Mixed Media Resist: Vaseline & Stencils - Creative Team Thursday with Kristin Van Valkenburgh

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new path.” — Walt Disney

It’s my turn again! And I can’t wait to share with you an old-ish technique that I’ve been experimenting with lately.

Like many of us, I’ve been in love with Mixed Media for what seems like a lifetime and as a result, there aren’t any tips or techniques I haven’t tried. I love anything that creates texture or visual interest, and will literally swoon over something as simple as messy cracks or crevices on a project or page.

One of the first Mixed Media processes I learned that creates cracks and crevices is the “Peeling Paint” technique which uses Vaseline as a resist. Have you ever tried it? It’s quick, easy and uses what you already have in your medicine cabinet.

But. . . . I’d never experimented with pushing it through anything - not to mention a stencil - before now. To be honest, I wasn't even sure it would work! But work it did, and I must say, the results are pretty cool.

Check it out for yourself, and let me know what you think! The whole process can be found below. And stay tuned to the end to see a (really fast) tag I made using the technique.

Your turn!

Have fun and stay sloppy,
Kristin xo!

Stencil Used: “Borders 9J Stencil” by Jessica Sporn for Stencil Girl
http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/l089.htm

A childhood obsession with Hollywood starlets led to an early life in the theater, where Kristin Van Valkenburgh spent many happy days on set and behind the scenes as both an actress and makeup artist for the stage. Kristin has a passion for all things mixed media and loves to create whimsical pieces with lots of layers, bright, poppy colors, big eyes and positive affirmations. Her work has been featured in numerous Stampington publications including Somerset Studio, SomersetStudio Gallery, Somerset Life, Somerset Apprentice, Artists’ Cafe and Art Journaling.  

You can find Kristin on her blog, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

THANK YOU KRISTIN!
To see all of the Creative Team posts, click here!

         Visit Stencil Girl Products and RubberMoon Stamps to see all my designs!

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

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Five Ways to Rescue an Art Journal Page

If you're like me, you sometimes abandon an art journal page or project because you think it can't be saved.  Recently, I had just such a page, and searched "ways to rescue an art journal page."  Funny enough, the search led me to MY OWN POST from about a year ago!

Since I didn't even remember I had created it, I thought it would be useful to repost it!  Enjoy.

We all have pages in our journals that we hate.  Either the page didn't turn out as we planned, or we had an "accident" on it - something spilled or a product was expired and didn't react as it was supposed to.  Here are five ways you can take such a page and turn it around. 

1.  Make your background your foreground.  Use gel medium through a stencil, let it dry, and then gesso over the rest of the page.  Wipe the gesso from the gel'd areas with a baby wipe, leaving your background peeking through.  You can add journaling over the gesso, or just keep going with another technique.   

You can watch a video of this process here by Peerless Designs.

Stencil used: Eastern Lotus and Leaf Repeat

 2.  Add lots of layers using the same stencil or stamp.  Using the same stamp or stencil, first do a layer of really dark color.  Then use a lighter or neutral color.  Finally, use a very light color, like a Titan Buff or white.  You will get lots of depth using one tool.  Then add a sentiment or embellishment, and voila!

Stencil used:  Herbs and Doors & Windows

3.  Tease out hidden elements.  Hold your page far away from you and squint.  Are any hidden shapes peeking through?  Bring them out.   Here, I saw a face peeking through the leaves and brought her to the front.  (For more on this technique, as well as my tips and tricks for painting faces, check out my online class - Facing Faces!)

Stencil Used:  Curvy Stems by Terri Stegmiller

4.  Push your page to the background by adding elements in complimentary colors.  See how the orange flowers seem to jump forward?  You can do this with paint, ink or collage.  (This page is a demo from one of my Floral Canvas Class.)

5.   Just keep going.  Keep adding layers.  Remind yourself that no effort you make in your artwork is ever wasted.  Something you initially dislike may hold the kernels of something you may eventually love.   That's what happened for me with this 2013 journal page.  

Here's a video of how it happened. 

You can also watch Rescuing a Journal Page on YouTube.

Here's what my worktable looked like as I experimented with all these techniques!

I leave you with these words from one of my favorite books - The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster:

“You may not see it now," said the Princess of Pure Reason, looking knowingly at Milo's puzzled face, "but whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightly off its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in the pond; and whenever you're sad, no one anywhere can be really happy. And it's much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.”

Words to live by! 

         Visit Stencil Girl Products and RubberMoon Stamps to see all my designs!

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

InLinkz.com

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

If you are entering a GIVEAWAY, please add your email address in the event I need to contact you.

To avoid SPAM, please write it like this: jessicasporndesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank You!

Create an Abstract Art Journal - Creative Team with Kristin Van Valkenburgh

"What goes on in abstract art is the proclaiming of aesthetic principles ... It is in our own time that we have become aware of pure aesthetic considerations. Art never can be imitation. • - Hans Hofmann

It’s Creative Team Thursday!  I hope this finds you happy & well!

I've been on a bi t of an abstract kick lately: the idea of working with form and color, without the necessity of a focal image or specific message, has freed me in a way I haven't felt in quite a while ...



It began with a trip I recently took where (unlike my usual schlep of a hundred supplies), I limited myself to just a few pens and washi rolls, one fabulous stencil, a small bottle of gesso and a tin of watercolor paints. My only other companion was an old art journal that I dug out of the bowls of my studio for the purpose.

Although I didn't start out with the idea of "Abstract Art Journaling," as I allowed myself to just play with pools of color and shimmer, I found myself feeling really inspired. Thing is, like most of us, my head is constantly swimming with artsy projects, plans, and ideas. And when I sit to create, I dig into one of those projects, plans or ideas and go with that - instead of just having fun anymore. But that all changed when I rediscovered the joy of letting go and just being with my journal. Splashes of bright color, tiny pieces of tape, and little bits of stamps and stenciling became bigger and more important that they would have before. And the color white became the central focus, highlighted by small moments of happy around it.

Here's a quick video on YouTube so you can see how I created these art journal pages.

For more from Jessica Sporn: http://sporndesigns.com
For your own ·Dots and Dashes Stencil: http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/1091.htm
For your own ·Build·A·Villa Window Cube Stamp: http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/1091.htm
For more of my videos: https://www.youtube.com/chanoe11uc1osBwGToZKc3nnfI69Pzfg
Royalty Free Music: http://www.epidemicsound.com

A childhood obsession with Hollywood starlets led to an early life in the theater, where Kristin Van Valkenburgh spent many happy days on set and behind the scenes as both an actress and makeup artist for the stage. Kristin has a passion for all things mixed media and loves to create whimsical pieces with lots of layers, bright, poppy colors, big eyes and positive affirmations. Her work has been featured in numerous Stampington publications including Somerset Studio, SomersetStudio Gallery, Somerset Life, Somerset Apprentice, Artists’ Cafe and Art Journaling.  

You can find Kristin on her blog, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

THANK YOU KRISTIN!  To see all of the Creative Team posts, click here!

         Visit Stencil Girl Products and RubberMoon Stamps to see all my designs!

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

InLinkz.com

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

If you are entering a GIVEAWAY, please add your email address in the event I need to contact you.

To avoid SPAM, please write it like this: jessicasporndesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank You!

Bubbles of Love Art Journal Page - Creative Team Thursday with Kristin Van Valkenburgh

 “Surround everyone you can think of in bubbles of love.”

- Diana Cooper

Hellllooooo & Happy New Year!

I hope this finds you happy, well and with some sort of paint under your fingernails. I know mine are currently pink which, seeing as how I’ve been dipping into Bubblegum Spray Ink, makes perfect sense.

I got these pink fingers by the way, while playing with my absolute favorite stencil in Jessica’s line, Bubble Girl Stencil.  I love the whimsy of the little girl blowing bubbles, but I also like how versatile the stencil is, as you can play with just the circles and splashes if you wanted more of an abstract pattern in your work. In this art journaling page, I used the stencil twice, first with the aforementioned ink and second with a layer of black permanent ink for depth and dimension.

I created the journal page on a piece of used (approx. 10 x 12) paper that I had in my stash of watercolor paper. I tend to use good paper to back my work (and save my white work desk) and as a result, I have plenty of “scratch” paper to play with. I also used a photocopy of one of my old sketches as the main image on my page. I find that it’s nice to work with collage elements that originated from my hands or heart, which for art journaling, seems terribly appropriate.



See how I created this whimsical art journal page on YouTube 
https://youtu.be/5CpdVYllLOw

Thank you for watching! If you try something similar, let me know! I’d love to see how you used your little Bubble Girl. . .

With Bubbles of Love,
Kristin xo

A childhood obsession with Hollywood starlets led to an early life in the theater, where Kristin Van Valkenburgh spent many happy days on set and behind the scenes as both an actress and makeup artist for the stage. Kristin has a passion for all things mixed media and loves to create whimsical pieces with lots of layers, bright, poppy colors, big eyes and positive affirmations. Her work has been featured in numerous Stampington publications including Somerset Studio, SomersetStudio Gallery, Somerset Life, Somerset Apprentice, Artists’ Cafe and Art Journaling.  

You can find Kristin on her blog, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

THANK YOU KRISTIN!  To see all of the Creative Team posts, click here!

         Visit Stencil Girl Products and RubberMoon Stamps to see all my designs!

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

InLinkz.com

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

If you are entering a GIVEAWAY, please add your email address in the event I need to contact you.

To avoid SPAM, please write it like this: jessicasporndesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank You!