Monday, April 28, 2014

inspiration monday {elvie-encore-post #6}


i stumbled upon this fabulous you tube by sija, and had to try it!
it's a really quick way to add some dimension to a shipping tag.....
and then you can use it in your journal or on a card!

as shown in the video, i used a thin coat of gesso and let it dry
 (i'm impatient, so i sped things up with my heat gun), 
and then i applied tim holtz distress inks using a foam applicator 
(make-up sponges work, too). 
here i've used the colors broken china and peeled paint, 
while leaving some of the natural color of the tag peeking through.




and this is what it looks like after i used a gentle touch with 
a baby wipe over the gessoed areas! 





for this tag, i used two of my favorite distress ink colors:
spiced marmalade and fired brick.
then, i finished using a micron for the lettering.

these tags each took about ten minutes to create, and 
they definitely fit into the "instant art gratification" category!!!



                    

you can watch this video in larger format here.


{i'm currently on a little bloggy break...this is an encore presentation 
of a post originally featured on august 6th and 7th, 2010}


Thursday, April 24, 2014

little yellow dreams {elvie-encore-post #5}



i caught myself day-dreaming about a
sweet little yellow house again....

isn't it great how your paintbrush
always knows what's on your heart?
xox



{created on fabriano medioevalis paper using
 koi watercolors, micron pen, pitt pen, and a 2B graphite pencil}



{i'm currently on a little bloggy break...this is an encore presentation 
of a post originally featured on november 15, 2012}



Monday, April 21, 2014

inspiration monday {elvie-encore-post #4}


i seem to have a lot of "experimental background papers" that are, 
let's face it, just plain lemons.    
so, you know the saying, when you've got lemons,  make some lemonade!




one of the things i like about this paper is all that juicy color...…
but to my eye, it's just too splotchy.  
so one thing i love to do is take a scrap of card stock and 
cut an opening out of the middle to create a little window 
(i've cut mine into a 1.5" square, but you can use any size or shape).  
then place it on top of the paper, and move it around...…
there are lots and lots of fun little art pieces hiding in there!  
make a quick tracing with a pencil around the edge of 
the window shape and then cut out the piece.......




and you'll have a pile of little art lovelies before you know it!  
suddenly that big piece of lemon paper is looking much better!





here's a way to make some lemonade with those little snippets of art happiness: 
draw a frame shape onto a piece of watercolor paper 
(i'm using my moleskine journal)......





and then paint it in.  i drew my frame with a tombow watersoluble marker, 
so i just used my waterbrush to activate the ink.  
when it dries, you can go back with your micron 
to touch up any lines that have faded.





once the frame is dry, glue one of the little art snippets to the middle.....






then add all of your special touches, 
and maybe even a title for your new little masterpiece!





keep painting frames and adding art snippets and titles......






and before you know it......






you've got your very own lemonade gallery!
have fun!


{my art gallery lemonade recipe:
the original background paper was created using bottled inks and this saran wrap method.

other supplies:  card stock, black tombow marker, waterbrush, micron pens, 2B pencil, glue stick}


{i'm currently on a little bloggy break...this is an encore presentation 
of a post originally featured on july 25, 2011}




Thursday, April 17, 2014

amazing artist {elvie-encore-post #3}


just a little reminder......
whether you're near or far,
high or low,
east, west, north or south...…

you are an amazing artist!




p.s.  and you're also 
bold, fearless, gritty, sassy,
and quite bodacious, too!!!!
:)))


{i'm currently on a little bloggy break...this is an encore presentation 
of a post originally featured on october 20, 2010}



Monday, April 14, 2014

inspiration monday {elvie-encore-post #2}



i love using watercolor pencils, but one thing i noticed right away is the color of the pencil isn't always the exact color that goes onto the paper!  so here's a paint-chip system that i've been using for a while now.....they're super easy to make, and all you need is your paints, scraps of watercolor paper, your waterbrush or paintbrush and cup of water, a pencil, scissors, glue or double-sided tape, and some popsicle sticks.






first, draw a square for each of your colors onto your watercolor paper 
and paint each square using one color. 
 i like to put more color at the top and less at the bottom 
so i know how the color looks both as a dark and a light.





now, label each color.  
you can leave your swatches as they are 
and you'll have a great color reference......





but i like to cut mine out......





and mount them onto popsicle sticks using a dab of glue or double-sided tape.  
this way i can mix and match and see exactly 
what they look like right next to each other.  
it makes choosing your color palette really fun, 
and you'll be amazed at how many fabulous color combinations you discover!





plus, your entire collection will look so cute all tucked in a glass jar......
kind of like a rainbow-paint-chip-inspiration-bouquet smiling at you!


{you can use this technique for watercolor paints, acrylics, watercolor pencils, 
watercolor crayons, and any other color media you enjoy working in!}

***
{i'm currently on a little bloggy break......
this is an encore presentation of a post 
originally featured on april 18, 2011}





Thursday, April 10, 2014

patience, faith, and gifts….{elvie-encore-post #1}


the sea does not reward those who are too anxious,
too greedy, or too impatient.
to dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed,
but lack of faith.
patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches.
patience and faith.
one should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach -
waiting for a gift from the sea.

anne morrow lindbergh
from "Gift from the Sea"



{i'm currently on a little bloggy break......
this is an encore presentation of a post originally featured on july 14, 2010

i'll be posting art snippets from time-to-time over at Facebook,
if you'd like to follow me here! }




Monday, April 7, 2014

inspiration monday


i'm a firm believer that when it comes to finding inspiration….





sometimes it helps to get as far away as possible from
all this busyness going on around us.





and while i'm not really very good at it,
i think it also means just resting for a while.




so i'm going to take mr. buchanan's advice…..





and recharge my creative batteries back to the "fully alive" level!

i'll be away from blogland for the next few weeks,
so i'll be posting some of my favorite elvie-encore-posts while i'm gone….

see you soon, dear, sweet, bloggy friends!!
xox


{supplies: walls notebook, derwent inktense pencils, pan pastel,
pitt pens, white pilot choose pen, 8B graphite pencil}





Thursday, April 3, 2014

name play


our documented life project challenge this week was to
write your name, and then embellish it…..





and you can probably guess that after being so nervous with last week's prompt,
this week, i had an absolute ball!





i kept this page really simple, and added some of my favorite things….





and to be honest, i don't know which i had more fun with,
the writing-my-name part, or the embellishing!
the entire process was total happy!!


{supplies:  fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper, derwent watercolor pencils, pitt pens,
derwent inktense pencils, pan pastel, uniball signo white gel pen, washi tape,
6B and 3B graphite pencils}







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