Bella Crafts Connection

What a wonderful time I had at Bella Crafts Connections. Not only did I have a chance to teach a couple of classes I found the time to take some classes too. Mixed Media classes with Seth Apter and a Gelli Print class with Cheryl Boglioli, I also got a chance to try out a new product with Cheryl called Powertex, it is a textile hardener. We used strips of old Tshirts to create fabulous textile art on a canvas. Powertex becomes so rigid it can even be used for outdoor items...love it!

Mixed Media with Seth.

Gelli Prints with Cheryl.

                                             

I love that Cheryl gets to travel all over the United States in her beautiful trailer teaching art classes!

                           
I had fabulous students in my classes, we had fun putting together our own Stash and Smash journals from cardstock, paper bags and envelopes. I am really lovin' cut and punched paper and showed them a few easy steps to creating gorgeous pages with Gelatos and  paper. Faber-Castell furnished some Gelatos for my class, it's one of my favorite art mediums. I was amazed at how creative everyone was, being inspired by my students is one of the reasons I love teaching. 

Stash and Smash Art Journals.

Journal page by Carole Rogotzke

Journal page by Susan Kolze

Journal page by Annie Frazier

Journal page by Barb Housner

Birds and more birds....I love quirky, cartoon images of birds. One of the classes I taught incorporated Zentangle® patterns with these whimsical bird figures.  Sakura was so helpful in sponsoring this class, they furnished little red pouches and Pigma Microns®  for all of my students. I am so thankful to them, nothing beats a Micron pen for tangling. The brilliant color for the birds was achieved with Inktense pencils, again Sakura furnished some of their Koi Water Brushes for the class to use. I prefer using a water brush for any art work I do with Inktense pencils or watercolor pencils, and they are fabulous for your art travel kit.

Barb and Annie drawing Quirky Birds.

 Annie's Bird

More fun with Gelatos®

Just thought I would share some work done by some of my students at a recent Run with Scissors Play with Paint™ workshop I held at Sparks Studio of Creative Arts in Arlington, Texas. Love seeing what they can do with a little paper and a pair of scissors. Gelatos® by Faber Castell were used for the brilliant color.

   A fabulous journal page by Lynn Medlen, she added acrylic paint with stencils and punched paper.

                Suzanne McNeill used lots of great Gelato color and punched shapes to create the bird.

     Suzanne is planning a trip to Vietnam soon, I love her peaceful scene. Gelatos and black paper.
 

       Judy Evans used Gelatos and patterned paper to create her birds, complete with a nest of eggs.

Teaching at Bella Crafts Connections

Okay. it's kind of obvious I get to my blog about once a month. I have been longing for a website....I just didn't want to have to do it! One of my art friends is also a very knowledgeable computer/social media person. While I would have loved for her to do it....I bit the bullet and asked her advice on which one was the absolute easiest platform for me to use for a website. The winner Weebly, and it is fabulous, they have an hour video (I watched it 3 times), which covers everything you need. I recommend this site for everyone. Here is the link to cindyshepard.com....advice and comments welcome.

One of the reasons I really needed a website is because I have begun teaching more. I have classes in July and August at a local studio Sparks Creative Arts Studio, owned by my friend and fabulous artist Suzanne McNeill. In September I am teaching at Bella Crafts Connections at the Mall of America in Minnesota. Lots of other wonderful teachers will be there as well...so I will be teaching and of course taking some classes. Hope to see some of you there.

Journals, Gelatos and Paper Punches

I now have quite a collection of paper punches - circles in all sizes and a few squares too. I love using cut up and punched paper and have searched every nook and cranny in my studio to find all of my old paper. Using old paper for cut-ups in a junk journal is a fabulous way to repurpose paper you were never very fond of.

 

This pink paper with big lips has been in my stash a very long time, it works great for a dress for my paper doll and as a border on the adjacent page. The paper doll has been glued to an envelope in my junk journal that I stamped and colored with Gelatos. The sheet music page is actually a fold out with additional cut papers on the inside.

 

This is black cardstock and an old calender page in one of my junk journals. I love the simple beauty of the stark white and yellow on the black page. All I used was a few circle punches and a glue stick.

 The flower side of this journal page is a greeting card I gessoed, then used black paint to sponge on a stencil pattern and colored with Gelatos. The house journal page is a piece of poster board which had previously been used, I gessoed it - added a few stamps in Staz-On brown and colored with Gelatos. When I adhere paper to a surface which has been colored with Gelatos I use a liquid glue such as Elmer's Glue-All.

I have also been experimenting with cutting tools, next post I will give a few tips for how to use some of these tools to come up with fun and funky shapes.

Paper Cut-ups for Art Journals

 Loving the Mid-Century Modern Designs. I recently ordered the book Mid-Century Modern Patterns with artwork by Jenn Ski. These shapes are perfect for using up my scrap papers.
Just got out my scissors and hole punches and started making shapes. It was fun to build upon each page.

         I used black and brown cardstock as well as the inside of an envelope for paper cut-outs.

 Blue cardstock in one of my Smash journals, I cut shapes from the page itself then added cut and punched shapes with black, brown and turquoise paper.

The trick to building all the images and layers on each page is the glue....my oh my how I struggle with glues. I have tried glue sticks, Elmer's Glue-all, Modge Podge, Golden Matte Medium, spray glues, adhesive dots, double stick tape, Zip-Dry....everything I can get my hands on. There is no right glue to use for everything.....Zip-Dry is a favorite of mine for the heavier papers. Glue sticks are great for small images and lightweight papers. But to tell the truth I use them all at some point......the great experiment continues - still seeking the best all around glue!! Open to all suggestions.

Gelatos on a Paper Bag Journal Page

Rita Barakat is a fabulous Mixed Media artist.....she uses Gelatos by Faber Castell in a lot of her work... I love,love Gelatos. When you subscribe to Rita's newsletter she often includes an art video in which she demonstrates products and comes up with some cool things to do with them.

 This week she was using Gelatos....she made some beautiful cards.  I got out one of my Recycle/Smash Art Journals and turned to a fold out paper bag page to try Rita's technique using gesso, stamps and Gelatos.

 

Scribble Gelatos all over the page, add water and blend with a paint brush.

Rita painted one of her colorful girl characters to put on a card, I decided to paint a funny pocket watch to collage onto my journal page.

I love using cut paper shapes in my journals, this is the finished page...image from a magazine, black paper cut-outs, pocket watch painted on watercolor paper and gel pens.

Craft and Hobby Association 2015

Lots of good stuff was happening at the Craft and Hobby Association show this year. I was really excited to be there, it's always fun....but last year my priority was moving my mom and getting her and my little brother settled .....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!...so back to making more time for art.

The show ran Jan 9th thru 13th. There are lots of new products to see of course but also lots of wonderful classes to take with some really accomplished artists. It's like the who's who in the craft industry.

                                                          Supplies from Pam's class.

My first class was with the fabulous Pam Carriker, I love her art. We made journals using her color palette...which just happens to be my favorite colors too! We played with her new stencils, paints, rub-ons and I finally got to try one of Pam's favorite products...Derivan Liquid Pencil. She showed us how to apply it with a sponge over a stencil....didn't know you could use it so many ways. Once you blend it it has a hazy, halo effect.

                                                 

                                                       Liquid pencil used with stencil.

Another artist I always enjoy taking workshops with is Traci Bautista....I love her recycle ideas for creating art. She generously gave each student a copy of her book 'Printmaking Unleashed'.....it's full of inspiration. Thank you Traci!

I have admired Rebekah Meier's work with fabric for many years, but never taken a class with her. This was my chance. I really enjoyed the class and the new products we used. Rebekah furnished us with some of her cool new stencils, a fabulous tissue paper she had designed and some really nice fabric banners from  Fabric Elements.

 

                             Banner I made in Rebekah's class using her stencils and tissue paper.

Besides classes and workshops I ran around to different booths and sat in on their make and takes. It was such a blast learning how to use new materials. I am formally in love with Gelatos...scrumptious new colors have been added to the line. Talked to Rita Barakat who does some wonderful things with Faber-Castell  products, need to take a workshop with Rita real soon. Luckily for me she lives in Dallas and I live in Fort Worth...can't wait to get together with her.

                                                      Some of the things I loved at CHA.

2015 is going to be a great year, hope you will stop by to visit with Suzanne McNeill, myself and other fabulous artists who are teaching at Sparks Creative Arts Studio in Arlington, Texas. Suzanne was also at CHA...together we picked up some wonderful new products to use in the studio workshops and classes, looking forward to sharing the with you all.

"Moustachio" Houses

Just got back from a fabulous week in Anaheim, CA...attended the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show. So many things to talk about... I will be filling you in all week. There were so many talented artists and crafters there.....so many great new products. I will also be talking about my new line of Moustachio House stamps.

                  This is one of the stamps, measures 2 1/2" x 2". I colored it in with gel pens. 

They were manufactured for me by a company in Anaheim and I picked them up before the CHA show. I love, love, love them...it's such a great feeling to see your designs become stamps. They are based on a series of drawings I have done over the last few months. Fun little house shapes with mustaches...."Moustachio" is the name of the line.

   Same stamp....colored in with Inktense pencils. This watercolor paper is a little rough...next time I will use a smoother paper.

                                       
It's been great fun to experiment with these little guys...adding personality and flourish to them. I plan to give each one a name...any ideas for the one above?? Since I love to work in my Smash Journals I have drawn, painted and collaged some of my houses in my journals as well.

         Acrylic paint, paint markers and clippings from magazines are used for Deedle Deedle Dum. Kind of Teesha Moore style. Using the eyes and lips from magazine pages as well as the borders.

    Acrylic paint, paint markers, napkins as collage. "Hung over", because the roof reminds me of an ice pack on the head.

                Acrylic paint, paint markers and stamps. "Adios Amigo" Complete with a big tear.

These are hand-made journals, filled with old envelopes. I normally add gesso and scrap paper to them and then add painted images. I love using recycled materials...envelopes can be made very durable for journal use with gesso, paint and collage.

Ode to Jesse Reno

Making my own journals from recycled materials is something I have been doing for a few years now. I save all of my old envelopes to use in my handmade journals. For some of my journals I use only envelopes...when you add gesso and acrylic paint it makes a wonderful, sturdy surface for art. I also like the fact that the used envelope is already a distressed surface with uneven edges and sometimes even ripped up a little....perfect!!

The low cost as well as the funky look of these journals make it so easy for me to feel the freedom to experiment with materials and techniques. I often use them to try my hand at different artist's styles to see if I can figure out how they did something I like...what materials they used, their symbology and color palette. My journal is just for me so I don't have to worry about copying the artist in the work I may want to sell. I recently listened to a great podcast interview with Rice Freeman-Zachery and artist Jill Berry where they discussed the benefits of intensive study of other artist's work.

Jesse Reno is one of my favorite artists...he paints with his hands, draws amazing creatures and uses color brilliantly. I am hoping to take one of his workshops in the next year.

In the meantime I had fun experimenting in my journals with acrylic paints, markers and a few Jesse Reno like creatures.

Mail art is fun!!

      Remember when mail had so many possibilities, a handwritten letter from grandma or holiday photos finally developed and mailed from your aunt. If you were a really lucky kid a birthday card with a $10.00 bill!! Not so much anymore, ecards are awaiting you in email, you can check out the family photos on Facebook and god forbid you send money in the mail cause it never seems to reach it's destination.  Why is that anyway?

Front and back of large envelope.

     I really enjoy working in my recycled junk journals so why not treat mail as art. Instead of decorating a page in my journal I decided to work on a few envelopes to have handy for mailing.There is a whole movement devoted to 'mail art'. I must admit I have just gotten on this bandwagon....I chastise myself for not sending more cards to friends and family. Maybe now I will be better about mailing those holiday and birthday cards.

Front of envelope, bird and leaf images are napkins.

     I wanted to share a few of the art mailings I have done over the past week. I always begin by looking for book pages, sheet music, napkins or old wrapping paper to apply as the first layer. An artist friend of mine, Judy Evans, always seems to find the most wonderful napkins and she shares them with our local art group...thank you Judy!!

Napkins, sheet music, pattern paper, ledger paper, tissue paper and an old piece of my art applied to envelopes with matte medium, ready for gesso, paint and stamps.

      Using napkins as a focal point makes it so easy to create a beautiful envelope without a lot of work. Just slop it on with some matte medium, wait for it to dry - add gesso, paint, stencils, and stamps. I usually add a final coat of matte or gloss medium to seal it.  If you have beautiful handwriting or a calligraphy pen add the name and address by hand as well, or simply apply a label with name and address. 

Flower and flapper girl napkin peeking through after gesso, paint and stamps.

       Try it....surprise someone with a special piece of art delivered to their door. Next time you send a real birthday card add some art to the envelope first.
 

Strathmore Visual Journals

     Most of the time my preferred medium is acrylic paint. They work so beautifully with the recycled journals I normally work in. I also love the Strathmore Visual Journals...they have drawing, mixed media, bristol board, and my favorite...watercolor paper.  After watching Strathmore's latest online workshop, Watercolor Sketching with Cathy Johnson I decided it was time to experiment with my long ignored watercolors. Until I picked up a few tips from Cathy's workshop I had always felt like all I created with watercolors was a muddy mess.

     I discovered my favorite pages were the ones I first laid a little color on, either leftover color on a wet brush applied to the page or wetting the page first and spreading dabs of color. Once this was dry I then drew shapes with a pencil and started painting. Drawing the same basic shapes on different pages gave me a chance to perfect the brush strokes needed for curved areas. With a little practice I was able to create light and dark areas.....my favorite watercolor effect.

    Of course I had to add a few tangles to one of them, most of the patterns are from Sandy Steen Bartholmew's books. I first erased the pencil lines I had drawn for the original shapes...this gave me a chance to come back in with watercolors and create an aura or shadow around them.

     I also learned just one swoop of color on the brush isn't enough for me....I let some areas dry and came back in with at least another brush or two of color to deepen portions of the image. All of these pages are now ready for journaling or zentangle art...which one?