Playing With Paint

Last Sunday, my friend Penn hosted a Gelli printing party. There were 10 of us playing with paint and munching snacks and having a really good time.

I bought a whole bunch of new stencils for my birthday, so I got to test drive them. I also shared them around so others could play with them. They are all nice and painty now.

These are a few of my prints. The wonky circle has become my new favourite. 

I've just set up my studio for the 6 week online painting class I am taking with Mati Rose. It begins on Saturday and was my birthday gift to myself. I can't wait! I just need to run out and get 6 canvasses, since we'll be painting one a week. 

I am excited about this class because while I've taken a few layering classes, I've never actually worked on a large canvas before. I have no idea if I'll even be good at this, but I'm excited to find out. Every time I do something outside of my comfort zone, I love the part where I get to uncover things I didn't know about myself-talents I didn't know I had, personal insights or fresh creative ideas that just pop into my head. That for me is the thrill of learning. My goal is to create at least one painting that I would like to hang in my home. I'll let you know how that goes!

In other news, I am preparing to speak at the Canadian Association of Neuroscience Nurses conference in a couple of weeks. I'll be sharing my experience of NMO. I am also working with my Health Mentor students to prepare for the symposium that happens at the end of the month. It's a busy time!

This morning I had a conversation with someone about a very cool opportunity they wanted to offer me. I've accepted and will share more about that soon.

This Week's All About Colour

We had a beautiful weekend for our 23rd anniversary. It was warm (17C) and sunny. My husband and I, along with Indy hopped the False Creek Ferry to Granville Island. It was the perfect day for a leisurely cruise and lunch in the courtyard.

The trees are spectacular this time of year. Everywhere you look, it's a colour feast for the eyes. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. Autumn is so incredibly beautiful in this part of Canada.

Over the weekend, I picked up some new stencils and some new shades of paint, so I made some prints on my gelli plate. It's always fun to experiment with colours.

This week and next are going to be busy and then things will slow down for a bit as I have surgery on my wrist and arm on Nov. 19th. NOT looking forward to having bones sawed (I am actually a bit freaked out at the prospect) but it's been almost 8 months since I broke my wrist for the 4th time and it's not healing on it's own, so surgery's a necessary evil. I am hoping everything goes smoothly and at the very least, it will relieve the pain. I am tired of being either in a cast or splint after all these months. I'd like full use (such as it is) of my right hand back!

I saw this last week and I wanted to share it with you-I found it uplifting. I hope you do too! 

Time Well Spent

I spent the day yesterday working on Gelli plate prints with Penn. The first day of Autumn was a windy and wet one, so it was the perfect day to be holed up in the studio with a good friend, creating.

As you can see in the photo on the left, I created quite the stack. There were thirty one 8 1/2 x 11 sheets and then about a dozen book pages that I used to clean my brayer off on in between prints. Nothing goes to waste! The print on the right was my most favourite of the day.

I also really love the one on the right. 

These ones are more subtle. They kind of remind me of Basic Grey, which is my favourite paper arts company.

I have also been working on Roben Marie Smith's You've Got Mail Art class. I haven't been doing the projects so much as working on technique right now. Don't get me wrong-the projects are great-I just want to focus on developing a looser style right now. I've been using what Roben Marie teaches to experiment in doing that.

These are four pieces where I just used card stock as my substraight:

I will probably take them to colour copy when I make copies of my gelli prints. I like to colour copy my originals so I can use them endlessly in future art projects.

I find these two particular ways of making art very relaxing. I just lay paint down and there's really no wrong way to do it. If I don't like something I've done, I simply paint over it. It's quite freeing.

Penn and I also spent some time looking at some zines from each other's collection. She just did a zine swap with her art group recently and I realized I really need to finish the zine I've been working on for some time now. I love making them, but they are a considerable amount of work. I tend to work on them in stages, so it takes months to put one together. I have the art created, I just need to decide what the content is going to be. (No mean feat!) My goal is to have Manual Dexterity 4 completed before I have hand surgery. I see the hand surgeon on Thursday and then I'll have a better idea if that's even possible. Here's hopin'!

Operation Etsy Restock A Success!

 Hello everyone! I've been holed up in my studio, nose the grind stone & fingers flying, for the past few days, making journals! They are now listed in my Etsy.

At the urging of friends, I've created the very first set of gelli print journals. I do believe I'm the first person to list anything like this on Etsy, so if you see them after today, I will officially be ahead of the curve and perhaps even a trend setter! *grins*

I picked my most favourite prints to include in these journals, which means there are a rich and vibrant collection of colours and textures. The pages are just waiting for your art and words!

I also got a request to restock Remains of the Day journals. These are truly a work of heart, as a significant amount of time goes into making them. I've used a couple treasured fabrics from my stash and a whole whack of ephemera, washi tape and bits & bobs to make them special. Please see the listings for a more complete breakdown about what's inside!

Edit: Holy WOW! The Letter ROD Journal has already been snapped up! That was lightening fast! *Boggles*

While I was at it, I decided to refresh my store banner:

I used a photo I took when I was up in Whistler last summer. I love how this looks! There's something very satisfying about being able to use your own work to design things like this. It makes me happy!

So, there you have it, the mercantile is now open for business! I am hoping to add a few more things over the next couple of weeks, but if you see something you love, grab it because when it's gone, it's gone!

An Art Date

 

It's been an artful weekend so far. Yesterday my pal Carol came over for an art date, to try her hand at Gelli Plate printing. While she was busy playing with paint, I put together this journal for myself using some of the prints I've made. I absolutely LOVE it!

Here's a quick flip through video I made to give you a peek of what's inside. Several friends have encouraged me to make similar journals available in my Etsy shop, so I've decided to do it. The one in the video was a prototype so there will be some improvements to the ones I will be making for my shop. I'll let you know as soon as they are ready! 

I wanted to try printing on labels yesterday. I think these would be fun to add into my journals. I bought a box of labels, so I have plenty left to experiment with.

Carol had a great time creating. She ended up printing about 30 pages and she said she could see why I said bring a whole package of cardstock. Once you start, you can't stop! She made some great papers and I think she will be hunting down textures to use for next time!

We had a nice lunch-I made my favourite chicken, brie and fig jam sandwiches and Carol brought a yummy chocolate cream pie to share. It's amazing how quickly 6 hours can fly by when you're having fun!

All & Sundry

Time for a catch up post! I am still having a blast experimenting with my Gelli plate. I made this print the other day. I still haven't had time to shop for more paint colours to round out my pallet, but I'm hoping to fit that in soon.

The weather here has been spectacular. Over the weekend we hit highs of 30C. We took Indy to Davison's Pool, a hidden away swim hole in the Alouette River my husband grew up swimming in. Indy loves it. We had our first picnic of the year afterwards and I played around with the camera in my iPhone. I was aiming for sun flare and I got it! Still looking for great photography apps, so if you have a favourite you think I should get, please comment and let me know!

I took this shot after Indy got out of the river. Something about the intensity in his eyes make me think he looks kind of wolfish when he stares like this. People who don't know him are very cautious of him because he's big, black and lean like a panther. Thing is, he really is the sweetest boy. To know him is to love him.

He was completely tuckered out when we got home. He crashed on the futon in our spare room. It always cracks me up how he has to lie with his head on a pillow. When he lies on our bed, for some reason, my pillow is the pillow of choice. Dogs really are creatures of comfort.

Like my sexy new splint? For just $115 this too could be yours! Seriously, while I am not thrilled about having to wear it, it is making the wrist fracture easier to live with. I finally managed to get a referral to a hand specialist and it looks like I am going to need an MRI and a referral for a plastic surgeon to take out a tiny floating bone in my wrist (the pisiform) that is causing me grief. It's impinging my ulnar nerve and making my ring and pinkie finger numb, cold and when the swelling is really bad, change colour. It's not carpel tunnel, but sort of similar. It's very uncomfortable and has become a chronic problem. I've fracture my wrist every year for the last 4 years and as much as I've tried to ignore it and just carry on, it's time to do something about it. No telling how long this will take, but at least it's in motion.

In the good news department, I've had two really cool opportunities come up. The details are still being worked out, but I'll share as soon as I can! Lots of great things in the works!

Let The Monoprinting Begin!

Guess who is the proud new owner of a Gelli Plate! Yes indeed! I decided to see if the (somewhat) local scrapbooking store was carrying them and they were! First I wanted to show you what I did with some of the papers I created the first time I played with my friend Penn's plate a couple weeks ago. 

I've made some bits to add to my art journals. Super easy and a good way to spend a rainy afternoon. I have all sorts of shape punches and rubber, so I went through my stash and chose some of my favourites. Voila! Instant collage fodder!

 Yesterday was a busy day, so I only got to play with my plate for an hour, but as you can see, you don't need alot of time to get results.

Regrettably, you don't really get a sense of how bright and beautiful the prints are-it doesn't quite translate on a computer. 

It's time for me to stock up on acrylics-I've printed over 100 sheets now with a paint collection that I've had since 2009. I'd say that's pretty economical! My dollar store has an excellent selection of colours, so I'll have to swing buy and replenish my supply. Since I'm only using a nickle sized dollop every time, a little sure goes a long way!

I had to laugh when I showed my husband the plate. I took it out of the box and held it up so he could see. (If you haven't seen one, it looks like an 8 x 10 sheet of clear jello-it's silicone)

 He says "That was $30?" 

Me: "Yes."

Him: "Whatever makes you happy Honey."

SMART MAN!

Honestly, he has always been super supportive of anything I am doing and doesn't seem to mind if I want to buy some new tool or take a class or whatever, as long as it makes me happy. He's a keeper!

More Fun With Gelli Plate Prints

So I've been playing around with some of the Gelli Plate prints I made last week. I scanned one and then layered a couple photos I took of some wooden print blocks on top. I think I like the one in white best-it has a lace-like quality to it. I'm going to keep playing around and see what other photos from my collection would work well with the papers.

The good people of Gelli Arts contacted me asking if they could share my prints on their FB page and their Pinterest boards. That was really nice of them! They are having a giveaway on their blog, so go check it out!

Here are a few more prints from the 80 I did last week:

Left: Circle stencil using left over black paint on the Gelli Plate and laying blues and yellows over top. 

Right: A negative print using the same stencil and grading the colours from left to right.

Left: Using a foam stamp with circles. This one looks like pain on a plaster wall.

Right: Using the alphabet sticker sheet, printed side by side.

Left: A number stencil, put on backwards. Colours graded from left to right.

Right: Over printing using a loosely woven grid-like cloth.

Left: Using a hand cut swirl foam stamp.

Right: The loosely woven grid-like cloth again. It makes great texture!

I picked up a circle stencil the other day. I have an obsession with circles. (No really-I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them.) I'm going to have to hunt up the other stencils I have kicking around. I know I have some interesting ones. Then I need to get my hands on a Gelli Plate. Seriously!

In my travels yesterday, I discovered my dollar store had a whole pile of washi tape. It's not exactly like MT tape-it has a slightly plastic feel to it, but the prints are so lovely and at $1 a roll, how could I resist?! They also had some rolls of neon washi from another company at $2 a roll. I think I'm going to have to go back and get some. 

I now have 99 rolls in my collection. It was never my intention to amass so many, but you start with one roll and then you see a colour you like, so you buy that one. Then there's a pretty pattern you can't resist, so you buy that one. Then you need a certain colour for a project, so you hunt down that one. Then you discover a certain design in several colours and you can't decide which one you like best, but they're inexpensive, so you buy all of them...SEE? THIS is how it happens! Consider yourselves warned! I've never been one to hoard art supplies-I usually only buy what I need and use it right away (I like to keep things fresh) but this seems to be the exception to the rule. The good news is that I am using them!

Playing With Paint

Yesterday I spent the entire day making papers on Penn's Gelli Plate. This was the end result of 6 1/2 hours of non-stop printing-a 1 1/2 inch thick stack of yummy papers EIGHTY IN TOTAL (!!!) I can use however I please! (Made with a fracture wrist, no less! I've decided that either I am insane or just really hardcore about art!)

Penn gave me a quick demo and then I go to work playing with all the possible colour combinations I could come up with. She and I own a fair bit of cheap acrylic paints, so there were lots of colours to choose from. Penn also owns a ton of stencils, to the combinations really were endless.

Here are a few samples:

Left: Made using a simple circle stencil. 

Right: I used a number stencil, which I put on backwards, but I really don't think it matters-it's still cool.

Left: Using a Cathedral Windows stencil. 

Right: The circle stencil again, but printing the black circles first and then over printing them with straight colour. This is one of my most favourite papers. It's very Basic Grey-like.

    

Left: I used a rough organic like material that is loosely grid-like. This is my other most favourite paper. Again, very much like Basic Grey's style, which I love so much. 

Right: I used a grid of plastic letters which are actually stickers. Penn took the sticky off using baby powder. The letter are sort of the kind you might see in old fashioned restaurant menu boards.

Sadly, the colours here are not as vibrant or true as they appear in real life, but at least you get the idea. I took some photos of the process of using the Gelli Plate so you can see how simple it is:

All you need are cheap dollar store acrylic paints. The paint needs to be thin and runny, so save your Goldens for other projects. Bright primary colours work so much better than earth tones or muted shades. My favourite magic colours are always bright turquoise, a bright true orange, bubble gum pink and a grape purple. Add a dab of these to any other colours you are working with in any medium and you've got magic.

Stencils don't need to be store bought. Penn and I used a variety of things that were just lying around in our studios-old doilies, laces, plastic bottle caps, tools for making marks & scraping, etc. The lace doily pictured here is from the dollar store and is actually rubber. 

First you squirt a small amount of paint onto the Gelli Plate and use a large brayer to spread it out evenly. You only need a thin coat. Next, you press your stencil into the paint. In this case, we used the number stickers I mentioned.

Next you lay your paper down on top of the plate and smooth it either using your hands or a brayer. We used cardstock weight papers to print on. Penn had some old tabbed dividers we used. The weight of the paper matters-it has to do with how the paint gets transferred, so regular computer paper doesn't get the best result. The paint needs somewhere to go, so thicker paper seems to work better.

Once you have smoothed the paper into the paint, you just peel it up gently and set it aside to dry. It dries almost instantly, so you can move on to your next print. If there's paint left on the Gelli Plate, that's great-we didn't clean it off, ever-we just kept adding paint because part of the magic is the wabi-sabi effect of having random colours and bits of left over stencil shapes show up in a completely different print.

I especially loved over printing my pages. If I got something I wasn't keen on, I just printed right over it. Some of my best papers were done this way. There really is no waste of paint or paper-everything is usable, including the stack of book pages we were using to clean the brayer off on, in between prints.

My plan is to colour copy my papers to use in future art projects. Penn and I are also copying our pages for each other and we'll trade. Since all our pages were made using binder tabs, they are already 3 hole punched, so I will trim the tabs off and pop them into a binder for storage.

Now all I need to do is get myself a Gelli Plate! The 8 1/2 x 11 is $30. That's very inexpensive when you consider how much you can create with it! There are tons of video tutorials online of ways to use it too, so the possibilities are endless! Penn says the plates are only available online via the Gelli company so far, so if you want one, you have to order it through them.

When I got home, there was mail waiting for me from my friend Lisa Call. Don't you just love the presentation?!?

Lisa is a very talented Precious Metal Clay, jewelery and mixed media artist. Her work is exquisite. Years ago, at my first Artfibrefest, we met in person for the first time. She said she had a special gift for me and gave me a letter "L" charm. She was surprised to know I'd never owned anything with an "L" on it till that moment. I put it on my silver bracelet and I treasure it still. It was one of the sweetest and most unexpected gifts I've ever received. 

Yesterday, she sent me this adorable camera charm she made for me, to add to my bracelet. If you look at the back, there is "XO" on it too. LOVE IT! I will treasure it forever as well. I was so surprised. Lisa, THANK YOU! You are so thoughtful!

All in all, it was a very lovely and productive day.