Spray Play

I had the best time playing 

in my studio last week. 

Altho I was inspired by the mono-print workshop I attended last month, it got me to thinking about where my strengths and skills are, 

and what exactly do

 I Love to create. 

Along those always present lines of "what is my style, do I have one, what am I trying to say, why do I do this etc" .

Scroll back to re-visit my post about the workshop and

the soul searching comment I received from Stewart Gill Paints

on facebook. 

So, I've gone back to LOVE. 

What do I love to do?

Make Backgrounds.

Messy painty textury Backgrounds.

What else do I Love to do?

Collage on wood. 

And most of all?

I Love to make 

 Artist Trading Cards.

Every one of my prints that I have for sale on etsy, began with 

the humble ATC beginning.

So maybe all my soul searching

is a no-brainer.

I Love to make messy backgrounds 

and turn them into collages on wood or ATC's.

Done. 

The technique:

I began with some vintage 

ladies crafts/recipe/ magazines

called The Workbasket.

I started with dripping some

alcohol ink randomly.

I like the intensity of the ink.

It does not get diluted with

water or paint that is added next.

Keep that in mind, cuz, it aint goin nowhere!!!

I then added some Glimmer sprays, home made sprays, Ranger sprays.

I am not thrilled with any of the commercial sprays due to the nozzles clogging.I adore the colors but the clogging is 

frustrating. I use cheap body sprays I get at Walmart.I just dump the "perfume" gag, down the sink and add my ink with water, 

or paint with glazing medium and water. 

I love the look of the oxidized copper and think I got it good this time. I also scored some cross stitch patterns in the magazine and decided to cover some baseball cards to turn into ATC's at a future date. 

By the way, I lightly dry brushed the vintage papers with gesso before spraying. To toughen up the delicate papers and push some of the writing to the back.

I used some scrapbook paper as stencils for spraying and then glued the actual papers down on some of the vintage papers.I love the texture!

I only stamp occasionally now, but I wanted to add some curvy fonts and organic shapes, thus the Italian font and the thorns.

I gesso'd thru scrapbook paper onto some old calendar pages.I also laid a light layer of gesso down and wrote into it with a stick. 

Then after drying, I cut and glued the papers onto illustration board for ATC's and adhered the calendar page onto a wooden shadow box.

So there you have it!

Spray Studio Play! This week I had the mother lode of all hauls!!

Work was getting rid of over 100 solid wood 5x7 plaques.

I was able to take them!!! 

I am sooooo tired of paying $$$

for wooden shadow boxes!

This is the perfect size for me.

So maybe it was a good thing I figured out 

what I LOVE.

teehee. 

Thanks for visiting!!

xoS

ATC PLAY

Sometimes

you have to go back 

to your roots.

Artist Trading Cards

are my first love.

And my first foray 

into mixed media art.

I'm going through

an upheaval aka

disequilibrium.

My only chick is about to 

leave the nest.

Themes are running around here.

Middle age, 

and 

Launching my kid

are fighting for time

in my freakin psyche.

It's like an 

emotional roller coaster

around here. 

I wonder if 

I could be analysed

by these 

seemingly random

ATC subjects 

that just popped

into my head. 

Me thinks there is

a conspiracy afoot.

teehee.

Thanks for looking.

And I hope 

you are experiencing

more equilibrium than

disequilibrium.

xoS

ANTI-VALENTINES REVISITED

Just for fun

I'm going to post 

Anti-Valentines from past years.

Cuz, well, I haven't had time to create.

My first Photoshop class was last night.

I am HOOKED. Gone. Done. In Love. 

We spent an hour learning "selections". 

Old, tired after a day at work, selections

are not so easy. 

Keyboard Commands!! Who Knew!!

Hope you like the previously posted Anti-V's!

I'll post more oldies but goodies friday.

I'm off to practice selections. 

xoS