Month: May 2020

Art Journal WIP

Angela Porter1 Comment
Art Journal WIP © Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

I’ve been awake since around 4 am yet again, and after watching a couple of journal making videos on youtube by Wendy’s Journal Adventure and Tracie Fox LoveJunk Journals, I wanted to get up and have a go at creating a tri-fold tag for my own art journal.

I had an idea that I can use the little drawings I like to do as ephemera and embellishments and focal points in my art journal, rather than using ephemera from other sources like books, printables, and so on. I’m sure I’ll find more uses for them if I persevere with this project.

So, back to the tri-fold tag. It was my plan to make such a tag for my art journal. However, as usual, my plans often take a slightly different route!

I started by working out the size of tri-fold tag I wanted to make – to fit an A5 sized art journal.

I settled on a piece of mixed media paper cut down to 11.5″ x 7″, which I scored at 3.75″, 4″, 7.75″ and 8″ to create the three tags joined by hinges. I cut the top corners off each tag panel.

I coloured the front and back of the paper using Distress Oxide inks and sprayed water to distress the surface more. Then, I used vintage photo Distress ink to edge all the sides and folds to frame the panels .

I’d chosen colours that would go with some ATC s I was drawing last night while attending a webinair and listening to the speakers. However, the Distress Oxide inks resulted in a much brighter colour and I really wasn’t happy with the result. I will use this panel to use as a reference in future, not so much for sizes but for ideas for pockets and panels and envelopes and so on.

So, I started again. I used Distress Oxide inks, but this time I used tea dye and vintage photo, applying them as lightly as I could. I also coloured some copier paper using the same colours in Distress Inks, with a hint of rusty hinge added to the mix.

I was much happier with the colours this time around.

I liked the idea of using a ‘belly band’ with little envelopes tucked into it. So, I used 5″ square pieces of the coloured copier paper to make some little envelopes (2.5″ x 3″). Two of these would fit neatly on one of the panels. So, I made a 0.75″ x 7″ belly band, and coloured it with the same inks as the panels. I applied thin beads of glue to the ends and centre of the belly band and then adhered it to the panel, off-set to the right of the centre line.

When the glue dried, I had two sections that would hold one envelope each.

My next job was to rummage through my stash of coloured papers to find ones that would go together and were sympathetic with the background.

I drew some panels to add to the envelopes and also the space between them. I backed the panels with vintage book paper. Then, I hand lettered some words on a piece of coloured copier paper. I chose ‘Journal’ and ‘Reflect’ from the selection, cut them out. I used both vintage book paper and a piece of coloured paper behind them to make labels that I attached to the belly band above each envelope.

Finally, for now, I used a gold glitter Signo gel pen by Uniball to add dots and highlights.

It was then that I realised I really wasn’t happy with the tri-fold tag as I’d made it. So, I set about cutting the tags apart so I had three individual tags. I want to join them together in a different way, using hinges of some kind.

But for now, tiredness has caught up with me, as well as the need for some breakfast. So, I will put my project to one side for now and return to it later.

Reflections

I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this, not yet anyway. I kind of like what I’ve seen other people do as far as ideas go for pockets, tags, labels, envelopes, pouches and all kinds of ephemera for art journals. However, they’re also not really ‘me’. I’d like to find a way of expressing ‘me’ in an art journal.

The one I have, in an A4 sketchbook is fine, and a perfect place to try things out. But, I’d like to do a smaller art journal that has sturdier, mixed media paper in it.

I do know I want to make use of my own artwork. Today, I drew the designs onto the coloured card. However, I quite like the idea of building up a digital library of my own drawings and designs that I could print out on paper and colour accordingly.

Although I hand lettered the words I used today, part of me isn’t happy with them and wants to create them in Affinity Publisher.

All the paper I start with is bright white in colour. Perhaps I could look at using different papers and colours of paper for future projects.

One other thing I’m doing, is keeping notes and diagrams showing templates and dimensions for various ephemera.

I’m babbling here, now. The early morning and lack of enough sleep last night is really catching up with me now. Time to post this then go get breakfast and more tea!

Sketchbook / Art Journal

Angela PorterLeave a comment
©Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

I woke at around 4:30am again today and couldn’t get back to sleep. So, I got up, made tea, and did some work on my art journal / sketchbook.

Making Distressed Paper

I spent a good two or three hours making the papers you can see to the left. I used the following:

  • printer and layout paper, cut to A6 in size (UK size)
  • Distress Oxide Inks
  • 5″ x 7 ” Gelli plate
  • small Brayer roller
  • water in a spray bottle
  • heat tool
  • craft mat
  • pieces of cut and dry foam
  • metallic inks and paints

For some of the pieces, I brayered the Distress Oxides onto a Gelli plate and then pulled the print onto a piece of paper. For others, I used the Brayer to apply the ink to the paper. I also used the black side of a piece of cut and dry foam to apply ink to some of the papers.

I sprayed the papers with water to activiate the Distress Oxide, and used the heat tool to dry them. After doing this, I crumpled up a lot of the papers and then used the brayer to flatten them out. Both of these techniques resulted in textured paper. So, I used the cut and dry foam and some Distress Oxide ink to lightly brush the paper to help to accentuate that texture.

Finally I used cut and dry foam to brush metallic paint or ink over the paper to add some shimmer and shine. I used some textured cut and dry foam to add patterns too.

I now have quite a stash of very distressed papers to use in my art journal in the future.

Both the printer paper and the layout paper are much thinner than I would usually use for such a task. The light spritz of water on each, however, created a lovely, bumpy texture. They were also easy to crumple up, adding that kind of leathery texture.

The subtle shine that the gold metallic ink gave is rather lovely, though I do like the bright, shiny gold of some paint I found in my stash.

I can see me using these papers for collage, for making pockets/envelopes and other bits and bobs for a journal, and no doubt for other things I’ve not yet thought of.

Storing my custom papers.

I realised the papers I’ve made over the past couple of weeks have been piling up and I really needed to do something that would let me find them easily. So, the quickest and easiest solution was to use A4 poly-pockets and a ring binder, both of which I had to hand! That certainly has let me have a tidier desk, and I’ll be able to find the papers easily too.

Art journal pages.

I also finished up the two pages shown to the right. I attached inchies, to fill in some gaps.

I used simple paper hinges to attach the ATC cards on page seen in the bottom image. If I ever wish to remove them to swap/share/gift, then I can remove them easily. That simple solution has relieved my anxiety about adhering them permanently into the sketchbook!

I’ve also folded some squared paper, used distress inks to colour the edges and folds, and put them in the vellum pockets I’d made earlier, all ready for me to journal on. Unusually for me, I made use of some washi tape to embellish the pockets.

I’ve also noticed that I’m very ‘regimented’ about how I put things in my art journal. I much prefer carefully cut paper to torn edges most of the time. Everything needs to be arranged ‘just so’ with me. Just as it is with my line-art – precise and neat. I suppose it’s another example of me expressing my personality through my art.

So, Angela, how are you today?

I’m exhausted. I’m practically falling asleep as I type this; that’s what happens when I wake up at stupid o’clock once again. I’m now officially overtired! I may try to get back to sleep soon; I do have work I need to do today!

As far as me being under the weather goes…

Well, I still have a sensitive digestive system and I feel nauseous from time to time. I did wake with a bit of a headache today, but that could just be lack of sleep, as is the tiredness I feel. I have eaten and my tummy doesn’t seem to be objecting as it has done. This all makes me hopeful that I’m almost over this bout illness. I was really quite grumpy about it yesterday, and I’m entirely sure I’m not grumpy today!

Other than that, emotionally I’m doing just fine. The sunshine helps with my mood for sure, as did being able to hear the bird song as the world was slowly waking up this morning.

Coloring Template – 7 May ’20

Angela PorterLeave a comment
Coloring Template © Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

Yet another week has gone by in lock-down, so it’s time for another coloring template for the members of the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group.

Flowers always cheer me up, and I thought they’d make a nice motif in the design. I kept to the same kind of flowers. In fact, although this drawing is still quite detailed and complex, there’s far fewer motifs and patterns in it than I’d usually use.

I also like to partly colour the template – it helps to bring it partly to life to show on social media. Today, I’ve chosen a fairly pastel color palette. I think that reflects how I’m feeling today.

I drew the design on quadrille (squared) paper with a 06 Sakura Pigma Sensei pen. This is an unusual choice for me; the nib is broad and a bit more flexible than I’d usually use. The result is a bold design with bold lines.

I scanned the design in and used some digital wizardry to remove the quadrille grid. I also corrected an error and removed some smudges. All this was done in Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, which I continued to use to colour the design in.

So, Angela, how are you doing?

I’m so tired today. I couldn’t sleep past 4:30 am, and after a long while waiting to go to sleep I got up an started doing some arty stuff.

As well as feeling tired, my digestive system is uncomfortable still and I’m feeling a bit icky-sicky too. No headache today, thank goodness.

I am feeling a bit fed up today – fed up of feeling under the weather and tired. Hopefully I’ll have a nap later on today, and that may help my mood a little.

Until then, I’m going to do some arty stuff, most probably in my art journal, or maybe some work for the Mattias Adolphsson Domestika course, “The Art of Sketching: Transform your doodles into art.”

I thought I’d try it out to kick start my imagination and perhaps discover new ways of working, stretching myself somewhat. So far, I’m enjoying it. I work at my own pace.

Calming entanglement

Angela Porter4 Comments
Calming entanglement © Angela Porter | artwyrd.com

I’ve had a lovely few hours drawing this today. The background is one of my Distress Oxide ones, though it is a bit lost behind the line art.

I worked digitally, using Autodesk Sketchbook Pro and a Surface Studio and Surface Slim Pen.

I’m feeling a bit better today, though really tired still. It didn’t help that I woke before dawn’s crack and couldn’t get back to sleep. I may see about taking a nap in a little while.

My digestive system is still delicate and I still feel a bit headachy, but it seems that the worst of this bout of whatever it is – Covid19 or something else- is over. Now, it’s just the time it takes for me to feel my usual self.

Creating art is usually a calming, mindful task for me, and today’s art certainly was.

Entangled in greens

Angela Porter2 Comments
©Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

Artwork

I blended and layered Distress oxide inks on A4 mixed media paper followed by some fine sprays with water to create the background. I scanned this background in so I have it available for digital art.

To create the artwork, I wanted to choose an interesting piece of the background sheet. So,I cut the A4 paper down to 8.75″ x 5.125″ in size. I kept all the strips I cut off to use in my art journal / sketchbook, ATCs, or other artwork.

Copic Multiliner SP, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist and Sakura Pigma Sensei were my pens of choice to draw the design.

Oddly, I’ve only used four basic motifs in this design. I started drawing roughly in the centre of the paper, and just let it grow from there. Usually, I’d use many more motifs and patterns. But not today.

When I was happy with the design, I scanned it in and then digitally brightened the background colours, darkened the black ink, and added subtle shadows and highlights to help add some sense of dimension to various elements in the design.

Waffling on…

I’m still not feeling right today. I’m headachy, my digestive system is delicate and everything tastes just wrong. I didn’t enjoy my mug of tea this morning at all. I feel hungry, but when I eat I find I lose my appetite very quickly with just a couple of mouthfuls, and then my digestive system complains by feeling uncomfortable.

I’m also tired. Not so tired I want to stay in bed or just sit and not do anything, but tired enough that I don’t have a lot of oompf to do much at all.

Still, I’m not as bad as I was Saturday night and Sunday, but I’m still not right at all. An easy day is in order today, that’s for sure.

Back in late December, I had what I thought was a particularly nasty bout of seasonal tummy flu’. Vomiting, fever, shivers, headache, extremely tired, every part of my body ached, loss of my sense of taste and smell and sensitivity to noise. I had abdominal cramps as well. It took me a long while to feel ‘right’, and longer for my appetite and then sense of smell and taste to return.

My current bout of feeling poorly is an echo of how I felt back then. In fact it’s my third repeat of the symptoms.

I do know, from reading around reputable publications and daily completing the questions on the Covid-19 symptom tracker app, that all of these are symptoms of the virus.

Today, it emerges that the first case of Covid-19 in France was back in December.

A friend of mine was also really unwell over later December and well into 2020, with symptoms of Covid-19. We’ve often mused if the virus was around and about far earlier than was first thought, that some cases of pneumonia were caused by Covid-19, not seasonal ‘flu.

I also have read, again in reputable sources, that the virus can infect the digestive system and can linger there causing repeated bouts of the illness. Indeed,the latest thoughts are that the ‘reinfections’ by Covid-19 are actually not reinfections, but the virus causing a second bout of the illness in people who have recovered from it.

My friend and I may never know if we’ve had Covid-19 and recovered from it, not without being tested for anti-bodies. I know that we’d both feel much less anxious if we actually knew this was the case, as I’m sure a lot of other people would too.

Also, I may be putting two and two together and coming up with something else. The scientist in me is on the fence for sure. But, without being tested for the antibodies, how will I know for sure? How will anyone know?

Inchies

Angela Porter2 Comments
Inchies ©Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

Inchies

Teeny, tiny one inch square works of art are called inchies. Here are two sets of six inchies.

For each set, I cut an ATC sized (3.5″ x 2.5″) Distress Oxide coloured mixed media paper into one inch squares.

I took the chisel nib of a black Copic Ciao marker to the edges, and then drew on the squares using either Copic Multiliner SP or Faber Castell Pitt artist pens. When I was happy with the designs, I added metallic watercolours to bring out some highlights.

What to do with them? I don’t know…yet. All I know is they were fun to do and quite satisfying.

Under the weather

I’ve not been feeling too grand, hence the lack of a blog post yesterday. I had a stomach upset on Saturday night, along with headache, tiredness and loss of appetite.

I’m still not right today – tired, another headache and an uncomfortable digestive system still. I think it’ll be another quiet day for me.

Sketchbook Saturday

Angela Porter1 Comment
Sketchbook Saturday 2 May 2020 ©Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

I am enjoying working a little either on my sketchbook-journal or preparing bits and bobs for it each day.

The main thing I wanted to do this morning was to get some little word tags prepared and in use.

I created a list of words I’d like to add to bits and bobs of art. I copied the list, using different fonts, then printed out an A4 sheet of the words. I made a second sheet using different words and different fonts. Then, I cut the sheets up into smaller pieces for storage.

Then, I realised I’d need to create a storage space for them in my sketchbook and thought an envelope would be the easiest way. I do have some commercially produced envelopes, but I thought it was time to use my We’R’Memory Keepers envelope punch board for a more custom size.

I cut an 8″ x 8″ piece of ordinary printer paper. I coloured the paper with distress oxide inks (old paper, tea dye and dried marigold) and then made an envelope that measures 3.5″ x 6″.

I then realised I needed a way to keep the envelope closed. I could tuck the flap inside the envelope, but as I used copy paper I didn’t know how durable it would be. So, I came up with the idea of having a little pocket to tuck the corner of the flap into. And that meant I could cut out “words” from one of the lists and add it to the little pocket.

Before I did that, I aged the edges of the label with Distress Ink. Next, I glued it to a an old book page and cut it out with a border of text. That layer was also edged with Distress Ink, then it was added to the pocket. I used a metallic Gelly Roll pen to draw around the label.

On the page, you can see some small drawings I’ve done over the past couple of days.

On the left of the page are three ATC cards (2.5″ x 3.5″) made from a piece of mixed media paper coloured with the same Distress Oxide Inks.

On the right, is a larger artwork, an experiment and exploration of what I could do. I collaged some Distress Oxide coloured pieces of paper on to the background. I added metallic gold and copper paint to some of the pieces, and also to create patterns behind them. I drew little designs too, including a Dangle Design from one.

I’m not all that happy with the ‘explore’ card. There are bits I like, and other bits where I think I messed up. I think if I’d left it with the gold patterning on the background and just some simple patterns on some of the collaged rectangles, maybe some gold paint on the smaller ones, then it would’ve worked out better.

I think I’m going to make a vellum envelope or pocket to store the ATC cards in. Vellum in translucent and so will provide a tantalising glimpse of the card(s) safely stored within.

The ‘explore’ card will be placed into the sketchbook, with notes and reflections about it. It’s one that will be a learning experience more than anything else.

Entangled Art – 1 May 2020

Angela Porter2 Comments

This morning, I finished this Entangled Art drawing.

The background was created using Distress Oxide inks and sprays of water on mixed media paper then scanned in.

The drawing was done digitally using Autodesk Sketchbook Pro.

A very intricate, detailed drawing in my signature ‘Entangled’ art style, that includes inspiration from nature, architecture, geometrical and repeating patterns, and overlaps a little with zentangle.

A new month!

While we may all be in lock-down, the days still pass us by and go into the past.

I sit here, at my desk and looking out of my window as I work. Sunshine, blue sky with some heavy grey clouds cover the world. Fluffy dandelion seeds are dancing around in the air, thanks to a fairly swift breeze. The trees that cover the valley sides are all cloaked in their spring green finery. It’s a fitting view for Beltane, May Day.

The world is now fully awakened from it’s winter sleep. The long, dark days of winter are now behind me and the days have been rapidly lengthening towards the longest days around the summer solstice in June.

In years past I’d be looking forward to days out, enjoying evening activities and meetings in daylight. I was looking forward this year to going out with my DSLR to take photos of flowers and plants, architecture, and anything else that grabbed my attention. That’s not to be. However, I will be looking forward to doing this in the future.

As much as I would like to be wandering around with my camera, I know it’s more important to be at home, to avoid contact with others, and to help slow down, if not halt, the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The most difficult thing is not knowing when the current restrictions will safely be lifted. And when they are, the number of cases is likely to increase once again and we’ll return to lock-down.

I am so grateful that I am able to work at home, am happy to stay at home, for as long as it takes. The longer this goes on, the easier I find it to remain at home. I do worry that when the lock-down is released I may find I’m filled with fear and anxiety about leaving my home. I struggle with that anyway, but I do wonder what effect this will have on me.

Still, I can still think of things I’d like to do, places I’d like to visit, once it is safe to do so once again, even though that particular point in time is, as of yet, not in the calendar.