Canvas Journal

A few months ago my sister was in town and she had this fabulous canvas journal. As I loved on it, I had to know more about how it was made. She sent me the information about how the artist had made this cover.

Canvas, gesso, acrylic paint, pens, leather strap and a fun button!

We (mom and I) set out to find just the right canvas for this project. We found a nice heavy weight fabric at our local fabric store, Plaza Sewing & Quilting Center in Grants Pass. We also found the button we used on the front.

We cut the canvas the size we wanted with an extra length for the flap. With gesso, we painted the front and let it dry. It gave it a nice base for the colors we wanted to add. Then came the fun part. Paint! We chose our paint and began to spread the colors. At first it was a little scary, but had to remember to layer the colors. We used all sorts of tools to cover the surface. One of my favorite tools to use is an old credit card. It helps move the paint around. I also found a old fingernail cleaning brush. That really helped blend the colors and get the paint into the cloth. After we painted we let the book cover dry over night. The next day we put a coat of Golden's Gloss Medium. It gave the book cover a nice shine. If you like a matt look omitt the gloss finish. Next came the sewing of the signatures. We both did 3 signatures with about 3-4 pages each. Sewing was basic, we did the running stitch. Added the button to the front for the closure. Mom added beads to the ends of her leather strip, it really finished it off. Mom's book in the one on top and mine is the on the bottom. After finishing the book I thought of all sorts of ideas we could do. Cat and I just got back from visiting family and friends in Southern California. I think I will make a cover to reflect where we have been. Write a little about our trip. I did save some mementos from the vacation. Maybe the word Hollywood or SO CAL on the front cover.....hhmmm, will give that some thought.

Wire Dolls

A few months back, mom and I decided to make a couple of wire dolls. We thought it would be a great idea to use up the stuff we have instead of buying new....and believe me, we have a lot of stuff! This only put a very, very small dent in all the supplies we have!

We took a couple of large gauged wires crossed them into somewhat of a body shape. Then we took some sculpting clay and make heads, hands, shoes and hats. Then after the body parts where assembled, faces and hats were painted we started adding different kinds of yarn and threads. We bulked up the guys bodies and added a belt....not sure what to do with them, we added magnets and they are proudly hanging on the fridg.

Faces!

The class with Karen O'Brien was great! Yep, still can't draw great faces but it was a blast. We started off by drawing a very simple face. First one was with dominant hand but do not lift the pen off the page, second was with the pen in the fist, third - non dominant hand and forth was with your eyes closed! CRAZY FUN!!! Great was to get out of your head and into your creative place.

Next Karen had us draw on different types of paper with inks. After they dried a bit, we went in with a white gel pen and drew in the eyes, nose and mouth. At first I looked at my ink blots and thought Freud would have a good time trying to figure out my brain! But after carved in the face, it came alive!! Her class gave me the confidence to draw some more...thanks Karen!

Faces!

Oh tonight ought to be fun...mom and I are headed to a class at Krop Paper Scissors in Grants Pass here in a few minutes! We are going to learn "Faces" by Karen O'Brien. I am very good at stick men so this should prove to be interesting...if you look at Karen's work, she has the greatest faces of her characters. I know that it takes a little time to develope faces....hhhmmm...very excited! ;o)

Found Poetry

You can find poetry is the most bizarre places....recently Cat and I were at the Rogue River Rooster Crow. Our local library had a $3.00 a bag sale...yep, you buy a grocery bag for 3 bucks and fill it up. Well we found all sorts of books that were copyrighted in 1899, maps, books on yoga, love books, poetry and more...it was a blast. I found enough books to last me a lifetime plus! This is one of the "found poetry" piece I did from those glorious pages! The gray is actually silver tape. It's called "Asparagrus"