Creative JumpStart with Caylee Grey

Caylee Grey's 'Story of an ordinary day' class was the final class in the CJS course. There were a few that I missed out, and I might go back to those. But here's my page inspired by Caylee's class.

 I used magazine images to represent myself, my Husband and son, and my Mum. I had some sort of contact with them all in my day. I used colours from my day too, colours from my garden and the colour of my favourite chair. Music paper represents the music on the radio. 

I used staples to assemble my collage, so I'm linking this page to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme at Art Journal Journey.

I hope you're all having a good week,

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart with Danny Gregory

 Hello All.

Danny Gregory's class at CJS was titled Every Day Matters. We sketched, watercoloured and journalled everyday occurrences.

I used some copper metallic watercolour paint on my plate and mug, and silver on my crochet hook, so I'm linking up to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme at Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for visiting me today, I hope you have a great new week.

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart with Rachel Greig

 Hello Everyone!

Rachel's Greig's class for CJS was 'A letter to my younger self'. She used distress inks and Darkroom Door stamps to create an art journal page. Here's my version. I used Crafty Individuals and Darkroom Door stamps on my page.

I added brads to the rose window images, so I'm linking up to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme at Art Journal Journey. 

Won't it be lovely when we can go traveling again?! I live on the outskirts of London, so I've been there many times. I've visited Paris and Prague too. I've been to Italy, but never visited Rome. I'd love to see the Colosseum someday.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart with Dina Wakley

 Layered thoughts was the title of Dina Wakley's class on CJS. We layered text on tissue paper, using stencils, paint, coloured pencils and paint pens. Then we ripped it up and used it as the background for a collage page, with a few added drips and splatters, and some words.

I'm linking my page to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme at Art Journal Journey. Isn't that Amsterdam Deep Gold acrylic ink just sublime?! Makes me feel good. Are you all singing now? :D

Thanks for visiting me today, I hope you all have a great weekend.

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart with Mary Beth Shaw

 Hello All. 

Day 40 (9th Feb) of CJS was A Patchwork Of Your Own Life with Mary Beth Shaw. 

I created a mixed media canvas using Mary Beth's stenciling techniques.

I started by creating blocks of white, black and gold gesso, then used a variety of stencils with embossing enamel and Lumiere metallic paint. I used watercolour paint to stencil on some music paper, then adhered this across the centre of the canvas, then stenciled on that with black gesso, and added marks with a gold paint pen. I stencilled the small squares between the blocks, then finished with splashes and drips of black india ink.

I'm linking my canvas to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme over at Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xox

More Creative JumpStart

 Hi Everyone!

I have a few more CJS projects to share with you today, starting with Rae Missigman's Colour Story on 5th Feb (Day 36).

After creating some large pieces with acrylic paint, watercolour paint, and soft pastel marks, we cut them up into various sizes of squares and rectangles.

On 6th Feb (Day 37), Vicki Boutin showed us a fun faux watercolour mon-printing technique, using Distress Inks. Here's the background I created.

And on 7th Feb (Day 38), Cheiron Brandon showed us how to create a background, and make up a story with Tim Holtz Paper Dolls and story stickers. I'm linking my page to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme at Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for visiting me today,

Have a great week,

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart and More

 Happy Weekend Everyone!

I'm up to Day 35 (4th Feb) of CJS, and this class by Jane LaFazio was titled Mono-printed Mini Quilt.

I love an excuse to get out my Gelli Plate, and I decided to print and stitch onto a cotton bag. I put a sheet of plastic inside the bag, to avoid the paint going through to the other side.

For the mono-printing, I cut out some masks, and starting with my lightest colour, I built up some colourful layers on the bag. 

I haven't done chainstitch or french knots for a very long time, so I was impressed that I remembered how to do those. I used two strands of embroidery thread for all of the stitching.

I used the same mono-printing technique on an art journal page for RaspberryBlueSky's 52 weeks art journal Instagram challenge, the theme this week being Be My Valentine.

I added some silver metal eyelets and pen stitches, and stapled my page into my art journal. I'm linking this page to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme at Art Journal Journey.

Thank you for dropping by today,

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart Days 33 and 34

 Hi Everyone!

It was Tina Walker's lesson on Day 33 (2nd Feb), with Storytelling through Art Journaling. Here's my interpretation.

And on Day 34 (3rd Feb), Jen Crossley showed us how to create a story in an art pendant. I hadn't done anything like this for a long time, but I managed to find the perfect items to use in my stash, and some Crafty Individuals images, and words from book pages.

Wishing you all a happy, creative and safe weekend,

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart Day 32

 Day 32 (1st Feb) of CJS was Visual Poetry with Rachel Juanita Bellamy. We used mono-prints, marks and poetry to create an abstract piece.

I added cream paint pen splatters and a sprinkling of Stampendous Frantage Aged Gold embossing enamel to bring it all together.

I'm linking my page to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme over at Art Journal Journey.

Creative JumpStart Day 31

 Day 31 of CJS was A Personal Journey with Rowan Sivyer. Rowan created a page about her mum who has dementia, using image transfers and mixed media. 

My page is less personal, as I used a magazine image to transfer, but I  used one of my hand-carved stamps, and I found some book text to tell a story. My image transfer didn't work perfectly, but I'm happy with the grungy effect.

I'm linking up to the More Mixed Media Challenge of Anything Goes, with Optional Red.

Thanks for visiting, have a happy and creative day,

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart Day 30

Day 30 of CJS was Show And Tell with Glenda Miles. She created a collage on a wooden block with photos of loved ones, then covered it with encaustic medium.

I used a flat wooden canvas with photos, collage and natural beeswax, then rubbed some Treasure Gold around the edges.

 I'm linking up to Valerie's theme Heavy Metal at Art Journal Journey.

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart Day 29

Happy Friday to you all!

Day 29 of CJS was with Seth Apter. We created a story board about ourselves, using spray-inked and stencilled papers, words to describe ourselves, and attaching the grid pieces with staples. 

I used Dylusions spray inks, and added some contrasting dots and splatters with a red paint pen.

I'm linking my page to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme at Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for dropping by,

Have a great weekend,

Alison xox

Creative Jumpstart Day 28

 Day 28 of CJS was Story Telling with Stamps by Kae Pea. She used watercolour paint to stamp with one of her Art Foamies stamps. I don't have any of her stamps, so I made my own with a foam sheet. 

I used both the inner and outer stamps for my piece, applying the watercolour paint to the outer stamp first and stamping with it, then adding contrasting colours to the inner heart, and stamping with that. I added some stamping with Dina Wakley stamps, and plenty of splatters.

Here's the first page I made. I used a cheap watercolour set for this, which didn't work as well as I wanted. It's a bit wishy washy. I also used a low quality watercolour paper. I painted on some plants and added some scribbly writing.

This second piece worked better. I used Reeve's watercolour tube paints, and better paper.

I really love that Imagination Crafts Pearl Gold watercolour paint!

I'm linking up to Valerie's Heavy Metal theme at Art Journal Journey, and Try It On Tuesday's Falling in Love theme again.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

Some Mini Journals For CJS 20, 21 & 24

 Hello All. I hope you're having a good weekend. I was thrilled today to get my first dose of the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccination. I just hope Hubby will be able to get his soon too.

On Creative JumpStart, we learned some ways to create mini books, which will come in quite handy to use up gel prints.

On Day 20, Amanda Trought showed us some simple cuts and folds to create little doodle journals.

On Day 21, Andrea Chebeleu showed us how to create different watercolour meditative patterns and marks on both sides of paper, then to cut them up to make into a journal.

On Day 24, Diana Trout showed us a few techniques with watercolour, perfect pearls and stencils, creating patterns on both sides of a piece of paper, then folding and cutting to create a maze book.

Thanks for dropping by today,

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart Day 25

 Hi Everyone!

I'm jumping ahead to Day 25 of CJS, with Gwen Lafleur's class 'Story-telling with supplies'. Gwen's project was a dimensional collage piece, featuring items she had collected from other countries, and items she had in her stash.

I decorated an art journal with a few papers and bits that have been in my stash for a while. My cover features birds and nature that I love. The old clip on earring with the blue stone belonged to my grandmother, and it's nice to see it out on display again. I loved making this piece!

I'm linking up to Erika's Favourite Things theme at Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart Day 19

 Hello All.

Day 19 of CJS was Love The Person You've Become with Marlene Meijer-van Niekerk. She showed us how to create a watercolour background, then used collage to add a figure representing ourselves, surrounded by some things we love.

Here's my take on the class. 

I used some PaperArtsy stamps for the background and the art doll's face. I added teabags, collage circles and birds cut from a bird-watching magazine. After I finished, I noticed that the collage circles that I added to the art doll body looked like a bird's nest.

I'm linking up to Erika's Favourite Things theme at Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you're having a good week so far.

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart Day 17

 I was so excited to see Iris Fritschi-Cussens' The Story Of Me lesson on Day 17 of CJS. I discovered Iris' work last year, and I really love her grungy style and edgy portrait art.

Here's my take on her lesson. I'm linking this page to Erika's Favourite Things theme at Art Journal Journey.

I enjoyed myself so much, I did another one! This one was for the 52weeksartjournal challenge run by Raspberrybluesky on Instagram. This week's theme was 'Note To Self'.

Happy Friday to you all! I hope you have a great weekend!

Alison xox

Creative JumpStart Day 16

 I have another page for Erika's Favourite Things theme at Art Journal Journey. 

Tania Ahmed's class for Day 16 of CJS involves gel printing and using book text, two of my favourite things. I also used circles, which are my favourite shape, and scribbly writing.

I really like the words I found, quite appropriate for the time of year. Also, we are still going out at the crack of dawn for our daily walks. The sunrise was lovely this morning, and we saw the sparrow hawk and heron up on the golf course again, which made it even better.

Keep safe and carry on,

Alison xox