After working out the kinks on Upward Tick, I worked on my weekly Positively Creative Art Journaling. This week's exercise is sort of a check-in on where we are on this particular day - both mentally and physically. I haven't done my journaling on that yet as I I've been waiting for the spread to dry, and since it won't be done in a clever way worth sharing, I'm just going to share the process of preparing the spread. It was reminiscent of a previous exercise which I had liked - gluing down torn strips of paper and then painting over them. In this case, we were encouraged to collect ephemera from the previous week. I added trimmings from Upward Tic (including a couple of those rings and a piece of tulle). While ironing some of the fabric from my friend's stash, I picked up some fusible on my iron (had thought I'd cut it all away - oops). I'd cleaned it off with a specially treated sheet that is a little like a dryer sheet only stiffer. I pulled it out of the trash and cut a piece from it that had wrinkled up and creased. I've also been sorting through old tax files, shredding and tossing what no longer needs keeping. There was a receipt from a fabric store purchase, the register printout which I put on the left under the tulle, and one of those yellow receipts forms for hand-writing the particulars - I tore a portion off the bottom to place on the right. All pieces were adhered to the page with matte medium.
Painting over these things is hard for me. I find I don't want to obliterate them, but that is the point, for them to become just part of the background, only parts of them visible and recognizable. I started with a light coat of slightly diluted white paint and could see that was not going to be enough. So I mixed some violet paint with the white for more coverage, but as you can see, I still went for a light touch, especially over the fabric (which is knocked back more than this picture would indicate - the overall effect is prettier, trust me). I'm tempted to go over it again lightly with a third color to even things out, but I think I will just get to the writing instead. Yes, I know I've created places that will be difficult if not impossible to write over - the tulle and that cleaning sheet, but I was seduced by the real texture they would add. I'll either be writing very small or writing very little about where I am at today!
Update: To my surprise and great pleasure, that tulle took lettering just fine. Both gel pen and sharpie worked, ink bleeding through the holes to the matte medium-covered paper beneath. And the paint as is looks just fine now that writing has been added over it. I'm pleased.
Update: To my surprise and great pleasure, that tulle took lettering just fine. Both gel pen and sharpie worked, ink bleeding through the holes to the matte medium-covered paper beneath. And the paint as is looks just fine now that writing has been added over it. I'm pleased.
What interesting ephemera on this journal spread. Hard to believe you could write over the netting like that. I will have to look over your receipt to see what you spent on fabric!
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