Day 20 and how appropriate that Rhonna chooses "FAITH" as the word-art for the day...because I know you all are keeping your faith in me that I'm going to finish the challenge:} That is because anyone who knows me...knows that I always finish whatever I start...no matter how long it takes! THANK YOU!
Not that it hasn't been hard these past two weeks with wedding plans and "rain" ... I'm telling you I am so tired of all the rain that we have been having around here...it seems like ever since we got back from our end of the summer vacation in August...we have had nothing but rain...ENOUGH...
So this is where my inspiration came from for today's challenge...photos of our vacation at Middleton Place in South Carolina...even a day of rain there is NOT a BAD day....sweet memories!
I didn't feel like working on another surface...but forgot just how darn thin this paper in this journal was...I can not imagine even trying to put photos on this paper...talk about sagging...lol
So I applied my super, duper gesso to the pages and then I lightly sketched my designs onto the pages, taking inspiration from my photos. Then I applied a light wash of acrylic paints over the sketches...but I still wasn't happy with the "flatness" of the pages so I got the "bright" idea to use "masking tape"...here's a close-up of the tree trunk...very therapeutic tearing the masking tape into little strips and then burnishing them down as you go...I can hear the rain on my windows...
Once I was done putting the tape down on both of my pages...I dug through my supplies and found some old ceramic "tinting gels"...lots of fun. These go on like butter and I just rubbed them into the tape and on top of my acrylic paints...they work really well for going into the cracks and crevices and adding even more depth to the pages.
For the "water" on my river-view page I wanted more texture so I used some Ranger Crackle Paint and then rubbed more of my gel tints over the top of the cracks...this really helped the crackle paint effect.
The whole time I was working I kept this piece of masking tape with the words, "This is my happy place"...so that I wouldn't let the rain get on my nerves. I can only take so much...I would NEVER survive in Seattle or anywhere in Alaska...I'd have to be heavily medicated...lol
So for the finishing details...I decided to tear up my photos and actually put them onto the pages as a collage element. I just wasn't feeling the whole masking tape thing by itself. Once I added the photos I added charcoal pencil to blend the elements all together...of course:} Then I made a transparency out of Rhonna's "faith" word-art and placed it over the "center isle" of tape...just was not feelin' it! Then I added a few more rub-ons and ink elements and some final journaling and I was happy again:
Here's a close-up of the left side with me in my happy place...swingin' in a hammock"
Awww....what I wouldn't give to be there now! And here is a close-up of the right side with me in the foreground with an umbrella sitting in the rain watching the sunset over the river...what a view...even in the rain!
This really shows a good view of the crackle paint...now if I could just find a "white pen" that didn't bleed when you tried to write with it...oh well...BETTER DONE THAN PERFECT...and I really am happy with the end result of both of these pages. Again...once I let go of the expectation of what I thought the "end result" was...then I was able to enjoy the process again. Hope you all enjoy it as well...I'll be back tomorrow with a final post for this challenge and a slide-show of the final completed album...yes!
Hi Roberta, one more day to go!!! You can do it, I think you got more out of this challenge than I did as I took it too fast trying to keep up, I should of just done it in my own pace. I love your work. how are the wedding plans coming on?
Posted by: Bonnie | October 14, 2009 at 03:37 AM