Paper and Paint

I'm kind of a paper junkie. I just can't stop accumulating the stuff. And I'm not just talking about pretty paper. I'm talking about all kinds of paper. Notes. Tickets. Envelopes. Wrapping paper. Napkins. I guess that's why I love collage so much--it's one way to use up some of that paper.

I've purposely refrained from doing collage in Pilgrim. I decided in the beginning that I wanted to keep the entire book intact and not rip out any pages. Collage tends to bulk up an altered book rather quickly, so I've resorted to mostly using pens and paint in Pilgrim. It's been a great way for me to focus more on those techniques but I really miss playing with my paper!

I decided to sneak in a little bit of collage on this page and incorporated some paper in with the gouache. I think that when I get back to collage, I just may incorporate some gouache in with the paper. I think the two look lovely together.

The Serenity Prayer

I made this for my friend who just earned her master's degree in counseling. It seems like an appropriate sentiment for someone about to begin her career helping and counseling others. Congratulations Casey!

Great Googley Moogley

If you know me at all, then you know what I sucker I am for googley eyes. Nothing can compare to these little critters for a cheap thrill.  I find them wildly hilarious and completely entertaining.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to include a little googley-eyed humor in Pilgrim--especially with the May theme of Can't Resist This. I actually had the idea last month when a photo of a group of monks just screamed out for googley eyes.

Honestly. How could I resist this?

Can't Resist Playing in Pilgrim

I enjoyed the crayon resist that I did for the May theme of The Sketchbook Challenge so much that I decided to try another. Putting white crayon down on white paper is not an easy task, so I had to keep it really simple. I painted over the crayon with watercolor and then added some marks with gouache.

You can really see the resist in this close up.

Working on a page of house shapes and then having a conversation with a friend about using tea bags in art led to this page. I guess you could call it a little tea house. The background was done with very loose watercolor and a large brush. I used some watered down white acrylic paint over that and then used a coffee stir stick to blow around more watercolor. I don't care how old you are...blowing paint around through a straw is FUN!

Here is another page in progress where I had fun with stencils.

Then I had fun with some fake writing.

Sometimes working in Pilgrim feels painfully slow. And other times, several pages will fill rather quickly...much to my surprise and delight. I like those times.

I hope you're having an enjoyable and productive weekend wherever you are!

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all the moms a happy mother's day! Enjoy!

Can't Resist This

Can't Resist This is the May theme over at The Sketchbook Challenge. Both the blog and the Flickr group have some interesting examples of sketchbook pages that use various resist techniques. I started this page last month and got as far as drawing the circles and lines in pencil with no clue where to take it next.

Inspired by what others were doing with the theme, I thought I would join in and use a white crayon to create a resist around the circles and lines. I don't think I've used this simple technique since my grade school days! It brought back some very fond memories of childhood art classes. After putting down the crayon marks, I used my brand new Niji water brush and twinkling H2O watercolors to quickly add some color. It felt really good to splash the color on without worrying about keeping it contained in the shapes--the crayon did that job for me.

I also couldn't resist adding some simple marks with gouache over the watercolor. In case you haven't noticed, I am completely smitten lately with using gouache to make the most basic lines, dots and marks. I find the process to be relaxing and meditative, and I really love the visual effect of the gradated color.

I'm not sure if this page is finished yet or not.  I'll have to dwell on it for a bit. In the meantime, I may try a few more resist techniques because there is something really fun and magical about the process.