Crickyn

Teeheehee I made you say “butt crack.”

This is what I’m talking about. I put a serious coat of FolkArt Crackle Medium on this painted map page. It was very thick and I had to put the mini fan on it. I brushed one of the new bright blue acrylics that I bought and it started to crack right away. I’m assuming that FolkArt still sells this medium if you want to pick up some.

We are getting air conditioning and my Holy Grail of the perfect mix of installer + equipment is achieved.

I wanted to tell about a short film we saw this weekend on Netflix. It is a series called Moving Art and we watched the “Flowers” episode. Great googly wooglies. AWESOME! Then we found out there are a few others on Netflix, “Deserts”, “Forests” “Oceans” but we haven’t watched them yet. A MUST SEE! Grab the sides of your chair because you are likely to vault out of it.

Ok, so at some point today I got all up in the idea that I wanted to crackle a journal page. Crackle finish has always been attractive to me. The last time I got fascinated I bought several brands and kinds of crackle products. A couple were actually paints that were supposed to crackle on their own, I believe one was Martha Stewart decorative paint and another was Ranger Crackle paint. It’s been a while since I tried them, I will admit that. But I also think if they worked well I would have been crackling everything that couldn’t get away, including the cat. And I have no crackle to show, so that’s my story and I’m sticking with it. Then I also bought a few crackle mediums, one by Folk Art brand which I believe I used in the past and did work, but not necessarily all the time. I’m not sure what the other brand(s) might have been because I just did a studio sweep since my last tragic post and it’s possible some stuff may have dried up and gotten pitched. Today I found a very exhaustive post on line that used Elmer’s glue, just normal, not the “new improved formula” or the “strong” or the “wood” glue. Just school glue. And the nice person had actually put about a dozen photos up, with exactly the paint colors, thinned or not thinned, glazed or not glazed. I mean, she went to town. I love her for that. But I think I am correct that all the normal Elmer’s glue I might have had before the studio sweep is likely not there anymore. I might be correct that I was too lazy to look. My laziness has been addressed on this blog before, but perhaps you were not paying attention. Anyway, I got it in my HEAD that I have Mod Podge by the gallon and it is ALWAYS fresh and available. That is because I believe that Mod Podge is holding the multiverse together and I don’t want to get caught without it. I really wanted to crackle with Mod Podge and some person on-line indicated it might be possible, so I immediately went and got my “junk” map journal and smeared a whole lot of Mod Podge on there. I put a fan on it and let it dry while I went back to the Internet to find out numerous other stuff. I returned and put an out of the bottle light to moderate coat of the nearly flourescent colored paint I cannot seem to leave alone lately. Normal bottle craft paint, and I put the fan on that too and it dried. The suspense is killing you, isn’t it?

My hope was that the detailed map print on the page would be visible under the orange paint cracks. I may have put too thin a paint layer on there, or maybe it just doesn’t work to crackle with Mod Podge. But I do not see any crackles. I see texture, from the heavy layer of Podge, but not crackles in the paint. My disappointment is palpable.

But, it’s better to not crackle after trying than to not try crackle at all.

Here’s a follow up. I did overpaint the canvas I was moaning about in the last post. Not entirely but most of what I hated the most. I also did a complete studio clean out, moved out a storage rack and moved in another work table so that I do have tabletop that I can sit at for smaller tight work. I moved all my rubber stamps out (a big collection) and I actually have real estate in there now. Eureka! I was shocked to see that the last post I did was more than a month ago. In addition to the studio clean out, which was more than a full time week to do, I also got 5 bids on a new roof, dealt with roof noise for 3 days, and have just in the last week gotten 7 bids on central air conditioning which will be done in the next week or so, hopefully. Before the hell days of summer arrive here, which is about 3 weeks from now. On the serious. For those of you clawing your eyes out with the horrible winter you’ve had, the unrelenting brutal tundra, I have sympathy. You are probably thinking, “oh how horrible, she’s in FLORIDA, feeling HOT. Oh, the HUMANITY.” But believe me, the summer here is long. In fact, we have had our air conditioning on non-stop til after Christmas, and back on in mid-January. That’s hot.

Sorry to stick you with a non-crackled plain orange page but that’s the way it is. Later.

Hi all

Happy Thanksgiving!

So, I can imagine y’all at the dining table sitting down to a huge meal and thinking, “How does TL put borders in her journal?” The answer is “in a variety of ways, one being not to have borders at all.” But this seemed like the cheap way out what with you so interested and junk.

Many of my regular readers know that I work in an old out-of-date map book. This book has close to 300 pages, but it usually seems like more. I looked at the back pages and there are about 50 index pages with long lists of names of towns. Not as interesting as the map pages with the variety of colors and lines. Since this is really my everyday go-to journal I decided to re-mind myself of some of the good stuff I still have to work with.  I put a bunch of them down on this page at the back. I also started a page for transfers that are easy and work for me but that is harder to do than borders and after all it is a holiday.

At the top I’ve sampled the idea of creating lines and stamping words. Words could go all around the page and perhaps that would be the only text on the page. Or one could stamp or write out a quote around the page edges. Under that I adhered a gift wrap page portion of a design by Kate Greenaway that has a linear feel to it. That can also be a neat and tidy border idea. Around the page edges I used dry cleaning labels. They are not self-sticking but they are a good size for a border and have bold words on them. Unfortunately, the words pertain to garments that need dry cleaning. Go figure. But sometimes as I review a journal page I enjoy being reminded to crease, fold and do-over. On the other page edge opposite is another dry cleaning tag, this one is number tags that are perforated. My sister used to manage a dry cleaning store and that’s how I came to be aware of these wonderful tags. Lest you think she to be of a thieving nature I assure you that I bought them myself, to the tune of about 30,000 labels. I am not making that up. Better, if you are interested, to go to your dry cleaner and ask for several for a few pages.

Going left to right, the next border is an office supply, the sort of pricing circle you get for your yard sale items. They come in lots of different colors and are probably available at the dollar store. They are self-adhesive which is so quick and easy, plus a good size. They can be used as a mask too, since the adhesive is light and they are easily removed. Next to the circles is a section of graph paper. You will notice it has bubbles and looks very amateurish for an expert like me. Sometimes I do this sort of thing so that peeps aren’t intimidated. I love graph paper! I like to fill in some of the grid to make neat patterns.

Beside the graph paper is the inside of a security envelope. I really like the patterns on the inside of these envelopes I get for free all the time in the mail. Evidently companies expect me to send payments to them on a regular basis. HA! Instead, I use their envies in my journal! That’ll learn ’em.

Now, this next border is a little tricky to describe. See the bright green paper with the black grid on it? See the black grid stamped on the map, if you skip the honeycomb pattern? This is a BOGO. I wanted to show you how to use part of a stamp for a border of any size you want, rather than a big whole stamp. So I used the green notepaper to mask the slide holder to the right, stamped, then used the mask that got stamped as well. This was such a slick move I impressed myself. The honeycomb was a stamp image I used in my toner copier. I had a little left and thought it would be a good example of a larger stamp cut down to border size. The last example on the right is a slide holder. Imagine little drawings or pix inside each frame. Not so easy to find, try thrifts or yard sales.

Beneath all those samples is a brown paper cut on one edge with a fancy scissor. Of course you could cut both sides of the brown paper with a fancy scissor, even with two different scissor patterns if you might be so bold. Brown paper is AWESOME! It takes rubber stamps really well, and paint too. Very versatile.

Our next border is old school pix of kids that I got from somewhere. Old yearbook pix are good for this, just the right size. Copy them so that you have enough to get around the page where you want them. A really bad copy can be fun. Under the kids is a border made from a tape that teachers use. I believe it is the dollar store again. I like this tape because there are not only numbers but also the number is written out in text. It is not self-adhesive.

You probably wonder what adhesive I use. I am a Mod Podge girl. Yes, I know, it is not archival. It yellows over time. But I find its benefits far outweigh the yellowing. Firstly, I buy it by the gallon and it is so much more reasonable than matte medium and gels. It also dries quickly, and acts as a barrier coat. Nothin’ gets through that stuff. So it’s a resist.

Last but not least, I left the map markers on the page. Some altered book journals have built-in borders. This is a cool thing. It gives the pages consistency if you leave the markers intact page to page.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my Journal Journey Through the Wonderful World of Borders. I know I have and that’s what matters to me. I also want to remind you that a professional blogger keeps their blog to no more than 400 words. This is to ensure that the reader doesn’t become bored and jump off the page. Obviously, I do not subscribe to this line of thinking. I think along the lines of holding you ransom. For instance, you don’t get to leave the blog post until I have wrung you dry by the end of it. I want you begging for mercy and running to put borders all over everything because you are afraid not to.

On an entirely different note, we watched Kon Tiki last night. Very enjoyable.

Then Beggars Would Ride.

I was feeling a tad under the weather Friday with a sore throat. So I opted to organize some rubber stamps instead of work in my journal. Just that sort of day…it was overcast, to boot.

I discovered I have some pretty cool stamps that I will be using more. Or at all. Great alphabets that will come in handy since my efforts, though determined, to develop handwritten texts are pretty rough. It is a bit meditative to do, but I prefer the freestyle drawing. I also find I am likely to misspell or leave out words if I am not careful.

So, this page is prepped using tempera (or poster) paint. Not sure which and not sure if they are the same thing. As mentioned long ago in the blog, I love the look of these paints. They are nearly chalky feeling on the page, and have a matte finish. They dry quickly, are semi-opaque and overlay, as well as mix, well. I almost always scrape them on with an old credit card. Lots of scraping, little paint.

I lettered roughly, then went over and over the writing with various pens, paint pens, Copics and my Signo White which did not behave well. Bad Signo. All the paint just clogs the tip. After that I started looking at the textures and shadows of the paint. Images are suggested. I try as much as possible to follow the paint and not invent a “proper” shape. That is why there are creatures. I do occasionally add a mark to either complete an image or add a limb or hair or something but I try to stick with what is there and let my imagination play. It’s just about drawing in the moment and having fun.

I don’t draw well, which is tough in the art culture these days with everybody drawing everything, but I excel in so many other things that I hardly notice. Ha Ha. I can say these things because hardly anyone is reading. I do know that when I practice drawing I get better, so there is some hope, but not much because I forget to practice. When I did manage to draw a bit each day in a throw-away journal, I got a little bit of a style and POV that I was enjoying. But it was more a structured drawing. Today’s work is pure stream of consciousness.

I work portrait style right side up, then work landscape on both sides, then turn it upside down. I like to have the drawings all catty wampus. I do not rough it in. I just black pen it.

The quote might speak for itself. I could add that instead of wishing, praying is good. But that’s just my opinion.

You may see me tomorrow if  I do not see you first. I am limbering my fingers for future Cat’s Cradles. Not to mention The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

It is only fitting that Deborah, whose name means “bee” or “queen bee” in Hebrew, inspired this piece. Deborah, my friend, this is for you. But it’s not finished yet. Not sure how it will be finished but something needs doing. I tried at least doing a background color for it in Photoshop but I’m so rusty in that program that I couldn’t figure it out today.

I have wanted to create coats of arms for a very long time. There is so much to them, it’s unimaginable how valuable and complex they were for families, monarchy, etc. The only way to identify themselves and could be the difference between life and death. The symbol system in shields and banners is wide and deep. This is a literal (very) presentation, technical beyond what I ever intend to get into, but I have 5 studio hours each day and there was time to try it. It was inked, stamped and I mixed all the watercolors to get a harmonious palette. There was about 10 hours in this and there are mistakes that I couldn’t avoid because I had no idea how to do it. I loved this process and plan (how I hate that word) to do more, hopefully in a different style that will evolve organically.

There were killer bees locally living in an attic and they swarmed, attacking two dogs, killing one and the other barely made it. This is to my knowledge the first killer bees known in our area. It is a shame, because we have many local apiaries and it will be harder to maintain hives for bees now. I am afraid for a bee backlash, we have to protect the healthy ones. So here is a visible prayer for them.

Speaking of prayer, my friend Deborah is an incredible intuitive who has discerned and practiced her gifts for a long time. She produces beautiful art with poetry and sends it as mail art, delighting recipients and post people everywhere. Most of all, she has been a constant friend, supporter and non-judgmental caring soul to me. Give yourself a gift from her Sanctuary Boutique or consult her for an intuitive share.

I gave up on Pandora today and played my broken CD player. It skips and stops and is generally annoying and disruptive, but I had a nice selection. Counting Crows “August and Everything After”, Gillian Welch “Time (The Revelator)”, Brewer & Shipley “Weeds and Tarkio”, Neil Young with Crazy Horse “Everybody Knows this is Nowhere”, Tears for Fears “Sewing the Seeds of Love”.

Tomorrow’s agenda is playing tag with trees and a three act play with finger puppets.

Running with scissors isn’t all that.

Today’s play from my altered atlas journal. Have been researching the family tree for about a month on-line. Funny, I always just thought of the relatives as two sets of grandparents. Very finite. Then the family tree grew and grew, and it seems that I am related to just about everybody, especially most of the population of Germany. There are interesting stories, imagined or real. One Civil War soldier great grandfather 3x removed was named Napoleon Bonaparte Clarvoe. Guess what army he was in? And his parents had such a good sense of humor, as he did, I would imagine, going through life named such.

The couple of you out there reading this blog are very likely wondering, what drew TL back to the drawing board? Many things, but the precipitating force was Saturday night gallery hopping in downtown St. Pete. I ran across an artist named Calan Ree who was presenting “Lore”, a solo collection. Her work is full of story, heart and skill. I had the pleasure to meet her and hung over her like an ice cream soda. As usual, I wanted what she had and wondered, for the millionth time, why it alludes me.

I wondered this out loud the next day to my friend on the phone. She referred me immediately to the book War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I got it on Kindle and commenced to read. It is easy to read in a few hours and is one of those books that is so clear that you cannot walk away in denial or confusion. My kind of book. I don’t have time to mess around anymore. I went into the studio that same evening and created my naive drawing posted yesterday. I have a new play schedule. 7am-12, while I am fresh. Everything works around this from now on, rather than the other way around which obviously hasn’t worked. No phone calls, errands, appointments or housework. Monday-Friday.

Spoiler alert!!! My problem was RESISTANCE

Well, it’s 12:18 pm. Time to mosey. Perhaps I will see you tomorrow. Perhaps not. Tentative plans include blowing bubbles and pulling faces, to see if my face stays that way.

Hi to all. I’ve been out of touch for about 18 months, wrestling with Resistance and am actively recovering my neglected inner artist and child. While I’ve missed creating and communicating, the time away was both necessary and restful.

So, my journey now is play and fun. I’m remembering what I loved to do as a little girl…watercolor, draw, garden, read, listen to music and birds and hand stitch. My new “practice” is creating for fun only and for myself only.

Yesterday I created this little naive piece, inspired by Early American samplers. I did some lettering on the top I didn’t like so I covered it up with washi tape. Today I wrote a fairy tale inspired by this image, writing with my non-dominant hand. The owl and his advice got pulled out of the story and I resolved the issue of the scary cat. I enjoyed captioning the piece AFTER it was done.

PS, I always want to draw cats but they look like rats with the personality of a fox. Sly and sneaky, not feline at all.

Tunes today: Tears for Fears “Elemental”, Jane Siberry “When I was a Boy”, Patty Griffin “children running through”, Aimee Mann “The Forgotten Arm”, REM “Reconstruction of the Fables”, Willy Porter “Dog Eared Dream”.

In case you’re interested.

Maybe I’ll be here tomorrow, maybe not. I might skip down the sidewalk or run with scissors instead.