A Royal Highfalutin Contest

Calling all Queens, Divas and Princesses out there...yes you!

I am declaring 2014 a Royal Year, and to kick it off we are having a crown party. 

This event is sponsored by:

So practice your Queenly wave, and make your own 3-D crown. You can make any kind of crown as long as it is a 3-D project. Want to earn extra chances to win? Then post a picture of you wearing it and I'll put your name in the hat for 5 extra chances! It's as simple as that!

 You can have a chance to win some 

Helmar Fabric Stiffener & Draping Liquid and Craft Glue !

Helmar 450 Quickdry Adhesive and Gemstone Adhesive

Cardboard roll

Deco Arts Metallic 

Frosted Designs November Mixed Media Kit

Ranger - stickles

misc. pearl strand

( You can go HERE to see what became of my crown )

Helmar Stiffener and Draping Liquid

Helmar Gemstone Adhesives

misc. lace

Want 2 scrap - pearls

This contest will end on January 31st, so that should give everyone plenty of time to get their royalty on! You can enter as many times as you wish, as long as they are a new entry each time,no backlinking allowed. So blog about your crown and make sure you link up to that post ( and not your entire blog ) so we can all visit and leave you you some Queenly ohh's and ahh's!

 I want to thank Jeanette from the Helmar Design Team for giving us this fun and whimsical inspiration and for Helmar for giving me a prize to offer! 

We can’t all be a princess…someone has to sit on the curb and clap as I go by!

Art

The completed work of an artist which is the expression of creativity or imagination, or both that portrays a mood, feeling or tells a story; works of art collectively.

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entering my art journal page in:

Simon Says Monday Challenge - This is where the cowboy rides away

OK, so the prompt made me think of campfires out in the prairie under star filled nights...which then morphed into a more "citified" oil lantern with moths fluttering around it ...

The background was made using a paint etching technique. The first layer are random colors of Ranger Distress Paints which I then covered with a thick layer of an acrylic/glaze mixture and then scratched through while the paint was still wet. A shot of Maya Roads whiteout was spritzed over the top and then it was sealed with Helmar Crystal KOTE Gloss Varnish. 

Loved creating the lamp as my centerpiece, cut from the Cricut Country Life cartridge, p. 64 and then shadow outlined with my pens and outlined the glass globe with stickles. The flame was created by free hand drawing it onto the vellum and then coloring it in with Sakura Glaze pens and the white Sharpie.

The butterflies began their life has very pretty dimensional butterflies from K&Co. but moths aren't that pretty to me, plus the pink and blue colors wouldn't work either. So, I did what any self respecting mixed media artist would do...I tore them apart and inked and grunged them up! I even added a layer of Ranger Distress Crackle Paint over them!

Approximate symmetry

The use of forms which are similar on either side of a central axis. They may give a feeling of the exactness or equal relationship but are sufficiently varied to prevent visual monotony.

( My circle would be the central axis of my card with the footprints in approximate symmetry. )
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Jan. 26-Feb. 1 Designer Drafts challenge

I stamped the footprints first and then took my paper to the Cricut to cut out a 2½" hole. Used Ranger Distress paints to color the inside of the circle and then stamped the tent. I stamped the tent on pattern Love paper and paper pieced it together, free hand the sentiment. Inked lightly around the edge of the base.

Paper Smooches - Happy Camper stamp set
Cricut - Paper Trimmings p. 52
Ranger Distress Paint - Broken China
pattern paper -Authentique
Sakura - Pigma Sensei Manga pen
Quick Quotes Powder Puff Chalking ink - Ameretto

Helmar - Collage art journal page

Collage is something for everyone, anyone can do it regardless of age or skill level. It offers exciting visual effects and creative expression and I love the treasure hunt for just the right piece which can be shifted, removed, added to, glued down, covered up or torn off....a collage is as simple or as complicated as you make it.

Details and step out pictures can be found on the Helmar blog

Guest Design - Die Cutting Divas

I want to thank all the Die Cuttin' Divas for letting be a guest diva! 
I have the crown to wear too...::insert royal wave::

Here is my project for the challenge
Winter Fun

I love taking other elements from the cartridges and mixing them up together, like the snow cap from page 48 and putting it on the squirrel from page 57. This little guy is layered, inked and popped up for added dimension and the snowflake is glittered and bejeweled for some added snap!

I just love the huge anime sized eye he has too!

Cricut -Winter Woodland cartridge, pp 48, 57

Frosted Designs December kit - sparkly felt, stickles, distress glitter, chipboard snowflake

Helmar - Liquid Scrap Dots

Applied art

The use of the principles and elements of design to create functional pieces of works of art.
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"Manga" refers to comics drawn in a style based on Japanese art, usually published in Japan. I knew my drawing set was Sakura, a Japanese based company but didn't know that "Magna" had a particular meaning.

Pigma Sensei Magna waterproof pens  

Along with my Sensei pens I love my inks, and I spray them onto small trays which I can reconstitute with water using my water brush.

So our Journal52 prompt this week is to draw a character so I decided to jump out of my box and try for the first time to draw an anime character! I mean, I am using Japanese writing utensils, so I'm half way there, right? lol Well, ok, so I had some studying to do...

Anime Basics:

very large eyes

pointy small chins

hardly any nose or mouth

hair, pointy and usually down across the face

I used Google Translation to interpret my quote into Japanese, after all I seem to have evolved into a theme here :) I used a point 3 for the written Japanese words and a point 6 for the English words.

I love their exaggerated large eyes although they were a little daunting for me to 
make for the first time. ( I love my artist eraser that comes in the drawing set 
because lots of erasing went on here,  )I added some glimmer paint and sprays to
the eyes and tears.

Here is a slideshow I made with the steps I took to make my first anime:
( plus some creepy eerie music, lol ) Also please excuse the misspelled words, I am too accustomed to spell check and evidently it doesn't work in my editor program! )


I don't want to bore you with my thought process behind making this anime character but you can click on this link if you want to read about it.

entering my Anime art journal page in:

Paint Party Friday
Inspire Me Monday ( where I was inspired to try something new )
Art Journal Everyday

Sundays with Sandee

"I think it's important not to get in a rut, to constantly challenge yourself, and surprise others.  It's the only way to grow artistically."

Julie Balzer

This is my philosophy and I try to abide by it on a regular basis. I try not to paint hearts, butterflies and flowers into every single art journal page. I even made a list of different things to make just in case I need to help myself get out of a rut....and yes I check off things I have painted, it doesn't mean I still won't include hearts, butterflies or flowers anymore, but will try to include something different each time....in this case, it's a coffee mug....filled with tea ♥

I have a lot of favorites, the eye stamped on the tea tag and the moldable stamp. 

I also love finding other ways to use my stamps; like the flourish from the heart stamp being used as steam rising from my mug:

entering my art journal page in:

Art Journal Every Day

random thoughts:

I laughed like Woody Woodpecker at the out come of the eye on the tea tag...seriously, do I sound like that when I laugh??

I don't finish my sentences very well....like when I said "waterproof......"

It's good thing you can't hear me when I make a mistake, just sayin'

Showed you my favorite mug but totally forgot to tell you WHY it was my favorite...I collect 1950's Red Rooster pottery from Metlox.

I hope you make an art journal with me and give me a shout out over on the Frosted Designs Facebook page...can't wait to see what you make!

Analogous colors

Any set of three or five colors that are closely related in hue(s). They are usually adjacent (next) to each other on the color wheel.

I believe for my piece I have chosen  2 tertiary colors and 1 primary color, I'll be honest, I never think about the color wheel when I choose my colors, I just pick colors I like together. Do you go by the color wheel first?

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entering my art journal page in:

Simon Monday Challenge Blog - A is for ... Art Journal
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Blog - Let's Have a Laugh

Journal52 -  You Always Make Me Smile... butterflies make me smile
Balzer Designs -  Art Journal Every Day

I wanted a very fun happy image, bubbly bursting with laughter. I also wanted something silly and carefree. Attitudes make me smile, a good one can go a long way! 

The butterfly comes from an online printable, I just drew in his legs and antenna. 

What makes you smile?

Dylusions Ink Sprays 
pigma sensei drawing pen set
Koi water brushes

Sundays with Sandee - Twist and turn it baby!

This is a mixed media wall hanging using the Flossie Stencil "as is" and painting a layer of Ranger Distress Crackle Paint over it.


Found art:
metal flower from parking lot
Ranger - tissue tape

Altering the stencil a little bit, now giving her some fluidity by painting her in with a pipette and Dylusion Inks.


other products:
 Pigma Sensei pens
Deep Red face stamp

Again altering the Flossie stencil and coloring her in with Lindy's Starburst Ink Sprays and some magicals plus some masking.

other products:
Pigma Sensie pens
Fluid Masking
Letter Jumble stencil

And finally, an altered Flossie with her arms down in front holding a heart, all colored in with the Lindy Magicals.

other products:
Pigma Sensei pens
Deep Red heart stamp

Alla prima

The method of oil painting in which the desired effects of the final painting are achieved in the first application of paint as opposed to the technique of covering the canvas in layers with the final painting being achieved at the end.

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Woo hoo! My Lindy Try Met Sets arrived, and the first night was spent adding water to the bottles ( because they come as powdered textile dyes ) and then spraying little shots on a piece of wax paper so that they would dry to play with the next day. So you can guess that my background is made from the wax paper transfer technique and random spreading on Faber Castell gesso.

Next I had to look up what "industrial chic" meant because I knew I didn't have the proper colors for Limor Webber's  January Challenge. ( evidently industrial chic is an undefined term, but exposed pipes, brick walls...kind of a cleaned up grunge encompasses it, at least that's my interpretation of it )

The colors I did use were:

Moon Shadow Mist - Gossamer Gold

Starbursts - Cocoa Bean ( dauber ), Mission Bells Brown, Mystic Malachite, Dark Chocolate Truffle,Cotton Candy Pink and Sunset Pink

So here is my art journal page ♥

Waterproof pens like the Sakura Pigma Sensei are perfect to add extra doodling without any smearing. I did a real loose and sketchy type of outlining and shading.

I am really enjoying hunting through magazines for images and words to glue in my journal, and I can really appreciate the pocket in the Dylusion's journal which is so handy to keep all the cut outs in. I do advise a smaller envelope to keep small words in so that they don't get lost.

Cricut - Country Life cartridge, p. 74

also entering my art journal page in:
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Anything Goes

Aesthetics

Philosophy applied to art, which attempts to formulate criteria for the understanding of the aesthetic (rather than utilitarian) qualities of art.

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This is my page for the Journal 52 prompt"

Somewhere simple

 

For me it's the beach, since it's a place where I go to for vacation, it also means simplicity. Flip flops, walking in the sand, drinks on the pier and taking tons of pictures. It's one week of bliss.

 

I started at the bottom of the page, laying a thick coat of gesso across the bottom and pressing a seashell into it to add some dimension and a sprinkle of salt for texture. Then I let it dry before adding a wash of ink and water, Beginning with a saturated brown and watering it down as I moved up the page.

 

 

The blue ink also has white and gold sprays on it, plus water to remove the ink to give it a light airy sparkling look. The lettering was done with PITT pens, Sakura Glaze pens and a Glitter pen.

 

The top of the ocean has a froth made out of gesso and a sprinkle of salt.



Sundays with Sandee - going out on a limb

I was talking with Yvonne the other night about white space and we both feel challenged when it comes to NOT covering the entire page....for us, this is hard to accomplish. With that thought in mind I tried to keep the rectangular collage I had created, clear around the outside edges....well, except for the splatters....lol

Normally I don't add anything other than paper of paint to my journal but I couldn't resist this little trinket by Maya Roads, it's very lightweight too so it doesn't weigh my page down at all.

I love paint doodling, oh heck, I love all kinds of doodling and bright colors, they just make me happy!

The video can be viewed over at the Frosted Designs blog if you would like to see it.

Random thoughts:

I never remember to oil my chair until I am video taping

I need a larger storage chip for my camera

Acrylic paint

 A fast-drying synthetic paint made from acrylic resin. Acrylic is a fast-drying water-based “plastic” paint valued for its versatility and clean up with soap and water.

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You may have heard about my little Royal challenge, to make your own crown. Well, I so enjoyed making my crowns that I couldn't stop at 2, so here is my third one. I attached it to a recycled ribbon tube and made a tiny Treasure Keepsake box out of it.

Foil paper, flower, distress glitter and sentiment from the January Kit from Frosted Designs

The tube was painted with Deco Arts Metallic acrylic paint, boy, is it a smooth consistency! I just love the Ranger Distress Glitter, I sprinkled it on top of the lid and look.....awesome, huh?

The crown itself was made using Helmar's Fabric Stiffner & Draping Liquid which was formed around a ( pardon me ) toilet paper tube roll. The little seed beads come from the December Kit from Frosted Designs and were hand sewn on ( thank you Jamie for the magnifying glass for Christmas, just saying! ). The lace and gold band are misc. notions from JoAnns. 

The inside of the box has a cute little saying...:) doodled with the Sakura pens and embellished with Ranger Liquid Pearls and stickles.

entering my blingy treasure box in:

Blog Quick Quotes - Friday Challenge 35! -  "Bright and Shiny"
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If you like wildlife pictures, then go HERE to see the Coopers Hawk that landed on my balcony yesterday!

Accession

 A process of increasing an art collection by addition; something added to what you already have (“the art collection grew through accession”).

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Oh be still my beating heart, how I would love to get a one of a kind box of chocolates! This one happens to be a box of Godiva's that I wouldn't mind sinking my teeth into! I took a box of chocolates and altered the top with a vintage print and some inks and glazes.

After spraying my paper with Helmar Crystal Cote Gloss Varnish ( because my printer is a ink jet, and the ink would smear ), I then used my Sakura Glaze pens to color over the image.

I added some sweet vellum wings to the cupids for a little extra dimension. 

I LOVE adding the Ranger Crackle Paint on top of everything to give it a real vintage feel to it. Look at all those yummy cracks ♥

I think the lace around the outside edge of the box is the perfect touch for any feminine lady.

also used:

Ranger stickles, distress stickles, and liquid pearls

Accent

To stress, single out as important. As applied to art it is the emphasis given to certain elements in a painting that allows them to attract more attention. Details that define an object or piece of art.

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This card will be entered in:

Paper Smooches - Anything Goes Wk. 1 challenge

I love my whimsical bear...I think the "giggle" is the perfect accent to bring out the humor of the colorful zentangled bear and zen dangled heart leads you right to it.

Paper Smooches - bear stamp

Darkroom Door - sentiment

- giggle

Sakura Glaze pen - heart

Faber Castell - watercolors

Sakura pens - doodles