Friday, July 11, 2014

MM Altered Sketchbook Cover

This 9" x 12" mixed media altered sketchbook cover was inspired by Jeanne Oliver's class "Creatively Made" (link for her site on sidebar), which I am currently taking online. The first week is a lot of great advice about accepting our gifts and simple journal making. I LOVE making new journals!


This is not necessarily Jeanne's process. I tend to stray from the path set before me sometimes and work my own path in to the mix. Anyway, because the cover was soft cardboard I used white gesso to seal it. Sometimes I forget that part. :o


The blue denim piece with the modeling paste cross was left over from a different class, but it was on my table, so I glued it down, along with various papers and bits of lace for texture and let dry...


While it was drying I tried the technique of taking the ink off a magazine figure to paint, glued her down, and added a couple more paper scraps to the mix...


Then I got the bright idea to cover everything but the figure in titanium buff acrylic paint to harmonize and age it more. Yuck! What was I thinking?


I used a found stamp with yellow acrylic paint and a rolled paper stamp dipped in white and violet acrylics for the circles dotted around to add interest and texture, and I smudged some of the light violet around with my finger. The dress has been painted a pale yellow, and her skin/hair has been painted in, plus I added white dots with a gel pen, once the paint dried. Buttons have also been added to the cross. And music has been stamped across the page with a bought stamp from KaiserCraft.


Used a Stablio pencil and went over it with a damp brush to bring out the figure more. Hate it!


The dress has been painted a darker yellow and the white dots re-applied, under her feet is darker, more marks all pencil has been added in various places, the word "women's" has been brought out with pencil and the word "diaries" has been brought out with a Pitt Pen, the quote, "Of all possessions, a Friend is the most precious," by Herofotus, on a stamp by Kolette Hall, has been added, and the last thing added is a torn paper strip of music that I found in the floor when I started to get up. It was just what the upper right corner needed!

I still am not crazy about the pencil outline around the figure, but I can live with it!

5 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

This has made a very unique journal cover, thanks for sharing the process photos, too! Valerie

Tracey FK said...

that is so wonderfully individual... and I really enjoyed seeing the progress shots... interesting to see how you got to the finished product...xx

Giggles said...

Wow you are too hard on yourself|!! This is beautiful...I love the girl, her dress her figure and the background...it's really really pretty!! Thanks for sharing your process!

Hug Giggles

bellefrogworks said...

I have so many of those "what was I thinking" moments - I have learned to work through them when possible. You "fixed" the dark outline well - by brightening the dress - makes less contrast. I think you did a fabulous job and it was great to see you work through the process.

Faye said...

I'm glad you kept going. Had you stopped a few steps back it wouldn't have the same brilliance and "wow" quality that it has now.