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Friday, June 21, 2013

For the First Time

When was the last time you tried something for the very first time?  It's probably not often that we try new things, as it's far too easy to get in to a regular routine (and I confess that I'm a sucker for routine) but I find that when we break out that doing the same 'ol thing, we're sometimes pleasantly surprised and that is something to get excited about! 

Surprise is what the mixed media journey has been for me.  I am not a painter, not someone who can draw, not someone who naturally likes things messy or off center and yet here I am...totally enthralled with all of the messiness of painting with my hands, of experimenting with different techniques, of trying new products, and of just having an absolute blast with all of these new toys!
This two-page journal spread is a serious nod to trying a bunch of new techniques and products and just having fun!  That's what I adore about the Dylusions Art Journal...it's full of experiments...some good, some not so good, and some that I adore and can't even believe that I made something with paint and stencils!  It's all sooo good!
These two pages actually started out as something completely different and I didn't like the look at all so...gesso to the rescue!  Gesso really does cover a multitude of mistakes! LOL!  Once I applied gesso to both pages I applied a whole bunch of Remnant Rubs and some Distress Stains.  Now...as I found out...Distress Stains don't do well with gesso as the stains need something to soak in to.  However, I just kept adding some color, drying, etc. and I found that I was able to achieve some serious drippage (love that term from Donna Downey!) and more of a watercolor effect.

Once the stains were dried (and I needed a heat tool and some fixative...aka hair spray), I used the Tiny Circles stencil (my all time favorite) and some white embossing paste.  Then came some watered down acrylic paint, to highlight that juicy little circles and to get more drippage!
Once all my paint was dry I punched out a bunch of circles, from a book, randomly glued them to my pages and went around them with a magic pencil (it's not really called that but that was Dina's pet name for this cool pencil and yes, these are coming to the shop very soon!) and hit the pencil with a waterbrush to get that great watercolor effect.

Then a fun silhouette stencil and black paint, followed my messy outlining and journaling (another Dina technique).  My two journal spots say, "practice makes perfect" and "if one refuses to try, then one will never get better"...nice reminders for me!  My last step was to add the date (I love this idea from Donna because it helps you really keep track of your progress and what you products or ideas you were playing with at a certain time) and this great sentiment.

So that's the journey of how these two pages came together...tell me, what will you create today?

Supplies:
Dylusions Art Journal
Distress Stains
Remnant Rubs
Adirondack Paint (Terra Cotta and Pitch Black)
Flossie Stencil
White Gel Pen
Tiny Circles Stencil
Way with Words Stamp Set

15 comments:

toni said...

Kim these pages are fantastic! It looks to me that you have stepped right into your comfort zone. I love your journalling style great build up of layers and love your writing over the figures x

Annette Green said...

Kim I love your pages. You're so good and letting go and not stressing. I probably would have ripped my pages right out of the book. Yours turned out so awesome in the end. Love the watercolor effect around the circles. Those little touches are just so intriguing. So cool!

Micki said...

oh Kim, LOVE. LOVE this spread.

Donna-Marie said...

This looks even more incredible in person...LOVE it!!!
The circles of text are a fab way to add texture...can't wait for those pens :-)
I have to try the white handwriting inside the figures...thanks for the inspiration!!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous pages Kim ! Sue C x

Colleen said...

Kim,
Way to go love your pages. I'm in the mist of one and hope to finish it this weekend. It will not be as good as this one though. LOL Still learning.

Barbara Rankin said...

I've been dabbling with art journaling, too, whenever I have a spare moment, and I have to say it is quite addictive. I love the playing around with the different mediums and seeing what I can come up with. I love your page.

Words and Pictures said...

Absolutely stunning pages!
Alison x

Tracy said...

Swooooon your pages are stunning Kim ..was wondering how you made the circles which I ADORE...ooohhh magic pencils!!
Hugs
Tracy
xoxo

Starla said...

I really like this Kim!! It just grabbed my eye as soon as I opened up the blog page!

Marjie Kemper said...

Loving this project and your post... so cool reading through the process!

Rachel said...

thank you for letting us take a look into your art journal. this page is so pretty and looks like it was a lot of FUN to make!
-Rachel w k
rwkrafts.com

Anonymous said...

Fantastic. I love it.

Miwa said...

Wow! Your work is amazing! Love it!

Bonnie Irvine said...

I could look at these pages for hours, Kim. There is so much to notice and appreciate. The texture, the palette, the lovely drippage, and that's just the start. Mixed media is such a joy and you have captured that joy in this spread. You are definitely an artist...how cool is that!