extreme lines

Our first challenge on the Extreme Composition online workshop is to create lines.  After completing some of the tasks I turned to my journal and, finding a page I'd created from scrap paper, I started adding lines...

The page started out with some overspray, and some cleaning off of one of my favourite script stamps.

I added some lines using india ink and a kebab stick!

Then added some extra detail to some of the lines with a fine line pen.  I also did a little exploration of line across what was once a waaaaaaaaaaay to colourful page which I 'diluted' by brayering over with white paint.

The background colour was created with Dylusion spray inks and I love how the colour has come through onto the white lines created with white acrylic ink.

from doodle ... to journal page

After slapping a few shades of yellow and orange down on a page I decided I needed my main image to be in black and white...

... so I took some paper that I'd painted stripes and dots onto, and cut out some rectangular shapes in order to create a fern.  This was based on a doodle I'd done a few months back...

After sticking the rectangles onto the page I used a stick dipped in india ink (a favourite technique of late) and outlined the leaves and created the stem.

I added a few splashes of black ink in the background too, along with some textual stamping.

There are a couple of snippets of red paper in there too.  This page came about after watching some of Jane Davies' work on youtube.  I've just signed up for her 'Extreme Composition' online workshop which went live this week so I'm planning on getting some 'playing' done this weekend, between report writing that is!  Ahh, the life of a teacher lol

picking myself up off the floor!

I am absolutely thrilled, and honoured, to be featured in Tim Holtz' blogworthy links post today! (Actually I'm bouncing around with happiness!!!!)

The 'shout out' was for my use of Tim's alpha parts as a stencil :)

"4. Sarah Anderson: very clever way to use the alpha parts as a stencil along with the colorful dylusions ink sprays"

I AdOrE lettering of all types and just love the splodginess that using the alpha parts as a stencil produces.  In fact, I hadn't realised how often I used it!!

Top tip: the alpha parts are sticky on the back so press them against your jeans a few times in order to lose the stickiness, otherwise they stick to your page (which is actually what they're designed for!!!)

:)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)

Nooooooooooo! Not peach!!! PDCC148

I know I've said it before, but I am highly allergic to the colour peach!  I can't stand it!  Yet rename it 'Wild Honey' and I'm fine.  This week's play date cafe colours are navy blue, peach and stone and look so elegant together in the colour story (and in the DT samples!)

So, not to be beaten by a mere colour, and as useful procrastination (I should be typing out my planning), I set too with a tag.

I dabbed my wild honey distress ink on the back of a plastic wallet (I think I own a bit of teflon sheet but this works just as well and there's usually something plastic to hand!) and spritzed it before picking up the colour on some white paper.

I repeated this with some Dr Ph. Martins Hydrus watercolour, creating some dark blue paper to cut out on my Big Shot. It's not my favourite tag, but I'm happy with that peach  wild honey so I'll tick it off as a success :)

Scrappy Journaling via my iPad

More recycling! I glued some of my scrap paper into my little A5 moleskine. This page then only needed a focal point - so I cut out some leaves from more scraps and added some stitching.

But the best bit? If this post is successful I just created it all on my iPad for the first time - yay!

creative recycling

When journaling I keep blank paper nearby, and under my pages, which I use to wipe off brushes, and stamp off ink from rubber stamps.  I love these papers, they are so much more random than I could ever create consciously.

I used the papers from this page with my new Prickly Pear stamps and die, which I just LoVe!  A quick inky background and voila, a birthday card for my mother-in-law!

a lovely garden and some unusual flowers

Tracy Evans' Altered Alice post really caught my eye yesterday.  This month's challenge is garden and/or flowers and is inspired by the following passage,

"...she tried the little golden key in the lock, and to her great delight it fitted!  Alice opened the door and found that it led into a small passage, not much larger than a rat-hole:  she knelt down and looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw.  How she longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander among the beds of those bright flowers and those cool fountains, but she could not even get her head through the doorway; 'and even if my head would go through,' thought poor Alice, 'it would be of very little use without my shoulders.' -- Chapter 1, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

I've been enjoying adding flowers to my art journal pages recently so decided to give the Altered Alice challenge a go!

The background is Dylusions spray inks; the flowers are from a laser cut birthday card from Waterstones.  I thought they were suitable 'Wonderland-like!'; I'm sure the flowers in Wonderland aren't ordinary ones!

inky-painty splatterings in {eggplant} hues

I found some more colours to kickstart a journal page!  I do like a challenge, and the number of colours in this photo definitely felt like one!!!

 ...but really there's just a turquoise with a pale version, three browns and a grey, so just three colours.  I started by digging out the paints and inks I had in these colours/shades.  I never try mixing colours for these challenges, do you?

Then, with supplies at the ready I can get started!  I decided to go for a background in shades of brown, just because!

The flowers are from an idea I had the other day.  I made some terracotta coloured paper then cut out the rounded triangular shapes, adding the ink once the flower shape was on the page.

Squidging the ink off the page yet again gave me some yummy background paper which I used on a tag, stencilling through the paper left from cutting out flowers [see here]

Wasn't sure about this design...

...so finally gave in to the demands of the sewing machine, although looking back at this image, it didn't really need it!

So another 'twofer'! (2 for the price of one), this one for the Stampotique Designer's Challenge.  Although you don't have to use Stampotique images anymore I did use my current favourite stamp 'Journey Collage'; I just love the different sizes of font which makes great texture!