Here we are at week 4 of our
art journaling journey for 2015.
I never thought I would make it to week four
and still be interested and involved.
So many other times I am have participated in
online classes, online projects - just to find
a couple weeks in that I was bored to death.
That isn't happening here.
Thank you, Cherryl Moote, for putting this together!
With that being said, week four's prompt was to
step outside our comfort zone and try something
we had been wanting to try
but
might have been too unsure - AKA scared - to give it a go.
I had several ideas running rampant through my brain.
Hahahaha! You know how I am!
I figure I may get a good 4-5 pages done this week.
And they may all look awful,
but that's okay, cause I have been given
permission
to step outside the zone.
So for today, I pulled out my little box of awesomeness
that is called
Brusho Crystal Colors.
The Brusho® website describes them as:
brilliantly intense paint powder that comes in little pots of magic!
Hahaha! So true!
They are little jars filled with crystals of beautiful, lush color.
My started kit came with 12 pots of color.
I started by making a color chart.
Literally all I did was make a drop of water from a mop brush, and shaked (shook???) a little color into the wet drop and waited.
The brusho is a fine powder.
Those little spots you see here and there on the paper are fine little bits of color that didn't make it to the water.
And I think I was a little stingy on the color,
these could have been much brighter and intense.
I played with the color on a couple zentangle® tiles
to start with.
Those are going to mail out in an ATC swap fairly soon.
For this week's journal project,
I used this paper for the first time.
I wanted to keep the paper a little lighter weight,
because I already knew I wasn't doing this project
directly in my journal, but building it elsewhere
and glueing it in place.
I'm willing to step outside my comfort zone -
to a degree. Haha!
(On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend this paper for a project with a lot of water. Warping was an issue, but nothing a bunch of heavy books couldn't handle.)
And this is what I did.
I found a YouTube video that walked me through it.
I loosely sketched out a tree trunk with a pencil.
With a wet brush I picked up some brown crystals and filled in a trunk.
Then I sprayed water around the top of the tree,
and sprinkled three different colors of
Brusho crystals into the water
and let it sit and mix.
I had one spot where there was too much water -
who knew, right? -
so I blotted that with a paper towel,
lifting what I didn't need.
Then I let the whole thing dry.
Ta-dah!
The last 'rule' for this week was this -
after we stepped out of our comfort zone and tried something new,
then we were supposed to go back and use some of
our favorite tangles,
our mac and cheese tangles,
to complete our project.
Well, I love how my first little tree turned out.
I didn't want to mess it up.
So, being the rebel I am, my thoughts went straight to
The Pirates of the Caribbean.
where Captain Hector Barbossa said
the Code (of the Pirate Brethren) is
more what you call guidelines, than actual rules.
So. I added that quote and called it done.
Hahahaha!
And because I had this blank page next to my week two page -
which also sported some trees - I thought it to be a perfect fit.
Last, I adhered the new page in place with some score tape.
Week Four √
If we are honest with ourselves, I expect a great many of us struggle with self doubt. Struggle with the question, am I any good, do I really have any talent at all? I know as I am constantly trying new art techniques, new methods, new product, I frequently wonder if I have any talent at all, or am I just playing at making art. I have recently figured out (but often forget) that it doesn't matter if I really have any talent, any artful inclinations, as long as I am creating something - I am happy. And that's what really counts.
Today I was reading through emails, and I came across my daily post from Cloth, Paper, Scissors. I have to tell you that most of the time I just look at the pictures and only read the article if there is a photo that interests me. Today I started reading a story about a lady who wrote in asking, "how do you know if your art sucks so bad you should just give up?" Then the editor/story writer pulled out some comments from various readers, and one really stood out in my mind. I guess because it's the way I would respond. I don't tend to be all wordy, and proficient at big words (this is one of the longest posts I've ever written), and heartfelt sentiments. So I loved that the reader simply said, "Never QUIT! Avenge the naysayers!" And I totally agree! Let's go do some avenging.
I have been waiting for some time to take a class with Tombow's Marie Browning and yesterday we started our Time to Tangle in Color class. For lesson one, I jumped right in by taking things out of order - what's new, haha! I had never worked with the Irojiten pencils, they are a wax-based pencil that is not water-soluble. That would actually be two things I had not worked with: wax-based and non water-soluble. I like where I'm starting, but I believe I need to add more color. I am used to having a wide range of colors to work with in the Derwent product line, so this is really strange to be so limited in color options. I hope that I will learn to blend and mix color, thereby creating more color. OK, got to go work on that. Hope to post another tile tomorrow, with more progress and better results.
Earlier this week we celebrated Veterans Day, thanking all those who have served in the past or are serving currently in our military forces. I think probably everyone knows someone either in their family or among their friends who has at some time served our country, protected our freedoms, freedoms that many take for granted.
I appreciate the men and women who serve us in this way. Not everyone can do it. It takes someone really special. As our country continues to come under attack around the world, we should pray for, and be thankful to, those who step forward and meet that call.
Both my father and father-in-law served in the military. Both were overseas during World War II. My dad also fought in the Korean Conflict. I think it's wonderful that even years later, years after retirement, that the military watches out for its own.
Do you know that saying no one left behind? Even in death our soldiers are not forgotten. There is nothing like a military funeral. This particular one was for my father-in-law.
I am so thankful for those who stand in the gap for my family. Those who take the challenge and the responsibility. Thankful for the families that sacrifice time and time again, so we could live in a land of freedom.
Not all tears are tears of sadness. Some are tears of thankfulness.
This tile was drawn for the string challenge (#26) this week. You can check that out here.
