This week, we are exploring ourselves. Since I always have my real "selfie" on my Facebook profile and most everyone already knows what I really look like (the good and the bad-- ha) I went a little different this week. In fact, I made two spreads, several weeks apart and finished this one this evening. Nothing like waiting to the last minute, huh? My brother always says that it isn't procrastination if you plan on doing it later......
Why do we talk bad to ourselves? There is nothing positive about that. Is it a conditioned response? Approval seeking from others? Whatever the reason, I vowed that this year I would do my darndest to focus on self-empowerment, positivity, gratitude and of course, simplification. My inner critic is a crazy mad woman, so I am learning to talk bad to her, not to myself. I listened to enough negativity growing up to last ten lifetimes. I don't have to reinforce it, and I choose not to. I know my worth in this world, and I know that I am filled with tons of good. Way more good than bad, and a ton more positive things than negative. I want to work on eliminating that negativity and focus on the positive, so here goes.
This spread is in my large Dylusions journal -- in fact, the first spread in it. I had been putting off working on those beautiful, pristine pages. It was time to play a little with the journal, the supplies and take on some self exploration.
First, I knew I wanted to do a resist for the words, and used a Sakura Glaze Pen in white to write out the words. I then ripped a page out of an old hymnal and a 1949 US government book page, tearing all around the edges. The vintage woman image I had printed out quite some time ago that I found online, tearing around the edges. I smacked those down with a UHU glue stick, and smoothed them out with a credit card and let them dry really well for about an hour. I have always liked the effect of torn edges. You can do a lot with those raggedy edges.
Sadly, I didn't choose a darker color for my initial spritzes with my Dylusions sprays and the resist work did not show up all that well. It worked, but next time, I will start with a darker base color. First a few spritzes with Tangerine, Sunshine yellow and Postal Red and a blast or two of Bubble Gum Pink. I used a smoothing pad in a few places where I got a bit carried away, and this did help speed up the drying process.
Once the paper was dry, I then set about with some burnt umber Liquitex acrylic that I watered down and put around the edges of the book pages and my vintage lady with my fingers. I wanted a softer, more muted effect and the thinned burnt umber achieved the look I was wanting.
I then grabbed a bottle of Caribbean blue craft acrylic and brought in a little brighter color with some swooshes and squiggles. These are technical terms, right? Then some white circles and dots, and burnt umber circles with the cap off an old glue stick. And I even threw in a little gold in there too, although it doesn't show up that well in the photograph.
Because the resist didn't show up that well for me, I used a White Uniball Signo pen and went over the descriptive words, followed by a black Uniball Signo pen. The all-white just didn't cut it for me.
I did add a little more personal words in my text blocks in white, more to force myself to journal/write a little more.
Overall, I am pretty happy with the end result. And I will continue to focus on the things that are positive in my life throughout the year. This is a great reminder.
First, I knew I wanted to do a resist for the words, and used a Sakura Glaze Pen in white to write out the words. I then ripped a page out of an old hymnal and a 1949 US government book page, tearing all around the edges. The vintage woman image I had printed out quite some time ago that I found online, tearing around the edges. I smacked those down with a UHU glue stick, and smoothed them out with a credit card and let them dry really well for about an hour. I have always liked the effect of torn edges. You can do a lot with those raggedy edges.
Sadly, I didn't choose a darker color for my initial spritzes with my Dylusions sprays and the resist work did not show up all that well. It worked, but next time, I will start with a darker base color. First a few spritzes with Tangerine, Sunshine yellow and Postal Red and a blast or two of Bubble Gum Pink. I used a smoothing pad in a few places where I got a bit carried away, and this did help speed up the drying process.
Once the paper was dry, I then set about with some burnt umber Liquitex acrylic that I watered down and put around the edges of the book pages and my vintage lady with my fingers. I wanted a softer, more muted effect and the thinned burnt umber achieved the look I was wanting.
I then grabbed a bottle of Caribbean blue craft acrylic and brought in a little brighter color with some swooshes and squiggles. These are technical terms, right? Then some white circles and dots, and burnt umber circles with the cap off an old glue stick. And I even threw in a little gold in there too, although it doesn't show up that well in the photograph.
Because the resist didn't show up that well for me, I used a White Uniball Signo pen and went over the descriptive words, followed by a black Uniball Signo pen. The all-white just didn't cut it for me.
I did add a little more personal words in my text blocks in white, more to force myself to journal/write a little more.
Overall, I am pretty happy with the end result. And I will continue to focus on the things that are positive in my life throughout the year. This is a great reminder.
Be sure and visit the Artful Chicks blog and check out what the rest of the team made this week. You won't be disappointed. See it here. And be sure and post your journal spread over at Artful Journeys so we can continue to support you as a person, and your art!
Great post this week Betty and love your spread.
ReplyDeleteEspecially like the colors you used.