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.
And don't forget we are featuring Tangible Plans™ Kits all month in TB&CO Treasures! These kits are also great for creating collage sheets like Rain uses in this project.
Enjoy!
Hello!
After a fabulous 12 days with my new grandson, I am home and happily working away in my studio. The weather has shifted towards late fall and early winter and my thoughts are turning towards upcoming holidays. Today I am going to show you a project that is a terrific hostess gift for a holiday party or even just a lift for your own kitchen!
Ok, I have to slip in one photo of the baby boy that has totally stolen my heart and soul:
Ok, Grandma Rain is now willing to move on to art!
I bought these two wood edged trays at IKEA in the sale bin for under $10, with the thought that a collage in the center would improve the look drastically. Given that the center was a melamine type of surface, I used an appropriate glue and printed out various bits and pieces from Tangie Baxter’s kits, including "Día De Los Muertos {CUATRO}", "Field Notes {Fall}", and the "Collage Sheet Mania 2013". I also gathered up leftovers from my collage bin stash from previous projects.
Here are two images below of the finished trays, with two out of three coats of sealant outdoor Mog Podge®:
Let’s take a closer look at the process of creating this type of collage:
Here is the empty tray in all its non-glory! The wood edges are lovely, a soft finished pine, so I could see the potential. I had a few different ideas so I first gathered up a batch of leftover printed “Tangie-ness” to layout some possibilities.
I decided to go for poppies and fall themed items and tried out a few layouts. The second image is not glued, just laid on top of the tray.
I was happy and decided to start applying glue, and of course changed my mind half a dozen times! I used Nori paste made by Yatsutomo brand as I knew it would stick to the melamine surface of the tray, and is water soluble for easy clean up. Plus it gives a bit of time to reposition!
I started on the left and moved to the right, applying the glue to the back of the collage bit with a glue brush on top of an old catalog. I just turn the page whenever it gets too much wet glue, and eventually toss into recycling.
I then let the finished tray dry completely before adding a sealant to the top for waterproofing. In Colorado this takes about an hour! Most climates that have some humidity and aren’t at 6000 feet in elevation would require at least one day to fully dry and harden before applying the sealant of your choice.
Here’s what I did for the second tray, using collage sheets from Tangie’s “Purple Tide” (Retired, but still available in The Vault), and other ocean related kits, on a background of my own painted paper leftovers from another project. I tore the background papers into strips, and occasionally used the deckle edged ruler to tear against. I then used the same Nori paste to make the background first.
I did some “fussy cutting” around various bits from the collage sheets and added in a few other printouts from a Photoshop file I made from the oceanic kits. I glued each bit down to the background just like the poppy tray, then used a damp paper towel to wipe around the wood.
I also let this tray dry for a good couple of hours here in Colorado before applying the Mod Podge® outdoor waterproof sealant.
The sealant is your choice…I went with the Mod Podge® because it is water soluble, doesn’t have an off-gas of fumes like most varnish products, and dries quickly. I also often use Polyvine® Wax Varnish, available at your local hardware or paint store, if I can work outside. Today we had snow for the first time and I was feeling moody about getting chilled, so Mod Podge® it is! The image below the product photo is the second coat of sealant on the poppy tray…even in Colorado I allow each coat of sealant to dry for at least one full day, or two if it is damp and raining outside.
Allowing the sealant to dry in several thin coats is far superior for waterproofing, which I desire for a tray that will be used for tea and serving food.
And here we have two images of the drying trays with multiple coats of sealant:
The poppy tray isn’t even close to dry after two full days!
Here’s an image of another tray I am working on for a gardener friend of my cabbage drawings and some photos:
So until next week, I hope you find some time to play with art materials! It certainly has helped me recover from dental work yesterday.
take good care,
Rain
~~~~~
Please join us next Flashback Friday as we continue our journey with Rain.
Have a great weekend!
[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.
This week we've added some of the first add on kits released for the Tangible Plans™ system. And I must admit they are some of my favorites!
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}"
We are still featuring all planner kits that have been TB&CO Treasures this month. 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 even 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.
And don't forget we are featuring Tangible Plans™ Kits all month in TB&CO Treasures!
Enjoy!
Hello fellow artists!
It has been a beautiful day in western Colorado…filled with fall color, misty clouds and first snow on top of the high mountain range I see from my porch. I have had the lovely experience of working on a new Junque Journal today, making pages using Tangie’s, Tangible Plans™ workshop. I love the Studio Box: Buildable, Printable Art Journal and the Tangible Plans™ workshops for transforming simple Composition books into my daily companion.
I make new ones when the last are filled to the brim with bits, pieces, ribbons, journal words, lists, photos, and all the vast amounts of ephemera that pass by my eyes in a week. I use these as a daily planner, a place to store my ideas, quotes, seed packets, doodled drawings, printed art journal pages, little paintings, ads that have colors or compositions I want to remember, on and on. I tuck in pressed flowers and leaves, receipts, bits of life I want to remember in the future, and hold close, as well as lists of information such as the passport stamps of the Art Journal Caravan™ by number. These aren’t scrapbooks with formal layouts and photos, or my art books of art journal pages, though many formal pages are generated from the ideas tucked into the Junque Journal. I don’t know how I lived without one close at hand at all times!
This week I will take a look at the nuts and bolts of printing and making the Journal, next week the making of the paper beads, and then the making of ribbons and cords.
Last week I posted about couching and the making of a Junque Journal cover…this one was a gift for a beloved sister-in-law, filled with printed off Tangible Plans™ pages, with lots of areas for her to write or paste on. This one is all mine.
On the binding side are paper and fused silk paper beads made with cut strips from the edges of my Tangible Plans™ print outs. Next week, I will show you how to make these terrific beads that can be used in many ways including jewelry, book bindings, on tassels and cords, and as buttons and closures. (This post was already featured on Flashback Fridays here.)
The cover is a page from Tangie Baxter’s kit, “Field Notes”, printed onto a photo paper and fused to a stabilizer. I made a collage of several flowers from Tangie’s "Día De Los Muertos {CUATRO}", bits of fused silk fibers, and a machine embroidered butterfly. Yes, that is a butterfly, for all of you that took the "The Symbology Project" and attended the chat where I deplored the overuse of butterflies! I actually love the symbol of transformation and the beauty of butterflies.
The cover piece was then free motion embroidered with variegated threads, and a few solid colors, including a zigzag stitch on the edges, then mounted onto the Composition book. I made a simpler backing in the same color scheme and also mounted it to the back.
Then I added the paper beads, the wrapped beads, a few embellishment charms, and hand stitched it all together with yarn and ribbon. Yes! Then on to the inner pages…
Below is an image of one 2 page spread from my last Junque Journal:
A few more pages that are for the new Junque Journal, in their beginning phases:
Above is a photo with one way to measure and trim the printed page before mounting into the Composition Book, by folding the side and top and then cutting off the excess.
Below is another method that I use the most often…using the Composition Book itself to trace around on the back of the printed page, then cutting it out and mounting.
Here is a view of my work table, and the pile of edges trimmed off the printed pages. I keep these in a basket for adding to the center bit of the Composition Book, or saving for the future.
And as a preview for next week, here’s a look at some paper beads in the making:
So until next week, I hope you can find some time to make art!
take care,
Rain
~~~~~
Rain mentioned some different workshops in this post that are still available as self-study workshops. Please note Tangie's not doing a 2017 Tangible Plans™ class this year, but 2016's is still packed with amazing goodness if you haven't taken it yet.
"Tangible Plans™ 2016 "How To" Workshop & Exclusive 2016 Packages"
"Junque Journal Workshop"
"Studio Box: Buildable, Printable Art Journal"
"The Symbology Project"
Please join us next Flashback Friday as we continue our journey with Rain.
Have a great weekend!
[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.
Tangie is at Disneyland this week for "Art Journaling the Magic No. 5 on Location at Disneyland" Retreat. More information on all Art Journaling the Magic goodness is here. In honor of that we've added some magical planner kits to the Tangible Plans™ featured items this week as we continue featuring items perfect for setting up your 2017 planners.
Here is a peek at this week's featured items:
"Tangible Plans™ Half Sheets Magic Dashboards"
"ARTist Collage Sheet #665"
"ARTist Collage Sheet #666"
"ARTist Collage Sheet #700"
"ARTist Collage Sheet #704"
"ARTist Collage Sheet #851"
"ARTist Collage Sheet #853"
And continuing items from previous weeks:
"Tangible Plans™ Half Sheets Mind Maps (for Brainstorming)"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 008}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 012}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 010}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 017}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 020}"
"UP Course No. 01 {Creating Vision Boards}"
"Tangible Plans™ Half Sheets Faith & Scripture Study No. 1"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 023}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 030}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 033}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 034}"
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 even more planner kits available under "Tangible Plans™".
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.
Last week Rain introduced us to The Blue-Orange Complementary Colors. This week she continues that theme.
Enjoy!
Today I will continue to explore the blue/orange complementary pair of colors by showing you some of my work…I often gravitate towards complements and triads unconsciously, as I love the “snap, crackle, and pop” of these color harmonies. First off, here is one of my week 1 2014 Art Journal Caravan™ pages that I noticed was in the blue/orange ranges after the fact:
This is a good example of value shifting within a complementary pair…if ALL of the oranges were at full opacity and saturation, it would look totally different and pretty much spoil the mood I wanted in the page, so most of the elements from Tangie’s January AJC14 collection on this page have the opacity down anywhere from 30-50%.
Here’s the second page from the first week, similar color scheme, but with more saturated color left at full opacity:
Doesn’t that feel totally different as far as “mood” goes?
Value shifting in a color family in the main factor that determines the overall mood and tone of a piece rather than the hue family. I have often heard folks comment on yellow being “cheerful”, red as a “power color” , or blue “feeling serene”, yet when examined, it is the strength of the color that provokes certain emotional responses…I have seen pale, high value yellows look moody and sad, and saturated, dark value blues that feel anything but serene. These days many of my color choices come after I determine what mood or emotion I want to convey in the piece, then I choose hue and value, then accents and complements.
Let’s look at a few more examples:
Below is an image of a rubbing I made…the background is sponge-painted acrylic, then Shiva/Markal oil paint stick rubbed onto the paper over a print block. The blue is iridescent. Notice how the lightest blue in the lower spiral becomes the focal point simply for being the lightest value?
Next is a stitch sample, with orange as the dominant of the complementary pair. The thread was variegated from yellow orange to deep orange, and a blue to blue green. Notice how vibrant and clear the thread colors are against the left hand side vs. the center orange strip…the orange is so strong that it mutes the thread colors. Obviously, there is a time and place for bringing the thread colors forward or back in the piece, and this sample was very helpful to me making choices for the finished wall quilt.
Here is another sample of stitching on printed/painted felt fabric, with a light blue thread. I wanted the wavy stitch pattern to be forward and the lighter value thread accomplishes this easily. Notice how the medium value blue thread recedes into the fabric, and takes a minute of studying the sample to see all the other layers of stitching. I created depth in the piece using the various values of thread rather than layering more fabric or paper, then top stitching. This is easy to mimic with markers, pencils, or other art tools, using the lightest value to create pattern on top of your page, almost like a layer mask in Photoshop.
In the next sample, I have heavily satin stitched, and used some free motion zigzag to create the wave points onto the same background printed felt fabric as the sample above. The orange variegated thread colors are visible in the square stitched border on the inner edges, ranging from pale to dark, shaded orange-brown. The blue wave points add tremendous levels of texture and depth because they are a medium value, so not the primary focal point. Again, easy to apply these same ideas to hybrid or digital art pages.
Here are four pages out of my working sketchbook about a piece on rust…color studies with watercolor and inks, some pencil, printing and painting fabric, a few stitch samples, this is generally how I think through a major piece of work before launching. I write notes to myself, ideas of other things to try, then a lot of times go off into entire other pursuits before returning back to working on an idea. Some of these never make it out of the sketchbook phase, others might see the light of day in a completely different form, even years later. I love having a shelf full of working sketchbooks as time passes and I revisit entire emotional experiences through my samples and thoughts.
A few other finished pieces of work that are in this color scheme:
A previous Tangie Baxter blog post on making trays with torn painted paper and Tangie’s collage sheets…note the totally muted orange family in the fish and sea life vs. the vibrancy of the blue background papers.
This is a close-up of “Morning in Merzouga” , a densely stitched piece that measures 3 X 2 feet, also featured in a previous blog post with the paintings underneath the stitching. This is a great example of using a color’s complement as an accent to accentuate contrast.
And finally, a close-up of “Elemental Dance”, 4 X 3 feet, stenciled and painted fabrics, thread-painted face and hair, fused silk paper, all dyed and painted by hand. Here is Earth, many values of orange with Water edging in with all of the blues.
Well, that’s it for today!
I hope you can find some time to make art today.
take care,
Rain
~~~~~
Please join us next Flashback Friday as we continue our journey with Rain.
Have a great weekend!
[Posted by: Joy]
Welcome to Wednesday and 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.
We are continuing with items perfect for starting the New Year just right and have added even more Tangible Plans™ to the list!
Here is a peek at this week's featured items:
"Tangible Plans™ Half Sheets Mind Maps (for Brainstorming)"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 008}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 012}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 010}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 017}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 020}"
And continuing items from last week:
"UP Course No. 01 {Creating Vision Boards}"
"Tangible Plans™ Half Sheets Faith & Scripture Study No. 1"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 023}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 030}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 033}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 034}"
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.
While we're talking about the new year you might want to check out all the wonderful planner kits available under "Tangible Plans™". These kits are great for setting up your planners for 2017.
Happy Planning!
[Posted by: Joy]
Welcome to Thursday and our last TB&CO Treasure for 2016!
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.
This week we are featuring items perfect for starting the New Year just right!
Here is a peek at this week's featured items:
"UP Course No. 01 {Creating Vision Boards}"
"Tangible Plans™ Half Sheets Faith & Scripture Study No. 1"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 023}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 030}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 033}"
"Tangible Plans™ {Add On No. 034}"
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.
While we're talking about the new year you might want to check out all the wonderful planner kits available under "Tangible Plans™". These kits are great for setting up your planners for 2017.
Wishing you the brightest of New Years!
[Posted by: Joy]
Hello artsy peeps! I don’t know where the year has gone - a bit stunned that 2017 is just around the corner. It’s time to share some amazing Art Journal Emporium goodness seen during the month of December. Let’s get started with this month’s Gallery Gems.
First up is this lovely page by Kim Pace inspired by the AJE Word of the Week. Lovely blending and lots of textures.
Credits: Art Journal Caravan Itinerary No. 48; Field Notes and the December Collage sheets.
Our next bit of AJE goodness is by Marilyn. Her page is filled with all kinds of delicious layers and bits of papers. Love her quote too.
Credits: Art Journal Caravan Itinerary No. 50 and The Vault
Bill's texture filled page was inspired by the quote of the week from AJE Itinerary 49
Credits: Art Journal Caravan Itinerary No. 49, photo by Camille Claudell
A BIG Thank You to Kim, Bill and Marilyn for sharing their wonderful work with us this month. Please leave them some love.
A thanks to you as well for taking time out of your busy day to stop by and peruse this month’s Gallery Gems!
[Posted by: Susan]
It's Christmas week and we've got a great gift idea for you! Tangie's popular Junque Journal Workshop is available for half price in our Treasures Collection. This fun, self-paced class is perfect for the crafter or creative in your family. Just let us know whose email address we should send the classroom invitation to in the order notes at checkout. Or, you may want to grab it for yourself -- the new year is a perfect time to start a new hobby and journal!
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 will be 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.
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.
[Posted by: Stacy]
DECEMBER GRAB BAG NOW AVAILABLE
This month’s Grab Bag is a serendipicious (a word I made up from the words serendipity and delicious) collection that contains all kinds of elements just begging to be used for our creative pleasure. Add Rebecca’s Art Doll “Avery” surrounded by feathers, flowers, birds and skulls in cool blues and warm browns, and you will want to keep creating for days. The pieces of this collection can be used in both digital and mixed media formats. TB&CO Grab Bag #28 {December 2016} is only available for a limited time and is priced on a sliding scale, so act fast for the best deal! For more information visit TB&CO Grab Bags.
I loved working with this grab bag and want to share my creations with you. I hope these examples of creative things you can do with the elements included in the TB&CO Grab Bag #28 {December 2016} will inspire you to do your own.
All examples are 100% December Grab Bag papers and elements. Now go and create!
Submitted by Jan Nicholas, AJE Crew
