More student/teacher works

Here are more photos of student and teacher works from the Funky File-Folder Journal Workshop that Melanie and I conducted last weekend.

I am just so happy to share these with, all of you, and please check out the ones in post below, too, if you haven't already.

I wish you a great weekend, ahead, and hope it's a cool one for you. We're in the midst of a heat wave, here, with index predictions of 106 and 101 for tomorrow! :( Much love, Marilyn xxoo

Student Works - Funky File Folder Journals

I am beginning to upload, here, photos of student works from Melanie Phillips and my recent workshop offering entitled "Funky File-Folder Journal". I am sharing the four, here, to start and will upload more towards the end of the week. I asked the students to choose either their cover or a spread to share on my Blog.

We had so much fun and both sessions of the workshop flew by. I just love the direction that everyone is taking with their journal.

Melanie and I shared background techniques, transfers with inkjet images on paper as well as fabric, polymer clay embellishments, metal embossing, and more.

We didn't get to actually finish the whole journal but we did end up sewing the binding. Students as well as teachers :)......can have fun finishing their journals at home.

Great job everyone!

Much love - Marilyn xxoo

Journal Cover

Here is the cover of my Hearts-themed journal. The cover, itself, in its original state, is a very heavy black board. I was planning on using plaster, over it, but it would have been much too heavy.

For the base of this artwork, I used a National Geographic magazine page (which I think works the best) and treated it with Nevr Dull. Nevr Dull is a polishing wax, of sorts, that is used for metals. I think it's even used on cars. Nothing is sacred in the art world, even in the hardware store. In fact, I think hardware stores are like candy stores to me :)

Nevr Dull comes in a can and inside are these funky wads of cotton-like material that has the solution on it. There is an odor, to this, so my advice is to use it in a well-ventilated area. But; I love the reaction with the magazine ink and the polish - it's really cool and you can add paints over it, more collage - I will share more of these kinds of backgrounds in my new journal.

Speaking of new journal, I have already started one. It won't have a theme; I've decided it's going to be whatever I decide to do on any given page. Just me and my muse! Hmmmmmmmmmmmm; that would make for a great name for the journal!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. We are heating up, here in the Northeast, and we are in for our first "heat wave" of the summer towards mid week. Oh well; guess I'll have to close myself up in my art area with the a/c on! :)

Today is Part II of the Funky File-Folder Journal workshop that Melanie and I have going. I will be sharing student works, sometime, this week.

In meantime, all take care, hope you're keeping cool and have a safe and happy week ahead.

Love much...................Marilyn xxoo

Mr. Clean and Whoops I Forgot One! :)

Well; I thought I had completed my heart-themed journal and a few days, ago, was going through each spread and realized I forgot this one! The reason is I was working on this spread with an old background technique I learned a few years back. It's called "ghosting". Well - it didn't work! So; I just left it thinking I will get back to it and forgot about it.

The technique is pretty much spraying with inks (i.e. Adirondack) and then you can use a stencil or just "draw" in shapes with a watery brush. Let the water set about 15 seconds then blot.

So; I decided to take on this flubbed background and try to re-create the ghosting effect with the hearts as I really think the effect is cool. I've used Mr. Clean Magic Eraser before with watercolors and decided to give it a try here. I got my heart stencil out and rubbed the area with the Magic Eraser and wham!!!! Mr. Clean comes through! I was so pleased I then went in with punchinella and also an alphabet stencil.

Here are pictures of "before and after" shots of the spread. (Please forgive the order of these photos; can't figure out how to move them around.) I took photos of the backgrounds that had been treated with the Magic Eraser and then photos of what I am, now, doing with the backgrounds. I still have more to add but thought I'd share what I have.

I did work on the cover of this journal and will be sharing that in near future. I decided against using plaster on the cover; just too heavy an application for this kind of journal.

Thank you all for your lovely comments you left for the photos of Sophia. I can't wait to get more pics so I can use her silhouettes in my art!

I hope you and yours are all well and enjoying life!

Much love, Marilyn xxoo

This is what I'm talkin' about :)

Sophia......19 mos.

Just had to share my light!

Love to all..........................................Marilyn xxoo

"Wonder and Hope"

Well; this is the last spread of my hearts journal. I decided to follow my own heart and go with pages of wonder and hope. I love those words and I relate to them in terms of what my granddaughter offers me every time I'm with her. The "hope" page even includes a transparency picture of Sophia when she was a little younger but it's one of my favorites.

Did you all have a good weekend? I hope you did. How's your weather? We're in the HHH's at the moment; not my favorite time of year.

Melanie and I had the first part of our Funky File-Folder Journal workshop, on Sunday, and it was so much fun sharing that with our friends. I will have pictures, eventually, of everyone's cover to share here. All of them are amazing!

I am wishing you all a good week; be safe and happy!

Much love ...................... Marilyn xxoo

Back to journal stuff

This journal spread is truly a mixed bag of everything! I discovered I love working on silhouettes over script paper (i.e. old book pages, newspaper, dictionaries, etc.). I can make up a batch, all at one time, and have them for future collage work. This particular silhouette was created with a rubber stamp I have.

The artist who originally inspired me with these silhouettes is Dina Wakley. She's a marvelous artist and I have seen a lot of her work in the Stampington publications as well as online sites. With my journal work, I thought it was time, for me, to start creating my own silhouettes, and meshing them with some of my favorite techniques. I think the silhouettes are kind of mysterious and they take the labor and stress out of drawing and sketching an image which I still struggle with no matter how much I practice.

I'm now working on the final spread for my hearts-themed journal. I decided to end the journal with Wonder and Hope :) I will share it after the weekend.

I'll be a little quiet over the next few days. My friend Melanie and I are holding our Funky File-Folder Journal workshop on Sunday, at the scrapbook store, and I have things to get organized, for it, as well as work on the written handouts.

Another weekend is approaching and I hope you all can enjoy your time. Be safe, well, and happy and I'll be back early next week.

Much love and caring thoughts to all......................Marilyn xxoo