Loving the Caravan Ride!

Here are a few things from my Art Journal Caravan adventure so far ...

Having two cats and tripping over them daily, this is what I came up with.  The word for the week was BELONG ...

This was designed for the word DEPEND ...

Thanks for looking!

Grunge Circus

I did this piece a while back for Digital Whisper, and it's been one of my favorites.  Kind of quirky and just a little different ...

With thanks to:

Zippo sign - smurfesque @ deviantart

Warning sign - magenta_dino @ deviantart

Entrance sign - tlejeck @ deviantart

Border - struckdumb @deviantart

Monkey - adrielchrist @ deviantart

Checkerboard floor - fune_stock @ deviantart

Striped Paper - WheelofFish @ deviantart

Top Hat - Serata @ deviantart

Curtains - teena p @ flickr

Texture - Shadowhouse Creations

Glitter Overlay - Studio Gypsy

Arrow - Crowabout

Holliewood Studios

Zentangles ... I'm Totally Obsessed!

Well, while continuing my adventure with the Art Journal Caravan, we got to create a Zentangle.  What is a Zentangle, you may ask?  It's basically creating a series of patterns (normally in black and white) which are combined to make one awesome piece of art.  There are no rules and it's very relaxing when you get into it.  I just used drawing paper and a Sharpie ultra-fine pen to create this.

Zentangle - Home in the Midst of Chaos

#13 - Dawn (Digital Whisper)

I did this piece a while back but never posted it.  Kind of a cowboyish feel, and who doesn't love the colors of dawn.  Thanks for looking.

#13 Dawn

With Thanks to:

Lorie Davison

Border:  StruckDumb @ DeviantArt

Texture:  SiriusSudz @ DeviantArt

Photo:  Kkart



#59 - No Way Out (Digital Whisper)

My son encouraged this layout so here it is.  I haven't been inspired lately to create for the 100 Themes ... hopefully I get all 100 created by the end of the year.  Fingers crossed!!!  Thanks for looking.

#59 No Way Out

With Thanks to:

Holliewood Studios

Skeletalmess



Heritage Advenure Quest (Art Journal Caravan 2011)

This month members of the Caravan were challenged to delve into our family history and design something that reflects our heritage.  Since I have recently been addicted to Ancestry.com and have been researching my parents' families, and have a ton of family photos, this challenge was right up my alley.  I finally chose one photo that, I think, symbolizes the journey for most families coming from one country and settling in another.  This ancestor and her new husband traveled from London, England, in 1869, to New York, and then homesteaded in Nebraska, before finally landing in Fresno, California, via Idaho.  As I was designing this piece I had time to think about what life was like for this family and how lucky I am to have my home and family, health and happiness.  Family history can lead you down an interesting and enlightening road ...

#37 - Eyes (Digital Whisper)

Lots of different ways to go with this one, but here's what I came up with ...

#37 - Eyes

With Thanks to:

Catherine Designs

Crowabout Studio

Tumble Fish Studio

Art Journal Caravan 2011 - June Scavenger Hunt

The Art Journal Caravan led by Tangie Baxter over at http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/ took a detour with a scavenger hunt.  We had to do a page a week for the month of June with a list of items to be used in our art piece.  This is what I came up with ... and boy, was it ever challenging!

Week #1
Items to be Used:  Elephant, Telephone, Moon, Bubble, Fence or Wall, Coconut

Week #2
Items to be Used:  Bottle Marked "Poison", Luggage, Horseshoe, Chameleon or Reptile, Thermostat or Thermometer, Telescope or Binoculars

 Week #3
Items to be Used:  Game Piece, Crown, Street Sign, Hot Air Balloon, Stamp, Crow

Week #4

Items to be Used:  Light, Aquatic Animal, Precious Stone, Astrological Sign or Constellation, Ink, Flag



#37 - Eyes (Digital Whisper)

I reworked a prior piece I'd done just because it reflected the "Eyes" theme.  Using elements from Tumble Fish Studios, Crowabout, and Catherine Designs give this kinda of a "collagey" feel.  Thanks for looking!

#37 - Eyes

#49 - Stripes (Digital Whisper)

Well, it's a little late to post this for the 4th of July ... but better late than never!  This is a photo of my dad who served on the U.S.S. Laffey during the Korean conflict.  Several years ago, my dad, sister, and I got to visit the destroyer when it was ported at Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and it was quite an experience.  Not a lot of room to move around ... that's for sure!  Thanks for looking, and hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July.

#49 - Stripes

With Thanks to:

Texture:  Shadowhouse Creations

Waves:  Tumble Fish Studio

Striped Paper:  Miss Crow

Some More Memory Art ...

The mother of a friend of mine went on a cruise to Alaska and took some wonderful photos.  My friend wanted to do a piece for her mom using a lot of the photos, but, of course, making them fit is always the challenge. I used as many as I could without it looking too crowded, and extracted some flowers from photos she took (because she loves flowers) and used them as different focal points.  About 25 of her photos were used to create this piece.

Creative Process (Art Journal Caravan 2011)

Since joining Tangie Baxter's Art Journal Caravan (Scrapbookgraphics.com), I've been incorporating a lot of quotes in my artwork that reflect my thinking.  Each week we get a verb to create around and, as always, the journey is in creating each piece.  It's really fun, and I enjoy being a part of the Caravan!

Verb:  Process

#25 - Summer Haze (Digital Whisper)

It's been a while since I've posted.  Lots of projects going on and life in general.  I really want to complete the 100 Themes for the year so I've got to light a fire and get going.  When I thought of "Summer Haze" I immediatey thought of my grandpa napping on his hammock strung up between to apple trees.  He grew Gravenstein and Golden Delicious apples, and we were lucky to get to them before the deer arrived!  This was a good memory and fun to remember ...

#25 - Summer Haze

With Thanks to:

Textures:  skeletalmess @ flickr

Bird:  Deviantscrap

Apples/Hammock:  Internet

Foliage/Background/Grass/Balloon:  Lorie Davison

#46 - Male (Digital Whisper)

Geez ... I've had a super hard time posting anything to Blogger. I'm getting a "server rejected" message and had to edit my settings. Hopefully I've fixed the problem, but from what others have said it doesn't look too promising. Anyway, I really love vintage photos, and this one of the boys caught my eye. They look so cute and well-behaved, but as we all know ... boys will be boys. Thanks for looking!

#46 - Male

With thanks to:

Room & Banner: Studio Gypsy

Table/Telegram/Rocking Horse: Holliewood Studios @ Deviantscrap

Alpha & Frames: Christina Renee @ Scrapbookgraphics

Hearts & Bird: CreateWings Designs

Bunny: Catherine Designs

Boardwalk: Tumble Fish Studios

Boys: Cassandra204 @ Flickr

#21 - Cave (Digital Whisper)

Starting in on this I knew I wanted a chaise in a cave, and this is what evolved.  Upon completion, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not so I've been sitting on it for a few weeks.  Turns out ... I like it!  Thanks for looking!

#21 - Cave

With Thanks to:

Figure:  Finecrafted Designs (Inner Voice) @ Deviantscrap.com

Crystal Balls:  Lorie Davison (Gremouse Manor) @ scrapbookgraphics.com

Net/Hanging Ornaments:  Gypsy @ scrapbookgraphics.com

Magic Dust:  Lorie Davison

Cave:  Internet

Texture:  skeletalmess @ flickr, Shadowhouse Creations

Art Journal Caravan - #20 Understanding

I've started a new adventure and joined the Art Journal Caravan created by Tangie Baxter over at http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/.  It's art and art journaling combined to take you on a journey of self-discovery through a different prompt every week.  This week's prompt is "Understanding". 

AJC #20 Understanding

#87 - Tranquil (Digital Whisper)

The moment I saw this figure I knew I wanted to use it somehow for this theme.  There are so many different ways to go with the color scheme but this is what spoke to me as I was creating it.  Thanks for looking and have a great week!!!

#87 - Tranquil

With Thanks to:

Textures:  Darkwood @ Flickr, Shadowhouse Creations

Border/Papers/Lilypads:  Lorie Davison

Buddha:  sunlitsix @ Deviantart

#27 - Rock Star (Digital Whisper)

I took this one literally and so much fun creating a "rock" character".  He's a bit cartoonish but definitely has that star quality!

#27 - Rock Star

With Thanks to:

Lorie Davison, Holliewood Studios, Christina Renee

and various internet sources

#90 - Alley

My son traveled to Europe with his university basketball team, and he took some really great photos.  The background I used here of the alley was a photo he took in Barcelona.  It was fun to use a photo that he took for my own artistic purposes and he was pleased with the outcome, too!  Thanks so much for looking!

#90 - Alley

With Thanks to:

Texture:  skeletalmess @ flickr and Shadowhouse Creations

Flowers and Dancer:  Internet

Alley Background:  Adam

#28 - Sorrow (Digital Whisper)

I was hoping to capture the essence of sorrow without being too dark and yet give a glimmer of hope.  Lots of textures gave me the feel I was looking for.

#28 - Sorrow

With Thanks to:

Textures:  artbychrysti, jfrancis, darkwood, joe's sistah @ flickr, and Shadowhouse Creations

Swing:  Lorie Davison

Border:  CottageArts

Model:  Dazzle_stock at DeviantArt

#17 - Upside Down

You ever have one of those days where nothing seems to come together?  Timing is off, everything I touch seems to fall on the floor, and please don't get behind the wheel of a car.  I created this piece on that day.  Enough said.  All elements are from Finecrafted Designs and deviantscrap.com, except for the house which is from the internet.  Thanks for looking!

#17 - Upside Down

#65 - Time

Thought I would do this in a steampunk kind of style.  Tons of layers, no textures, just lots of stuff.  Hope you like it!

#65 - Time

With thanks to:

Birdcage, Border, Pocket Watch, Wings, Clock Parts:  Lorie Davison

Curtain:  Holliewood Studios

Owl:  Armene @ Deviantart

Model:  Mizzd @ Deviantart

Phone, Books, Lamp:  Internet

Background:  mysticmorning @ deviantart

Timepieces:  From Deviantart - Aranwen, Femobot, Bookscorpion, Chamberstock

Clock Key:  Strwberrystk @ Deviantart

Goggles:  One Weeb



#89 - Black

I finished this piece and then didn't know what theme to use.  I finally chose "Black" purely for the color scheme.  If "Past/Future" was a category that's where it would have gone.  Thanks for looking!

#89 - Black

With Thanks to:

Texture:  Livingroomshadows, Ka2rina, Clifford Sax,

Skeletalmess, and Essence of a Dream - all at Flickr

Model:  Angelhead @ Flickr

Ouija Board:  TheArtistDarkLady @ Deviantart

Border:  TotallyWildDezinez

#22 - Mother Nature (Digital Whisper)

Well, life got in the way of art and that can be very frustrating. You know how it is when you're painting bathroom cabinets, but the real question is whether or not you should add that extra overlay to your current art work? Anyway, here is Mother Nature.  I used a lot of texturing and brushes and there are a ton of layers.  Thanks so much for looking!

#22 - Mother Nature

With Thanks to:

Model:  Dxlogic@deviantart

Many elements from:  DeviantScrap - Colorsplash;

Gypsy; Holliewood Studios; Finecrafted Designs

Texture:  Shadowhouse Creations

#98 - Puzzle (Digital Whisper)

I used the site "Dumpr" to create the Mona Lisa Rubic's cube.  It's a fun site to use and gives me another perspective on creating.  Thanks for looking!

#98 - Puzzle

With Thanks to:

Texture:  Shadowhouse Creations

Border:  TotallyWildDezinz

Sign Post, Wings, Background:  Holliewood Studios

#76 - Passion (Digital Whisper)

Well, my creative muse took a hike for a while but hopefully it's back.  Here's my piece for the theme "Passion".  I wanted to use tango dancers but had a tough time finding the right image.  The swirly overlay from Shadowhouse Creations helped convey the feelings.

#76 - Passion

With Thanks to:

Texture and Layer Mask:  Shadowhouse Creations

Paper:  artbychrysti @ flickr

Rose:  Bisontine

Couple:  Internet

#10 - Lemon Tree (Digital Whisper)

This theme was challenging in that there was no emotional connection for me to a lemon tree.  I find that I can usually evoke a memory or get a train of thought going when designing a piece, but this topic was so completely random that I had to really get a feeling for it.  I hope you like it!

#10 - Lemon Tree

With Thanks to:

Lemon Tree & Windowsill:  Internet

Bird:  Holliewood Studios

Grass & Chair:  Lorie Davison

Background:  Joe's Sistah @ flickr

Texture:  Dog Ma @ flickr

Border:  TotallyWildDezinez

#30 - Umbrella (Digital Whisper)

Just wanted to do something fun and colorful for this theme, so why not use some Asian parasols?  There are so many beautiful designs, and it was hard deciding which ones to use.  The background is origami paper.

#30 - Umbrella

With Thanks to:

Parasols and Origami Paper:  Internet

Texture:  yuna @ flickr

Border:  TotallyWildDezinez

Geisha:  okinawa soba @ flickr

#100 - Secrets

A tricky theme.  I really wanted to use this figure somehow so I think it worked out for this theme.  Again, textures and blending, changing opacity, to give it the look I wanted.  Thanks for looking and your comments!

#100 - Secrets

With Thanks to:

Model:  BloodyMarie @ deviantart

Textures:  skeletalmess and ka2rina @ flickr

Background:  freaky665 @ deviantart

Border:  TotallyWildDezinez

#82 - Dance (Digital Whisper)

This piece was fun to do, and I just wanted to keep it light and whimsical.  A few different "skies" were used and some blending done.  I think I'd like to go to the Twilight Club ... Thanks for looking!

#82 - Dance

With Thanks to:

Dancers:  Dr. Macro

Curtain:  LunaNYXstock @ deviantart

Sky:  JoannaStar and Night-Fate Stock @ deviantart

Sign:  Tumble Fish Studio

Disco Ball:  Internet

Texture:  skeletalmess @ flickr

#35 - Journey (Digital Whisper)

Wow ... there are so many ways to go with this theme, but I have been wanting to use the car so this is what I came up with.  Lots of layers and brushes and blending.  I think they'll have an interesting journey ...  Thanks for looking!

#35 - Journey

With Thanks to:

Car:  carbonated @ flickr

Caution sign & Globe:  Holliewood Studios

Red Border:  Tumble Fish Studios

Textures:  skeletalmess @ flickr



#97 - Wings (Digital Whisper)

I started this project wanting to use a dress form and this is what evolved.  I used my Wacom tablet to add some framing, and some brushes for textural effects.  As always, thanks for looking!

#97 - Wings

With Thanks to:

Texture:  skeletalmess @ flickr

Border:  Totallywilddezinez

Crown, Head, Fly, Floor:  Tumblefish Studios

Butterfly:  DeviantScrap (ColorSplash)

Background Pattern:  Creatwingsdesigns

Dress Form:  Internet



#86 - Mask (Digital Whisper)

I think this challenge could be taken in so many different ways.  Since I really love the Venetian Carnival masks, I wanted to go in that direction and just make the interpretation fairly simple.  Nothing too crazy on this one -- textured overlays and drop shadows. Thanks for looking:

#86 - Mask

With Thanks to:

Texture:  skeletalmess @ flickr

Music Texture:  night_fate_stock @ deviantart

Border:  struckdumb @ deviantart

Mask:  Internet

#55 - Waiting (Digital Whisper)

I initially was going to use this photo of Anna Mae Wong for the "Exotic" theme, but after working with it I thought it spoke more to "waiting".  Anyway, I didn't do a lot to it other than blend some textures, but I really like the way it turned out.  Thanks for looking!

#55 - Waiting

With Thanks to:

Textures:  Skeletalmess @flickr

Border:  Totallywilddezinez

Frame:  Lorie Davison (Prairie Gal)

Clock:  Steampunk Clock Pendant vby Karla Chan @ deviantart

Wings:  Finecrafted Designs

Floor:  Holliewood Studios (Metal Momma)

Anna Mae Wong:  The Happy Wanderer Memorial @ flickr

#77 - Past Days (Digital Whisper)

I've always wanted to use the photo of these two women.  I started designing for Theme #20 - Half, but then when I was finished I decided it spoke more to Past Days (whimsically, of course).  As always, thanks for looking, and I really appreciate your comments!

#77 - Past Days

With Thanks to:

Figure:  vintage67 by violetivory (deviantart.com)

Wings:  Bisontine (Truth from Falsehood)

Paper:  Lorie Davison (Pioneer Story)

#8 - Innocence (Digital Whisper)

What could be more innocent than a child with a kitten?  I really enjoyed using DeviantScrap's ColorSplash kit which is currently featured in Somerset's Digital Studio magazine.  There are some super great papers and random elements that makes it so much fun to play with.  I am also a very big admirer of Marsha Jorgensen of Tumblefish Studios and love her collage elements that are available in her Etsy shop.  Thanks for looking!

#8 - Innocence

Credits:

Papers and Flower:  DeviantScrap Colorsplash

Frame, Arms, and Legs:  Tumblefish Studios

Body/Wings:  Createwings Designs

Word:  CrowAbout Studios

More Memory Art

There are some photos that just can't be kept in a box ... they represent a special moment that you want to remember, or evoke a feeling that connects you to that point in time.  Maybe there's a certain message that you feel that photo represents.  I feel that way about lots of my photos, and there are a few pieces that I've done:

You can make your photos special, too. 

Come and take an Artful Journey ...

Memory Art

You know how we all have tons of family photos and they are scattered all over the place ... in boxes, in drawers, in ... who know's where? I've been doing a lot of family photo collages where several photos can be showcased.  The images are either extracted from their original photos or kept as original and then framed.  These pieces are in a 12"x12" format (a large scrapbooking page).  Here are a few that I've done:

This is my son as he has grown up ...

A friend of mine wanted a piece to give to her nieces and nephews using several old family photos, but she didn't want a lot of embellishments.  This is what we came up with:

This is a piece again using old family photos:

This type of memory art is a great visual representation of your family memories from the past or present.

#14 - Smile (Digital Whisper)

Today I chose "Smile" from the Digital Whisper 100 Themes Challenge list ... maybe because it's not raining right now and that makes me smile.  Anyway, hope you enjoy!

#14 - Smile

Credits:

Texture:  skeletalmess, artbycrysti, and les brumes @ flickr

Elements: Creatwingsdesigns

Photomask:  Cottage Arts

Paper:  Bisontine and Cottage Ats

Figure:  notyouraveragesockmonkey @ flickr

Another Digital Whisper 100 Themes Challenge Entry

Today I chose the underwater theme since it's pretty much been raining nonstop today.

#83 - Underwater: