Collage Class

 Today we had collage class in Girl World.  I had so much fun that I forgot I wanted to take pictures! I only remembered long enough to get a couple. Sigh.


It was my mission for class to come up with some different ways to make visual texture and layering with paint. We had several cool techniques that worked well.  This was one of my experiments. Last night, I found these wood scraps. They were cut off the top of table legs. I cannot even remember what I did with the table legs. Not important.  


So, I glued some chunky yarn to one side of the wood.  Yeah, well, I had no glue at hand when I did this, so I used dimensional paint, it just happened to be gold glitter.  Why not? It worked great.


 To use it, we painted the yarn, and printed it on the paper/canvas.


 Like.  Right? You could make this in all kinds of patterns.  It boggles... and inspires. The experiment was a success.


 So, here are some pics of projects in process. Each student worked on a canvas and a watercolor paper journal. This is the front cover of a journal. A hole was made to show the art inside. Love it.


 Greens for the background. Love how she added texture by sponging over a piece of cutout scrapbook paper. Nice.


 This is my canvas. At this stage, it had layers added, layers subtracted, and different layers added. Sometimes it takes a while to find my happy place.


 Lettering in the journal. She was very brave in lettering freehand.  Looks great!


She did most of this with paint. She painted the trees with a negative application. That means she put paint on the canvas and removed it with the brush.  See I told you I had fun. It was neat to watch what everyone was doing and trying.

Finished canvas: paint and paper. Don't the birds make you smile?


I had a great time watching everyone else take their Vitamin C!



Collage with Texture

 Having built up a little collage confidence from my collage exercise last week, I made one for a gift yesterday. It's a little larger, and I added some dimensional bits.


The background. This is three colors: burnt umber, off white, and purple.

Starting to add layers.


These dots are printed with bubble wrap dipped in paint.  I ended up with tiny bits of other colors in the dot because I used a piece of bubble wrap that had been used before. The previous colors, even though they were dry, came off on the canvas with the new, wet paint. Love it. In person, it is very nice.

In one corner, I laid down two chipboard pieces and sponged over them in a darker color.


The cross was made with flexible modeling paste. It can be applied right to the canvas.  But, I made the cross shape on a stencil blank and peeled it off when it was dry.  Be advised, the stuff takes a really long time to dry. Just slather it on with a palette knife and set it aside for a couple days. Then, peel it off the stencil and glue it to the canvas.


Paint right over the modeling paste.


When I thought I was finished, I felt there was kind of a big blank spot across the top of the canvas.  Remember those two chipboard pieces I used down in the corner? I glued them top center to fill in the space.

And, I deemed it finished.
Take your Vitamin C!

Jewelry for the Bride

Tomorrow evening, I am invited to attend a Chinese Banquet and Tea Ceremony. It is a wedding reception. I am intrigued and excited. 


I love this special tradition for the bride.  I don't think I have any Chinese blood in my family line but maybe...... During the banquet, we all give her jewelry!  Yes. We all put in on her and she wears it all. What could be cooler than that, I ask you?


She is delicate and I have never seen her wear big honkin' stuff like I do, so I put three small beads that I made, on a little chain. 


Can't wait to see all the stuff she gets! What a fabulous tradition. It almost makes me think about getting married again.  


Take your Vitamin C!

Collage Class June 29


Collage Class at Girl World!

This class is suitable for all levels, from beginner to accomplished.  You will learn several techniques and then work with those you like to make a collage (or two!)

No need to bring anything along, unless you have something you would really like to incorporate in your work.  If you live in the area, just come, hang out, collage!

Wednesday, June 29
1pm until you have had enough fun
My Studio in Plymouth (aka Girl World)
$25
email to register and for directions: kballor@aol.com

Collage is Cool.
Take Your Vitamin C before you come!



Imaginina Steals a Mod Podge Lamp Idea

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Very funny. It was not exactly stealing, more like a collaboration. A couple weeks ago, I was assigned the endless task of collecting good ideas and pitching dumb ideas. So far, I have looked through ONE journal. 

Here is my new advice: when you get a good idea, work on it immediately. Out of a whole journal full of notes, ideas, and drawings, only one thing seemed valid to  me.  Everything else was outdated, been there done that. Things trend. Strike while the iron is hot.

These cliches and more to come are brought to you by my entrapment in this office.

Yesterday, I found this green tissue paper blowing around in the yard. I have no idea where it came from. The first second I looked at it, I said to myself. "lamp." A hanging tube lamp was the one drawing in the journal I thought was worth working on.  Here ya go:

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I started with a mylar stencil blank.  It was 9" x 18". The black markings were easily removed with nail polish remover.

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Here is the paper I found. Thanks to the litterbug that lives in the neighborhood.

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I used the paper formula of Mod Podge to attach the paper to the stencil. Brush it on gently, tissue paper is fragile. To make it a big tube, I overlapped the stencil mylar and a flap of paper.  See?  Let it dry.


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While it was drying, I picked through the bead stash to find enough E beads to make dangles.

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Then I used a hole punch around the bottom, made dangles on craft wire, and quick as a wink, Bob's your uncle.

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It is on a super long electric cord that has a lightbulb at the end of it. I got that at IKEA, but probably all hardware stores have such things. I punched 4 holes at the top edge and wired the cord into the top of the tube. It hangs by the cord over a work table in the studio.  The cord is so long, it can be moved over any work station as needed. 

It would have been nice to use two layers of stencil mylar for a little more stability, but I had a heck of a time hole punching through just one. So, don't even try it.

And don't burn your house down by putting a high wattage bulb in there.

Do I have to remind you that this project has unlimited applications? Fabrics? Papers? Photos? Doilies? You're creative, think about it.

Imaginina
imaginina
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HookingupwithHoH





Thank You Benjamin Moore!



Benjamin Moore has a coupon on facebook right now for a free pint of paint.  Free. They really know how to make me happy. In their honor, please join me in singing this song to the tune of Happy Together by the Turtles.  Sing out Louise! (First person to comment correctly about this reference wins a pair of Independence Day earrings made with my own lampwork beads)

Imagine plum and blue, I do
I think about red day and night, and then add white
To think about the hues I love, it’s such a sight!
My colors together

If I should paint you on, along with lime
And turquoise, pink, and golden green, all in a line
Imagine how my chairs would look, so very fine
My colors together

I can see me painting with Benjamin Moore
It colors life
Inside, outside, furniture, and so much more
It colors life


Thanks, you are a fabulous singer!  It was fun, right?

 If you live near me and would like to help my ministry, Divine Design out with a donation of paint, please get the coupon and head to the store.  Then give me the paint!  Most Aco and Ace hardware stores are participating. (You will have to pay 39 cents for the tax)  Get any color that makes you happy.  We will use it for painting furniture and wall art pieces when we go on our mission trip this summer. The coupon is good until June 30.

Take your Vitamin B(enjamin) and put some color in your life!

The Revered Mortarboard

Today is the last of my graduation festivities of the season. I made this card box for the beautiful Rachel. Did you know that the graduation cap is actually called a mortarboard?  It is. Wondering why, I looked it up.

It was originally named mortarboard because of its resemblance to the tool that bricklayers and plasterers use to hold the mortar.  Weirdly enough, this tool is not called a mortarboard. It is called a hawk.  That one, I cannot explain.

Mortarboard. Use the word in a sentence today and impress your friends.

And take your Vitamin C!

Quickie Collages

Since I am on the mission to exercise my creative muscle this year, I gave myself an exercise today. My parameters:
  • make 6 collages on canvas board ( I had two sizes)
  • use only paint and paper
  • get finished today


Step one/layer one: paint. Each canvas has more than one color, painted sort of in striations.

 Step 2/layer 2: more paint that adds texture.

 Step 3/layer 3: a paper focal. I tore the pieces of paper into shapes and glued them down.

 Last step: details add a final layer.  Painted words, outlining, accenting.




So, the background I liked the most turned out to be the collage I like the least. And the background I was unsure of turned out to make me happy.  That's how it goes.  They are not great, but not bad for a couple hours' work.

It was a good exercise.

Take your Vitamin C and give yourself a creative challenge!








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kballor@aol.com