Tag Archives: Be Yourself

Mixed Media with Chrissie B #4

mixed-media-with-chrissie-b-4-freeze-frameGood morning!

It has been a couple of days since I have posted this latest video out on YouTube, but I wanted to make sure that I get this post up for you!

This week, as I got ready to do this art journal spread, I did not have a plan in mind, which is not surprising, as I usually come to my art journal playtime without any kind of a concrete plan. The only thing I had in mind was that I wanted to use the color red.

dsc07775I once had an instructor teach that you should never use red in your art journaling unless you were using it in really tiny quantities, because it caused to much distraction. Well, red is my favorite color, but when she said that, I figured she was a better artist than myself, so she must know what she is talking about. So I completely took red out of my repertoire!! Seeing these words in print, is quite shocking to myself, because I never thought that I would let something like that stop me from using something that makes me so happy.

dsc07778Well, if you have been following my journey lately, you will already know that I am going through  a process of stripping off everything that is not authentically me, and how this translates in this art journal spread is that, since my favorite color is red, then I should be allowed to use it whenever I want to! That may seem like a very minor thing, in the big picture that makes up my life, but I am learning that being 100% completely free to be myself in everything, including my art should be a given! No matter how well intentioned that art instructor was, I need to remember to let my true colors fly and follow my true north, in whatever that means for me at the time! So, that is what I went into this play session thinking.

dsc07780As I was laying down my colors, I decided that I was going to use a magazine image on this spread. I do that a lot in my personal art journaling, but I am not sure I ever have in any of my video layouts, so that is what I thought I would do this time. Again, all about being authentic and showing my true colors. It also is proof to myself and to anyone else who might be wondering, how do I create beautiful art journal pages if I don’t know how to draw? Well this is  a perfectly acceptable way to do so!! I mean why not??? I just try to incorporate the image into one of the layers, instead of just plunking her down on the top of the spread, and I think she ends up looking pretty cool!!

dsc07772and do you see what color she is????

RED!!!

Yep, she’s red! I don’t feel like she is a distraction, and this spread makes me UBER happy, so I am going to call this one a win!!

Supplies I used in today’s art journal spread:

  • Old book pages
  • Golden’s Fluid Matte Medium
  • 1 1/2 inch hardware brush
  • DecoArt Crafters Acrylic Paint: Christmas Red, Squash Blossom, Goldenrod
  • 5 various wash tapes – I have no idea their brands
  • Dr Ph Martin’s Bombay India Ink: Orange
  • Golden’s Fluid Acrylic: Naphthol Red Medium
  • General’s Pencil 2B
  • M Graham & Co Heavy Body Acrylic Paint: Titanium White
  • Dina Wakley Media Stencil – Alphabetic
  • Magazine Image
  • Uhu Glue Stick
  • Christy Tomlinson Designs Stamp – Shescript
  • Archival Ink Pad: Jet Black
  • Stabilo All Pencil: Black
  • Fineliner Applicator Standard Tip bottle with white acrylic paint
  • A couple of paint brushes
  • Scissors

dsc07788Well that about raps it up for today! I am very happy with this spread, I hope you enjoyed it too! If you haven’t subscribed, please do so, so you don’t miss what’s to come!

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments section! I will be happy to be of help! 🙂

Here is to living a Beautiful Creative life,
1 - Signature
If you want to have a different life, you have to choose differently!

Weekly Art Journal Video #5

DSC05806Good afternoon!

I am so happy to share that my 5th weekly art journal video is now posted out on YouTube:

I will tell you my thoughts behind this spread, but first here is a list of what supplies I used:

  • Apple Barrel acrylic paints: Bright Magenta (20591), Apricot (20764)
  • Liquitex Acrylic inks: Cerulean Blue Hue, Vivid Lime Green
  • Tim Holtz Stencils: Dot Fade, BubblesBlack Stabilo Alls pencil
  • Make-up sponge
  • 3 kinds of black and white wash tape – I don’t know what brand these are
  • Water brush
  • Black Pilot pen
  • White Signo pen
  • Thick #2 pencil
  • Regular #2 pencil
  • Card stock
  • Letter stamps
  • Black StazOn ink pad
  • Aleen’s tacky glue

DSC05780

When I started out to create this spread, I had no idea where I was going to go with it, so I thought I would just start adding paint and go from there! 🙂

DSC05787

I wanted a really bright happy kind of page, so I thought I would start with a very happy fuchsia pink! Once I started I didn’t want to stop!

DSC05809

Now that I have discovered Liquitex acrylic ink for dripping, I may have become a little bit obsessed! This time I wanted to try something different, and thought I would try first drawing shapes with the ink and then tipping the pages to get some varied drips on the page – I think this turned out pretty cool!

DSC05795

Then I wanted to add something new to my pages, and since I have such a huge stockpile of wash tapes, I thought what a better way to use some of my stash?

DSC05796

Then of course doodling is always a ‘Yes!’ I find that doodling is one of my go-to ways for letting my mind wander, and hearing those messages that my soul is trying to tell me but my mind gets too busy to listen to!

DSC05800

For some reason, this week, I just couldn’t get a feel for when this spread was finished. I just kept feeling like something was missing, but I just could not put my finger on what it was. I ended up walking away thinking I would just force it to be done, but my mind kept dwelling on the fact that something was still missing, and I finally realized what it was…

DSC05812

…the message that came to me during this time arting was “Be yourself everyone is already taken.” I realized that I wrote it down, but I still wasn’t listening to the actual message! The reason I was feeling like my spread wasn’t done was because I was still too busy comparing myself to other artists in my head, and I was feeling like I was lacking because my spreads don’t look like theirs! DUH! I GET IT!!! I am uniquely made, on purpose, EXACTLY as I was meant to be!! My artwork is mine alone too!! You can copy me, but it will still have your own take on it! I can copy you, but my own unique stank will be on the final result – ok, I realize that may not have been the coolest way to say that!! LOL!! but you know what I mean, don’t you??

DSC05814

Anyway, after I let my message sink into my brain, I realized my spread was not only done, it may just be my favorite spread up to date!!! YEAH!!! How is that for a 180???

Next week, I am hoping to get the cajones to share one of my long neck girl drawings, which is actually something I just LOVE to draw!!! It gives me the willies just to think of it, but you will see – I will bring it!!

Until then,

Here is to a FABULOUS week!! 🙂

1 - Signature

If you want a different life, live differently!