The back cover. Don't forget to sign it and add the date.

These are such fun to make. They would make a great project for children to create on a rainy day.

You can make these using any size paper or cardstock.  I have made a larger one from a larger sheet of watercolour paper to take on my holiday with me, I can't possibly go a whole week without having something with me to work on and these are ideal.

Thank you for letting me share my project with you. I would love to hear what you have done with your Zine.

Until next month when I will have another mixed media project for you, take care

Love Katrina

[Posted by: Katrina Rollings]

 

Art Journal Emporium - May Gallery Gems June 01 2017, 0 Comments

Hello fellow art lovers and creators!  It’s time once again for a peek at a few of the sparkling gems to be found in Tangie Baxter’s Art Journal Emporium...

First we have this wonderful piece by Mylinn. So much to see and think about!

Credits: Art Journal Emporium No. 19 - Alchemy Worksheets Set "Favorite Quotes"

Next, Terry G brings us a really cool magazine mock up that keeps us thinking - this time about the “electric” nature of thoughts, ideas and enlightenment.

Credits: Art Journal Emporium No. 16 & 17 - Alchemy Worksheet Set "Illuminate" and a magazine mockup template by Mats-Peter Forss.

And finally, we have this funky page by Kim Pay that plays with the possibility of an overabundance of electricity and ideas.

Credits: Art Journal Emporium No. 16 & 17 - Alchemy Worksheet Set "Illuminate" and also face from Rachel Verdi.

Thanks to Mylinn, Terry G and Kim Pay for sharing their creations with us! Please don't forget to leave them some love!

Be sure to check out this year’s Art Journal Emporium.

There are three ways to join - one could be just right for you!

[Posted by: Glenda]

 

 

 

 

 

 


Art Journal Emporium - Returning of Swallows Mixed Media Art Journal Page May 20 2017, 1 Comment

Hi, my name is Katrina and I am one of Tangie's creative crew.  Each month I bring you a mixed media project.  This month I have an art journal page to show you using part of the 2017 inSD Grab Bag (the inSD Grab Bag is no longer available, but go to TB&CO for more great digital art supplies).

I live in the southwest of England and for many years now I have been keeping a record of the date that the swifts return to the skies over our garden.  It is always between the 1st and 5th of May each year.  

This year on May 5th we looked up to see them swooping over our garden, bang on time.  How a tiny bird can fly all the way from wintering in west Africa to arrive in the skies over our garden at the same time every year?  It's just mind blowing!  So this page is dedicated to all those little birds making monumental journeys this year.  I do have to confess though that the bird in my page is not a swift but a swallow.  I am sure our feathered friends will forgive me.

 

To begin my page I chose the images I wanted along with a backing paper, sized them all in my photo editing software and printed them out.  I then cut them all out.

The next thing to do was glue the backing paper into my art journal

I use a 7.5 inch square journal, so I always make my papers a touch larger, stick them into my journal and then cut it to size. It is much easier then having a paper the correct size and having to get it spot on in your journal.

I then started to build up the background. I used the tag and the bright coloured piece of collage which I overlapped in the middle of the page.  I then edged them using the Tim Holtz Distress® Crayons.

When I put my swallow on top he got a bit lost so I decided he needed a lighter background. For that I used a stencil that I ran some gesso over to give me a lighter background for my bird.

Once that was dry I added a few die cuts, swallow and a few finishing touches to give me my finished page.

I will be back again next month with another mixed media project. Until then enjoy watching the birds in your garden and take care of yourself.                                                      

Love Katrina

[Posted by: Katrina Rollings]

 


Art Journal Emporium - Spring Alchemy Worksheets May 03 2017, 0 Comments

April’s Alchemy Worksheets (included in the digital deliverables for the Art Journal Emporium)  were an eclectic mix of Spring season, electrical and other images that don’t fit into any categories.  I once again started by not thinking too hard and just using elements that speak to me.  Since Spring has just begun (albeit still a wet and rainy one where I live), I created a Spring digital collage.  I then looked for a quote that fits Spring - Robin Williams quote fit the bill quite nicely.  

I was also drawn to all the line drawings of old fashioned light bulbs, but wanted to be a bit whimsical.  Arranging the light bulbs to mimic a daisy and using a quote provided by Tangie from Nathaniel Hawthorne along with some kaleidoscope-type paper created this next art piece.

I hope these pieces inspire you to create your own art using the elements from April’s weekly AJE delliveries.

[Posted by: Jan Nicholas]


Art Journal Emporium - April Collage Sheets and Unicorns April 27 2017, 0 Comments

When I first viewed this month’s collage sheets (digital version included in the Art Journal Emporium), I was immediately drawn to the unicorns and hearts.  There is a wonderful children’s poem by Shel Silverstein that fits so perfectly - “The Unicorn.”

First I painted a 11” X 15” piece of watercolor paper using multiple color splashes/washes in greens and blues watercolors.

After drying completely, I folded the paper in half.  I cut out four unicorns and four hearts from the collage sheets.  Pasted the unicorns and hearts onto the the pages.

Then I outlined the unicorns and hearts with black ink and white ink where the black ink didn’t show up.  Using “The Art of Whimsical Lettering” by Joanne Sharpe for ideas on lettering, I wrote the first paragraph of the poem “The Unicorn” by Shel Silverstein onto the pages.

This makes a nice card to send to someone special.  I hope this inspires you to use the collage sheets.


[Posted by: Jan Nicholas]


TB& CO - Collage Sheet Easter Baskets April 08 2017, 1 Comment

Hello, I'm Katrina Rollings and I am part of Tangie's Creative Crew.

As Easter is just around the corner now I have a cute little Easter project for you.  Easter baskets.

These baskets are so easy to make.  They would make lovely Easter gifts filled with your favourite sweet treat, mine as you can see is Cadbury Creme Eggs®!!  They would also be a great little project to make with children, they are that easy.

Here is how you make them:

To start with you need some pretty card to make your baskets from.  I printed Tangie's ARTist Collage Sheet #763 and ARTist Collage Sheet #779 onto printable card.

"ARTist Collage Sheet #763"

ARTist Collage Sheet #763

"ARTist Collage Sheet #779"

ARTist Collage Sheet #779

I also printed out ARTist Collage Sheet #904. This has lots of pretty coloured eggs and sweet chicks to cut out and decorate your baskets with.

"ARTist Collage Sheet #904"

ARTist Collage Sheet #904
From the background card you need to cut a 6"x 6" square and a thin strip for your handle.

Then cut and fold your card as in the diagram below. Fold your fold lines first, then cut the cut lines.

Once you have your basket scored and cut, fold all the lines.

If you like the inked edge look do that now.  You can do it with an ink pad , using a sponge to take the ink from the ink pad and apply to the card edges.  Never ink the edges straight from your ink pad, if you have ever had a paper cut you will know how sharp paper and card edges are.  The paper edges will cut your ink pad as easily as your finger and will eventually ruin the pad. 

If you don't have an ink pad the right colour you can use a felt tip pen.  Run the side of the nib along the edge of your card, just be aware it could cut into the nib, so don't use your expensive pens.

Now, there are two ways you can fold you baskets up.  You can either have the square piece at the front

 Or you can have the square at the back.

You can choose the way you like best.

There are also choices as to how you secure your basket.  If you have some brads, also known as split pins, you can punch or poke a hole through all the layers and the end of you handle and attach them all together with the brad on the front and then the same at the back.

Or you can just use glue or double sided tape to attach all the layers to each other as well as the handle of course.

I added some of the eggs and a little chick from Tangie's ARTist Collage Sheet #904 to my flower basket but decided to leave my butterfly basket as it is.

To fill the baskets I cut thin strips of tissue paper and then scrunched it up a bit. Placed some in each basket and popped in a creme egg.

Of course you can add what ever you wish. 

These baskets can be scaled up easily to a 9" square to begin with and  then score 3" squares instead of 2" as we did here.

Which ever size you make I hope you have lots of fun with these baskets. They really are quick and easy to make but will wow your friends and family.

Oh look, there is a cream egg without a basket!!! Shame to waste it........

So I'm off to pop the kettle on and eat my cream egg with a nice cup of tea.

Have a wonderful Easter, I hope the weather is as beautiful with you as it is here in the South West of England today.

Join me again soon for another mixed media project.
                                                                      Love Katrina
 
[Posted by: Katrina Rollings]


Art Journal Emporium March Gallery Gems March 28 2017, 0 Comments

Happy Spring, artsy friends! It’s time to share some of the awesomeness that our Emporium members have created during the past month. Let’s go!


First we have Kim’s vibrant piece simply bursting with color. The umbrella toting flower truly made me smile!

Credits: Tangie Baxter’s Art Journal Emporium Alchemy Worksheets and Extras, TB&CO’s March Brush of the Month Club selection, and TB&CO’s The Vault,


Next we have sbpoet’s “Creative Anxiety,” which makes me feel right at home! The planned chaos and textural interest are the perfect forum to remind all of us to have more fun!

CREATIVE ANXIETY  

Credits: Tangie Baxter’s AJE17 Week5, Compendium No.1 Graffiti Collages & Graphic Brushes.


And finally, Terry G artfully shares with us her muse and best friend Charlie, who seems to be saying, “What makes you happy?”  Great colors too!

Two Questions

Credits: TB&CO’s Splatter Graffiti Bundle and elements from the 2017 Brushes of the Month selections. Fonts are Wanderlust and Comic Sans.

Thank you to Kim, sbpoet and Terry G for sharing these wonderful gems with us! Don’t forget to leave them some love!

Be sure to check out this year’s Art Journal Emporium. There are three ways to join - one could be just right for you!

[Posted by: Glenda]


Art Journal Emporium - Mixed Media postcards March 13 2017, 1 Comment

Hello, my name is Katrina Rollings and I am a member of the creative crew here.

Today I want to show you my mixed media postcards.  I created them using the postcard blanks we had as part of the number 8 Alchemy worksheets in February's Art Journal Emporium's goodies.  I loved the idea of sending handmade postcards to friends as a surprise.  So here is what I did.

First of all I printed the postcard page onto printable card.  I then resized some of the images we had been given this year as part of the Art Journal Emporium to fit the postcard size and printed them all off.

Postcard

I then cut the postcards out, leaving a thin border around them.

For one of the postcards I used the self colour page, also from the number 8 set.  I printed it using the draft setting and then glued it to the back of one of my postcards and cut it out.

I then spent a lovely calm half-hour colouring in all the flowers.

To finish off this postcard I added "Hello" using a gold paint pen and added some colour around the edge using one of my Faber-Castell Gelatos®.

For the other two postcards I used one of the Art Journal Emporium's February's collage sheets and images we have received so far this year to create these two postcards.

For this postcard I used the top of a collage sheet from the February set and the lovely bear image from set 4.  I added the quote in black paint pen and more of the Faber-Castell Gelatos® around the edge.

For the third and last postcard and I think my favourite, I used the rest of the February collage sheet I had used on the second postcard, for the background.  I then used another of the February collage sheets, the one with the face on.  I reduced it to just over 4 inches high so it would fit the postcard before I printed it out.

Again I used one of my Faber-Castell Gelatos® to add some colour and a black paint pen for the quote.  A piece of thin washi tape along the top and it was finished. 

I think it would be a good idea to seal these before they go through the post, they are only inkjet prints. Perhaps a coat of spray varnish?

I have a product called MicroGlaze by Judikins. It's a paper protector that you apply sparingly with your finger and it gives your paper a waterproof coating. I have had it for years but I think it's still available.  If not, then perhaps pop them in an envelope, just to protect them. Especially here in the U.K. where it rains quite a bit at the moment, as we are coming into spring.

I hope you enjoyed my project and will have a go yourself.  Now who to send them too.................?

I hope to see you again next month for another mixed media project. If you have any questions about the project I'd be happy to help, just pop them below.

 So until next time, take care, love Katrina x

[Posted by: Katrina]

 

 


Art Journal Emporium Gallery Gems March 01 2017, 0 Comments

Hello artsy peeps!  Susan here to share some gallery goodness from the Art Journal Emporium for the month of February.  Let's get started with today's Gallery Gems.  

First up is this bold colorful page by Jennifer.  Lovely blending and great use of color.

Credits: Art Journal Emporium February 2017 No.5 Worksheets and all products used are by Tangie Baxter.

Our next gallery gem is by Karen and her page is pretty much on point.    

Credits: Art Journal Emporium February 2017 No.6 Worksheets 

Check out this wonderful page by Terry G.  Great job extracting all the photos.

Credits:  Art Journal Emporium February 2017 Week No. 5 Worksheets and various collections from The Vault.

Our last bit of goodness for today is this bold bright collage by Bill.

Credits: Art Journal Emporium February 2017 Week No. 6 Worksheets

A big Thank you to  Jennifer, Karen, Terry and Bill for sharing their amazing creations with us! Don’t forget to leave them some love!

Be sure to check out this year’s Art Journal Emporium. There are three ways to join - one could be just right for you!

[Posted by: Susan]

 


The Art Journal Emporium - November Monthly Challenge November 29 2016, 0 Comments

Just a gentle reminder to Emporium members, don’t forget to participate in the monthly challenge over at the Art Journal Emporium! Use one of the three ideas provided in the November Monthly Challenge, create and upload your digital or mixed media entry by November 30, 2016. If you participate in the monthly challenge you could be one of two winners chosen at random – each prize is a $5.00 coupon to Tangie  Baxter & Co

I chose: #1 "You gotta dig a little deeper, to find out who you are!" I love this song from Disney's Princess and the Frog. Use the phrase, the movie or the song lyrics to create an art journal page.

Like Tangie, I love this song and Disney’s Princess and the Frog. Since I have just been working on drawing animals (I lean towards cute, instead of realistic) - I drew this frog, added a border from this month’s Collage Sheets, and some doodles.

I hope this inspires you to participate. Not a member yet? Join us with a subscription to the Art Journal Emporium!

[Posted by: Jan Nicholas]