Inspiration: Altered Matchboxes

STAR ALTERED MATCHBOX - READY TO GO
Originally uploaded by MAD MUMMY

Moulin Rouge

"Coffee Break"

Digi LO: Tiz at the Park

The Decorated Journal

This book by Gwen Diehn arrived from Amazon this morning.

It's very interesting, but if you're after a book to tell you how to make pages, this is not the one. Diehn covers what to use, artistic techniques, how to alter books and how to make them from scratch, but there is no step-by-step page design.

I think this is a good thing - the book gives the means, but how the techniques are interpreted is entirely down to the reader. And there are plenty of photographs to give you inspiration.

The only complaint I have is that I wanted more in the way of prompts, but that is a minor quibble really.

Soul Journaling

I'd been following the prompts at Sarah Whitmere's website for about a week or so before I bought a hard-backed sketchbook... and it was another couple of days before I braved altering it.

Once I started, I quickly got caught up in the process!

This is the cover. Gone is the uniform black. The ephemria is from a copy of Mansfield Park by Jane Austin which I bought some time ago for the sum of £1. That was covered in blue, purple and black paint, then scattered with glitter.

I covered the whole thing in PVA glue, which sealed the glitter and varnished the cover.

The quotes... on the front it says "If you aim for the moon and miss... you still land amongst the stars" and I don't know who to attribute that to. The back one reads "There are no conventions other than the ones you want to break" and is part of a quote by Lani Tupu.

And here are the first pages.

I skipped a step here, because I caught myself procrastinating. There is no need to follow the steps absolutely - it does not need to be "perfect".

I was iffy about writing about what I felt, but again, once I'd started I found the whole thing very feeling.

The next stage involves covering up my words - which I mentally rebel at. So it'll be interesting to see if I can go through with that part or not.

"Plaid"

It's taken me two days... and it's a little sparse on the embellishment front, but here is my first self-designed digi kit!

The journaling paper is resized to fit on the thumbnail, everything else is to scale.

Featuring three 12x12 papers, one torn paper, a ribbon, a brad, two flowers, the journal scrap and a staple.

Xposted from my creative blog.

Postee goodies and art journaling

Last week's shopping sprees are starting to come in - I got some scrapbooking supplies on Friday and the suede I bought off eBay arrived today. This is gorgeous - and smells divine! - the plan is to make some hard-backed sketchbooks for selling on.

Talking of, I bought a sketchbook from Hobbycraft yesterday, along with some bits and bobs to finish off the ATCs for swapping. I have the "Signs of Summer" ones done bar my details. I still need to do the "ATC Trail" ones though.

Back to the journal. After some deliberation, I opted against the spiral-bound book, but the one I did get was a rather boring black. I couldn't find the big tube of white acrylic that I know is around somewhere, so I grabbed the pot of magnolia wall paint from the spare room LOL.

Mental, but it did work!

Graphic: Falling Through Space

Made for Illustration Friday in Paintshop Pro, using Flaming Pear's SolarCell, LunarCell and Glitterato plugins.

I can feel it -- the turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world. And if we let go...
~ the Doctor, "Rose"; Doctor Who [2005]

Digital Layout - "Imagination"

Using shabbyprincess.com's Urban Kiwi (hee!) I made this layout featuring the awesome Lani Tupu.

Crais is just so much my writing muse. I know that I wouldn't be where I am writing-wise had he not crashed into my subconscious. Which is a bit sappy but true none-the-less.

UKScrappers Swap - "In This Garden"

Pinkster
THEME: Alice in Wonderland
DO'S: All forms of mixed media accepted, like all colours
DON'TS: no decoupage or peel offs, nothing cutesy.
BINDING: Please leave the sides free of heavy embellishments, I'm thinking of making it a stand up piece.
COMMENTS: Am happy for any elements of the story to feature on piece e.g rabbit holes, tea party, croquet, cheshire cat, white rabbit etc.

Newedition
THEME: Vintage romantic
DO'S: All forms of mixed media accepted especially embroidery and ribbon roses.
DON'TS: No religious themes or glitter.
BINDING: Decorate edges but leave the edges free of heavy embellishments. Will be binding the work.
COMMENTS: I like soft muted colours & mediums, ribbons and roses.

MotherDuck
THEME: Oriental
DO'S: Lots of black, white, red and gold please
DON'TS: no erotic themes
BINDING: Mine is going to be a wall hanging ornament, no heavy embellies on sides where I am going to punch holes to join please
COMMENTS: Be innovative with all sorts of oriental swirls, birds, geishas, animals, plants etc 4.

Handmade Journal

I went to Hobbycraft today and bought some fabric and thick paper to make a handmade art journal.

This is the journal closed.

Cover is a marbled blue fabric, doubled on itself and sewn up (rather like a pillowcase). My sewing skills are terribly rusty, but I got a straightish hem eventually, lol.

The fastener is a silver button.

Inside the journal. I used blue cord to sew the signature to the cover, which was a total pain.

And this is the YouTube tutorial that inspired it.

Bookmark!

It's not too bad, is it? Tell you what though; making it was such a faff!

Having decided on making a bookmark, off into the kitchen and my measy stash I went, and found a tag in Basic Grey (don't ask which scheme, I can't remember) and some card to back it.

I cut the shape out of the backing card okay, even with a craft knife, but then it came to glueing the two sides together.

Couldn't find the Pritt stick, could I? Blooming kids!!

What I did find was the superglue. I decided if I put on a bit and smeared it around it would work okay. Which it did, but in my wisdom(!) I thought I could do the smearing with my finger and then wash off the glue.

Former part yes, latter part... not so much.

And as I'm stood there, washing my hand for the nth time and swearing rather a lot, what did I notice on the windowsill but a little bottle of PVA glue.

Arg! *headdesks*

The glue is on my workspace now, lol.

Artwork

The following artwork was orginally posted to my writing blog, but I've decided that here is a better place for it. All these are of Bialar Crais, from the sci fi show Farscape.

"Sorrow", 14 June 2009

Based on a screen capture from Die Me Dichotomy (Aeryn's funeral), drawn in coloured pencils.

Not terribly happy with this one - his nose isn't exactly right, and the shading on the whole is off. But I'm happy with his eyes. I think I caught that slight betraying glimmer of emotion that he had in that scene.

"Weapon of Choice"; June 2009

After loathing this when I first finished it (or rather the effort it required) I think this is now my best piece. It was hard through, what with the perspective and the lighting.

"Make Your Choice"; 3rd June 2009

From Mind the Baby, Crais in full Smug Mode. I love the arrogance he displays in this scene. It makes me want to smack him, lol.

He's a bastard. And I love him for it *g*

"Bialar"; 1 June 2009

He's so pretty *sighs*

Altered Art Inspiration

The art in this post is not mine, but pictures I've found around the 'net of things I'd like to try.


This is an altered CD by artsygemini.

I love this idea. I'm beginning to realise that I could alter anything - and I'm starting to look around for things that I would normally throw out but could alter instead.

Sat here now staring at the free CD rom (in cases) that came with various computer magazines and my brain is in overdrive!



This is a accordian-fold booklet inside an altered matchbox made by Katjamillam.

I actually used to make these as a kid; I remember making drawers for my dolls, with splitpin 'handles'.

But this is very much a grown-up version. How incredible to think this is now considered an artform!




Bookmarks. These are something that I could start today - I have some scrapbooking paper and embellishments. I also have wool and ribbons, and of course beads (I always have beads, lol)
I don't think I have any stickers or transfers. I know I don't have any stamps left.

One thing I'm going to need to do is organise my workspace. I could really do with some drawers, but I don't know when that's going to happen.

I've seen several solutions, and perhaps I should be on the look out for cheap storage that I could alter!

First post

I never know what to write for these things *sighs*

I've created this blog away from my writing one in order to journal my artistic endeavours. I'm going to move my drawings over here, and then just kkeep posting about what I'm making and stuff (well that was enlightening, wasn't it? *roll eyes*)