Welcome to Wednesday and a new featured TB & CO Treasure! The TB&CO Treasures Collection will feature 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.
There’s still time for you to participate in the monthly challenge over at the Art Journal Emporium. Just use one of the three ideas provided for the July Monthly Challenge, create and upload your digital or mixed media entry by July 31, 2016 to the AJE classroom. 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 couldn’t make up my mind which idea to use so I combined two of the Rejuvenation symbols (stag and sun) along with a mandala - so much fun! I used July’s Grab Bag (now available as separate kits) for the stag, center mandala and succulent center.
I also used the sun from the Wonderful World Zine Workshop (part of the AJE's July deliveries available in the classroom). I drew the mandala and colored in with color markers. A wash of watercolor over the background and stag. Here it is!
Hope you'll share your work in the AJE classroom and be entered into the drawing.
TB&CO Grab Bags are only available for a limited time and priced on asliding scale, for more information visitTB&CO Grab Bags.
Over the years we've been fortunate to have Julie Ann Shahin share some wonderful art journaling series with the TB&CO readers. We will be re-posting some of them here on this blog. Please note these may be altered from the original posts to update links, provide information on newer programs, etc
The word Mandala means “circle” in the Indian Sanskrit language. Within the circle there is a mid-point where the drawing traditionally starts. Mandala art has been tied to the spirituality of Buddhist Tibetans, Navajo sand painters and the Aztecs.
Even Carl Jung recognized the importance of Mandala paintings and kept a journal of Mandala art.Indeed, Jung's discovery of the mandala provided the key to his entire system. "I had to abandon the idea of the superordinate position of the ego. ... I saw that everything, all paths I had been following, all steps I had taken, were leading back to a single point -- namely, to the mid-point. It became increasingly plain to me that the mandala is the centre. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the centre, to individuation.... I knew that in finding the mandala as an expression of the self I had attained what was for me the ultimate." (from Mandalas. C. G. Jung. trans. from Du (Zurich, 1955))
The Mandala connects us to our imagination, our inner self. It gives us an opportunity to move through the layers of our sub-conscious and grow closer to our full actualization. Mandalas are a tool for self-reflection, a mirror, if you will.“…when we begin to take all of ourselves into account, when we begin to honor and balance the dynamic forces within us, we can act in the world in ways that honor our essential wholeness, get our needs met, and allow us to share with others the very best within us.” (Michael H. Brown)
THE VALUE OF MANDALA ART - Michael H. Brown
Connect inwardly
Private process, done at any time, without a therapist or guide
In visual terms, identify where we are stuck in life as well as where we are accomplished in life
Chance to learn from our inner wisdom
Regular practice of mandalas allow us to view what patterns repeat
Sharing of art with others
“We need to find ways to connect to our inner depths, to heal our wounds, and nurture the growth of new potential within us. Mandala art is one of the most creative, direct, and transformative ways to accomplish these important goals.” – Michael H. Brown
This was not the entry I had planned for this month’s adventure quest. I am very early in my learning of zentangling – I only learned about it at Tangie’s AJC chat a week or so ago. But I felt so compelled to use my art to express my feelings of this anniversary of September 11, and to emphasize the healing I see, the healing that has already happened, and the healing yet to come. Paper by Beth Rimmer.
September Adventure Quest Mandala by scrappingdax
I started with a free mandala template then placed the finished image on a paper from ACJ parcel 9. This is my first attempt at zentangle and I really enjoyed it. Will definitely do more. more.
Instead of Housework Zendala by tamhanley
Inspired by the Miraculous Mosquito video on the adventure quest page, and using various patterns I found on Flickr (search “zentangle sampler” there are 15 large pictures to study). I discovered that I don’t need a pattern book. I need to LOOK at each pattern and decide which stroke was first, next, etc. It’s exhilarating to see it come to life!
Zentangle~Mandala by tarthur
Mandala Garden by caubin
For these two pages I created the Mandala and then played with using different copies of it in different sizes. For this version I used hue/saturation adjustment layers to change the colours of the Madalas. Products used: Field Notes II: Fall by Tangie Baxter, Balinesia by Ztampf, Colorsplash by Deviant Scrap/Sommerset
Zentangle 2 by Fifi
More diversion from real life issues created with Ruth Page’s Doodlicious. The background paper is from Tale of a Lighthouse from Eena’s Creations at Deviant Scrap.
Hello, Katrina here with July's Cut and Paste Project.
Can you believe its July already? Although sitting here in the south west of England, looking out the window, you would have trouble believing it but we live in hope of summer starting some day soon.
One of this month's Art Journal Emporium deliveries was Tangie's "Great Zine Project: How to Make Your Own 1 Page Zine". For those who haven't come across zines before, they are little books or magazine made on a topic of your choice and offered up to like minded people to download or print out for themselves. Tangie had this wonderful idea that we all make and then share our Zines with other Emporium members. They can download them, print them out and enjoy them too.
I love this idea and so have had a go at making one myself. As I don't really do digital mine is all cut and paste. Now as I said before we haven't had a summer yet so I fancied doing a sunny seaside themed zine. I love vintage images and Tangie had some perfect collage sheets in the shop that fitted the bill wonderfully.
So grab your scissors and glue and a cup of tea and lets get started!
All you need to get the ball rolling is the template Tangie has made for us (available in the AJE classroom), a sheet of cardstock and what ever you want to use in your Zine. I also suggest that you watch the video Tangie made for Emporium members as it explains how to make and fold the zine into a little book.
For my Zine I wanted a coloured background and the quickest way I think to do that is using my Gelli® Printing Plate. I decided to work on both sides and then choose my favorite side when they were both finished.
Here is how I did it.
First I like to put a base colour down so I added a blob of my chosen paint to the Gelli® Printing Plate. You don't need a lot.
Using my brayer I then roll the paint out over the Gelli® Printing Plate.
I then placed my cardstock over the Gelli® Printing Plate, smoothed it down using my hands over the back of the cardstock and pulled it off. I repeated this process until the whole piece of cardstock was covered with the paint. You can often get more than one pull from each application of paint.
You can use stencils and masks and all sorts of things with the Gelli® Printing Plate to give you a pattern, so that was my next step using a different colour paint.
I just kept going, adding layer after layer onto my cardstock until I liked what I had. I always think if I don't like what I have when I am using my Gelli® Printing Plate its just not finished yet.
Once I had a finished dry sheet of cardstock I chose which side I wanted to use,I folded my Zine following the template Tangie made for us. I wanted to ink my edges too, which also made it easier to see the different pages that will make up my Zine.
I then printed out my collage sheets, I printed them all half size except the beach ladies which I kept full size. This is easy to do using your printer settings. The collage sheets I used are -
I cut all the pieces out and laid them on my Zine. The words were simply printed out from my computer and cut up.
Notice some of the pages are upside down. You will need to do this so when the Zine is folded up they are the right way up. Don't worry though this is all on the template and explained in the video. You can then play around with your collage pieces and add anything you think is missing.
Once you are happy glue them all down, fold up your Zine and then just admire!
Here is my finished Zine -
If you would like my Zine for yourself I have scanned it in for you below.
I really hope you will have a go at making your own Zine. Tangie has made it so easy for us with her template and video. You can share your Zine and find other zines by Emporium members over in the Emporium. I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
So until next month, when I bring you another cut and paste project, goodbye!.
Welcome to Wednesday and a new featured TB & CO Treasure! The TB&CO Treasures Collection will feature 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.
Here is a peek at this week's featured item:
Tangie's "Goddesses {The Bundle}
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.
Looking for a way to keep the kids entertained while stretching their creativity muscles this summer? The Baxter family has created a great ART JOURNALING WORKSHOP FOR KIDS that fills the bill. Videos, tutorials, lots of examples, printables, and easily obtained supplies (many, I'm sure, you already have around the house).
There are currently 18 fun lessons posted in the online classroom, with new project videos being released each Tuesday. You get lifetime access to all content for your child to work at his/her own pace and revisit any lesson, any time!
Here's a look at just a few of the creative projects presented by artists Tangie Baxter, her husband Dave, and their daughter Sammy:
Color Wheels and Color Feelings
Students will learn all about mixing colors using basic watercolors, and journaling prompts will encourage them to think about how different colors can make us feel. Tangie's color circles turned out like this, but she reminds us that everyone's will look different and to BE YOU and PLAY!
Sammy shows us how to see animals in watercolor shapes and how to make crayon resist fish:
Watercolor Animals
Crayon Resist Fish
Mr. Dave uses basic shapes to build a robot. You should see the the adorable robots our students have created and shared in the classroom!
Build Your Own Robot
We have so many more fun ideas for simple and creative drawing and painting techniques, collage, and mixed media projects, plus lots of journaling prompts and printable pages.
Find all the details about this workshop [here]. Kids of all ages are welcome, and whether you're 4 or 94 you will love this class!
I was so inspired by the words for this month’s TB& CO Grab Bag - rejuvenation, serenity, sanctuary and along with Rebecca McMeen’s Art Doll Mendi. I just knew that the colors had to be purple (magic) and complementary color yellow (energy). There is something magical about rejuvenation and renewal, but to achieve this we need the energy to attain that serene state.
First of all, I used the art doll Mendi and one of the collars from Rebecca’s portion of the Grab Bag. Then I created a background of complementary colors purple and yellow. I used gelli plate prints but a paint brush or credit card application of a thick layer of both colors would also work.
I cut out and glued the Mendi Art Doll onto the background. Applied a layer of clear gesso to the Art Doll.
Using a white ink pen, I drew flowers and vines around the Art Doll, enhanced the Art Doll so that eyes, lips and hair stand out; added a neck ornament and lace at neckline.
TB&CO Grab Bags are only available for a limited time and priced on asliding scale, for more information visitTB&CO Grab Bags.
NEW at TB&CO! Starting today, the new TB&CO Treasures Collection will feature 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.
Over the years we've been fortunate to have Julie Ann Shahin share some wonderful art journaling series with the TB&CO readers. We will be re-posting some of them here on this blog. Please note these may be altered from the original posts to update links, provide information on newer programs, etc
Enjoy!
Visual/Collage Journaling Focus
I’d love to share with you today my Summer Visual Journal. Inspired by collage, visual journals, and Smash Books – this journal is still a work in progress. My journal is more about using ephemera, photos, and journaling – than it is about using paints, watercolors, and getting your hands messy. Although one can feel free to use digitally painted items!
My Summer Journal
This journal is a hybrid journal with lots of paper + printables. Lots and lots of goodies from Tangie’s kits, such as the butterfly and clock on the cover above.
Inside Cover and Page 1 by Julie Ann
On the inside cover, the postcard folds down.
The envelope on the right is from a magazine perfume ad.
Dedication for Summer Journal by Julie Ann Shahin
Travel wish list with journaling on reverse side
Contrast large numbers with handwritten journaling
Mix travel ephemera with scrapbooking ephemera
Remember to journal about the weather
Mix in cut images from magazines with printables
Use envelopes for hidden journaling
Feel free to get whimsical
Use photobooth-style photos for memorable events
Capture your love for the beach with printables
Mix real vintage ephemera with printables
Lots of room to add doodling later
Thanks for letting me share my Summer Journal, in progress. It has been really relaxing to work on it while watching T.V. or just sitting in my dining room listening to the sounds of nature through the open windows.
If you are interested in making journals/planners check out these offerings at TB&CO:
