A new newsletter.  Whoop!  Whoop!

Click HERE for the latest newsletter (you can see previous newsletters by clicking on olio, above, and then clicking on the Musings box).

And to get the sweet little freebie, “Sisters”, just click on the photo below to download and save to your computer.  OR you can pick it up in the newsletter.

Have a lovely week!

This is a flashback from my early days of collaging At Least One Collage a Day that I’ve not shared yet.  This is Collage #13, and oddly enough I’ve titled it One Slipper.  Clever.  Or unimaginative.  Or both or either or neither.

Let’s see… for this little 5″x5″ collage I’ve used Digisheet 075 (a favorite – lots of little bits on this one), Digisheet 127, Digisheet 150 (kind of a batik-looking background) and Digisheet 159.  You can find all the collage sheets HERE in both the DOWNLOAD and PRINT versions.  Please be sure to check the product description to make sure you’re ordering the correct type (download or print).

And I used some old postage stamps I had laying around – heaven forbid they’re worth something.  I’m not a stamp collector, I just look at the pictures.

One thing I’ve neglected to mention about my collage technique, in general: I love sandpaper and Distress Ink pads.  I use this one-two-punch on almost all my images (not so much the pretty faces).  I really like altering the images and backgrounds and grunging them up a bit – I think it adds interest and depth.  I also like using colored pencils when the color needs a bit of an alteration to fit the overall piece.  If you’re combining images from several different collage sheets, there’s nothing like adding a bit of distressing and inking (I use a stencil brush to apply the ink) to pull all the images together into one nice little package.  Everyone probably already knows this trick but I thought I’d pass it along because the backgrounds and elements in my collages will always look a bit different than they would if using them straight from the sheet.

Okay, gotta go jump on the trampoline for five minutes… see you tomorrow!

This is one of the collages I made yesterday and because it was the first, it was anointed Day 17 of my A Collage a Day project for January.  And even though I made two others (of which I will share with you in later posts) they are not going to usurp Days 18 and 19 because I have just edited my resolve for the month of January to: At Least One Collage a Day.

Mystery… secret hiding places… a garden that nobody knows about but for my closest friends who may stumble upon my blog.

As you can see, I’ve dragged myself away from the paper mosaic background used in my two previous collages (oh, how hard that was because I am such a creature of habit).  Yesterday, all my collages were blue – so not only is this collage Day 17 of my At Least One Collage a Day resolve for January, and #17-A Secret Garden, but it is also part of my Blue Period.  Not that I’m blue but those were the colors I was drawn to, yesterday.

Okay, let’s see what I’ve got here… Digisheet 122 for the background (btw, this garden is from a photo I took and I spiced it up with lots of Photoshoppery), Digisheet 158 for that flower, Digisheet 128 for the artichokes, and a sheet from my Hybrid collection – Royalty Sheet 17 for the very pretty face.  You can see all the images I used HERE, DOWNLOAD &  PRINT versions. Please be sure to check those product descriptions so you’re adding the correct version  to your shopping cart if you’re playing along with me.

The scallop behind the pretty face is an old ledger page punched with a large circle scallop punch and the dots around the scallop are punched with a regular hole punch (one of those cheapy ones from Staples).  I punched the dots from old postage stamps and then affixed them to the collage with Stickles Diamond.  A bit of the Stickles squeezed out when I pressed the dots down so there is a very subtle shimmer to the collage.  Magical!  Unfortunately, you really can’t see that in this scan.  I also punched out an eyeball from some poor soul’s head that was stuck on one of the postage stamps and glued that down in the center of the flower with a bit of that Stickles.

Okay, I think I’m happy with this collage .  Hope you like.

Until tomorrow, then?

Yesterday, my art buddy, Christy Laudig, dropped by for five hours of art time.  So… since she was doing art I thought I’d join her…  on Day 16 of my January resolve to do A Collage a Day.

Dragged out the all-purpose table, stuck a log in the fireplace and pulled out my box of goodies.  Christy had her suitcase which I really meant to go through but got so immersed in discussing my 15 previous days’ collages I totally forgot to snoop through her stuff.

I call this collage “A Dream” (Un rêve is French for A Dream according to Babelfish).  I was going for surreal in a wacky, whimsical kind of way.

I used Digisheet 075 (again) and Digisheet 154 (again – still getting a kick out of the whole paper mosaic thing and I really like this sheet, it reminds me of antique ivory).  Also used Digisheets 155, 156, and 158 (the hennaed hand, the little owl and the turquoise flower).  You can find all the sheets HERE – available either as a PDF download or printed if you’re not into the download-print-it-yourself thing.   I’ve included both versions, if it says “Print” then it is not a download.  If it doesn’t say Print then it is a download. 

And my art date with Christy, yesterday, has carried over to today though she had to go home.  I’ve been at that same table with another log in the fireplace and my creative juices flowing like sweet honey.  I’m having a ball.

Stay tuned!

I have been dabbling with real live cut-and-paste collage.  I made a resolution for the month of January – A Collage a Day.  Fifteen days later, I have 15 collages.  That’s like the most collages I’ve made in the last three years.

This is today’s collage.  For the background I pieced 1.5″ squares together on a 5″x5″ background like a mosaic.  These are from my new Digisheet 154 (available as a download or printed), the very pretty face is from Royalty Sheet 17 as a download (or Sheet 213 if you prefer me to print her for you), a happy flower from Artichokes & Fleurs 01, and the little Pedigree label from Digisheet 075.  The last sheet is also available printed – you’ll find it HERE.  Or in one fell swoop, you can see the collage sheet lineup for this project, HERE.

Now, mind you, I’m a bit rusty but I’m getting into the swing of things.  I’ll be sharing some of the other collages I’ve managed to squeak out, for the next several days.  I’m really having a ball!  I just may make this my February resolution, too.

TTFN!

This little poppet has been languishing in my photo drawer for far too long and she’s far too festive not to be frolicking in countless art adventures.

I hope you can put her to good use!  And if you post your artwork to your blog, please feel free to post a comment here with a link back to your artwork – I’d love to see what new adventures she’s embarking on!  Her name is Lollie.

Click on the image to download and save to your computer.

PaperWhimsy Angel policy regarding image usage can be found HERE.

Happy 2010!  I don’t know how the weather is in your neck of the woods but it’s pretty darned brrrrrisk here in central Indiana.   But this is perfect weather for snuggling up to your art table with some good bits and getting down to the business of creating.

In case you haven’t noticed (and I imagine you have since you had to pass it on your way here) PaperWhimsy has a new splash page.  Twirling flowers, fluttering butterflies and a pretty little face makes for a very whimsical hello, I think.  I hope you like it.

Other exciting news is the new digs we’ve created for the PaperWhimsy Art Group (PWAG?).  We’re migrating over to Ning.  Ning’s the thing, I hear.  You can create your own page and upload your PaperWhimsy art, there’s a forum and a live chat and room for video tutorials using PaperWhimsy products.  It’s all good and it’s a fresh new start for 2010.  Hope to see you there.

In the meantime, here’s that pretty little face on the PaperWhimsy splash page – you can get her in print format or as a digital download that you can print yourself or use in PSE or Photoshop in digital collages.

Click on the image, above to go to the download version in PPG format or click HERE to see the printed version.

TTFN!

The game’s a’foot!  Challenge number 2 – an image of an amazing door I captured at a local cemetery.  This is a jpg – just click on the image below and the big ‘un will open up for you to save.

Rules?

Paper, fabric, mixed media or digital – artist choice.

Crop the image as you see fit for your artwork.

Deadline Nov 15.

One entry per artist.

Reply to this post linking back to your blog with your artwork OR reply to this post that you’ve emailed your artwork to me: beau (at) paperwhimsy (dot) com.

And yep, a random drawing amongst the participants for a $25 gift certificate to PaperWhimsy.

Cheers!

Door Ornament ©2009 Gale Blair

Congratulations to Rosie, the winner of the $25 gift certificate (Rosie, it’s on its way to you)!

The next challenge will be announced tomorrow.  And yep, another $25 gift certificate will be awarded by random drawing amongst the participants.

A huge thank you to all who participated in this door challenge and created such amazing art!  Keep your eyes peeled for my next newsletter and a gallery of just a few of the amazing doors that were entered.

It gives me no greater thrill than to find wonderful old photos that have been tucked away and forgotten, and bring them new life.  This is quite a fanciful notion, I know, but I love giving old stuff a new purpose.  I’m like some kind of “antique image repurposer”.

I have shelves of antique books with amazing engravings and illustrations and the other day, as I sat on the floor in front of my bookshelves oooing and ahhhhing over these wonderful images it dawned on me that I had to share them.  I mean, that’s my self-appointed calling, right?  An Antique Image Repurposer?  They’re just sitting around in these old books languishing away when they could be admired by a myriad of artistic souls and propelled into new and exciting adventures.  And I wanted to present these wonderful images in such a way that would allow digital artists to create with them, as well.  I mean, I am a digital artist, after all.

NEW!  JPGs

That’s my poor excuse for a title for this new selection of wonderful images I’m offering.  But what’s in a name?  Take a gander.  You can print or use in digital art.  The single images are kind of large so if you’re just printing you may need to resize first, but I’m also creating a series of JPG collage sheets using these illustrations and engravings for artists who don’t want to bother coloring and resizing.  They’re all gussied up and ready to print or use in digital art.

PS Stay tuned for a new challenge.  I should be announcing it in a day or two.