Keep Calm and Do

Hello and happy Monday!  Micki here to share an art journal spread in which I faced my fear..... my fear of sketching and painting a face.  Perhaps the fear stemmed from knowing that the end result would be posted here or perhaps because I was video taping my efforts.  For some reason, doing quick sketches during my lunch hour seem no problem at all, why is that?  Anyway,  let me start with the background:

• I cut up several sheets from the Idea-ology - Collage Mini Stash - 8x8 paper pad, into varying sized squares which were glued to both pages in my Dylusions Journal with Matte Glue-N-Seal.
• Next I used my Craft Scraper to apply gesso over both pages.
• Once dry, I added Black Soot Distress Paint, spreading it with a wet baby wipe.
• I added lots of stencils with paints but ended up covering all of it with Broken China Distress Paint.  While the paint was still wet, laid Donna Downey's 12x12 Hexagon Grunge stencil by Prima on top and removed the wet paint through the stencil with a baby wipe.  LOVE this technique called Stencil Resist.  (The camcorder had stopped and I didn't realize it so this resist technique is not on the video :(. )
• Then came the splatters using Liquitex Free Style Large Scale Splatter Brush - sooooo much fun.

Here's the video creating the backgroun:

In case you can't see it, here's the direct link:  http://youtu.be/cx5erjUta_I

Now came the stomach churning apprehensiveness - the sketching.  Well, actually the sketching didn't make me tremble.   In the video, you'll see where I rummage through my pencil case looking for different pencils.  I believe I used them all, from 2H down to 4B including some charcoal pencils but in the end I used a 4B the most.  Once I had the pencil sketch down, then came the stomach churning...... adding paint!  

• I used a lot of paint, adding spritzes of water in addition to using the glazing medium to keep the paints more "wet".  To create the shadows and try to built shadow layers, I was heavy handed on adding water to the paints.  If I thought the shadows were too dark, I just went back with a slightly damp brush and blended the shadow out.  It's a "back & forth" which you will see in the video.
• I tried to remember to mix my paints with the Palette Knife instead of the brush, but towards the end I was so engrossed in painting, that I forgot.  You should use a palette knife to thoroughly mix paints.  I've had that incident where the individual paint colors would show in the paint stroke because I "thought" I had mixed the paints thoroughly with my brush.
•  I utilized the pencil marks for creating shadows since the soft lead (4B) smudged with a wet brush.

direct link in case it doesn't work:  http://youtu.be/mgNBfinXCa4

Once I decided that I could literally go on and on with the shading of the face, and I really had to fix dinner, I decided to stop and finish:

• Because I had quite a bit of paint left on my craft sheet, I used my finger and randomly stenciled on the pages.  
• Using Christy Tomlinson Coffee Filter sheet as my base for a stamped sentiment by covering it with some left over white paint.  
• Don't forget to use your Craft Scraper as a paint tool by making straight linear marks with it.
• I used the hexagon stencil resist areas for my journaling.
• The blue "Keep Calm" was my library due date reminder which I had to use :).  The stamped sentiment, Donna Downey What Others Day from Unity Stamp Co, was stamped onto the gessoed coffee filter paper with Wendy Vecchi's Watering Can Archival Ink.  I cut all the words apart, glued them on to the page and then doodled around them.  
• To keep the words from being to "crisp and clean", I used a very wet brush and watered down paint to give them a wash followed by drying with a paper towel.

Direct link: http://youtu.be/bP-zShbgPnU

Wow, I think I covered it all.... I think!  She's not perfect but I kept calm and did it!  Now I just need to learn iMovie so the next time it doesn't take me five hours to create these three videos!
I hope you were inspired to try your hand at sketching a portrait,  or just to get your paints out and play.

Supplies used:

InLinkz.com