Thursday 5 January 2012

Kick Starting the New Year

A huge thanks to Jozarty for putting me on to this great idea and it's FREE!  It called Summit 2012 Creative Jump Start and its a drip feed of creative ideas and techniques from some very talented creative artists around the world.  I signed up this morning via www.nathaliesstudio.com.
You need to sign up to get the password and access to the videos and the first one is by Dina Wakely encouraging you to 'warm up' your mojo by playing with colour.
After watching the video I did just that, cutting my own tags as I didn't have any large enough.


I tend to be a bit conservative with colour so this was a bit scary at first but I just went for it, no thinking just colour sprays and water and I love the results, although the photo is just a tad more intense than they are in reality.  My favourites are the ones on the left and as they were a little wet (soaking actually) I dragged my ruler through the ink to make those 'tendrils'. Tomorrow I am going to add stamping to a few of them and the rest will go in my scrap box.

On a roll now I got out the journal - all that lovely white space - as the next step was to add colour in a similar way to my first ever journal pages.  The paper in it is quite thin so I stuck two pages together and added gesso before spraying direct on the pages, adding a little mica spray and water and then mopping up the excess inks.




You can just make out the impression of circles left by the kitchen roll I used to mop up the ink.  Although the inks I used on both tag and pages was the same, give or take a spray or two, the effect is very different - maybe the gesso has lightened the colours.  Not sure whats next for the pages but it will incorporate at least one of the tags as a record of my kick-started mojo.  Think the hardest thing for me will be to actually write on the page - hate my handwriting.

The next video is due tomorrow and I can't wait to see what that one is - watch this space and get signed up to that site.


5 comments:

Von said...

Owww that sounds interesting start to the new year Ann :) hard to beleive you have used the same inks ! what a difference the surface makes :)
Thank you for your comment :)
Von xxx

Ali H said...

Hi Ann thanks for stopping by my blog - great start to your new journal - and starting can be the hardest bit ! Yes the gesso does pale/bleach the colours out a bit, you are right. Don't fret about your handwriting - this is your journal - just go for it ! Why not stylize your writing & do quirky capitals, curly joined up, add scrolls or blobs on the ends of the characters as you write - it doesn't have to be your everyday writing - just play about like you have with the colours on the tags ! Hope this helps & that you have fun - I have only been journalling for a while but there's loads out on the web foe inspiration ! Hope you have great fun with it !! Come back by if you'd like a journalling buddy !! Ali x

Shoshi said...

Ann, these are gorgeous - what lovely effects! Keep up the good work. We look forward to seeing what else you come up with!

Shoshi

JoZart Designs said...

Glad you joined up for Jump Start and even more pleased that you found it as inspirational as I did!
Must say that when you go to Conway in the Spring, be sure to go to the Groes Inn in the Conwy Valley. It is an ancient hostelry dating from, I think, 14th Century, and it was the first licensed premises in Wales. The food is superb.
Look forward to seeing you Sat.
Love Jo x

Ali H said...

Hi Ann
Sorry if I'm being blonde here (but am well qualified !) I signed up for the Jump Start & have had a sign on approved - but where do I go to see the videos ?
Could you explain to me how to link to it ?
Hope you are having a good weekend ?
I worked on my first Life Book assignment yesterday - not brilliant but great fun & I need to just DO stuff & not sit cowering in the corner wishing I was better at things ! I'm hoping practice will make all the difference !
How's your journal going ??
Thanks
Ali