Monday, August 06, 2012

Taking a Bite out of Art Journaling in my Clairefontaine Journal!

Happy Monday - Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps!!! Susan here with my top of the month post. Throughout the month of August, twice a week, the VLVS! Design Team is featuring sketch journals by Clairefontaine. You can see their products HERE.


You can check up on all things journal related at the Rhodia Drive blog: http://rhodiadrive.com/ and also on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rhodia-Drive/98458096197.


As part of this month long event...Viva Las Vegastamps! and Clairefontaine are hosting a contest this month--comment on all the Clairefontaine posts throughout the month to get a chance at a free journal and a $15 coupon to the VLVS! online store! Great prize!! Good luck!! Remember, you can't win if you don't enter!!!

I have made an Art Journal page in my Clairefontaine Journal - using Viva Las Vegastamps! and a technique using my little "happy accidental invention"...MIXERS MIST!

Today I am sharing some in-depth instruction as to how to make your own mists using Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer with Terri Sproul Mixers. I have been loving the bronze mist I made and am so excited to make more colors to play with.


This was my HAPPY ACCIDENT...Terri Sproul MIXERS MIST!!!!


My DISCOVERY: I took the contents of my water cup containing the glittery goodness leftover from washing my brushes while painting with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers and I poured this into an empty spray bottle. This is a lovely, sheer shimmery spray - very subtle on light paper. I now have a large spray bottle of this and I am using this mixture as a base to make a whole family of mixer mists!

 

To do this I have rummaged my house and reclaimed every spray bottle I can get my hands on. I have here an assortment of recycled travel size hair/body sprays, some Ranger Mini Misters, and some small mini sprayers from Sky Blue Pink.

**PLEASE NOTE** The wash water is directly from the cup. I'm not sure how much Crystal Lacquer is actually in it. But the bronze mixer - I made from scratch. I filled about 1/2 bottle with water {one of those 1 oz. travel size sprayers}, a few scoops on a toothpick of bronze & copper penny mixers and a squirt of CL. Not so much that it's sticky - just enough so the shimmer will stick to the paper you spray it on. The mini mister tubes don't hold very much liquid {maybe a dozen sprays or so}, this is why I started with the wash water mix as a base. There is nothing else in my wash water except for Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers.

Below are the tester papers I made for the colors I've mixed so far. I added a swatch of black paper to each so I could see how these worked on dark papers. The bronze, gold, silver and interference colors worked best on the black paper. An unexpected result: the colored mists really didn't show up at all - they just leave a white splatter. On white - all of the colors worked beautifully - even the interference violet. The scanner and photographs can't capture all the shimmer reflections - but I promise, the glittery goodness is there!

  
  

I labeled each card with the color combinations. I'm so excited to play with these!

With my MIXERS MISTS in hand - I got out my stamps, resist ink and black ink, some sea salt granules and punchinella to make a fun background in my art journal. I sprayed several colors on first layer then let dry and then heat set to make sure it was entirely dry.




This art journal page feature these VLVS stamps: Shark Head Large #4018"Some Days I Feel Like..." #891 quote bubble, Sailboat Harbor #9863, Design/Tight Curlyques #9795, and Texture/Yarn Balls #9731. I love to use the stamps to build scenes, and use stamps to give detail or texture.


The lovely Clairefontaine Journal features an 83lb pH neutral, acid-free drawing paper with a smooth satin finish, solid hardboard covers and a flexible plexi protective front cover. I was so happy to have a shiny new book in which to art journal in and this book has a nice large spiral to allow my pages room to grow  with my chunky mixed media creations.


I stamped my images with black Memories Ink by Stuart Superior and masked areas I wanted to protect from colored mists. I also used Ranger Resist Ink pad to stamp texture with "Texture/Yarn Balls" to simulate splashed water.


I sprayed several layers and colors of my mixers mists. I also sprinkled sea salt granules around shark base and fins - this will repel color as it drys and give a nice bleach texture.


Detail of salt granules as misted colors dry.


Page when dry and salt granules and masks removed. I really love the variegation of the color mists. To add color and detail, I drew and colored on top with Ranger Distress Markers and the paper texture was perfect {no pilling or fiber breakdown}. I also took care in not over-wetting or rubbing the damp paper too much. I finished off by dry brushing water splash with ice blue acrylic paint and white gesso. I stamped along the bottom with the curlyques and hand drew in some waves with Black Soot Distress Marker.

I have to say the paper in the Clairefontaine Journal has a wonderful smooth texture and held up nicely to the misting with limited warping. I have made a couple other pages that applied several layers of colors using stencils and I was really impressed with the durability of the paper.

Thanks so much for dropping by today! Pop on over to the Viva Las Vegastamps! store - loads of new stamps have just been added - Halloween, Christmas and many more! Check your latest newsletter - there is a free shipping coupon code that is good through August 8th!

If you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. I'll be back with another stamping adventure on August 12th. Hope you have an inky day! Sb

9 comments:

Antoinette/Cultivate Life in Joy said...

Wow...I love how this came out..amazing work and technique thanks for sharing

Alice said...

Love the background! It is vibrant and full of color!
You are so full of awesome out-of-the-box ideas!

Sandra Strait said...

I love all the texture you've created! Fantastic journal page!

Barbara Rankin said...

This is a fantastic page, Susan. I love how your colors mixed so beautifully, and the texture you achieved with the salt and yarn. TFS about the TS Mixers and CL mixture for spray painting. Now you don't have to throw your pretty water away. It can be put to good use. Love it!

LeslieRahye said...

great techniques susan! love it!

Lyneen said...

Just when you think it is safe to go in the water!!! LOVE YOUR JOURNAL PAGE!

bjw_draw said...

excellent post :)

Tarnished Rose said...

Wow, love your page.

Smiles~
Marilyn

Unknown said...

thanks - I made my own mister from instructions on another blog but think I need more glue.

Apprciate the tips!