The First Secret

Earlier this year I registered for an online workshop called 21 Secrets, presented by dirtyfootprints@yahoo.com.  When I registered, I had no idea how intense my mother’s care would be and how many hours I would spend with her or how little time I’d have to work on art journaling.

This is the first section I joined:  Doodling Our Way, taught by Cathy Bluteau.  I knew I could take supplies and work on it when Mama was sleeping. 

I started with a Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal that is 9x12.  You can see that I put down scrapbook paper that was cut up into pieces of various size.  I should mention that I probably used too much paper and not enough empty space for doodling.

In the photo below, you can see the added doodles, some stenciling, text I wrote, and background color.  The empty spaces were divided with rulers and design so each space would be smaller.  This is another thing I forgot to do while working at my mother’s without Cathy’s informative video, so I don’t have many spaces.  For filling in the background spaces, Cathy introduces the Copic marker which I love!   You may also notice that I used a white  uni-ball pen for highlighting.

I’ve doodled ribbons, bows, flowers and girls’ faces since I was in the early grades of elementary school so this part was really fun for me.

Here is the final part and where I learned the most!   Cathy teaches some cool techniques that I haven’t tried before, like drawing  “ghost images” (see the flower I added on the right hand page up where I wrote “Say it with flowers” with the copy-cat drawing I did?) and cutting up a copy of Madame Butterfly from my first art journal, then using the strips on new work along side of washi tape.

I still had some large areas of little interest, so I doodled a bow and ribbons and then stenciled a piece of lace—yes, that is what that white blobby thing is above the words RIBBONS & LACE.   Disappointed over how it turned out, I added more white cross-hatching with my white pen, shading with the brown wax pastel and doing a bit of outlining with my Micron  pen.

The most exciting thing for me was learning about and using the  water soluble wax pastels.  Mine are by Reeves and I purchased them at Michaels.  It ages the paper and makes images “pop”!  When I scrapbook, I always brush on brown chalk for an antique look, but the wax pastels are so much better.  I have to remember, though, that it’s just about impossible to sketch or write anything over the wax.

I’ve been a little sad knowing I won’t complete all 21 workshops before time runs out next month, but right now I’m embracing the classes I will be able to complete!