Happy first full week of Spring and last full week of March!
We just passed through The Ides of March and March winds are blowing, bringing rain and cool fronts...and to many, more snow!
I find that I have to remind myself that Spring is not just a cooler version of Summer.
I've been trying to enjoy Spring as it's such a fleeting season where I live,
but sometimes the weather rollercoaster makes that difficult.
😏😕😏
It's not easy to see it now, but I originally was only going to create on the lefthand page. I had the image of the circus acrobats saved from an old calendar (Renoir's painting Acrobats at the Circque Fernando), and I thought the colors went really well with the painted background. Then the whole circus idea hit me and one page became two.
SUPPLY LIST:
Little Book of Wisdom art journal
Dies: Banner flags, Monkey, Big Top sentiment, Stitched circle, Stitched star, Circus tent, Giraffe, Gorilla, Elephant, Zebra, Lion
Acrylic paints
Distress crayons
Anna Griffin Riley collection designer paper
Orange and white paper scraps
Artistic Outpost Time sentiment stamp
Versafine Clair ink
Gel pens
Faber Castell Artist Big Brush pens
Stabilo All pencil
Promarkers
Star stickers
Pinking shears deco scissors
Washi tape
What I began with: the left side of the spread had been painted with orange, yellow and green acrylic paints, using a scrubbing technique to reveal under paint. The right side was covered with some very old scrapbooking paper in the those same colors. I wanted to try to make them more cohesive.
So I scribbled Distress Crayons in layers of those colors and spread with a baby wipe until I got my desired effect.
Left side of spread. I cut all the die cuts out of white card and colored them using Promarkers and Distress inks. I really like the Renoir. Back in the day, the audience would throw tissued-wrapped oranges into the ring to show appreciation and the performers would scoop them up. Like modern-day tipping, I guess. Citrus was not a staple for most back then, so oranges were a treat.
Right side of spread. I hope my lion die cut can hang with these other lions without getting eaten! And that zebra is just walzing on in there, like lions on the African Prairie don't feast on them! Well, the Ringmaster is gesturing come on in, so I'll leave it in his hands to avert disaster.
😊
I wanted to show you: this is the 5x7 sheet of Anna Griffin designer paper I started with. I cut the top area off and then apart to use in the top corners of the spread. Also, cutting it made it easier to fit the tent die cut on the page with this. And I'm happy that I snapped to hanging the momkey die cut from the trapeze bars. You may notice that the paper originally had pink coloring. I colored over all the pink with a red Promarker.
😎
Close-ups of all the die cuts: click on a photo to bring it up bigger.
Final view. Even though this wasn't my original idea, I really like what it morphed into. And I think it's fitting for the last spread (the right hand page is the inside of the back cover).
And the best part: one more spread done in this journal, with a only a handful more to go to be finished.
And last but not least, my entry to Sunday Postcard Art's Strong People challenge for this week, which is hosted by Rein. It's another all-digital piece for me, using a dancer image from a Gecko Galz digital image kit I received as a prize last year called Across the Dance Floor (not listed at GG's Etsy, and I don't understand why because it has some very cool images). I used her vest color to make the frame and sentiment in PSE.
Thanks for hanging in there if you made it this far, lol.
Hope your week goes so well you don't want it to end!
XOX
ART JOURNAL SPREAD CHALLENGE LINK UPS:
Media: Paper, Acrylic paint, Distress Crayons and inks, Stamping ink, Promarkers, Big Brush pens, Stabilo All pencil, Gel pens, Washi tape
Media: Paper, Acrylic paint, Distress Crayons and inks, Stamping ink, Promarkers, Big Brush pens, Stabilo All pencil, Gel pens, Washi tape
Spring is the beginning of circus season, according to THIS.
The traveling circus coming to town is a big deal in rural areas.
Red / Ring / Ringmaster
Colorful Options March: GreenStorybook Circus at Magic Kingdom
Spring is the beginning of circus season, according to THIS.
Festive / Celebration / Performance / Colors Green and Yellow