COLLABORATIVE ART WITH GINNY MARKLEY

Hi All;

A few months ago I posted about how my dear art pal, Ginny Markley, took a half-finished piece of my art and made a stunning finished masterpiece with it.  We had traded each other a partially done piece of art for the other to finish and return.  Here's the link to that post:

Ginny Markley & Joanna Grant Collaborative Art - Part I

Anyway, it's taken me this long to get time to do a blog post on Ginny's piece she sent for me to work on.

Here is what it looked like when I got it.  It's about 8" X 10".  Ginny used gelli prints and assorted collage elements to get the piece to this point.

I sat for quite a while trying to figure out what to do with this piece.  There's more pressure on you than you'd think when it's somebody else's work and you don't want to mess it up with a wrong step.  I finally just decided to dive in and not worry about that. 

I started with a bit of doodling and then used a scrap of corrugated cardboard and white acrylic paint to  make the marks you see on the left side of the piece.

Next, I added some of my gelli print flower cutouts to her dress to jazz it up a bit and legs to the little character on the right.

Then, I continued to work on the little character on the right, building up its outfit.  I also added some black outlining to her dress to make it stand out a bit more and some highlighting of the gelli print flowers.

After that, I added some doodling and a funky little collage element for her hair.  Some gold metallic acrylic paint went into the background near her right hand.  Her bracelet got a facelift too.

Then, I stenciled some hearts in purple and red Silks (shimmery acrylics).  They  "hang" from some recycled scrapbooking sticker doodads. 

Next, I added some funky flowers to the lower left, using reclaimed scrapbooking doodads and some checkerboard paper for the stems.  She also got a groovy necklace (more reclaimed scrapbooking supplies).  

Lastly, I added a funky border to the top of the piece, along with some collage elements on the left (blue and white squares).  The quote was the very last thing to be added.

This was a very fun project to do with Ginny, even though it took me a few months to actually complete it.  I'm glad she was so patient with me.  If you'd like to see more of Ginny's wonderful work, you can find her blog here.

Playing With Paint - Ginny Markley

I hope you enjoyed seeing the process this collaborative piece went through from start to finish.

Cheers, my friends!
Joanna

Collaborative Art With Ginny Markley

Hello!

A while ago, the light bulb went on for me about what I could do with several of my half-finished pieces of art.  I have so many art projects on the go at any given time and sometimes they can sit around for months before I get back to them.  And while I have every confidence that at some point my muse will know exactly how I should finish off those pieces, it also feels good to get them done.

So, what was my inspiration?  I decided I would approach some of my favourite arty friends to see if they wanted to take one of my half-finished pieces and complete it with their own "take" on it.  I just knew whatever they did would be fabulous and it was very exciting to think of all the possibilities of how the pieces would end up.

One of the first to step on the bandwagon was my friend Ginny Markley and you can find her blog here.

Ginny is wonderfully talented and she and I have the same funky, quirky style in many respects.  I was very excited to work with her on this project.

Here's what I sent to her.

This started with a substrate of salvaged mat board about 7" X 9".  I covered it in recycled wallpaper for the background.  The central image is a color laser print from my collection of vintage images.  I also added several layers of different types of paint, along with some swirly bits I had cut with my Silhouette machine as practice.  Some vintage text from an old book also appears in the bottom right (behind the leaf).

And then that's as far as I got with her and where she was when Ginny received her.

Here is the finished piece after Ginny got her hands on it.

And here is what Ginny had to say about her work on the piece:

"I first used paint pens to lighten, deepen and add color.  I added lots of dots with gel pens (I love making dots ... my favorite thing to draw).  Next came the yellow line (I changed it three times before I settled on orange) to add interest because at that point everything looked pretty much the same.  Then it hit me ... I decided I had to get rid of the "Princess Leia" buns.  I first thought that I would just add flowers to surround her head but while looking for the flowers, I found a magazine clipping of a Mardi Gras mask which was the perfect size.  Now what are the chances of finding a mask that was the perfect size, perfect color and perfect style?  I think that your muse was talking to my muse.  LOL!  Anyway, I decided that I had to go for it and use the mask!  Also, at the same time I found the magazine clipping of the "dream" sign.  The colors were perfect and did not overpower the rest of the painting."

I am absolutely thrilled with how this piece turned out and can't thank Ginny enough for taking it above and beyond where I would ever go with it.

Oh, and Ginny sent me her own half-done piece for me to work on, so I will be blogging about that in the future too.  Stay tuned!

Thanks, Ginny, what a fun project this was!

Cheers!
Joanna

FINALLY - Great Canadian Art Journal Project Is Done !!!

Hello everyone!

Well, it's almost a year after its launch, but we have finally finished our Great Canadian Travelling Art Journal Project and I have to say it has turned out most spectacularly!!

Starting in February, 2013, this little handmade art journal (6" X 6") made the rounds to 14 different Canadian mixed media artists from coast to coast, who each created a page (or more).

The journal was made by me from recycled greeting cards.  If you missed the post last year on that, here is the link so you can see how I created it, as well as the "before" shots of the pages of the journal prior to our artists getting their hands on 'em.

Making of the Art Journal

I am so pleased to now be able to share with you the finished pages of the whole journal.

Page 1 By Kimberly Ans

Page 2 By Karen Dearborn

Page 3 By Sandy Sommerfeld

Page 6 By Nancy Allingham

Tag Inserts By Nancy Allingham

Page 7 By Linda Kittmer

Page 8 By Becky Uren

Page 9 By Erin Fish

Page 10 By Kim Beinschroth

Page 11 By Norina Morris

Accordian Book Insert By Norina Morris

Page 12 By Jane Super

Page 13 By Lori Bradford

Page 14 By Nancy Morin

Back Cover By Jenny Sept

I want to personally thank the wonderful artists who took part in this project.  They are:

Jenny Sept
Erin Fish
Jane Super
Nancy Morin
Becky Uren
Nancy Allingham
Karen Dearborn
Linda Kittmer
Kim Beinschroth
Lori Bradford
Kimberly Ans
Norina Morris
Sandy Sommerfeld

Now that the journal is done, the group has agreed to auction it off for charity.  I will be listing the journal shortly on either Ebay or Etsy and proceeds raised from the sale of it will benefit the SPCA.  If this project and charity resonate with you, please bid on the journal to help our cause.

Thank you so much!
Joanna

ART JOURNAL FLIP THROUGH - PART 2

I'm still working out the kinks with this video production thing, so I appreciate you bearing with me.  I promise to get better!

Anyway, for those who are interested and all those who always ask for this, here is the link to my second art journal flip through video.

Thank you for looking!

Joanna

RECYCLE THOSE CHRISTMAS CARDS INTO ORNAMENTS !

Hello All and welcome back!

This is just a quick post to share the link to my guest artist post over on "12 Months In View," where we take Christmas cards and recycle them into angel ornaments.  For those of you with me back in December 2012, I posted this lesson here on my own blog.

Here is the link and I hope you enjoy this quick and easy project!

Cheers!
Joanna

Tutorial - How To Make Angel Ornaments With Recycled Christmas Cards

Art Journal - Video Flip Through 1

Happy New Year, my dear friends!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that you are rarin' to go again in 2014 with lots of arty projects.

I have been lax in posting to my blog the last couple of months because of other commitments but I am back now and will do my best to share what I'm up to on a regular basis.  I so appreciate you checking in from time to time to see what I'm doing.

I decided to share my first ever video that I made a few months ago.  It's pretty rough but I decided I would share it anyway.  Part of being an artist is learning new things and working through the learning curve to improve your craft.  My video recording certainly needs some work but because I am asked so often to share more of what I do and how I do it, I figured even in this amateurish state, you might enjoy the video.

In this video I do a quick flip through of one of my art journals and talk a bit about the pages and how they came to be.  I can't tell you how many people have said, "Wow, I'd love to take a walk through your art journals one day."  Well, be careful what you wish for.  Ha, ha!

See you again soon, my dear friends!

Joanna

Any Flat Surface Will Do - Collage On Anything!

Art Magnet Made With Recycled Laminate Sample

There's a running joke in our household that if something is flat and not nailed down it will probably end up in one of my collages.  

As the "Queen of Recycling" (a title given me by friends and customers), I always look at recyclable materials with a view to whether or not they'd make a good substrate for my art. 

Case in point, about 12 years ago I was in the home improvement store looking at those little laminate sample chips you can pick up when you are thinking of replacing your kitchen countertop.  They come in a myriad of colors and textures and are strong and durable.  They have rounded corners typically and a hole punched in them, and are about 1.5" X 2" or so.  Initially, I used them to make art jewelry pendants which I sold on Ebay and Etsy for several years.  

Eventually, I found some larger pieces that were about 3.5" X 5" and started making larger art magnets with them.  I hadn't made any in quite some time, when I recently came across a stash of them in my studio and decided to play around with them again.  I had been wanting to use up some of my Gelli plate prints that I have amassed, so I thought I'd make some fun and funky art magnets.  Here's what I did:

Here's a couple photos of the fronts and backs of the laminate pieces.  I have chosen to do the art on the back (unfinished) side because it has a more grippy surface than the slick "good" side of the laminate.  Plus, that way the finished piece will have a really nice look to the back side as well as the front.  

Laminate Samples - Front

Laminate Samples - Back

I cut my Gelli plate prints a bit bigger than the size of the laminate sample, which is about 3.5" X 5."  I chose some of the brighter, more colorful prints I have because I was planning on making these collages into some of my smart-ass magnets and I wanted them to be fun and playful.  

To ensure good adhesion, I used heavy body gel medium (Golden) to glue the prints to the backside of the laminate and let them dry.  Then I trimmed around the edges of the laminate to remove the excess paper.

Collaged elements, doodling, lettering, and other paint treatments came next.  I ran a stamp pad around the edges of the piece to finish the magnets off and then sprayed each with three coats of high gloss sealant.  Two flat, sheet magnets (the kind used for business card magnets) were put on the back of each piece.

Back Of Lamnate With Two Magnets Attached

Art Magnet Made With Recycled Laminate Sample

Art Magnet Made With Recycled Laminate Sample

This was a fun and quick project with great results.  It has reminded me that I should re-visit my previous types of work from time to time, bringing with me the latest techniques and tools I am using.  It brings new life and a new spin to the tried and true.

Thanks for visiting and have an artful day!

Much love always!
Joanna

Guest Blog Post - "How To" Mini Art Journal With Old Office Supplies

Art Journal Made With Recycled Office Supplies

Hi everyone!

I thought you might like to see a recent guest post I did over on the "12 Months In View" website.  The theme was gratitude and thanksgiving, and I made a small art journal with recycled office supplies.

You can find the link here:

How To Make A Mini Art Journal With Recycled Office Supplies

And here are a few photos from the post, just to pique your curiosity.

Thanks for looking and happy art-ing!

Joanna

New Grid-Based Art Journal Experiment

I was cruising around cyberspace several months ago and was reminded of my interest being piqued months before that by a blurb from mixed media artist Cathy Bluteau.  I had briefly seen an image of a unique approach she took to doing some grid-based art journaling.  When I came across it for the second time, I decided to investigate and ended up taking her online class.  

You can find out more about her class here:

Cathy Bluteau Sneak Peek Video

Here is the finished page.  It is in a 9" X 12" Strathmore journal.

Finished Journal Page - 9" X 12"

I just marveled at how easy this unique process was once Cathy showed me the way.  You just draw out squares and rectangles to fill your page, then you fill those shapes with all kinds of things, using all kinds of techniques.

I colored in all of the squares and rectangles first with markers (Spectrum Noir and Faber Castell Pitt Pens).  I tried to stick to a limited palette of colors - purple, pink, red, orange, gold and yellow.  After that was all done, then the real fun began!  I did some zentangle-inspired doodling, some funky lettering and then went to town on the collage/mixed media end of things.  I used all kinds of recycled materials and things that had been sitting around my studio just waiting to find a home.  Assorted graphics cutouts, old stickers and office supplies, dimensional paint, salvaged scrapbooking embellishments, vintage dictionary text, quilling paper and much more.  It was hard to know when to stop and honestly, I could still keep on going with it.

I will certainly be using Cathy's fabulous technique again for future journal pages.

Here are a couple more photos with close-ups of various areas of the page.

Cheers!
Joanna

Upper Left Of Journal Page

Upper Right Of Journal Page

Bottom Left Of Journal Page

Bottom Right Of Journal Page