Background Papers...and a collage

I think I jumped the gun just a bit. But after I picked up the book I got SOOOO excited. I did go home and tidy up my work area, but it's a small small small area and so it's never totally tiday. One thing out means a mess. Anyway...

As I read I saw endless opportunities to use the lessons within. I was so inpsired that I finished several projects already in progress. My biggest project? I completed my doula certification. You can read here about that. I finished a domino necklace, put it on, took it off, took it apart and remade it. Then made earrings to match. (Pictures to follow later.) I also completed a lovely collage and two background cavnases. Coincidentally (not in my world!) I am just starting to teach collage to my homeschool art class and decided that they would also be making a background paper or canvas. So, I did two in the "conveyor belt" style which Shona speaks of. Both of these are gesso primed flat canvas boards measuring 5 x7.

On the first canvas I used a spring green, pink, and a rich blue. I'll have to find the color names. These were all acrylics I had on hand. I used similar techniques on both canvases. I found I had way too much paint and the colors muddied, so I scraped more, used a wet towel and muted the entire canvas. I began again with less paint and a different dragging technique. I then added a few drops of water and blotted with a towel. I have not added any stamps or prints to this canvas yet.

The second used a pale pink, country blue and a dusty green. I used 3 pools of each color and used a putty knife for scraping. Although I used much less paint my "drops" were more like "blobs" and so I found I had way too much paint and again the colors muddied, so I scraped more, added tiny drops of water and blotted with paper towels. I began again with less paint and a different dragging technique. I then added a few drops of water again and blotted with another paper towel. I scraped a bit more and then I used the edge of the knife to "scratch" the paint. They are addicting! I had so much fun.

Well, when I brought them to class on Friday to show the kids I learned  they were doing fern prints for science. Who says a stamp needs to be rubber?! I painted up the fern leaves and added them to one of the canvases using a pink I had mixed, a rich cobalt blue and a glittery green. (You all will learn that I LOVE LOVE LOVE glitter!)

So, that's the start. Today's art was taking photos outside. I figured since I started a day early I was okay with that. I have not worked on my goals as yet... spent 14 hours since yesterday completing my doula certification and that was one of my life goals I had set. So, onwards. I'm looking forward to visitng all your blogs to see what's up in the creating process. I'll be working on more backgrounds as Mama Magpie and I are doing an art day together and that's what we'll be working on. So, watch her blog next week as well.

Shalom!
Kim

for more of "The Artistic Mothers" art goup please visit Trudy's blog, or look at my links on the right... I don't have them all added in yet, but that's another goal. :~)