SECOND SECOND FLOOR CHALLENGE

The challenge this time around is to use something from your art stash that you've never used before.  Whatever that means to you or however it inspires you.  The prompt is simply meant to get you started.  The level of challenge you aim for is entirely internal and up to you.


For this challenge there really wasn't anything in my stash I've been waiting to use but there was a technique I wanted to try which used various items in different ways.  I decided that since the technique was new and I'd use a lot of different products some of which I don't use often it would make a good trip to the second floor.


My project is an art journal spread using the quote "Once you choose hope, anything's possible" -Christopher Reeve.  I started by coating my pages with Matte Mod Podge.  I cut several different lengths of different colors of embroidery floss.  I dropped them onto the page and pressed them in with my fingers.  Then I took a sheet of hot pink tissue paper (I would have used white but I didn't have any).  I crumbled it and then unfolded it and pressed it down into the Mod Podge.  Once I was satisfied I gave it another coat of Matte Mod Podge.  I then dripped on some pink acrylic paint and some gesso and spread it over the texture with an old credit card.  I loved the webby textures that were created by the thread and the crinkly tissue which were further accentuated by the lighter shades of paint.  I added gold stickers for the words CHOOSE HOPE.  I wrote the quote on the page with a Pitt marker.  I finished it off by dusting it with Gold Perfect Pearls.


Here is the result:

Thanks for stopping up to my second floor.  Hope you enjoyed the trip!

SECOND FLOOR CHALLENGE

Yesterday was the first challenge for The Second Floor by Julie Balzer and Nathalie Kalbach.  The challenge was to use golden acrylic paint.  You can do this in any creative form you like so I decided the best place to play would be in my art journal.  I took my gold Adirondack paint dabber and colored my pages in a streaky fashion.  Then I took a foam brush in water and went over it to spread it out.  I was not totally happy with this as the spreading areas actually now appeared yellow instead of metallic gold.  My intent was for it to show through the other layers and although the pages appear yellow you can see bits of metallic gold showing through.  I chose the quote "There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice" -John Calvin.  I added color in various forms and mediums to my page - re-inkers, alcohol inks, chalk inks, Distress inks.  I smeared them, I wet my pages and rubbed them together.  I added glimmer mists and finally I took White Picket Fence stain and a stencil and added some design on the top.  I had hoped for more of the metallic to show but my intent was to have a wide variety of color with some of the metallic gold to give it a royal or rejoicing feel to it.  I then took my Pitt pen and added the quote.