Hello crafty friends!
Today’s post is a personal an emotional one for me, but I will keep the topic within, on this piece and the techniques I used.
I will quickly state that while I create projects and posts for my love and passion for creating, art is part of a life’s journey and within it we can express our happiness, anger, fears, joys, and sorrows. It can be an outlet when you feel there isn’t any other source of relief. This post is exactly that.
Since January of this year I went through two miscarriages. A topic not often spoken of, and I had no idea how to handle the loss and trauma, particularly when all info is medically stated and does not answer any whys or give preventative information. So in a cloud of emotion and sorrow, I turned to art.
The result was this art journal page depicting three buildings. The 1st building represent past, the center is present, the right is future. There is hope. The cupped hands in the background release two butterflies on their eternal journey during a sunrise representing a new day. This is my story.
As far as techniques; the full video process for this page is available on YouTube.
To prepare my page for multimedia use, I coated it with gesso. This gesso was homemade using the recipe and directions found on a tutorial by Yvonne Gebauer on her YouTube channel mytherapyroom (<– if link does not show you can find the video by copying and pasting this: https://youtu.be/4HLzqis0MIU)
While my gesso dries, I work on the cupped hands. Using my hands as a visual guide, I lightly sketch the outline of the hands and then use watercolor crayons to paint them in. Then they are cut out and put aside.
Once my gesso is dry, I work on the sunrise background. The first layer of acrylic paint is very sheer NOT pretty. But this creates a base to work and build on once dry. As you will see in the video I started with a paintbrush but then use an old grill sponge to give a textured look to the paint. With a bit of watered down gesso I spritzed over the background for a starry effect.
Off camera I sketched three building structures to use as the front focal point. Then using the same watercolor crayons used to paint the hands I also paint the buildings. I tried to keep in mind where the light source was in the background to better know where to place shadows (I am not 100% happy with my shadows to be honest but I can live with them.)
The final step is deciding on the arrangement and adhering it all together.
Creating this piece helped give me some solace and peace to cope with my emotional turmoil for what I had gone through. I hope that if you are ever feeling lost, hurt or perfectly happy that you know you are also able to turn to art and creating as an outlet.
SUPPLIES
Paper:
- Journal – Canson XL Series mix media 9 x 12″ (98lb)
- Watercolor paper – Canson Foundation Series Watercolor 9 x 12″ (90lb)
- Bristol paper – Strathmore Bristol vellum surface 9 x 12″ (100lb)
Color:
- Watercolor crayons – Lyra AquaColor
- 18KT. Gold Leafing Pen – Krylon
- Acrylic paint – Glaze by GOLDEN in Rust, Yellow ochre, bright purple, Violet Earth, and Ivory black
Tools:
- B pencil
- Micron marker in #02 and 08
- Fan brush Utrecht
- Watercolor brushes – Artist’s Loft #6 and 10
- Charcoal pencil – U.S.A. General’s 557-2B Medium and Prang 600H
- EK Success precision scissors
- Westcott non stick KleeEarth scissors
- Marvy white gel pen
- Gel medium – GOLDEN Regular Gel (Matte)
- Diecut butterflies – my stash
- Homemade Gesso
Thank you for coming on this journey with me and taking time to read my story. I am so very grateful for YOU!
Until next time XoXo
The final result is the size of an A2 sized greeting card. In fact, I used a blank A2 card as the cover for this little book.
