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.
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]
Live! Artistry is now open for registration! An online live digital scrapbook event being presented by Scrapaneers. There are six instructors presenting six different style classes and Tangie is one of the instructors!
They are offering early bird registration now through March 13, 2017 so don't hesitate!
Check out Scrapaneers for all the details and to pre-register. Oh and no worries if you can't make the live event. The classes will be recorded and available to watch on demand.
[Posted by: Joy]
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]
Hi, Everyone. Welcome to the weekend!
Today we are featuring photos from Tangie's Instagram Feed:
Tangie has a new class: "Explorations in Watercolor Online Class". How fun to spend the weekend with Tangie exploring and playing with watercolors!
Have a wonderful weekend!
[Posted by: Joy]
Happy Friday!
Today we are featuring items that are new to the TB&CO shop this month.
"2017 Brush of the Month Club - February Brushes"
Do you want all 12 Brush of the Month packs for one amazing price? Get these brushes and more in the 2017 Brush of the Month Club.
ARE YOU A MEMBER OF TANGIE'S "ART JOURNAL EMPORIUM"? If you pay monthly for Subscription B or C, these brushes are NOW INCLUDED in your membership!
"The Artist's Compendium No. 1"
"**NEW** The Artist's Compendium No. 2"
And don't forget Tangie has released a NEW watercolor online class! It just started on February 15, 2017 so why not join in and spend the weekend with Tangie exploring and playing with watercolors!
"**NEW** Explorations in Watercolor Online Class"
Have a wonderful weekend!
[Posted by: Joy]
Class starts February 15, 2017 so why not give yourself a Valentine's Day treat and take advantage of the 20% Sale Price?!
Here's the details from Tangie:
There are few things in this world I like to do more than play with my watercolors! They are a unique medium that lend themselves to ~*PLAY & EXPLORATION*~ in this class we'll dive in together to learn the basics of watercolor, including mixing our own unique signature colors, but mostly we'll be explorers! Everything I learned about watercolors was through this type of play (no stuffy rules or "right way" to do things will be found here!). I'm an artist by exploration and I wouldn't have it any other way!
"**NEW** Explorations in Watercolor Online Class"
*Save 20% for 1 week Only* (Sale extended so hurry to get the discount!)
There are few things in this world I like to do more than play with my watercolors! They are a unique medium that lend themselves to ~*PLAY & EXPLORATION*~ in this class we'll dive in together to learn the basics of watercolor, including mixing our own unique signature colors, but mostly we'll be explorers! Everything I learned about watercolors was through this type of play (no stuffy rules or "right way" to do things will be found here!). I'm an artist by exploration and I wouldn't have it any other way!
This is the perfect class for you if:
- Are just beginning! Maybe you haven't ever picked up a brush? I know you can do this, and I'm here to help
- Are intermediate and want to see how I PLAY and explore and push myself every time I watercolor
- You like a "no rules" approach and would love for me to cheer you on every step of the way
- You need help getting over any sort of "anxiety" about doing art or feeling like you are good enough to do this, I STILL struggle with this sometimes, but I also know we were born to be creative and I can help you move forward!
The class will start February 15th, 2017, and it's on sale right NOW!
More details on the class can be found here.
[Posted by: Joy]
A few years back we had a feature called "Art Travels with Rain". Please note these may be altered from the original posts to update links, provide information on newer programs, etc.
Enjoy!
Hello all,
Today I am going to post for both this week and next as 11/27 is the day before Thanksgiving here in the US…our daughter’s family is coming from Hawaii tomorrow to spend the week with us in western Colorado and are all hoping for snow. Yes, my sweet almost 2 month old grandson is coming with Mom and Dad for Grandma Rain to take a few thousand more photos of his beautiful baby-ness! Maybe I will recover from overwhelming grandparent mania, by oh, age 18 or so, but then again, maybe not. It will just be another phase.
These two lessons are about using a paperback book to make a 3-D card or desk topper. There are so many paperback books available at library and tag sales for practically nothing…I have a small box of books I’ve picked up at the library sales for 5-10 cents, along with some hardbacks to make altered books for less than $1. I occasionally match the topic of the book to the actual card recipient, but more about this later.
Here are two images of finished paperbacks, one is a card for a dear friend and colleague battling fourth stage breast cancer, and the other lives on my desk in my studio:
Let’s first look at the mechanics of making the paperback into a card base.
This is all about folding. First step, using a craft knife, cut off both the front and back covers of the book. I often save these to use as backing for some of the tidbits I push between the pages later, or you can just toss into your recycling bin.
This particular book is about playing Scrabble, and has special meaning for my friend as playing online while receiving chemotherapy infusions has helped her keep her sanity. I loved the paper of this book, but honestly it was such a lousy Scrabble guide I had no qualms about tearing the covers off and folding the pages into my card base.
When every page is folded in half to the center of the book spine, the base will form as a gentle arc. There are many variations to this shape that are easily folded, including:
*Folding each page at a different height for a stair step look, starting over again with the smallest size every 5 or so pages
*Cutting and Folding in a stairstep from small to large, then continuing from the peak, folding back to the smallest.
*Folding partial pages into triangles, rectangles, squares, or any other shape desired.
*Folding and cutting to form an organic or geometric pattern
*Folding and cutting to create a landscape or cityscape
*The sky is the limit!
The photo of my desk topper above was made by making triangle folds moving from the right, across the middle, to the left, and back in reverse:..I started with a center triangle by folding the outer corner into the center on both sides of the page. In between each triangular fold, I folded the page in half, towards the center gutter of the spine. The half page folds increase the stability of the overall base.
In the photo above, I am showing a center triangle. In the image below, my fingers are lifting the small right side folded into the center, while the left bulk portion of the page is folded into a left-sided triangle top. In between are the folded in half pages.
For this particular desk topper, I painted Walnut Ink onto the pages in a rather haphazard way…the pages could be sprayed with inks or paints, painted first, or after folding. I have a friend that can’t make anything without glitter glue, so of course, her books are heaped with lines of various colors of glitter. Gesso or other base could be applied to the pages, other pages glued on or stuck in, then sprayed or painted or ? There are a lot of options!
I brushed on Walnut Ink with a basic cheapo brush, going for a mottled look. I actually painted on the ink on the first third and kept on folding, cutting and folding until I reached the peak of the base. Then I folded groups of 6-8 pages in half, then 4 pages, then 10, just random numbers of half folds without triangular tops. These will hold up the triangles, making it easier to put the bits and pieces in between the pages.
In the image above, I have already started to tuck in pieces of painted, stamped, stenciled papers and cards.
Since my studio desk is over one hundred years old, made by Gary’s grandfather, I am super careful of anything touching the wood surface that isn’t absolutely soft. I made a felt base for the desk topper with a piece of cardboard attached with double-stick carpet tape to craft felt, then trimmed to size. I keep all sorts of card around, backs of sketchbooks, watercolor pads, paper tablets, etc. I love the thin card used to pack shirts or sheets. If I am the least bit concerned about archival quality, I will seal the cardboard with a Golden GAC 100, to prevent acid drift.
I attach the base of the paperback book to the cardboard using either double-stick carpet tape or some type of glue.
Once the base is adhered to the cardboard/felt base, I paint on Walnut Ink all around the visible area.
Obviously, there are so many different ways I could choose to decorate the folded pages! Or, just leave the pages alone and just fold. The card for my friend battling illness is a Scrabble book, kind of a joke between us about 7 letter Bingo plays, and I wanted the pages to be visible. In the next lesson I will show you some different types of insertions, including floral wire, seed packets, notes and journal cards, word poems, etc.
Optional Items to Make for Your Paperback Book Base:
Once again, I am so totally in love with Tangie’s Collage Sheet collections for so many reasons, and for this particular project, the printed sheets are an easy and fun way to give a set of variations as a gift with the card base. I tend to print off a batch of collage sheets, my own art journal layouts, photos, or other pages, and keep a stack by the computer or TV or anywhere that time is spent listening to a video or tutorial. I cut out bits and keep them all in a tray for the next project, many times first fusing the printed sheet to another paper or thin index paper or cardstock to stiffen, as this makes fussy cutting so much easier.
I also keep paper edge trimmings, little squares of card, photo trimmings, and other edge bits in a box as possible “attachments” for my collage pieces. Sometimes I glue, sometimes I use double-sided tape, or even permanent soft gel medium, to attach the printed cutout to the floral wire or card. I have a lot of covered floral wire from some mythical project lost in the mists of the past that I love to use for this type of insert as I can bend and bend over and over again without breaking the wire. I often attach little stitch samples leftover from a project, or a City and Guilds sample set, or whatever, and attach it to the floral wire with Golden High Gloss gel medium, Soft or Hard Gel, laid out flat to fully dry over at least 24 hours. The first image below is the front piece of free motion stitching on a piece of blue dupioni silk, glued to a spiraled floral wire. The second image is the dried Hard Gel. Once dry, all the Golden gel mediums can be cut or trimmed with a scissor.
Below is an image from my friend’s card, where I have glued a batch of bits together. The wire or card or other bottom portion is tucked right between the folded book pages, and voila’, instant interactive card.
I have a large and wonderful base that I use to organize which seeds I will plant next in my greenhouse this time of year. I found this paper from a now defunct shop in Colorado of vintage seed packets and decided to fuse each one to cardboard as spacers for my large seed collection. Once late fall arrives, I like to stick one or two into a base book with the seeds so I remember to go toss a few rows into the greenhouse beds for winter eating. In the spring, I would need a table top for all the varieties that I plant! Now, not so much, so the art work is a much appreciated reminder of all the gifts that gardening brings to my soul. The paper had been crushed and rolled badly, so first I pressed the back with a dry iron to take out some of the crinkles, then fused Wonder Under two-sided glue to the back.
Once the fusible cooled off, I used a rotary cutter to slice through each row, then each individual packet. Some of these I fused to card, others to scrapbook or Kraft paper.
Word Art is another fabulously fun option for an insert. Here is an image of another collage sheet of Tangie’s from the latest collection that I fused to Wonder Under, then after peeling off the backing paper, fused to a piece of thin card. I used the rotary cutter to cut between the lines, then either rotary cutter or scissors to separate the words. I keep a bowl of words on my desk and make little poems, affirmations, card greetings, or whatever with them. Sometimes I just line up words on my desk then sweep all back into the bowl.
So here again is an image of my desktopper:
I wish to you all a very safe and happy Thanksgiving…this holiday is always about gratitude for me. I feel so blessed on every level of my being, and I thank God for a long list every day. This month in my art journal I have been celebrating this incredible community of artists, the Art Journal Caravan, and our very own Tangie Baxter. So for all of you, I hope there are some moments in this holiday season to make art, to express yourself in color and form, even if just for a few moments here and there.
take good care,
Rain
~~~~~
Please join us next Flashback Friday as we continue our journey with Rain.
Have a great weekend!
[Posted by: Joy]
Tangie has released a NEW watercolor online class!
Here's the details from Tangie:
There are few things in this world I like to do more than play with my watercolors! They are a unique medium that lend themselves to ~*PLAY & EXPLORATION*~ in this class we'll dive in together to learn the basics of watercolor, including mixing our own unique signature colors, but mostly we'll be explorers! Everything I learned about watercolors was through this type of play (no stuffy rules or "right way" to do things will be found here!). I'm an artist by exploration and I wouldn't have it any other way!
"**NEW** Explorations in Watercolor Online Class"
*Save 20% for 1 week Only*
There are few things in this world I like to do more than play with my watercolors! They are a unique medium that lend themselves to ~*PLAY & EXPLORATION*~ in this class we'll dive in together to learn the basics of watercolor, including mixing our own unique signature colors, but mostly we'll be explorers! Everything I learned about watercolors was through this type of play (no stuffy rules or "right way" to do things will be found here!). I'm an artist by exploration and I wouldn't have it any other way!
This is the perfect class for you if:
- Are just beginning! Maybe you haven't ever picked up a brush? I know you can do this, and I'm here to help
- Are intermediate and want to see how I PLAY and explore and push myself every time I watercolor
- You like a "no rules" approach and would love for me to cheer you on every step of the way
- You need help getting over any sort of "anxiety" about doing art or feeling like you are good enough to do this, I STILL struggle with this sometimes, but I also know we were born to be creative and I can help you move forward!
The class will start February 15th, 2017, but it's on sale right NOW for 1 week only, so why wait?
More details on the class can be found here.
[Posted by: Joy]
Welcome to our TB&CO Treasure Featured Items this week!
The TB&CO Treasures Collection features some of our all-time favorite products each week. The ones that you may not have seen before, or maybe they've been on your wish list for a while? These kits and workshops are too good not to share again, so we're highlighting a few of our staff's picks every Wednesday. The really exciting part is that you can shop each week's selections for 50% OFF the original price! Just use coupon code Treasures50 at checkout.
Here is a peek at this week's featured items:
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 002}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 003}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 004}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 005}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 006}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 007}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 009}"
"Tangible Plans™ Half Sheets Magic Dashboards"
"UP Course No. 01 {Creating Vision Boards}"
Be sure to check back every Wednesday for a new selection! You can always find the Treasures Collection using our "Shop All" button on the store menu.
There are still more planner kits available under "Tangible Plans™". And even though Tangie's not doing a 2017 Tangible Plans™ class this year, the 2016's is still packed with amazing goodness if you haven't taken it yet.
"Tangible Plans™ 2016 "How To" Workshop & Exclusive 2016 Packages"
Happy Planning!
[Posted by: Joy]
A few years back we had a feature called "Art Travels with Rain". Please note these may be altered from the original posts to update links, provide information on newer programs, etc.
Enjoy!
Hello everyone,
I hope all you are staying warm in the areas of the country that are in the deep freeze! Yikes, Batgirl! Wind chill numbers keep scaring me, although here in western Colorado it has been lovely and sunny even though cold at night. I have seen photos from Ontario where the snow is two and three feet deep…wow!
So for this chilly week I am exploring the blue/orange color complements. I love, love, love, using complementary color pairs to make neutrals like grays and earthy browns in everything from thread, dyed fabrics, colored pencil, and paints of various types. It is so easy to make beautiful, illuminated neutrals rather than the flat color that comes with just adding white, black, or gray.
So what is a complement? Basic definition: colors that are directly opposite on the color wheel.
The 3 major complementary pairs are:
Blue/Orange
Violet/Yellow
Red/Green
Notice that each pair has a Primary color (red, blue, yellow) with a secondary color produced by mixing two of the primaries (green, orange, violet). Now here’s the BIG secret to understanding color mixing across various media:
***Every primary color leans to the warm and the cool, so really there are SIX primaries, for example: yellow that leans towards green, and yellow that leans towards orange. ***
This is the key to totally successful and controlled color mixing!
Let’s look at this on a color wheel that I made with acrylic paints:
Below I have drawn a line between the two blue orange complementary pairs…each paint chip has a specific name below it. These are the specific colors in acrylic paint that act as true complements, and will gray or brown out when mixed together. Have you ever made mud rather than the beautiful color you were expecting? That is because mixing a pigment that is not absolutely true to color will not behave as a complement would.
This is also true with watercolor, poster paints, fabric dyes and paints, colored pencils, inks, basically anything that can be mixed together. It is super important to identify a true primary to make secondaries, and on and on. Otherwise, everything turns to a moody, glunky brownish gooey color.
Now, of course, there is too much of a pure complementary pair if the proportions used in your work is way off…below is another batch of samples I made with acrylic paint, showing the accepted proportions in the art world of the 3 main pairs of complements. In plain English, while you may really enjoy an art journal page with equal amounts of red and green, the same will never look quite right with violet and yellow! I made these samples VERY saturated and bright, not a choice I would make in my work, where I would tend towards a lighter or darker value of one of the colors.
Below is an example of simply adding white or black acrylic paint to Orange, Yellow Orange, Blue, and Blue Violet to make tints and shades. This is one way to lighten and darken your colors, although it does look flat and a bit lifeless.
Here’s another example of various blue colored pencils layered over complementary orange in a cross hatch pattern, then whites, grays for tones, and blacks. With acrylic paint and most markers it is almost instant and mostly opaque, although with pencil and watercolor it will take applying layers to get color mixing that isn’t completely transparent.
Here’s an interesting example of both blue and orange painted papers of different types, and paint chips and magazine cuts. Look at the vibrancy and life of the blue paper chips on the left vs. the right side.
…and here is the orange version:
The next two photos below are from my media sketchbook. I make color logs of every pencil, paint, ink, marker, or other art material I have, mostly to learn the qualities of the material and how it behaves, but also as a future reference. I used drafting tape for the paint samples, and drew pencil lines in a sketchbook as I grouped the pencils, inks, or whatever by color family. I highly recommend taking the time to do this for at least your main paints and pencils…you will so appreciate how quickly fluency with the media will occur, and the reference book will serve your art process for many years to come.
I once did a project during a painting course where I made a geometric abstract schematic, shown below, then cut it up into a numbered pattern to use as a template for cutting painted papers. I learned so much making various color harmonies, including monochromatic and complementary pairs, although the scrappy bits of paper drove me nuts!
So here are two photos of blue/orange:
And below, an experiment in layering the two colors. I was unhappy with how forward the orange became, despite using very little…another great learning of how SMALL an amount of orange or yellow to use if the complementary pairs will not be thoroughly mixed together to form another color. I eventually painted over the pages with a strong ultramarine blue! Much happier.
Various color pencil exercises below, starting and finishing with one or the other colors, density of marks, leaving independent color vs. total mixing:
Total color mixing to produce neutrals or interesting new colors is SO much easier with paints and dyes than pencil, I discovered. Below are examples of starting at one color and adding 10% more step.
And trying some other acrylic paint combinations with the same type of exercise, less of a percentage with each step. I love, love, love, the earthy, beautiful red-browns possible from mixing orange and blue!
Are you excited??? In part 2 of the Blue/Orange complementary pair, I will look at some paper and fabric pieces that illustrate this color pair.
I hope you find some time to play with your art materials!
~~~~~
Please join us next Flashback Friday as we continue our journey with Rain.
Happy New Year !!!
[Posted by: Joy]
