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

Newest Gelli Print Art

Hello all;

This is just a quick post to show you some of my recent work.  I've been playing with prints of my Gelli plate prints and enhancing them with doodles, flowers, etc.  I really like how these enhancements really make each print a whole new piece of art.

I've been using assorted markers and pens and some colored paper here and there.  Love how colorful and whimsical these have turned out and I hope you enjoy them too.

I liked how "Enjoy The Journey" turned out so much, that I have ordered a very small limited edition run of notebooks featuring this print on the cover.  I'll be listing a couple of them in my Etsy shop in due course.

Until next time, happy arting!

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