Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Water and Oil DO Mix

Hi all!

Can you believe I have surfaced after over a month?! I truly did not mean to be gone so long but time just flew by as work and STC picked up the pace of the nicer weather. Even though I have been on the road, I have continued to learn new techniques to share and spread the STC mission.  To start the post, here is the other Mother's Day card I promised to post last month....Yikes.  I mixed pink and green Gelatos with molding paste and then spread it over a stencil on a thin sheet of canvas. The texture is really fun and something a little different from my norm. I used distress ink around the sides and some pattern paper to tie it all together. Mom loved the colors. 

Before I chat about some technique adventures, wanted to share some exciting happenings...
    • STC getting enrollment in our largest fundraiser of the year... The Berea Festival of Learnshops. You can still sign up so check out this link for the complete variety of classes.  I am teaching two Stamping workshops and one on use of pencils and markers.  A really cool thing being offered for my workshops are teacher certification credits for K-12 teachers who need professional development over the summer.--love this additional support.
    • STC volunteers and survivors participated in the June Relay for Life event.
    • $190 raised through sale of survivor made cards.
    • Amazon Smiles activated and received first deposit of $10...keep shopping everyone!
    • STC a new designee for Thrivent Gives program.
    • Community workshops scheduled for June, July, and August.
From the creative side of my world, I have been working on a few new techniques. As I meet with and provide stamping/art supplies to survivors, it is amazing to discover the large range of creative talent they possess.  One survivor shared her love of water coloring but that she now struggled with the drawing of the images. We took out the STC stamp set and played around with her paints combining types of inks and colors...I was fascinated.  When I got home, I pulled out some old water colors left over from my children and practiced some of the techniques learned that day.  The images below are all the same stamp set by Sheena Douglass but using a variety of water color and ink combinations.  Not so bad for a rookie. Maybe we should add a set of watercolors to our totes?


During my most recent trip for work, I was sharing some of my technique interests with a colleague and she suggested an after work outing to a local art store.  While we were browsing, she suggested I try oil pastels.  I was feeling so brave after my general watercolor experience, that I figured, why not.  The fun of cardmaking is that it is so dynamic and embraces all creative options. Remember, my New Year's resolution was to create an art journal and that would be a safe place to practice.  Bought a starter set and began practicing as soon as I got home.  Below are my first efforts. What do you think? I was quite tickled BUT no one told me that oil pastels NEVER dry..talk about a mess. I fell back on an old cardmaking trick and covered the whole thing with gell medium and it actually worked.  

What I have discovered this past month is that when it comes to survivors, love and creativity are boundless. When it comes to trending styles and techniques for Cardmaking, oil and water do mix!  

Thanks for stopping by!
Jeannette



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