Dream

 

Working in my medium Leda sketchbook last year and thought I'd share it here today. I am working every minute I can on 'the book' so there is no time to make new art right now. You will just have to enjoy some old art. Hahahaha! But this was serious fun - so you know you want to! My Leda sketchbook handles everything I throw at it. Especially when I prep the pages before I go all crazy with wet media and collage.  I am an ambassador with Leda Art Supply and I love their books for various applications but especially for collage art. As you scroll this post, you can click on any of the photos to see them larger.

The medium sketchbook measure 5.5" x 8.25" - it really is the perfect size for a quick collage project. And doesn't it look well loved? Hahaha!

Just a little impatient to get started, I selected some papers I had prepared ahead of time with clear watercolor ground and added some watercolors to a few pieces. This is the placement I decided on for these two pages. 

These are dense pages, but at 81 pounds I knew they needed some support. Dina Wakley is my go-to with clear gesso. And a cheap paint brush to apply the gesso with - that's all I needed to get started. Be prepared to dedicate this paint brush to this activity. And clean it out the best you can after each use. 

I used the brush to slop gesso all over the two pages, then used an old credit card to smooth the gesso to hopefully leave fewer lumps under the papers I would adhere. Old credit cards and old hotel room key cards - save them all to make this kind of step a lot easier. 

As I added each piece to the pages, I first covered the back with gesso. Then flipped it over and stuck it in place. 

And I repeated the process till all my pieces were attached. As I put each piece in place, I also covered the front with another layer of clear gesso. Paying special attention the edges and overlaps to make sure everything was stuck down well. Then I moved this aside to dry overnight. 

And I went on to prepare other pieces to add to my collage. These particular elements are from Dyan Reaveley which I purchased from Joggles. com. I used various paints and inks to color them, then ran them through the sticker machine before I trimmed them. That does two things - it literally turns the pieces into stickers and by waiting to trim them till after they have gone through the machine I am not left with sticky edges. That is important because sticky edges make your book pages stick together down the road and that is annoying. Big time. 

I drew some flowers with my TWSBI fountain pen to use for fun elements. The document ink I use in my pen does not smear when I go over it with wet media. Plus all around.

I had been working with my Lindy's Magicals a lot at that time and decided to try them as a watercolor. Just tap a little powder into the wells and add a few drops of water. Easy to pick up with a paint brush and paint with. This particular palette is a cheapo one from Hobby Lobby that came with a plastic lid. I covered this whole thing up and carefully sat it on a shelf in the closet when I was done. The colors stay wet and do not dry hard, so being away from Aurora was an absolute must. 

I knew I was going to cut these out before I applied them, so I didn't worry about coloring within the lines. Hahahaha! I really do like the Lindy's colors even though they aren't as bright as I normally work with. 

I mentioned my sticker machine. It is as easy as feeding your elements in one at a time and turning the knob.  The paper comes out the back side looking like this. When you peel the element away - there will be sticky residue on the back. To get these ready, I cut around each element to make it easier to work with, then fussy cut each piece out. That gives me a good solid edge with no sticky glue. When I am ready to adhere each piece - I just peel away the paper backing and stick the elements in place. 

These were the basic pieces I wanted to work with and I started looking at placement. But first . .  

. . . that background needed more color! Hahahaha! I used several different types of watercolor to add more oomph!

I even used a heat gun to make some drips and runs. 

I had some rippled areas where I used thin papers like those dictionary pages. I have never been great at getting those flat, so I used an ink pad to scuff over those lines and add some texture. Take those negatives and turn them into positives! Hahahaha!

Anyone recognize this? No? Yes? Over the past couple years I have purchased a lot of Lindy's Magicals. If you purchase a set of five they come in a plastic tube. This is the topper at the top of the tube and it is almost impossible to remove. I usually have to get Mark to pry it out with his knife. Then I save these tops to use as stamps. Repurpose is the name of the game. Hahahahaha!

There you go. A 3-in-1 shot. 

You can stamp some really nice circles with that little top. Then just wipe it off with a paper towel and stick it back in the drawer until next time. 

I have a smaller tube I save and use for smaller rings. Those white rings in the lower left section were part of the magazine ad, so I built on that idea by adding more circles.

Once I had the background ready I went back to placement of elements. My goal here was to make it look like the girl was holding the flower. You know - the one that is almost bigger than she is! 

When I knew where I wanted to go with placement I removed the sticker backings and put the elements in place. That was a good start. 

Then it was time to add the details. Things like tangling a patch of viola. And see that flower up there? No one can tell I colored way outside the lines. 

I even pulled out my metallic brush pens from Zebra Pen - where I am an Artist Ambassador - and added some mark making in various places around both pages. 

Other tools I used to add color: Jane Davenport's Paint Over Pens, a Sharpie water based paint pen, Molotow Aqua Pump Softliner, Zig Posterman waterproof pens, Zig Painty FX pen, Sakura gelly roll pens and my TWSBI fountain pen. Lot of mark making fun!

And I was close to being done. For the last step, I brought out a fan brush and acrylic paints in white, black and neon pink. 

Just a dab of color onto the plate, add a couple spray of water, and mix it around with the fan brush. Get the brush good and wet . . . 

. . . and flick splatters all over the pages. I tap the brush against the pointer finger of my other hand. Some people tap pencils, or another paintbrush, or just shake the brush over the paper. A finger works best for me. Keep a paper towel ready for cleanup of your surrounding work surface just in case. Wash your brush out afterwards AND if you have never done this splatter technique before - try it on a sheet of computer paper before you try it on your art journal pages.

And let it sit to dry. You can always add more detail later if you want. 

I thought that I would go back later in time and add more tangles and more writing. Yeah, that never happened. Hahahahaha! But I can one day if I want to. Collage is fun and it is non-threatening. There is no such thing as perfect when you work this way. Just do what makes you smile and it will be perfect enough. Honest!