Interview With Mixed Media May Website
My artsy friend, Cindy Jones Lantier, has a fantastic website, Mixed Media May, where she features interviews and examples of art from all kinds of different mixed media artists. I was thrilled to be included for an interview of my own and humbled to be in the company of such talent.
If you are interested in seeing the site and my interview here is the link:
"Mixed Media May" interview with Joanna Grant
If you are interested in seeing the site and my interview here is the link:
"Mixed Media May" interview with Joanna Grant
May Magnet Madness
By special request from some of my dear followers I am posting photos of some of my original art magnets that are available for sale right now. These are all one-of-a-kind originals, not prints. Each is business card sized (2" X 3.5") and made with all kinds of recycled materials and many, many layers of fun and funky little things. I have been making art magnets for almost 15 years and still never get tired of them.
Anyway, all of these that are not otherwise marked as "SOLD!" are still available and can be purchased directly from me. PayPal is easiest but a cheque is fine too. These are presently listed on my Facebook art page here as well.
Purchased through my blog or Facebook page, I will offer free shipping anywhere in North America. Magnets are $10.00US each but I always give discounts for multiple purchases.
Hope that answers all questions from those of who you contacted me about the magnets. Thank you so much for your interest in my work, as always!
Smooches!
Joanna
Anyway, all of these that are not otherwise marked as "SOLD!" are still available and can be purchased directly from me. PayPal is easiest but a cheque is fine too. These are presently listed on my Facebook art page here as well.
Purchased through my blog or Facebook page, I will offer free shipping anywhere in North America. Magnets are $10.00US each but I always give discounts for multiple purchases.
Hope that answers all questions from those of who you contacted me about the magnets. Thank you so much for your interest in my work, as always!
Smooches!
Joanna
What's On My Work Desk Right Now
I have been trying to force myself to work on a larger scale. I have always gravitated to producing smaller scale art because it allows me to see results much sooner. However, I often get asked if I have made or will make larger pieces for customers who want a more significant sized piece of art for their home or office or as a gift for someone else.
These images are from my larger Strathmore journal and each page is 9" X 12". That may not seem large to you but it is to me! I usually will have a number of pages on the go at any given time, all at various stages of development. I like to work this way because more often than not, a page will only get so far in a sitting. When I feel that I am not going to get any further with a given page, then I will move on to work on another. I never try to force myself to finish a page. I have always felt that everything comes to me when it is ready to and always have faith that everything gets done when it's supposed to. Of course, this approach means I have TONS of half-done things on the go at all times, but it also means that often when I get on a real roll, many projects all get finished at the same time too. And that is a phenomenal feeling of accomplishment!
Anyway, at some point these pages may turn into art for sale. Or they may remain just as journal pages. We shall see. I've made a few notes in the caption of each image so you can see what I am using for materials and techniques with each of these pages.
Hope you are all having a wonderful day!
Joanna
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| Gelli plate prints, stamped images, recycled materials (for the hands) |
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| All kinds of small scraps of papers glued onto page and then various rubber stamps used. |
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| Gelli plate print plus stamped images |
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| Gelli plate print plus stamped images |
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| Gelli plate print plus flower images from a napkin, dimensional paint, stamped images and face image prints |
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| Gelli print on tissues, flower images from a napkin, Gelli print scraps, rubber stamping |
MORE FREE BACKGROUNDS FOR YOU !!
Hello everyone! As always, I have some more goodies for you to use in your own arty adventures, whether for mixed media, scrapbooking, collage or art journaling. These are some more of my Gelli Plate printed pages you've seen me blog about over the past couple of months.
Following are several background pages I created that you are welcome to download to your own computer for future use. Just right click on each image and save it to your system. You can print them off whenever you like to use as you like. If you do create stuff to post or to sell, I would appreciate it if you cite your source.
Have fun and don't forget, I LOVE to see what you create with these goodies.
Cheers!
Joanna
Following are several background pages I created that you are welcome to download to your own computer for future use. Just right click on each image and save it to your system. You can print them off whenever you like to use as you like. If you do create stuff to post or to sell, I would appreciate it if you cite your source.
Have fun and don't forget, I LOVE to see what you create with these goodies.
Cheers!
Joanna
"Strength Of Purpose" Simple Art Journal Page - Part 6
Today's post is another in my series of simple art journal pages that can be done quickly and with minimal fuss or supplies. Again, I am using one of my Gelli Plate printed papers that I didn't like very much and didn't really know what to do with for the base of the collage. I am working in my Strathmore Bristol/Vellum Art Journal (5.5" X 8")
The base piece of Gelli plate printed paper was pinky-coppery-gold with a bit of black from a stencil ghost print. Pretty bland, so I glued it into the journal and once the page was dry, I dragged a palette knife loaded with lime green acrylic paint vertically down the page. When the green paint had dried, I did some stacked journaling on top of it in white Gelly Roll pen. Then I used my 1.5" diameter sponge spouncer to blob on some purple circles, which were overlaid with rings of neon orange (which barely show up in the photos), and then scribbly white outlines . Now the page is looking a little more interesting! But, I am still not that happy with it.
So, my next step was to take some India Ink in an eye dropper and drip it down the page from the top edge, allowing the drips to end at different lengths and then set it aside to dry once again.
Now what?? As with other journal pages, here is where the page sat for a couple of months. I had NO idea where to go from here. I'd see the page every now and then when I came to work in this journal. I'd sit and look at it for a few minutes and inspiration would NOT come so I'd go do something else. Until, that is, a few nights ago when I was rummaging around in my hoarder's pile of images and stuff and found this awesome vintage image of a woman warrior. I love it when I discover treasures like this among all the crap I refuse to part with! Isn't she awesome? She looks kinda pissed at someone and I sure wouldn't mess with that big-ass sword of hers!
I ripped the edges of the image to give it a battered, vintage-y look and then ran a black ink pad around it so no white edges showed. I find that really helps when you are going for a vintage or grungy look. Then I fiddled with placement of the image on the page and when I liked where she would live, glued her down. Once she was in place, I realized that I didn't like how the black drips were cut off by the image. They no longer looked as random as I wanted.
So the final step was to take my India Ink marker (Faber Castell Pitt Pen) and embellish those drips a bit so they looked better. First, I tried India Ink in the eye dropper again, but it would not adhere to the smooth paper the image was printed on, so the marker was the next best option.
And there you have it! I opted to leave this page simple because it has lots of power in it as it is. It did not strike me as the kind of page that needed to be too fussy. And the title of it, "Strength Of Purpose," came to me in a flash as soon as it was done. When the names come to me that fast, I know I am tuned in what the piece is saying to me.
Hope you enjoyed this lesson. See you again soon, my friends!
Joanna
The base piece of Gelli plate printed paper was pinky-coppery-gold with a bit of black from a stencil ghost print. Pretty bland, so I glued it into the journal and once the page was dry, I dragged a palette knife loaded with lime green acrylic paint vertically down the page. When the green paint had dried, I did some stacked journaling on top of it in white Gelly Roll pen. Then I used my 1.5" diameter sponge spouncer to blob on some purple circles, which were overlaid with rings of neon orange (which barely show up in the photos), and then scribbly white outlines . Now the page is looking a little more interesting! But, I am still not that happy with it.
Now what?? As with other journal pages, here is where the page sat for a couple of months. I had NO idea where to go from here. I'd see the page every now and then when I came to work in this journal. I'd sit and look at it for a few minutes and inspiration would NOT come so I'd go do something else. Until, that is, a few nights ago when I was rummaging around in my hoarder's pile of images and stuff and found this awesome vintage image of a woman warrior. I love it when I discover treasures like this among all the crap I refuse to part with! Isn't she awesome? She looks kinda pissed at someone and I sure wouldn't mess with that big-ass sword of hers!
I ripped the edges of the image to give it a battered, vintage-y look and then ran a black ink pad around it so no white edges showed. I find that really helps when you are going for a vintage or grungy look. Then I fiddled with placement of the image on the page and when I liked where she would live, glued her down. Once she was in place, I realized that I didn't like how the black drips were cut off by the image. They no longer looked as random as I wanted.
So the final step was to take my India Ink marker (Faber Castell Pitt Pen) and embellish those drips a bit so they looked better. First, I tried India Ink in the eye dropper again, but it would not adhere to the smooth paper the image was printed on, so the marker was the next best option.
And there you have it! I opted to leave this page simple because it has lots of power in it as it is. It did not strike me as the kind of page that needed to be too fussy. And the title of it, "Strength Of Purpose," came to me in a flash as soon as it was done. When the names come to me that fast, I know I am tuned in what the piece is saying to me.
Hope you enjoyed this lesson. See you again soon, my friends!
Joanna
UPDATE Great Canadian Travelling Art Journal Challenge
Greetings fellow art journalers! I thought you would enjoy an interim update on the Great Canadian Travelling Art Journal project that we started back in February. If you missed that post, click HERE. You can see what it looked like in its "before" state.
As a reminder to you of how the project got started, I took a few Christmas cards and recycled them into a little art journal that measures about 6" X 6" and has 16 pages in it. Each artist is doing one page in the journal as it travels across Canada and back.
We've now had half a dozen different artists take a turn at creating a truly unique page in the journal and I must say, we have some phenomenally talented people taking part. Here are some of the artist's work (each artist is noted below their photos).
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| Rebecca Uren |
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| Kimberly Ans |
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| Close Up - Kimberly Ans |
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| Close Up - Kimberly Ans |
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| Jane Super "We are all like the bright moon, we all have our darker side." Kahlil Gibran |
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| Nancy Allingham |
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| Nancy Allingham |
This little journal is going to be a really special, one of a kind treasure when it is done. I can't wait to see it all finished. It has one more stop in British Columbia before it heads to New Brunswick and then back across Canada home again. Stay tuned. I'll have more updates as our featured artists finish their pages.
Thanks for watching!
Joanna
Image Transfer Techniques - Guest Blogger Windy Kai
My super talented art friend, Windy Kai from Hummingbird Studios approached me recently with an idea to do a guest blog swap. I was thrilled at the idea, particularly since I so enjoy her work.
So today, I am featuring a fun tutorial of hers on image transfer techniques which I hope you will enjoy. Here's a photo of our lovely guest instructor, followed by a link to her biography and artist statement.
Now, on to today's lesson. Windy did a lot of experimenting with image transfer techniques and an inkjet printer. I love what she has created and I am sure you will too. The possibilities are endless with these techniques!
Here's a photo of what she started with:
And you can find the rest of her techniques and experiments at this link:
Please be sure to let me know how you enjoyed this tutorial and by all means, I'd LOVE to see what you create using these techniques. I know Windy would like to hear from you as well.
Thank you, dear Windy, for this invitation and for a great lesson for everyone! I hope we can do it again soon!
Below are all the links you'll need to see Windy's wonderful art!
Cheers!
Joanna
So today, I am featuring a fun tutorial of hers on image transfer techniques which I hope you will enjoy. Here's a photo of our lovely guest instructor, followed by a link to her biography and artist statement.
Now, on to today's lesson. Windy did a lot of experimenting with image transfer techniques and an inkjet printer. I love what she has created and I am sure you will too. The possibilities are endless with these techniques!
Here's a photo of what she started with:
And you can find the rest of her techniques and experiments at this link:
Please be sure to let me know how you enjoyed this tutorial and by all means, I'd LOVE to see what you create using these techniques. I know Windy would like to hear from you as well.
Thank you, dear Windy, for this invitation and for a great lesson for everyone! I hope we can do it again soon!
Below are all the links you'll need to see Windy's wonderful art!
Cheers!
Joanna
Gallery Shop: http://www.windykai.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/windykai
And The May Giveaway Winners Are ...
Thank you so much, everyone! Really appreciate all your support for my art and this little blog.
Dragonriding is the winner of the May CD giveaway. Hooray!!!
Be sure to connect with me at: joannabanana@shaw.ca with your email address and snail mail address.
And just because there was such a great response this month, I will give away ANOTHER of these CDs. The second winner is: Jackie Beeman, congratulations Jackie! Send me your email address and snail mail address (see mine above).
For everyone else who didn't win this time around, please be sure to enter again when the June draw comes up. I do these giveaways around the first of each month so there's always another chance to win.
Thanks again and smooches to you all !! Have a great weekend!
Joanna
Gelli Print & Zentangle Simple Art Journal Page - Part 5
Hello all!
In my ongoing "how to" series of simple journal pages, I thought I'd bring you a page that combines some techniques you might not have thought to put together or that if you had thought of it, you'd say, "naw, that won't work." That was my reaction when I first considered this, but as it turns out, I was wrong. Yet again.
Anyway, this page is done in my Strathmore Bristol Journal (5.5" X 8").
The first step was to glue into the journal one of my gazillion Gelli Plate printed papers to be the background. This particular piece was done on heavy tissue paper and I used acrylic and fabric paint for the prints. The fabric paint is the black doodly lines. The rest of the color was done with acrylics. Actually, this was one of my very first Gelli plate printed papers, now that I see it again. Anyway, I waiting for the glue to dry and then just ripped the excess from around the sides without worrying about a finished look for the edges.
Next, I took another of my early trial pieces of Gelli plate printed paper and cut out some simple shapes from it. I hadn't been too happy with this print so cutting it up made it more palatable for me. I ended up with some semi-circular pieces that I glued on top of the background page. Looking at the page at this point, the circles reminded me of planets or moons so I decided there should be a celestial theme to this page.
I still didn't like this page all that much. It was too plain and didn't have enough interest or depth for me. So, I started some zentangle inspired doodling. I used the zentangle pattern Mooka on the planet/moon images and then doodled the Paisley pattern into the background. Both were done with a permanent black marker.
So, now at least I like the page a bit more, but what do I do next? The answer to that question eluded me for a couple of months until just recently. I often use reprints of my original collage art from years gone by. I like to find new way to use old work, thus getting more mileage out of the art I have already created. Though the image may be a reprint from an original, it ends up becoming an all new original by being a component in a new piece. As an artist who has minimal time to devote to art because I work full time, I really appreciate this twist on "recycling" art. It really helps me make the best use of my precious art time and I enjoy the personal challenge of taking something old and giving it new life in a new way.
The next image shows a color laser print of a mixed media collage I did in about 2006 or so. I printed it to be about 3" X 5" so that it would fit on the journal page as the central image. I cut it out with deckle-edged scissors and then ran a black stamp pad around the edges for a grungier finish to it. Then I glued it onto the page.
Now I'm starting to like the page a whole lot more! Next, I used the same strategy from the last step and took a scan of a handmade star face piece I had created in the mid 1990s from molded Friendly Plastic. I had already used this star in a large collage/assemblage in 2005 (I think) but I had had the foresight to scan the star before the piece sold. It was originally about twice the size of the images of it you see here. I took the scanned image and created several duplicates of it on a single page and printed them on the color laser printer. Then I cut them out and mounted them to some shimmery silver paper and trimmed them out so that they would have a silver border that somewhat mimics the silver frame in the central image. Then I glued them in place on the journal page, making sure that a couple of them ran off the edges of the page, trimming away the overhang. Following is the finished page with the stars added.
I think this post is a good example of how to conquer a couple of challenges that many of us encounter. First, we may only get so far on an art journal page and then get stalled out, not knowing what the next step should be. I am never afraid of just leaving a piece of art partly done and coming back to it at a later time. I've always been a firm believer that it will come together when it's supposed to. And it always does. And when it does, it happens very quickly, as this did. Once I settled on the central image, the rest of it took only about fifteen minutes to finish. I didn't worry or stress about the fact that it sat for a couple of months. I have many other projects on the go at any given time. I just know I will always come back to the unfinished ones at some point.
Secondly, don't be afraid to recycle art you've already made and use it again in a new way. If you have limited time to devote to your art, this approach could be very liberating for you. You'll get to see finished work sooner and have the wonderful sense of accomplishment from your limited creative time. I think that is SO important to those of us who are starved for art time. Working smarter and not feeling that you always have to reinvent the wheel every time you sit down to create can make the difference in feeling more satisfied with what little time you get for art.
I hope you've enjoyed this post, my friends. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Happy creating!
Joanna
In my ongoing "how to" series of simple journal pages, I thought I'd bring you a page that combines some techniques you might not have thought to put together or that if you had thought of it, you'd say, "naw, that won't work." That was my reaction when I first considered this, but as it turns out, I was wrong. Yet again.
Anyway, this page is done in my Strathmore Bristol Journal (5.5" X 8").
The first step was to glue into the journal one of my gazillion Gelli Plate printed papers to be the background. This particular piece was done on heavy tissue paper and I used acrylic and fabric paint for the prints. The fabric paint is the black doodly lines. The rest of the color was done with acrylics. Actually, this was one of my very first Gelli plate printed papers, now that I see it again. Anyway, I waiting for the glue to dry and then just ripped the excess from around the sides without worrying about a finished look for the edges.
Next, I took another of my early trial pieces of Gelli plate printed paper and cut out some simple shapes from it. I hadn't been too happy with this print so cutting it up made it more palatable for me. I ended up with some semi-circular pieces that I glued on top of the background page. Looking at the page at this point, the circles reminded me of planets or moons so I decided there should be a celestial theme to this page.
I still didn't like this page all that much. It was too plain and didn't have enough interest or depth for me. So, I started some zentangle inspired doodling. I used the zentangle pattern Mooka on the planet/moon images and then doodled the Paisley pattern into the background. Both were done with a permanent black marker.
So, now at least I like the page a bit more, but what do I do next? The answer to that question eluded me for a couple of months until just recently. I often use reprints of my original collage art from years gone by. I like to find new way to use old work, thus getting more mileage out of the art I have already created. Though the image may be a reprint from an original, it ends up becoming an all new original by being a component in a new piece. As an artist who has minimal time to devote to art because I work full time, I really appreciate this twist on "recycling" art. It really helps me make the best use of my precious art time and I enjoy the personal challenge of taking something old and giving it new life in a new way.
The next image shows a color laser print of a mixed media collage I did in about 2006 or so. I printed it to be about 3" X 5" so that it would fit on the journal page as the central image. I cut it out with deckle-edged scissors and then ran a black stamp pad around the edges for a grungier finish to it. Then I glued it onto the page.
Now I'm starting to like the page a whole lot more! Next, I used the same strategy from the last step and took a scan of a handmade star face piece I had created in the mid 1990s from molded Friendly Plastic. I had already used this star in a large collage/assemblage in 2005 (I think) but I had had the foresight to scan the star before the piece sold. It was originally about twice the size of the images of it you see here. I took the scanned image and created several duplicates of it on a single page and printed them on the color laser printer. Then I cut them out and mounted them to some shimmery silver paper and trimmed them out so that they would have a silver border that somewhat mimics the silver frame in the central image. Then I glued them in place on the journal page, making sure that a couple of them ran off the edges of the page, trimming away the overhang. Following is the finished page with the stars added.
I think this post is a good example of how to conquer a couple of challenges that many of us encounter. First, we may only get so far on an art journal page and then get stalled out, not knowing what the next step should be. I am never afraid of just leaving a piece of art partly done and coming back to it at a later time. I've always been a firm believer that it will come together when it's supposed to. And it always does. And when it does, it happens very quickly, as this did. Once I settled on the central image, the rest of it took only about fifteen minutes to finish. I didn't worry or stress about the fact that it sat for a couple of months. I have many other projects on the go at any given time. I just know I will always come back to the unfinished ones at some point.
Secondly, don't be afraid to recycle art you've already made and use it again in a new way. If you have limited time to devote to your art, this approach could be very liberating for you. You'll get to see finished work sooner and have the wonderful sense of accomplishment from your limited creative time. I think that is SO important to those of us who are starved for art time. Working smarter and not feeling that you always have to reinvent the wheel every time you sit down to create can make the difference in feeling more satisfied with what little time you get for art.
I hope you've enjoyed this post, my friends. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Happy creating!
Joanna
Another CD Giveaway - Enter Now !!!
Hello, my friends! Well, it's the first of the month so you know what that means. It's time for another of my CD giveaways.
All you need to do is click the Networked Blogs link directly to the right of this post and follow this blog. That's it! Comment here that you've done so and you will be in the draw. If you have already done this with Networked Blogs, just indicate in your comment that you are already following my blog (thank you so much, by the way) and you'll be in the draw. You can be entered a second time by sharing this post on your Facebook page, just write a comment with the share and you'll double your chances of winning! And don't hesitate to enter if you've already won from me before, do try again!
The winner will get one of my vintage images collections CDs, which has OVER 3,000 beautiful Victorian and Edwardian style images in simple jpg format. These are copyright free (public domain) images that you can use for all your artsy endeavors. Because they are in simple jpg format, you can resize them or alter them easily in Photoshop or other editing programs.
You may use the images for your own artwork, including that which you intend to sell. The only restriction is that you cannot reproduce the images for resale (in print or digitally) in any form because the collection itself is copyrighted by me. If you use the images in work you intend to sell, I would appreciate it if you would cite your source.
Good luck everyone! The draw will be held on May 3rd! Below are just a few examples of the types of fantastic images in this collection.
Cheers!
Joanna
All you need to do is click the Networked Blogs link directly to the right of this post and follow this blog. That's it! Comment here that you've done so and you will be in the draw. If you have already done this with Networked Blogs, just indicate in your comment that you are already following my blog (thank you so much, by the way) and you'll be in the draw. You can be entered a second time by sharing this post on your Facebook page, just write a comment with the share and you'll double your chances of winning! And don't hesitate to enter if you've already won from me before, do try again!
The winner will get one of my vintage images collections CDs, which has OVER 3,000 beautiful Victorian and Edwardian style images in simple jpg format. These are copyright free (public domain) images that you can use for all your artsy endeavors. Because they are in simple jpg format, you can resize them or alter them easily in Photoshop or other editing programs.
You may use the images for your own artwork, including that which you intend to sell. The only restriction is that you cannot reproduce the images for resale (in print or digitally) in any form because the collection itself is copyrighted by me. If you use the images in work you intend to sell, I would appreciate it if you would cite your source.
Good luck everyone! The draw will be held on May 3rd! Below are just a few examples of the types of fantastic images in this collection.
Cheers!
Joanna
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