Fortunes

8" x 10" double journal page, water color paints, Pigma pen, rubber stamps, collage papers. August 3, 2013.

I used watercolor paints to paint the fortune cookie before I ate it, and a red wash in the background. I added outline details with Pigma pen. I collaged a lot of my collection of fortune cookies around it, with a red chopstick paper wrapper. A business card from China Buffet, is in the top right corner. I used several rubber stamps, one of "Wisdom," the other "Hope" in Chinese characters. And a square stamp with Chinese characters, which I have no idea what it says.

My Keys

Every Day Matters #37 - Draw some keys. Journal page, 5" x 8" pencil sketch, watercolor paints, Pigma pen, rubber stamp. Sept. 10, 2012.

My set of keys, with a key chain name tag, that was a gift from friends who went to the Grand Canyon, one of the few places I've missed seeing in the US. I had fun with the rubber stamp too.

Blue Flower & Text Background

Both - 5" x 8" watercolor paper, collage book pages, watercolor and acrylic paint. Aug. 21, 2012

As a practice piece I decided to use some torn book pages for a layered look, for a painting background. I collaged them with gel medium, on one I added watercolor paints first, then the pages. On the other, the watercolor would not paint over the medium, so I had to use an acrylic wash. I blotted this paint with wadded tissue to texturize the paint, in orange, purple, and light blue. Next I rubber stamped a curly cue design in blue ink, and then painted a blue flower with lacy curly cue leaves. I added a few extra curly cues, along the edge, as more background filler, and highlighted the painting with light blue. The flower has an orange center. The other page is in need of more layers, so it is not yet done.

Dried Botanicals

6" x 8" drawing paper, watercolor wash, dried plant materials, Pigma pen. July 20, 2012

"Pressed botanicals that I have had between the pages of a phone book for several years. I don't remember what the purple morning glory type flowers are. The background is watercolor painted, and the items are put on with mat medium and recoated twice. Pencil drawings and watercolor paint, added extra seeds, leaves, flowers and ferns. Then I went over the drawings with black Pigma pen." The little purple flowers are "million bells".

6" x 8" , brown craft paper, dried fern with mat medium, July 20, 2012. I glued the dried fern with mat medium and then could not figure out anything to do with it. Over paint it? Add more pressed flowers? Stamps, drawings, etc...? It might come to me later.

Mixed Media Collage

Both - 5.5" x 8" brown craft paper, mixed media collage, magazine papers, dyed cheesecloth and paper towels. July 20, 2012

Both of these were made as background for future projects, I don't know if they are done or not. They both are made with a base of cut magazine strips, collaged to brown paper bag, with gel medium, one warm colors - orange, rust, gold, the other shades of blue. I added torn strips of dyed paper towel in random places, with gel medium, on the warm colors I added pieces of hand dyed cheesecloth in yellow & orange, more gel medium. On the blue piece I thought for a long time, then decided to try a new white gel pen to add highlights and detail, and it became a stormy sea, with lightening, and blowing clouds and highlighted the waves of one magazine print. I titled it "Squall." They are both nice color studies, with a little texture thrown in. Done Yet?

Green & Purple Prints

Both - 6" x 8" brown craft paper, mixed media. July 18, 2012

The green piece is done with a base of collaged magazine strips in green colors. I originally started to draw some doodles in black Sharpie marker, but I did not like it, so I over painted in green acrylic paints with white streaks, some of the doodles show through. The purple did not have a magazine under layer, just purple paint on brown paper. Then each was stamped with a foam stamp and white acrylic paint to make the patterning. The green one was highlighted with a white gel pen. I don't know if I am done with them or not, or will over paint them again.

Sunset Mixed Media

5.5" x 8" brown paper, photo, collaged painted paper towels, rubber stamps, Pigma pen, June 4, 2012

An original digital sunset photograph, cut vertically and glued to brown paper, collaged with torn painted paper towel with gel medium. Rubber stamped with nature landscape stamps, touched up with Pigma pen. I tried to add another coat of gel medium but the stamp ink blurred and disappeared." I tried to match the torn towels to the photograph colors.