Comfort Zone

Today is day three of World Watercolor Month.  I played in my journal today.  The prompt on the World Watercolor Facebook Group for today is 'Primary Colors.'  Red, yellow, blue - but I needed to add a bit of green for my leaves, which is, technically, a secondary color.

I had fun with this.  I'm definitely outside my comfort zone on this.  I use watercolor a lot on stamped images for cards.  I had dabbled a teensy bit a few years ago with watercolor painting.  Now, I have a desire to get into it on a deeper level.  But I am a control freak, so watercolor is a challenge for me.  It has it's own mind, so I'm learning it's ways.  I decided I would combine watercolor with something I AM comfortable with...doodling!

Thanks for visiting today.  If you have a chance, do hop on over to the World Watercolor Facebook Group  and check out the amazing talent there.  I'm definitely out of my league.  But, then, that's the challenge, and that's the fun.  And I can only grow from it!

Blessings,

Zentangle Journal - Tangle A Day

OK...so I got a late start, but I am finally up to date on my Tangle A Day journal.  
Week 1...

 Week 2...

January 15 - 18....

I will post January 19-21 on Sunday, when this week is finished.

Hope you are finding time to do what you love!  Thanks so much for visiting.  I will be back tomorrow with more cards and stamping ideas!

Blessings,

 

Positivity Journal Cover

Today's project started out to be a card, but somewhere between the leaf and the background, I started thinking I wanted it to be the cover for my Positivity Journal.  And so it is....

Stamps:
 Penny Black 'Poetic' cling stamp 40-544
 Penny Black verse from the 'faith' clear set 30-409

Other supplies:
 Paper: 
 Canson Canva-Paper
Inks: 
 Tim Holtz distress inks rusty hinge, vintage photo, fossilized
 amber, fired brick
 India ink for verse
Other:
Watercolor brush, water, Tombow markers black and brown,   5 1/2 x 7 1/2" Strathmore Mixed Media pad for journal,          Faber Castell white Pitt artist pen, black card stock, Clarity stencil brushes, Misti stamping tool, foam finger daubers.

I put my canvas paper into the Misti with the leaf, inked the leaf in fossilized amber and stamped it.  As the ink really didn't take easily to the canvas paper (lots of texture and a bit of a finish on it), I used a watercolor brush and a bit of water to fill in the color to the textured areas.  I heat it to dry it, then added the other colors.  I used the foam daubers to add the colors to the stamp, adding different colors in different areas, then stamping.  I kept repeating this process, drying in between, and adding/moving color around with a damp paint brush, until I was happy.  It is a challenge working on the canvas paper, but so worth the effort!

I used the Tombow brown and black markers to create the age spots and details, and also the shadow under the leaf.  I added some bits of white Pitt pen in the areas where there are holes in the leaf.

For the background, I very carefully added water and some of the distress inks to create a watercolor background.  When dry, I stamped the verse, using the Misti so I could stamp it multiple times because of the texture.  I layered it onto a black piece and tore a jagged border along the left side.

I cut a piece of the canvas paper the size of my journal, and used my square punch to punch the holes for the spiral binding.  I use Clarity brushes to apply rusty hinge and vintage photo distress inks, lightly.  I added the cover to the journal and reassembled it.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend, and made some time for yourself and your loved ones.

Adding my project to these challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge- One layer card (I know it's not a card, so I hope it's ok...it is one layer, which I attached to the cover page for my journal cover.

AAA Cards - Autumn colors

Addicted To Stamps Challenge - Clean and simple

Word Art Wednesday - Verse

Thanks so much for visiting.  Enjoy your week!

Blessings,

lynda