ArtLove52 2018: A Year Long Challenge Series

Are you excited to enter into a new year? I am! I see some wonderful new adventures waiting for me just around the corner! 

I have decided to start a year long personal challenge. I have chosen 52 words and listed them in random order. I will use one of these words each week as an art journal inspiration prompt.

I have created a hashtag to go with this series: #artlove52. I will be adding photos to Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram with this hashtag. If you would like to join me, please do! Add the hashtag #artlove52 to your posts so I can find them! I would love to add some random #artlove52 creations from other people to my blog posts, so please join in! Please feel free to save the image above and print it out for yourself!

Mixed Media Art Journal Page for OOAK Artisans Showcase

I am using a Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine edition for my inspiration today for OOAK Artisan Showcase. In every edition they post a reader's challenge, and in May of 2017, the challenge was flowers!

Art Journal Page Swap with Laura Marek Part 2

Hi everyone, I am back this week to show you the art journal pages that Laura Marek sent me :) Did I tell you that we agreed on 2, yes 2, art journal pages to swap?

Well, let me tell you. Laura didn't send 2 art journal pages...she sent 4! And 5 mixed media tags, AND 5 fully gelli printed deli papers!

Laura's art journal pages combine the use of acrylic paint and magazine clippings with design paper and washi tape. She also paints images on her pages. They are gorgeous!

These gelli prints are absolutely to die for :) Well done Laura, they are so fabulous I don't want to use them! LOL!

And these tags! I am no stranger to mixed media tags, they have been a favorite of mine for a while, as well as ATCs. The small-ness of them and the ability to do a quick project makes them a dream to work with. And Laura's mixed media tags do not disappoint. I shall treasure them.

I have to say a huge thank you to Laura Marek for doing this swap with me. And well, for being much quicker in the mailing department than I am haha. I am terrible for mailing things out, but I PROMISE, they are on their way;) I am so impressed with the kindness of total strangers in the Facebook group Maremi's Creative Cafe.  I would love to give back somehow, so this is my thought...if you are struggling with mojo or confidence with your art, and you want to try an art swap, let me know!  I would love to help someone gain their confidence or harness their art mojo (mine tends to go on long vacations without me sometimes).  You can contact me on Facebook on my page Ode to Paper, or send me an email at leahtees@gmail.com, or even leave me a comment here.  I would be very happy to swap art with you :)

Thank you for stopping by, stay tuned next Thursday for an exciting new series introduction! The series will start in January and will run for the whole year!

Let Fly Mixed Media Art Journal Page

OK, I think this may be one of my favourites. And...I liked it so much I recreated it on a canvas!  It's not identical to the art journal version of course, but I still really like them both.

Art Journal Page Swap with Laura Marek

Hello everyone!  I had been having some trouble with confidence and mojo for a while.  I happened to post a query to one of my favorite mixed media Facebook Groups (Maremi's Creative Cafe), asking what other people did to find their mojo again, and along with some wonderful comments of encouragement, a lady offered to do an art journal page swap with me.  Her name is Laura Marek, and she creates wonderful art journal pages with acrylic paints and gelli prints, as well as magazine cut outs and other embellishments. 

So Laura and I agreed to do a swap with two art journal pages, in the size of our choice. I decided to do my pages on 8 x 10 mixed media paper that I already had cut and ready to create on.

For this first art journal page, I took my inspiration from the two colors I decided to work with. I wanted to use this Phthalo Turquoise Fluid Acrylic paint from Tri Art and Craft Smart's Cafe au Lait.

I added embellishments and a word tile from Tim Holtz. I love how this turned out, and Laura is a big part in getting my mojo back, thank you Laura!

My second art journal page started out with one of my favorite techniques using acrylic paint, glazing medium and plastic wrap.

I drew out sections of the page, traced some circles and glazed them with different colors, then I shaded and highlighted the different parts.

The text is stamped onto tissue paper and glued down with Matte Gel Medium, and lastly I added some paint splatters and a clock stamp from Tim Holtz.  I would like to say, the people I have come across in the Maremi Creative Cafe Facebook group are so caring and special.  To give a total stranger the courage and confidence to continue with a new form of art takes a great kind of people.  Thank you to all of you, and a special thanks to Laura Marek, for going above and beyond to help me with my journey with its ups and downs.

Please come back next week, when I showcase the art journal pages that Laura has sent me!

Be Real Mixed Media Art Journal Page

I sure hope everyone is staying warm out there!  We just got hit with a big winter storm here in North Western Ontario!  I have another art journal page to share with you today.  This one is called Be Real.

A Glimpse of Heaven Art Journal Page

Hello everyone, things have been so busy lately, that I have been neglecting my blog!  I definitely have to remedy that situation in a hurry!  I have a few art journal pages to blog about so I'll start with this one :)  I call it A glimpse of Heaven (no surprise given the sentiment that's on it lol).

Gelli Plate Planner Dividers for OOAK Artisan Showcase

Hello everyone! Remember those Gelli prints I showed you a few weeks back? Well...I have a project to show you today, for OOAK Artisan Showcase, that uses those fun prints and turns them into something many of us use every day.

Shine Art Journal Page with OOAK Artisan Showcase

I have an art journal page to share with you today for OOAK Artisan Showcase in one of my newly made art journals.  I created the art journal with bristol paper cut to 4 x 6 and bound it with my Bind-It-All and some heavy weight board for the covers.

I started by putting down these star die cuts that I had.  There were many different sizes and colors.  I knew I was going to cover them over, so my main focus was placement.  I glued them with Uhu glue stick.

I covered it with a few coats of gesso but tried to keep the layers thin so that I didn't lose the outlines of the stars.

I decided to use some Silks Acrylic Glazes in a few of my favorite colors.

I painted the glazes on in several layers.  First putting them on in a mottled pattern, letting them sit for a minute and then wiping them back with a wet wipe.  Each layer builds up the color and makes it brighter.

I also concentrated wiping the color off the raised areas of the individual stars to create a contrast and to bring the stars to the foreground.

The last layer was a thin layer of black, to fill in the crooks and crannies, and then some black splatters (because what's an art journal page without splatters!).  And of course wiping it back and off the raised parts of the stars to keep their shapes.

I finished of the page by adding a focal point using tin foil, silver mesh ribbon, some black thread and patterned paper.  Lastly, I added a word sticker from Tim Holtz that says "Shine like the whole universe is yours".

I will be posting about every page in this journal and I hope to have more pages completed soon.  I really enjoyed the size of this journal and I love the vertical orientation!  My goal is to have the whole book completed, front and back of the pages as well as the cover, in order to be able to display it on a stand.  Then every day or month or whenever you feel like it, you can just flip the page and display a new one :)  A whole display of little pieces of art :)

Thank you for stopping by, see you soon!

Gelli Plate Mono Printing

Hello everyone!  I am back from my much needed holidays, and have some fun creations for you for OOAK Artisan Showcase.

To celebrate being home, I have created some fun things for you for the next few blog posts...I know, like they're not ALL fun hahahaha.

To start off, this month I am playing with the Gelli Arts Gelli Plate.  Oh what fun!  I made a home made one a few years ago, and really, it didn't measure up to an actual one.  The real Gelli Plate is just so smooth and creates beautifully.

I have quite a few pictures in this post, there's really no other way to show you how great the Gelli Plate is!

To start off this project,I re-learned how to use the Gelli Plate.  I created pages and pages of prints just for fun.  

Then I watched more Youtube videos and learned a few more complicated tricks and techniques, like ghosting. 

 I used acrylic paint, stencils, rubber stamps and a few different catalysts to create a whole bunch of prints that I will be using in an upcoming project.

You may even recognize some of these prints!

So I will see you next time with a fun project to make with these great Gelli Plate prints and a couple of other new tools that I just won't be able to live without!  See you soon! ~ Leah


You can more of Leah's art online!

Blog: odetopaper.blogspot.ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/odetopaper/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ode_to_paper/?hl=en

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ltees/

Write Your Story Art Journal Spread for OOAK Artisan Showcase

Hello everyone, I have an art journal spread to share with you today for OOAK Artisan Showcase :)

I think this is my very favorite one so far!

I love how vibrant the blue and teal colors turned out.  I created the background with acrylic paints and medical and sports tape lol.  And what fun it was!

I also used some home made texture paste and stencils and stamps on tissue paper.

If you would like to see more details about this project, please visit the OOAK Artisan Showcase blog :)

I also promised to take more process photos and videos of my work, so please, hold me to that!

See you very soon!

Mixed Media Page Every Great Dreamer

Hello everyone!  It's my turn to share a project for the OOAK Artisan Showcase blog!  I have created a mixed media page today using inspiration from Jenn Engle, AKA Mixed Media Jenn and Deedee Catron.

I created this page using the over spray sheet I was using for another project lol. The orange is a Tim Holtz Distress Spray in Carved Pumpkin and the pink is Dylusions Cherry Pie. I added some texture with drywall mesh, stencils and gesso.  I also painted some bubble wrap and used it as a stamp lol.

I also added some masking tape (thanks Deedee, now I'm addicted to masking tape) and grunged it up with a charcoal pencil, then I activated the charcoal with water.  The larger piece in the back is a piece of paper drywall tape.

This stamp is from Dina Wakely, and I colored her using my Portfolio Water-Soluble Pastels and blending them with just my finger.   I stuck some burlap, some die cuts from Tim Holtz that I have painted black and black twine behind her after I splattered the piece with watered down gesso.  The sentiment is one I found while grazing around the internet.

I really enjoyed creating this project, and I know you will be seeing more mixed media projects from me real soon!  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you soon!

Our Mixed Media Moods June 2017

I recently joined a Facebook group, on the suggestion of my new friend Jenn Engle AKA Mixed Media Jenn :)  The group is based on a monthly challenge by Jenn and Deedee Catron of UmWow Studio and the theme every month is based on a group of photographs (a mood board!).

The mood board for June is gorgeous!

Don't you just love those photos and colors!  I have only recently begun my journey into mixed media, but let me tell you...I am hooked!  I have been watching hundreds of videos by Jenn Engle, Deedee Catron and Maremi's Small Art, just to name a few and they have greatly inspired me :)

I really enjoyed creating this piece inspired by this month's mood board:

I used my Dr Ph. Martin's Hydrus watercolors to create the background over gesso and a Tim Holtz stencil. I used a door die cut from Spellbinders along with a flourish die from Cheery Lynn and a mop-up tag (thanks for the ideas Jenn!) to create the focal point and finished it off with some burlap that I painted to match the background and die cuts and some Tim Holtz Small Talk stickers.

I like this piece so much that I have framed it and will be putting it on the wall in my house :)

I can't wait to see what the next mood board will be, but I know Jenn and Deedee are taking a break for this month but they will be back next month with a party for their Mood-iversary!

Thank you for stopping by, come back soon!

Watercolor Bookmarks with OOAK Artisan Showcase!

Hello everyone, I have two water colored bookmarks to share with you today for OOAK Artisan Showcase!  These bookmarks feature stamps from Whipper Snapper Designs, Inc.

I created these bookmarks on Prima Water color paper that comes in a 3 x 625 inch pad.  This is a great size for bookmarks.  My daughter, who is an avid reader, says the wider bookmarks are better than the longer, skinnier ones because they stick out from the book farther and get bent!  I didn't even think of that, what a happy accident :)

I painted these cute images using my Prima water color pencils, and used my Winsor & Newton Cotman water colors to do the skies.

These little mice are so cute, the pair of grey mice are called Yin & Yang.

And this little brown mouse is called Daisy.

If you have come from the OOAK Artisan Showcase blog, you know that I promised that I had an idea lol.  My thought is this...I have a whole pad of this bookmark size watercolor paper and I have only used four sheets so far.  IF you are an avid reader, and IF you would like to have one of my bookmarks...I will work on completing the entire pad of bookmarks.  

Every time you see a new bookmark on my blog you can comment and let me know that you would like to have one :)  If there are more than one of you I will use Random.org to decide and then I'll contact you for your address and send it to you!  Do you like that idea?

This will be open worldwide, so don't be shy!

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope to see you again soon :)  And, btw, there is one of these bookmarks available for someone who would like to have it!  So leave me a comment and let me know you would love it and I'll send it out to someone soon!

Maddie with Glasses Bookmark with Paper Nest Dolls

Good morning all!  I have a fun watercolor bookmark for you today featuring Maddie with Glasses from the Paper Nest Dolls :)

I used my Prima Watercolor Pencils to color her on some Prima Watercolor paper.  This pad of paper is 3 inches by 6.25 inches and is the perfect bookmark size!

I love to watercolor and this is one of my most favorite of the dolls, so why not combine the two!  The sentiment stamp is from my stash, and I used my Cotman water colors to complete the blue background.

I hope you enjoyed my inspiration project this month for the Paper Nest Dolls!  Don't forget our challenges run for the whole month and the theme is always Anything Goes!

When I watercolor I like to work on three or four projects at a time, this gives me something to do while I wait for my layers to dry.  And this project was no different...stay tuned on Friday for the other two projects I completed!