Adding words into your art journal

Michelle was back with P2PCrafts Presents Mixed Media Art and was chatting about adding words to our art journaling:

  • why add words to our art journaling?
  • five techniques to add words to our art journaling
  • demonstration for adding words to an art journal page

Materials list

Ranger Art Gallery at CHA 2014

This article is written by Michelle G. Brown of Mixed Media Art  

One of the (many) amazing things about the Craft and Hobby Industry show is the artwork that is on display, whichever way you turn! Every booth is covered with fantastic artwork, showing off both the manufacturers wonderful products and the designers amazing flair, creativity and individual style.

Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

The Ranger booth had the most wonderful gallery on display, showcasing 22 different designers and artists who all answered the question “How do you Distress?” in their own creations. There were canvases, altered boxes and other substrates, using many different Ranger products.

Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Here are a few of the ones that caught my eye.

Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

These gorgeous 3D butterflies by the Vintaj Design Team were such a delight with their colours and 3D design. The tree branch, using a real twig, and leaves help to frame the artwork.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Debi Adams combined the vintage creams with light blue. I love her use of texture paste for the leaves on the left, as well as the burlap tag and vintage music.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Donna Downey showcased her wonderful 3D poppies with lots of texture and depth – I just wanted to touch this one!

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Ink washes creates these lovely layers of green and blue, by Wendy Vecchi. She the added some stamping and cut outs to add a focal point.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer presented this fun, metallic rectangle stack up, that is just full of colour and texture. Julie runs us through the steps for this embossed foam and distress paint process in this  tutorial on her blog.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Shelly Hickox created this piece with a subtle background and stunning 3D flowers. I love all of the soft colours on the flower petals and leaves.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Combining her gorgeous face sketch with 3D elements, Dina Wakely has put these elements over a soft bluey, green background, created with stencils and a paint wash.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Richele Christensen has created this lovely piece using a range of inks and stamps to frame the central focal point, adding a variety of garden elements to compete the work. I love the bright yellow that draws the eye into the artwork.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

This vintage piece was created by Tammy Tutterow – just look at the edges of the ephemera; lovely and curled and edges with brown, giving it the prefect aged look.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Shari Carroll has used texture paste to create a great background, then adding a simple, yet effective heart and flowers as the focal point.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

Tim Holtz has used layers of inks and tissue to create this background, adding a selection of Ranger and Idea-ology ephemera to complete the piece.

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Ranger Gallery provides a wide range of mixed media pieces to inspire the creative in all of us

And finally, Paula Cheney has created a lovely frame, using the same elements throughout the piece but adding stamping and highlights in charcoal to set the frame apart from the central focal point.

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Each and every one of these pieces will provide inspiration and with such a variety of colours and mixed media techniques used, I’m sure you will find at least one or two that appeals to your colour palette and style.

Happy creating!

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Michelle G. Brown is passionate about mixed media art and enjoys sharing her knowledge and techniques with you to allow you to express your own creativity. Michelle understands that many of us have an inner need to create. By learning a few basic techniques the amazing world of mixed media art is accessible to everyone!

You can see more of Michelle’s work at Mixed Media Art or via Facebook – Creating Mixed Media Art

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Top 5 Mixed Media Art Christmas Inspiration Sites

I love all of the Christmas projects that are around this time of year. And even if I don’t have time right now, I will file the ideas away, to modify for another project or to get an early start for next year!

The Top 5 Mixed Media Art Christmas Inspiration Sites are:

1. Tim Holtz is at it again with his 12 Tags of Christmas
Day 1 can be found here….
right through to Day 12

Mixed Media art tage

2. Lisa Vollrath and Ten Two Studios with their Christmas countdown – this is offered as “shareware” and requires you to send a link via your blog or Facebook page.

Mixed Media Christmas images

3. 2 Gypsy Girls, on the One Lucky Day blog did this great vintage village. While theirs started as a Thanksgiving decoration, I can see it becoming a Christmas village as well.

Mixed Media village

4. Garlands are all about the place at the moment and easily modified to make Christmas ones. Great for using up all of your bits and pieces and get those punches out again.
Here are some great instructions for a Valentines garland (LOVE the baking paper idea – I was wondering how it was done!)
or bird ones
and another with circles.

Mixed Media decorations

5. I have been seeing these paper drops  or paper strip ornaments all over this year – here are some simple instructions
or here for a slightly different design (scroll down to #5)

Mixed Media Decorations

I hope you can find some creative time over the busy holiday season. These sites will get you well on your way!

Happy creating.

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Tim keeps on inspiring!

Anyone who has been following along with Tim Holtz and his seemingly endless energy and creative inspiration will most certainly have seen his first book.

Now he presents us with Distressables 2, another collective of how-to articles and insight into how to use his products and create the most amazing pieces.

Design Originals Tim Holtz Distressables 2  Tim Holtz Distressables 2 ISBN: 1574216023 Design Originals

Tim Holtz
Distressables 2

ISBN: 1574216023

Tim’s next chapter of the creative journey… Learn new ways to alter your jewelry, scrapbook pages, cards, and more with innovative techniques and projects. The book brings you more terrific techniques featuring the Tim Holtz signature line of distressable papers, and doo-dad embellishments. Author: Tim Holtz Format: paperback, 52 pgs., 8 1/2 in. x 8 3/8 in. Publisher: Design Originals, 2006