art journal | dream bigger -by vicky papaioannou

Such talent!  I just had to share this with all of you.  Vicky is such an inspiration to me!

Alcohol Ink Backgrounds

Yesterday I decided to play with my alcohol inks, and I tried some different substrates.   I used Yupo paper, glossy paper, and the front and back of photo paper.  I got the idea to use the back from a video on YouTube.  The woman who made the video said it was very similar to Yupo paper, so I gave it a try.  The glossy side of the photo paper wasn't successful,  The inks didn't move at all, since they were absorbed into the paper very quickly.  The results I got from the regular glossy paper weren't that great either.   Here are the rest of the results, with a description below the photo:

(Please note that I provide Amazon Affiliate Links whenever possible.  Thank you for your support!)

I used Ranger/Tim Holtz alcohol inks in the following colors):  Red Pepper, Valencia, Sunset Orange, Peach Bellini, Sunshine Yellow, Lemonade, Limeade, Citrus, Aqua, Turquoise, Mermaid, Cool Peri, Purple Twilight, Eggplant.  I also tried the Brea Reese alcohol inks in these 3 colors:  Rose, Kelly Green (no link available), and Ocean Green.

The top 2 backgrounds were done on Yupo paper, which I found to be the most successful substrate.  It was easy to move and blend the inks, and I was able to create those beautiful cells that I love so much.  In all the backgrounds, you will see small flecks of Deco Foil that I applied while the ink was still a little tacky.  I used leftover scraps that I had used on other projects, just a dab here and there.

In the next row, the orange background on the left was done on the back of Canon Glossy Photo Paper.  I was surprised at how successful this was.  Although the inks didn't move quite as easily, and they took a little more work, I was happy with the results.  The finish is more matte than that of the Yupo paper.  The second background was done on Yupo paper.

The background (it's actually one cut in half) in the bottom row was made on the back of HP Glossy Photo Paper.  Like the Canon paper, I had to work a little harder with this one, and it was my least favorite.  I did like the end results, but the Alcohol Ink Blending Solution and plain alcohol that I used reacted in a strange way with the coating on the back of the paper.  Some spots were shiny, and others were matte.  Some of the ink also rubbed off, but I buffed the paper with a paper towel when I was done.  No more ink is rubbing off now, and I was able to make the 2 card bases that you see in the photo.

Overall, my favorite substrate to use is still the Yupo paper.  It's the most expensive, but there are cheaper alternatives available on Amazon as well.  The back side of photo paper is a less expensive way to go, especially if you have tons of it like I do.

Play around with different substrates, and see what happens.  You might be pleasantly surprised at the results!  Thanks for visiting, and remember to find a little joy every day.

Art Journaling This Week

Here's this week's Art Journaling Page.  I challenged myself to use dark colors to create a background.  I used Dyan Reaveley spray inks in After Midnight, Dirty Martini, London Blue.

Altered Scraps Art Journaling Page

Hi all!  Here is my latest AJ page, based on a challenge from Art to the Fifth.  The challenge was from a few weeks ago, but I'm not following them in strict order.We were supposed to use our "under paper" or scraps.  I pulled out some scraps, laid down a coat of black gesso, and then went to work.

First I scribbled some Gelatos on the scraps of paper, and then I dipped my finger into a cup of water and blended the colors.  After that, I drew circles in various sizes and cut them out by hand.  Then I glued them to the page with Collage Pauge.  Next I added random dots with my Moonlight pens, doodled on the papers with my Glaze Pens, and finished the background with little dots of glitter.

To make the glitter dots, I drew tiny dots with my Glue Pen, dipped my finger in clear iridescent glitter, and rubbed my fingers over the dried glue.  (The glue remains tacky after it dries.)  Any excess glitter just added to the overall sparkle of the page.  I hand-wrote the phrases using a white Souffle gel pen.

As you can see, when it comes to my art journaling, I like to be free-form with my designs.  I usually hand-draw or stamp imperfectly, and I hand-cut and hand-letter.

Thanks for stopping by!  If you'd like to get your hands on the supplies I used, I've listed them below, along with a link to Amazon.  If you liked this blog entry, please use my affiliate link to purchase these products.  Thanks so much!  Happy Creating!

Gelatos 10 Color And Accessories Gift Set - Faber-Castell

(You can search for other products that I mentioned as well once you're at Amazon.)

Positivity and Negativity

Here are my pages for the second Tangent for the prompts over at Daisy Yellow Art.

Supplies include:  Artist's Loft (inexpensive Michael's Brand) acrylic paint in Turquoise; Heidi Swapp acrylic paint (very old) in Icee, Cream, Butterscotch, and Crinson; Golden Acrylics white gesso; black Uni-Ball Vision Elite pen.

My husband thinks I'm very "brave" for doing these pages.  My daughter said, "You're not a bad mother."  I think all 3 of us learned something from this prompt.  I know that I'm really getting a lot out of my art journal.  It's a celebration, a reflection, an introspective of my life and the many emotions that I experience on a regular basis.  I guess I'm a complex kind of gal!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunburst Art Journal Page

Tammy over at Daisy Yellow Art is running a series of prompts for art journaling inspiration.  I'm a week behind, so here is my page for the first week.  I used a very inexpensive watercolors set that I bought at Michael's.   I love how it turned out!  Let me know if you give it a try, and I'll link to your blog in my next post.  Thanks for stopping by!

Monochromatic Art Journaling Page

Here is my page for the Monochromatic Challenge at Art to the 5th.   I used Heidi Swapp acrylic paints and Dylusions spray inks.  Then I stamped with Archival Jet Black ink and added Golden's molding paste.  This page was even more challenging for me because the colors I used are out of my "go-to" colors (blues and purples).  Thanks for stopping by!

Art Journaling Class

We had another fun class at Scrapper's Playground tonight.  We used some beautiful watercolor paints to create 2 calendar pages and a journal page.  I felt like a little kid playing with paint, and IT WAS FUN!  I love playing with different media and learning new techniques.  The best thing about this class is that, even if I don't particularly like a technique or medium that we use, at least I've tried it and have learned something by doing it.  It's all about the experience and experimentation.  I hope you all get to make something gorgeous this weekend!

Facts and Feelings: The Paperclipping Roundtable

I had an awesome time on The Paperclipping Roundtable today! Noell and Izzy were just terrific, and chatting with Ali Edwards was pretty cool, too.  It was wonderful to share ideas and thoughts about scrapbooking special needs children.  Please click on the above link to listen to the podcast.  This is #151, and I highly recommend listening to the other 150.  They do a great job!  Thanks, guys!