Studio Explorations :: Algea Becoming

Studio Explorations :: Algea Becoming

For this exploration, I turned to page e3 of The Art of Instruction for my inspiration. A page with illustrations of freshwater algea.

I started by making an oval with a fine-point black marker and then used a stencil to add some color and pattern into the oval.

Then I shaded the outer edge with a pencil and then added the little spikey hairy elements with strokes of Sumi ink and a very thin watercolor brush.

I added a wash of gray watercolor to the background. I know that some people don't like gray because it's so ... well ... gray and a bit gloomy. I don't mind it. I actually love it. It's one of my favorite colors.

And then I added some more doodles with sumi ink and then lettering and some marks with a splash of color.

I like this shot below because I think the road to becoming is all about being effortless about it. We just have to be. Let it happen. And when we least expect it, we become because we have learned to be.

Studio Explorations :: The What and the Why

This journal page was inspired by the concept of friendship.
In Korean, friend is 친구 (pronounced "chingoo").

I started by putting down some acrylic paints onto a journal page.

Then I took my sumi ink and a thin paintbrush and started to write the first part of the word which is 친 (chin). You start first with the horizontal stroke, connected to the diagonal stroke, and the top vertical stroke.

Then it's the short diagonal stroke next to the first diagonal stroke, then the very long vertical stroke at the right.

Then you complete 친 by adding the lower down stroke connected to the vertical stroke. Then you start the first part of the word 구 (goo) with a horizontal stroke connected to the downstroke. (Stay with me.)

And then finally, you end with a horizontal stroke and a vertical stroke. All done.

Then I reached for some of my very favorite pens to add some doodles. I've realized that I like drawing this foliage. Not sure where it came from but I love it. Simple. Vine-like. Pretty.

Then splashes of color and more marks including the silhouette of a turtle to surround the word. I like turtles, as you may know.

As I was finishing up the page, I was thinking about the friends in my life. The ones who understand me. Who get me. Who understand the what and the why of me ... in good times and in bad. They are the ones who say "I know. I know. You're ok. You'll be ok." They will listen to the what and the why but they really don't need the gorey details to understand. They just do.

That's because friends understand the nuances of one another ... built over time ... with jeung ... with love ... with forgiveness ... with a deep, deep knowing ... with respect.

Studio Explorations :: Don't Dodge Love

You remember this crocheted heart tutorial, right?

I crocheted the heart with Baker's twine and then attached to my journal page.

And then I added some doodles and three little words that have been floating in my mind as of late.

Don't dodge love.

Studio Explorations :: Rolling in the Deep

This art journal entry was inspired by the genius of Adele.
Sometimes ... when I listen to her lyrics and music ... I journey to a wondrous place ... a place that uncovers places of my heart that open up, make me remember, make me imagine.

Looks complex ... but it didn't start out that way.

The entry started out rather simply.
With a carved tear drop stamped on a page, with a piece of washi tape at the bottom.

And then I added stitching to the first tear drop.

Then the second ...

Then the third ...

And then the final.

And then I decided to add some drama with gray paint.

And then added words upon words upon words.

Falling.
Rolling.
Falling.
Rolling in the deep.

Rubber Carving Tutorial :: Jeung

I've talked about the concept of jeung with you here and here. So I wanted to see if I could carve the very special word to make it into a rubber stamp.

So the first thing I did was to write the word with my brush and ink.

The character starts with a small horizontal stroke, then a downward stroke, diagonally.

Then it's a small little stroke in the opposite diagonal.

Then an itty bitty horizontal stroke ...

Then a longer straight downward stroke ...

And then a ring stroke at the bottom.

Check out the many I made as I practiced with my sumi ink.
I picked my favorite one and placed a translucent piece of paper over it and traced the storkes with a pencil.

Then I turned the traced character over so that it rested on top of a piece of carving rubber and then rubbed the opposite side with pencil so that the pencil-traced character would become imprinted on the rubber.

And then I took my carving tools and carved around the character.

I stamped the character with a brown inkpad on watercolor paper, added a pencil doodle, watercolors, washi tape, and then mounted it onto a mini Moleskine.

This makes me happy.

Studio Explorations :: Sky

Studio Explorations

Started with dots of acrylic.

That I pulled with a credit card.

Seeing the result made me put dots of acrylic in a different color.

Which I also pulled with the credit card.

I then reacted to that by putting a stencil by Julie Balzer on top and brushing white gesso all over it.

And then added some pencil and pen work.

And finally ... a word brushed on with sumi ink.

하늘 = sky in Korean.

Studio Explorations :: What Will Be Will Be

Studio Explorations

When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be famous, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.

For this exploration, I took the last bit of the coffee from my French press and used it to make some rings in my journal.

After looking at the rings, my reaction was to cut circles from a stack of Korean newspapers and to glue them to the spread.

Then my reaction was to add some text and lines in pencil and to add strips of washi tape here and there.

Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera sera
What will be will be

Studio Explorations :: Reacting to Dots of Ink

:: Studio Explorations ::

I started this piece by dropping ink onto a piece of watercolor paper using a pipette.
So cool. Loved the dots just as they were but ...

... decided to place another piece of paper on top and press together to see what would happen. As you can see, the dots got squished and chunky.
The open space screamed for watercolor, which I added.
And then some doodling.

And some colored pencil.

And then finally a word.
In Korean.

감사 means gratitude/thanks in Korean.

Painted Bottles with Crochet

Check out this bottle I painted and embellished. It's one of the many things that Lynn Whipple taught us during her class recently.

Here's another one I did on a mason jar. Hold love.

For both, we just used house paint and painted right onto the jars. Then I used pencil to add some smudges, some white ink with a dip pen to add details, and dit dots of red acrylic paint. I added some crochdet of course. Couldn't help myself.

As we were working on these, we talked about permanence. How do we ensure that the paint becomes permanently adhered to the jars?

I suppose I could try and find a sealant of some sort to apply over the painting and the smudging. But as Lynn pointed out, how many people are going to come up to a piece of art and dig their fingernails into the paint to try and scratch it off, or to tear off the crochet? If such a person tries to do it to these jars, it will come off. But likely it'll also come off of ones with a sealant too, if the person tries hard enough. I think the better plan is to avoid having people in my life who would come up to my art and try to dig their nails into it. :)

So I'm okay with the apparant impermanence of the elements that make up these pieces. I love them. I admire them.

Free Motion Quilt Tutorial :: 2012 Stencil Hop with Balzer Designs & The Crafter's Workshop

Yipee! It's my second time to be part of the very fun Spring 2012 Stencil Hop with Balzer Designs, featuring the wonderful new stencils designed by Julie Balzer for The Crafter's Workshop. The stencil that I have used for this project is the Peek a Boo Stencil. And with it, I made a couple of free motion stitched art quilts. So fun.
I first used a water-soluble marker to trace the peek-a-boo shapes onto muslin with the stencil. The pen goes on blue and disappears with just a dab of water.

I layered the muslin with batting and another piece of backing muslin fabric and then brought the layers to my sewing machine. I lowered the feed dogs, put its darning foot on and free motion quilted the traced shapes.

So cool, huh?

I free motion quilted little frames around them and also free motion stitched some words. After that, I dabbed the blue pen marks with some water to see them disappear.

For this one below, I also added more stitching to the small crescent shape ... little doodle stitched flowers.

I cut the excess fabric layers away from the frame and then added watercolors to the crescent shapes.

Many thanks to the talented Julie Balzer for inviting me to be part of this stencil hop and also to the good people at Crafter's Workshop. Check out other cool projects using the Peek-a-Boo stencil by these talented participants:

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
hhttp://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2012/05/stencil-hop-peek-a-boo.html

Joanne Sharpe
http://joannezsharpe.blogspot.com/

Ronda Palazzari
http://rondapalazzari.typepad.com/

And check out the entire line of kickin' stencils from Crafter's Workshop here.