“If it doesn’t open…it’s not your door.”
I had this template from a shrine kit (I show you that one later ) which I found intriguing and just placed on top of an crazily busy art journal spread and spray painted over.
I made some marks with brushes , stamps and stencils. A quick and fun page- and I do like how dimensional the masked off areas come out.
Here are some supplies I used – some of the links are affiliate links:
If you are in the US today, Happy 4th of July from the Creative Squad! Today Tina Walker is starting us off on a new July theme with a gorgeous piece of assemblage using my Stroll Through the Hood #2 Main Station and Cardboard stamps and my Toledo stencil. This month’s theme is: Free for All: It’s time for summer vacation and relaxing so around here the Creative Squad is taking a break from themes this month. They’re just going with the flow and making a project of their choosing. It’s a Free for All!
Hi! Tina Walker here today with a new month and a new theme. July’s theme is a Free For All! How perfect is that? We can make whatever our creative little hearts desire! But, to be honest, I always struggle with ‘anything goes’ challenges. I have so much product and love creating so many different types of art, it can be overwhelming. But no worries…my ole’ standby to the rescue – Assemblage Art!
There is something about combining bits and bobs together to create a unique, one-of-a-kind piece. Stamps and stencils always make creating texture on assemblage easy and quick. Let’s see what I’ve created.
Cover all assemblage base pieces with a thin layer of gesso.
Apply modeling paste with your favorite Nat Kalbach stencil to your larger base pieces, I used the Toledo stencil here.
Paint your assemblage pieces with medium of choice. Acrylic paints, spray mists, inks, and pastes all work beautifully.
Just look at how the paint ‘grabs’ the stenciled image. Divine!
Stamp one of your favorite Nat Kalbach ‘Stroll Through the Hood 2’ stamps, such as the Main Station stamp, onto a transparency sheet. Layer it behind one of your assemblage pieces to resemble a window.
For even more texture, heat emboss some of your assemblage pieces with more favorite Nat Kalbach stamps, such as the Tread stamp.
Assemble all of your project pieces together and call it DONE!
I hope you enjoyed my projects today. Have a great day!
Thank you Tina for such a cool project! In addition to Green Apple and Celedon All Purpose Ink, a vintage doll head, and PaperWhimsy chipboard componants, Tina used these supplies – some links are affiliate links:
Play along with us this month and share how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead and my American friends a great celebration day tomorrow!
What a fabulous card!
My wonderful and talented friend Mystele Kirkeeng did an amazing 3part series of videos showing a piece of art she created inspired by my new book Artful Adventures in Mixed Media. Here is the first part:
Check out her Part II and Part III video to see how the gorgeous art journal spread comes together and subscribe to her youtube channel– she is amazing!
Thank you Mystele, for your review and super inspiring videos. I am blessed to have my artist friends <3
I am a huge fan of Mystele ,her art and her teaching! Thanks for including her in your book Nat! xo
Dear Mystele:
I like the way you show the process step by step in a thinking process. You have patience and your imagery shows that the artistic process is part in fact a large part of the process. Thank you for sharing, Leslie
Last Saturday my husband and I went to the Whitney museum to see the Calder: Hypermobility exhibition. In the early 1930s, Alexander Calder invented an entirely new mode of art, the mobile—a kinetic form of sculpture in which carefully balanced components manifest their own unique systems of movement. The exhibition showcases major examples of Calder’s work including early motor-driven abstractions, sound-generating Gongs, and standing and hanging mobiles.
We arrived right on time for one of the activations of the artwork which the Whitney performs on certain times throughout each day
and it was really my favorite to see these pieces in motion – check out the short one minute video below to see the two pieces above being activated:
Calder: Hypermobility from Nathalie Kalbach on Vimeo.
I loved the exhibition – there was something so playful and happy about all the pieces
and I was equally fascinating by the way they were assembled
the forms, shapes and use of color
as well as the really intriguing shadows
I loved seeing all generations being equally fascinated by the work.
and the shadows in motion
I loved the sculptures
and his use of different materials. BTW Calder called his non moving sculptures “Stabiles” .
Some of the pieces were electrical and I wished they would have been working at the the time I was there – guess I have to come back.
How does the one below not fall ….LOL- crazy !
All the elements and principles of art can be found in his work- it is so fascinating.
I loved this gigantic mobile on the wall
For a number of his work- like the one above – Calder intentionally designed the components to collide and even make a sound- which in I couldn’t hear in this one but assume it did make one :)
Each piece which didn’t move just by the moving air in the museum made me wonder how it would look moving. It is weird to see the work not in the way it is intended to be seen, at least once you realize it is intended to be moving…I wish there was a way to just keep them moving but I assume that from a conservatory perspective that would be really hard on the pieces.
I found the fish surprising in regards to the other work on display – but still cool- look at the two shadows
It was a perfect and wonderful day in NYC
The exhibition is on display until October 23, 2017 – make sure to check out the Whitney Website for the activation times – it is well worth to go and see this!
Hope you enjoyed the Art Stroll today!
No doubt seeing the calders together is delightful. If on Sunday for the 3pm and 4pm activation of the mobiles was something that could be seen behind a gaggle of viewer 5 to 10 people deep following a lady in a white coat, blue surgical gloves and dust protectors on her shoes pushing the sculptures with a stick around the exhibition room is “seeing”. Maybe Calder is chuckling about the spectacle ; from my vantage point the tourists not the mobiles were being activated.
LOL mobile museums visitors ;)
Wow that looks like a fantastic exhibit. I love Calder’s work so much. There was (and maybe still is) a mobile having in the National Museum of Art in DC that I used to visit when I lived out there. Thanks for sharing these pictures. I wish I could go myself.
It was really awesome Florence. Oh – I have to go the National Museum of Art in DC when I am around that area again :) Thanks for checking the post out :)
Another great Art Stroll. Have always been fascinated with the structure, balance and movement of mobiles. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Jean for joining the stroll :)
I am sure we all have a person in life that left a certain mark on us. I had many such persons in my life and one very special one I am thinking about every day is my step father. He was a wonderful person and influenced me in many ways. I was thinking of him when I created this spread.
He loved old buildings and antique stores, he restored old furniture as one of many hobbies and I guess my love for old “schtuff” comes from him :) He was also a very encouraging men – although …doing math homework with him was a night mare – he wasn’t very good in explaining that in a way we wouldn’t end up fighting – LOL.
His Birthday (on Independence day) was just a day before mine and so every year at the beginning of July I think of him even more strongly. He would always re-use my gift wrapping as a joke for my present and we would laugh silly about it because you know …sometimes it was really ill fitted for my present ;) How blessed I am to have had him in my life. I think he would have loved where I live right now – I can see him taking a bike tour through the city (he used to do bicycle races when he was younger and later he joined the Tour De France almost every year as a bicycling spectator). I am sure he would point out some fun things on a bike-stroll through the hood ;)
I combined some image transfers with my Stroll Through the Hood stamps. I like it as it is and I decided to not do a lot of journaling – I know the story behind it – well and now you do too . This was a fun and a good spread to do.
Happy Birthday Dad ….P.S. I still don’t use that stupid Algebra, you told me I would need in my future life, but maybe just in your honor I throw it onto an art journal spread in the background this week ;) P.P.S – yes I am wearing a helmet when I ride my bike ;) P.P.P.S I miss you
What a nice tribute to your father. Love the aj page-so colorful!
I love this tribute to your Dad and all the thoughts behind it!! Good for you! And yes, Happy Birthday to you – a few days early. Maybe someone will again wrap a present for you with wrapping paper that doesn’t quite fit so you can be reminded of your Dad. Wouldn’t that be a kick? :)
What a special way to celebrate his Birthday month of July and to create and remember him.
What a beautiful way to honor your stepfather. Loved it!
Love the painting and the beautiful story behind it. Birthday greetings to you as well!
Today we have a project from the Creative Squad! Michelle Rydell is sharing a really happy and colorful journal cover using my Santa Fe stencil and my Embroidery stamp set. This month’s theme is: Pattern Lovers Love Patterns: We admit it – sometimes we go a little crazy over cool patterns. We see them everywhere and whether it’s in the human-made stuff all around us or in the designs by Mother Nature, we love them all. So this month we’re playing with pattern and giving it the attention it deserves!
One thing I love just as much as art journaling, is making the journals to journal in! When I heard that the theme for this month was Pattern Lovers I thought it would be perfect to do a journal cover!
I started by folding some 9 x 12” paper in half to form a 6” x 9” journal. I cut/tore a long piece of unprimed canvas 9” high to match the height of the journal. Then I wrapped it around the papers to decide how long to make it. I wanted enough to create a flap.
I primed the canvas on both sides with some white gesso.
I wanted the outside of the cover to be a progression of cool colors, so I used a makeup sponge to rub on some acrylic paint in lime green, turquoise and purple.
Then I sponged some teal over the whole thing with the Santa Fe stencil. I love how the blue creates a different effect depending on what color it is combined with…
I used white gesso to stamp the Cross Circle stamp (from the Embroidery set) randomly.
Then, I added the Grannies stamp with black for contrast.
As a final touch, a little pink was added with a paint pen to fill in some of the circles.
Then I flipped the canvas over to paint the inside. For high contrast I used warm colors to create a similar progression as a base.
Then, used the Running stamp with white gesso to create an all-over pattern, and the cover was done!
Here are some photos of the completed journal. I made a slit in the flap and sewed a button to create a closure. I used a simple pamphlet stitch to sew in the signatures. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!
Thank you Michelle for sharing your project with us! In addition to a button and some thread, Michelle used the following supplies (some are affiliate links):
Play along with us too! I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
I love this idea. I can see doing some raw edge appliqueing or free motion quilting to the cover as well. Fantastic job. ~~rita
Ohhh, free motion quilting would be awesome! Thank you Rita!
fabuloso!!!!!!!
thanks Donnalee! I appreciate that!
Wow wow wow!!! This is gorgeous! LOVING the colors and the textures!!!!!!!!!!!
thank you so much Julie!
Very creative! I would never have thought to do something like this, but it seems easy to do. Thanks for sharing your process with us.
Thank you Travis! It is easy, and fun too!
How beautiful and I just love all the colors !!!❤️❤️❤️
thank you so much Sherry!
Comments (1)
Jean Goza
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Cool layout. Love the quote!
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