Control It or Let It Go

Control only what you can. Everything else: let go. It's been a crazy couple days here and this one statement alone is what I am trying to adhere to. If you can't do anything about it - leave it alone and move on. Actually I think this could be applied in a lot of areas of our lives these days. For me? When things get out of control I turn to art. I can really get into the zone. Hahahaha! Let me show you how I made this 5" x 7" art journal page yesterday. 

Like a lot of my art pieces I began with a gelli print and I really love how this one turned out! Gelli Arts has partnered with Hahnemühle to show how we can use both products in our art. I am one of the artists invited to play along and this project was made using product from both companies. I used the 5" x 7" Gel Printing Plate from Gelli Arts and a piece of  Bamboo Mixed Media paper from Hahnemühle. I decided to use this as the base for my art journal page.

Then I started looking for elements that would work well with the blue and purple on my gelli print. I really like the Collage Collective books from Dina Wakley. She has so many great art pieces you can use for your art journal and collage pieces. The face, the girl, and the butterfly came from her books. The rest are scraps I had in my leftovers drawer. 

I really liked the butterfly a lot but found it boring in coloring book black and white. Out came my Yasutomo watercolors that have a lot of shimmer. I just used a water brush to add the color. Nothing fancy, just not black and white any longer.

And began playing with placement. Getting an idea of what looked right in what location. Moving the pieces around like a puzzle until I knew it was right. Instinct. 

But that gelli print seemed to be missing something. My background needed more texture. I used my technical pens from Zebra Pen and loosely sketched out some of those florals. Nothing precise, just quick lines. 

But it still needed more texture. I used one of Joggle's Itty Bitty Stencils and a Dyestress Ink Pad with my dab and stab technique to add a darker colored texture randomly on the print. 

And I started adding elements. To make them easier to adhere, I ran them through the sticker machine first. I moved my girl all the way to the bottom and cut off her feet and lower legs. Hahahahaha! And I really like the scrapbook paper pieces I added - some lace at the bottom and that floral block. And then out came another stencil and some more texture was added. I also used some Jane Davenport Paint Over Pens to add all those dots, and a white water based Sharpie paint pen for the white areas. 

And you can tell I was in 'the zone' because I forgot to take photos. Let's see, I added the butterfly, and a face from the Collage Collective book. That LOVE block I have had forever. No way I can tell you where it came from. The outline sticker flower came from Paper Wishes. What I really like about this page is the sentiment sentences that came from a StudioLight Jenine's Mindful Art Collection sticker book. Lastly, black ink was added around the outside of the entire page. Yes, most of my background got covered up. But that is alright because it gave the base for a really cool page. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy. And of course, control only what you can. Everything else, let go. 

Gelli Arts, Gel Printing Plate can be found here

Bamboo Mixed Media and other Hahnemühle products with purchase links are here