“The middle is messy but that is where the magic happens.” -Brene Brown
I used spray paint, gesso, and acrylic paint for my background and then began creating my scene. On the left is my Warehouse and Brownstone rubber stamps, even further than this image shows is my Queen Anne rubber stamp starting the row.
I continued the cityscape with some of my own building sketches, with acrylic markers and adding details here and there.
Here are some of the supplies I used:
“Adventure must start with running away from home… and may result in finding a new home”
I created my background first by painting in different acrylic colors.
I stamped the cityscape using my Powerhouse, Main Station, and Brownstone stamps from my Stroll Through the Hood 1 and 2 stamp sets. And then I added some oomph with a little more color here and there.
As the background was a bit much for me and didn’t really speak to me, I actually painted everything but the area of the city scape with black gesso and stamped part of it with the Jewett Fan from the Fan-tastic Large rubber stamp set.
My night sky was complete with a few Star Tag stamps and my quote. I’m living this adventure right now :)
Here are some of the supplies that I used:
Hello my friends! Today is Tuesday so that means one of my Creative Squad posts! Here we have Josefine Fouarge sharing with us an art journal page that is a wonderful combination of colors and stamped and stenciled elements. Josefine uses my new Flower Maze and Valley Road stencils, and my Brownstone and My Home is My Castle stamps in this lovely composition. This month’s theme is: True Blue – Blue is the color of honesty and serenity. It’s calming and has even been shown to promote healing. It reminds us of the water and the sky. Let’s slow things down this month and bask in the tranquility of the color blue.
I could use some calmness this month. Life is catching up and finding those quiet moments is becoming a challenge. So, I’m looking forward to those healing effects from using the color blue (it’s probably more the process of creating itself that will do that for me ;) ).
I started by adding different pieces of tape to my journal page to create some texture for the background. I was hoping for more blue from the watercolor powders, but it turned out that there were a lot of green and purple pigments in there as well.
But that just made it more interesting, so I added powders and water in different layers, till I had the look that I liked. What I didn’t like was the tape that I used for the background, so I removed those, at least the majority of it.
To decorate those now white areas, I grabbed the new Flower Maze stencil and blended a mix of Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink and Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide through them.
I made sure to blend the ink only in those white areas.
I already knew that I wanted to add the sentiment “My Home is my Castle” and I wanted it to pop a little against the background. A lighter blue blended through the Valley Road stencil helped me with that.
My home really is my castle and the place where I regenerate and calm down. In order to see the Brownstone stamp house in the background, I decided to stamp it onto a piece of tissue paper that had some clean up spots from a different project on it. Thankfully, they are mainly blue.
Just a few finishing touches everywhere and I was done with my grungy, blue art journal page.
I really like the look of the Flower Maze stencil in the white areas.
Here is the close up of the Brownstone. A few of the neighbors were home.
Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to come back every Tuesday for more inspiration from the Creative Squad.
Thank you Josefine – I also love how that Flower Maze stencil pops! You can find all my stencils and stamps in my Online Shop. Here are some of the other supplies that Josefine used:
Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share? 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 next “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
Hello and welcome to another Nice to Meet You! From time to time I learn about some amazing artists out there who are working with my stamps and stencils and are creating some fun and exciting projects. It’s always inspiring to see what others do with my designs. Sometimes they even introduce me to a new way of seeing the pattern or a new technique to try on my own. Today I’d like to introduce to you Jenny Rohrs from Craft Test Dummies and cohost of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS.
How do you make time to be creative?
Being creative is part of my flow for the day. Generally I get my “mom” duties and chores done in the morning so I can spend a few hours after lunch every day for doing reviews, crafting, and blogging.
What are some of your favorite n*Studio stamps / stencils and how do you use them?
I lived in Manhattan last year, so I really was drawn to the Brownstone and Warehouse stamps- they are perfect for watercolor techniques, which is one of my favorite things to do with markers. I also am in love with the Kassel and Hamburg stencils! I have been on a gel printing kick as of late, and I reach for these over and over.
What is your favorite medium to work in?
I couldn’t possibly answer this- I use multiple mediums every day! Some days it’s liquid oils, another day I’m pouring resins, and yet another I’m playing with collage or polymer clay. I think that the quest for novelty and new techniques is just part of my creative process.
What inspires you to be creative?
As strange as it sounds, doing product reviews for my website actually sparks my creativity. I like to see how a product or medium works, how I can push it’s limits, how it will respond. By swatching and testing I get new ideas all the time. I also love to travel- new places, foods, music, and architecture make my brain bubble with new possibilities.
Do you have a favorite artist?
Not really- different artist’s work rotates in and out of resonance with me. However, I am ALWAYS struck by one piece by John Rogers Cox (contemporary American painter, 1915-1990.) This piece is in the Cleveland Art Museum (where I lived for 20 years, until last year) and it strikes me every time with those golden fields of wheat and roiling grey skies. Breathtaking!
How did you get into art-making?
Years ago, as a newly-minted board certified Music Therapist, I would come home after a day of playing instruments and singing. I craved quiet and needed a way to process all of the emotions and issues that I had experienced with my clients. I turned to painting and quilt-making to “squeeze the sponge” so to speak, and it really helped me cleanse myself for the next day of work. After I “retired” from Music Therapy, I started crafting with my kids and I created my blog as a way to inform and connect with other artists/crafters. I’m still on that journey today.
In three words, how does art-making make you feel?
Present, energized, validated.
Thank you Jenny for sharing your art and story with us! Stay tuned for more Nice to Meet You! posts to learn about other artists.
Hello from the Creative Squad! This week Tina Walker is kicking off a new theme for us with a beautiful and very meaningful book that I am so happy to share with you today. Along with my new Stroll Through the Hood #1 cling stamp set, Tina created something very powerful using the new monthly theme Say it like you Mean it – Let your unique voice be heard and tell us what’s on your mind. Be bold. Be yourself. We all have something to say and sometimes we need to shout it!
Hi! Tina Walker here today with my take on this month’s theme, ‘Say it like you mean it’. The U.S. is in a pivotal period of transition and the theme this month is a perfect way to support and vocalize my feelings and thoughts. I am saddened by what is occurring in the current administration and I am standing up and fighting for my rights and the rights of others. I am incredibly proud of my project and it is one of the favorite things I’ve made in many years. It really does prove that when you are passionate and inspired, creating reflects a piece of your heart.
The pages for MY VOICE mini, are scraps of black leather. I cut them into various rectangle shaped pieces, both small and large.
Using stamps from the Stroll Through the Hood #1 collection, heat emboss each page with the various stamps from the set. I really love the white embossing against the black leather.
For just a bit of color, dry brush several sections of each stamped image. The idea is not color the image, but add highlights.
I am a person of few words. Instead of filling my mini with paragraphs and paragraphs of many words, I choose several that say exactly how I feel. My words of support and protest are stamped on scrap pieces of fabric. Machine stitch the journal strips to the leather pages.
Using small scraps of leather, heat emboss the graffiti words from the stamp collection and stitch to the pages with a decorative zig zag stitch.
The binding for my mini are large eyelets. It was a challenge to get the large eyelet holes through the leather, but in the end, it was worth it.
Do you create and put your thoughts and feelings to paper or fabric? Do you find personal liberation when writing or creating with your feelings? I’d love to hear how you voice your mind.
Wow. Thank you Tina for a such an honest and meaningful project. You are right – when passion and creativity come together in art, something truly special comes out of it. In addition to scrap fabric, a sewing machine, and various embellishments and jewelry, Tina used these supplies – some links are affiliate links:
Play along with us! 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“.
Thanks for sharing Jenny Rohrs with us! Always nice to hear about others’ journeys.
Love the variety of your blog posts. I eagerly await them and am always learning.
Thank you soooooo…. much!
Deb
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