Week 15 DLP: I'm Not Crying A River

The Original Documented Life Project - The Journal 

Do check out this fantastic art journal project if you haven't already! The above letters in green is a link that takes you to it. ;) So rewarding and it's a great education, and it is FREE! Whoot!!

The project I'm sharing here is from Week 15! (Yes, very far behind, but I'm okay with that!) 

Acrylics is the art challenge and the journaling prompt is Cry Me a River. 

Here are the Art5 ladies takes on the challenge:

Week 15, April 11, 2015

So, here is my project. Scroll down for close-ups and bit of my process.:) My spin on the journaling prompt is to do the opposite of the quote. NOT crying a river here, rather, I choose to do a very happy looking piece. I had no feel for the crying a river part. LOL.

 I just finished a class called Neon Forest, by Teresa McFayden. Check it out HERE! She is the featured artist for this week's DLP. I have salivated over her Neon Forests for a year at least, and so when I visited her blog to see her take on this week's DLP challenge, I saw the Neon Forest art. I said, whoa, gotta check that out! I had never searched out the artist. That said, I signed up for her class, and made a few pieces following her suggestions. Love them. I decided to deviate from the regular grey background with pink. It DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME NEON POWER as the grey, and frankly, (See the bottom of this post for my class pieces, with the grey background.) I look like I'm on crack or something. LOL I promise, I'm not! Teehee

I started with the background, blending pink and white Dylusions paints in a circular motion in the middle with a round Ranger paint applicator. Painted funky flowers, fun little leaves, stems with heavy duty acrylic paint and outlined everything with a grey Stabilo All pencil.

Stencilled a vine with the Tracks stencil by Tim Holtz and added more detail marks to the halo in the middle with a really old stencil called Circles n' Circles TCW79 by The Crafter's Workshop. I also added heavy duty acrylic paint to some of the "leaves" I made with the stencil, to give it a bit more texture. 

Added a yellowish paint in some areas at the bottom of the page. Looking at it now, I feel like I should have added more to the bottom to ground it better, but too late now, I'm posting! :)

Loving the messy palette of paints!

Ooh, and had to sneak in a peek of my newest Traveler's Journal. It's from The Foxy Fix, and it's name is Pixie Dust. ♥♥♥ (But that's a different post!)

My very first Neon Forest. I have lots to learn, but I like it, as it portrays my moving into unknown territory, out of my comfort zone. Painting precisely with paint brushes is something I definitely need to practice more! And my background area needs more blending...and..and...but I'm happy overall!

Neon Forest #2: I tried a really fast version for the NaNoJouMo 15 minute version, which I'm participating in the month of November. I made this over two-15 minute time slots. I hope to blog about that project sometime soon!

15 NaNoJourMo

The 15 Minute Edition of NaNoJouMo by Dawn Sokol

This is a new challenge, based on the popular NaNoWriMo. 

Instead of writing a novel in a month, you spend 15 minutes a day in your art journal. 

My plan is 5 minutes of free-writing, and 10 minutes art journaling. 

For day one and two, I did add more details later, but this timed exercise is my starting point. Learning how to just go for it, and not agonize, agonize, stare, stare at the blank page! 

I do it so much. 

My creative muscles will get a workout, big time! 

My goal was to call each page FINISHED when the timer beeps, but I just couldn't help myself. 

I want pages to be more complete. 

I need to be spanked?

A file folder journal in progress: when the month is complete, I'll bind
all the pages together into a book.

DAY ONE:

Pages transformed with color and paint and paper and stamps
and ink and on and on...

Ombre gelli prints for the background. 

stencil work

Mail art : the painty circles in pink, green and purple are cut
from an envelope.

Snail mail happiness was from my fellow DLP moderator, Chris. ♥

Each day I am doing a five minute free-write.

washi tape

graph paper for the background with my journaling

Day 1 stamped with rubber stamps and a huge big set of
foam numbers and letters by Magnetic Poetry

The bible truth, "You are transformed through Christ" is the reminder
for me throughout this month, so I decided to put that on the very first page of the file folder book.

Snippets of words that echoed my main sentiment are put above my title.

Ordinary manila and kraft colored file folders make up the pages in this journal and they

they will be hand-bound together at the end of the month.

DAY TWO:

I bought a huge bundle of cheap kraft paper at an art store, and I use it catch my drips and stains (underpaper), but I also gelli-print on it quite deliberately. It makes up the background of the left side.

Made the snail mail envelope I had cut out a circle for yesterday's project and glued to page, and tucked in today's 5 minute free-write and a tag from the lovely Sandi Keene.

Label, stamped with the same stamps I used for day 1.

Punched out a circle from an old Uno turn-around card, 

old children's book, 

gelli prints, 

music paper, 

an old zine I ordered off Etsy from Daisy Yellow that didn't print out right,

an index card where I practiced calligraphy with brush pens...

Pink polka dot washi tape. I don't think washi will ever go out of style. It's so handy!