What I've Learned, Week 22

I started this card a while ago, then I got distracted with some other work. The front was pretty clear to me when I envisioned it and it came out pretty much how I wanted it to. The back I did over a few times before I was really happy "enough" with it. Time to let it go! Front is collage, paint, distress inks, pencil, marker, stamps (phew!) the back is an image transfer (Lis inspired me when her own came out so well here), with more delicious distress inks and marker.

What I've Learned, Week 21

I tried another image transfer, this time on to sticky back canvas, then added some distress inks and stabilo pencils to plump up the detail. Same technique as my last transfers - my scanned photo printed on my inkjet printer with Golden gel medium.

The back is scanned scrapbook paper with layers of textures on top and scrapbook lettering.

What I've Learned, Week 20

I wasn't going to post this, it is by far my roughest card, then I thought what the heck. It's not my favourite piece of art, but it does represent the best image transfer I have ever done, both back and front. I used this card to play with that, starting with a photo shot from my scouts camping weekend as the background. The transfer worked really well (yay! for the first time despite the last two years of mis-fires). I inked over it with distress inks and some other heavily pigmented inks. The difference to making these transfers work for me were:

1) printing my images to be transferred on plain copy paper;

2) using them almost immediately, with Golden brand gel medium and pressing them down firmly with the edge of a credit card;

3) waiting only about a minute before I started peeling off the paper holding the original image.

A certain amount of the paper had to be finger-rolled off but really it is the first time my photo image has successfully transferred and I've tried many, many different ways to transfer images. Sounds simple, it feels like it was simple.

Front:

Back:

What I've Learned, Week 19

Front:

Back:

The front is acrylics, ink, stamps, collage; the back is a gel medium transfer with stamped text.

I'm not overly fond of this one. I think it's because the time I spent making it was very broken up with camp last weekend and preparations for Riley's birthday and party. But I do love the process of what I learned. I learned when I was telling people my owl story that everyone seemed to have one of their own. It was amazing to hear each one and to watch the person speak with such wonder at these creatures. I also learned that (as far as I know) we have only one word for owl in English but in French there are many: hibou, chouette, harfang, hulotte, grand-duc.

What I've Learned, Week 18

Front:

watercolours, scrapbook embellishments, stamps, inks and pencil

Back:

photoshopped

What I've Learned, Week 17

Even though I haven't posted a What I've Learned card for a while I've been busy with it. This card has everything on it but the kitchen sync. Maybe even the kitchen sync, and I can't even remember all the layers underneath what you do see.

Front:

collage, inks and distress inks, acrylic, Pitt, Micron and gel pens and, of course, Tim Holz masks. The collaged hand was photoshopped.

Back:

The back reads: I feel out of sync with most people, trends and styles. I find myself zigging when everybody else is zagging. I have always felt this and mostly it's been OK, with the exception of moments during the adolescent years. Now, it's always OK, it allows myself to see the "me" I feel that I am and it helps me be conscious of living in present time.

What I've Learned, Week 16

Front:

Back:

The front is simply scrapbook paper, embellishments, circles collected in my hole punch and a bit of acrylic paint; the back was cut from my sketchbook, an experiment in spray inks and snowflake embellishments used as a mask. I decided to keep the facts to three as I could go on and on.

What I've Learned, Week 15

This card is fraught with flaws, but I've gone beyond trying to perfect it. It is what it is, like me, warts and all. I've already written about the Sark book I've recently read but its effect is spilling out and sewing up some thoughts and feelings that have been stirring inside of me. Like everyone else on planet earth, I am a work in progress.

Front:

The text reads, "You are not the only one walking through your day in grief".

Back:

The front is a photo I took last summer with a Kim Klassen texture on top. The back is some scrapbook paper with text photoshopped in.

What I've Learned, Week 14

Oh boy, I'm a little behind with these. What with being sick twice and now all the extra things to take care of with the holidays. But I've learned plenty and I'm sure I'll catch up.

Front:

Back:

Aren't we all, though. Front: Inktense pencils, distress ink, markers; back: photo and stamps. (Another thing I've learned is it's time to clean the scanner.)

What I've Learned, Week 13

Front:

Back:

The front is collage, acrylic and rub-ons on scrapbook paper; the back is a photoshopped tag taken from scrapbook paper on dry pastels. My weeny words of wisdom this week are, "When you're really sick, use tissues instead of toilet paper."

What I've Learned, Week 12

As simple as this turned out, I did many versions of it until I was satisfied. It was a week of line drawing after line drawing, watercolours, acrylics. This one is Pitts pens, inktense pencils and watercolour sticks. The back is black gesso with scrapbook stickers. Don't you think the little guy looks like Alfred E. Neuman from Mad Magazine?

What I've Learned, Week 11

Has it really been 11 weeks since my 50th birthday? I guess it has been, because this is where I find myself now. And I've been true and diligent in my soul searching/navel gazing. This week it's all about my personal boundaries - how I have been trying to create and uphold them and learning that it's truly a life experience to have and not have them at all.

Front:

Back:

I started with a piece of watercolour paper that I used as a blotter for extra ink, I believe mostly Tim Holz distress inks. That piece of paper sat on my table for weeks. Recently I picked it up and scribbled on it with Caran d'Ache Neocolor IIs, creating a horizon. From there I used some Tim Holz masks and Pitt pens and a white gel pen. The back is a Kim Klassen scratch background texture with simple text on top. "These last two weeks the question of my personal boundaries has been forefront. Sometimes I can't escape the lesson coming down the pike and that's true here. I see my boundaries constructed through choice, specifically what I choose to do with my time. Goals take commitment. Lately I have been challenged to take a stronger stand while staying flexible, to remember the root reasons for my choices and to not pitch a hissy fit when my boundaries have been breached." I do love the blues and greens and how they sit together on this card. Yum!

What I've Learned, Week 10

Front:

Back:

This week my technique is Photoshop and that's it. I learned so much in Kim Klassen's skinny-mini ecourse I tried to apply some of it to ideas I had. And of course, while I was stretching my brain on the technical side, I was learning all kinds of things about myself.

What I've Learned, Week 9

Front:

Back:

The front is dry pastels, Pitt pens and collage from the collage sheet I made last week. The back is a photo with two of Kim Klassen's textures with text. The back reads, "I hope to reach a point in my life where I am able to be in a crowd and simply issue blessings to all life around me instead of feeling the annoyance, the judgment of people and my own inner judging voice".

This was inspired by a moment downtown a few weeks ago when I felt overwhelmed by the sheer presence of people wound up, bustling and shoving. I was transported back to the retreat I took in July studying with Penelope Smith and an experience we had as a group where we had all been given very personal and individual blessings by a soul incarnated in a cat. I remembered thinking what a gift it had been to be there, receive the blessing and wonder if I would ever be capable of that level of presence.

What I've Learned, Week 8

Simple line drawing on sticky back canvas, inktense pencils, the back is collaged with gel pens.

What I've Learned, Week 7

Front:

Back:

This was a new technique I had in mind for last week's card before the whole mask idea materialized. It comes from the Cloth, Paper, Scissors May/June issue using tissue paper to create texture. Acrylic, stamps, pens.

P.S. I forgot to mention that the back was done with text over one of Kim Klassen's textures.

What I've Learned, Week 6

I started this week's card off intending to use a new technique from the May/June issue of Cloth, Paper Scissors but instead this came through with a life of its own. Collage on black gessoed card. The back is photoshopped text on a texture from Kim Klassen that reads, "How often I wear this mask that everything is alright when deep down inside it doesn't feel alright, none of it is alright. "Fake it until you make it, " is an adage that sometimes gets me through. And sometimes it doesn't. Aging isn't mellowing me the way I expected it might, instead it is making me more defiant to live as I believe."

What I've Learned, Week 5

Front:

Back:

Acrylics, collage and embellishments on sticky back canvas. No real new technique this week but I found that I was working bolder (for me) with the chosen materials.

What I've Learned, Week 4

Front:

Back:

Confession: I have always loved seer sucker. So there. The only new technique I tried this week with this particular card was working text in Photoshop. I eventually got the hang of it, at least the straightforward kind of text but good grief it is time consuming.

What I've Learned, Week 3

Front:

Back:

My new technique this week was taken from the May/June issue of Cloth Paper Scissors using Photoshop to create lettering. I don't feel like I was very successful but it was an interesting experiment. The front was done on Claudine Hellmuth's sticky back canvas with acrylics, collage, inktense and watercolor pencils. The back is also collaged with acrylics and some homemade stamps gifted to my by the Queen of Arts.