My Inchies Are Done

This was a lot of fun to do. After you get past the aggravation of trying to find that many tiny images that are meaningful or pleasing to you. I think I left off at going around the pics with black paint because my gel pens wouldn't write on it. So I just made sketchy black lines around each inchie. Then I dry brush coat of gesso. Then lines with a charcoal pencil that you smear. Then more dry brush gesso. Then more smeary charcoal.
Then you hit it randomly with a dry brush in grey.
The mag says to have gesso and marks on your inchies. And to outline some of the pics in the inchies with black pen.
But I didn't want to mark or cover any of them. They took too darn long to amass!! So I skipped this step.

Then I took stencils and made words that seemed to fit and dry brushed them with gesso. Then I lightly outlined them with charcoal pencil that I smeared.

That's it. Like I said, fun to do. Wouldn't it be cool to have a son or daughter or BFF collect images and do one of these pieces for them?

Peace

Wall Hangings

I'm not sure what to call these, wall hangings or placques or what.Anyway, this one is for a sister who had a bit of a run in with her teenage daughter. The words are'Raising teenagers is like trying to nail jello to a tree.' I was really happy with the image of a woman I found. I Google imaged Frustration and there she was.

This one is just cuz I like the saying. It is 'Give a man an inch and he thinks he's a ruler.' For some reason it just cracks me up.

So that's some of what I've been doing. Nothing profound, just putzing around.

Peace

No pics today

Today is for remembering.
I know I will never forget the feeling of horror and outrage.
That someone, some people would dare do this to us.
It couldn't be true.
But of course it was.
And now our boys and girls are still over there.
Even after all this time.
I am proud of my son and my nephew and all the soldiers.
But it saddens me and sickens me and I am always frightened for them.

Peace

Me in Inches

So I saw this done in Cloth Paper Scissors and it intrigued me. So I figured I'd give it a shot. The idea is to cut images in inchies and mount them on a canvas. So first I graphed out the canvas and found out that I would need 99 inchies!!



Then I decided that my inchies would be things that represent me or that make me happy. So I made an inchie stencil out of a piece of plastic and started looking for pics. It is a lot harder than you would think to find things that are able to be identified when cut into an inchie.

It probably took a couple of weeks of searching images in mags and catalogs etc. And I used some words from an old dictionary. But finally I got 99 and there they are all mounted with matte gel medium.

Next you're supposed to start painting in between them with a paint marker, but I don't have one so I am using a brush and some Topaz metallic craft paint.

I'll keep you posted about the next steps.

Peace

Heart Songs

I was inspired to make these by the article in May/June Somerset Studio.
The artist is Sarah Whitmire. There was just something about them that I had to re-create.

I used the museum canvases, which I love. I have found that Sax Art Supplies carries them for a decent price. Call them and get a catalog, it's full of great stuff.

I had a bunch of trims and old lace scraps, and I used them to trim out the bottoms. I used mechanics wire for the false hangers.

I cut scallops from sheet music for the sides.

I tried the crackling paints and didn't find them to be any better than using the medium. You will save a step, but the crackle isn't as noticable.

Peace