of pencil, marker, gesso, and papers

when i first started working on this journal again, i did 2 coats of gesso on a bunch of spreads. though i like the surface of the paper, i like to be sure the paper can take a bunch of working, because i know both maralena and i like to work with layers.

above is a detail of a page i did using gesso, watercolor, and some samples of a wall covering foamy stuff which takes paint atop it. it's like instant texture. i really can't remember what it's called, but picked it up near the plastic window screening in Wally World.

what you see below is largely a building up of various layers, from 2-7 coats of gesso, papers, inks, or watercolors, respectively. i mostly added small elements to existing pages, or started the bases of other pages, including backgrounds and drawings.











the journal is finally showing some thickness from the built up pages! it wont be long before maralena's journal is just as heavy as mine. there's a lot of gesso and paper in these pages, not to mention paint, thread, tape, beads, charms, and artsy awesomeness.



more photos to come soon, when i've worked a bit more in my sketchbook, which maralena just recently sent back to me. woot!

oh, btw, these aren't all the photos of pages i worked on. when i first started this project, i photographed every little thing. i still photograph every page, but i only post the ones i think are the best to share. the others usually get posted at a later, once they've been layered up. or, uh, the photograph i took of them isn't completely crooked because the sun was in my eyes and i couldn't see the digital read out...

ahem.

blue! blue blue blue.

i started by just painting blue watercolor over a spread maralena did in some acrylic berry and greenish colors. but then, then it went nuts. ahhh! tape everywhere! gesso! more tape! envelope! gesso! painting, sanding! writing with gel pen!






have i mentioned recently how much i am loving blue these last 2 weeks? i don't know where the blue fetish is coming from. i'm a red girl! but blue... blue sometimes horns in.

the 'evidence' tag is something i picked up in a scrap book store because i thought it was funny. that was a while ago. i think 7 gypsies is the name of the company who made it.

the envelope glued in is one i altered with inks... well i was going to alter it with ink, but my ink bottle sort of exploded the day i did it, so it was just splotchy. i never quite finished it.

the best part about this spread is that these are colors i never would have thought to use together. but it just sort of happened. thanks, maralena! =)

a couple of details + color fields

these are three spreads in order. well, more specifically, a detail of a spread, 2 spreads, and then a detail. you can see how the prismacolors + watercolor were used in the portrait. layering these two media is delish.

the blue is just watercolor over gesso. the last image is a little detail done with gel pen.






sometimes it can be hard to draw with the gel pens. pressure is important, as is the surface you're writing on. slick surfaces tend to work a little better than rough ones. with gesso, you have to be very careful not to clog the gel pens.

i love white pens!

details, sewing + watercolor + prismacolor pencils

below you will find the first real attack on one of maralena's awesome backgrounds. i took some gesso over in the general shape of the figure, and hair, (2 coats), then laid down some pen lines (techliner). after it dried for a few seconds, i put in some watercolor, then decided to hand sew some stitches on the shirt. below you can see a detail of that in process...



next came more watercolor, tinting the skin, lips, eyes. after some consideration, i pulled out the prismacolors and went over the paint. de-lish. they're my favorite colored pencils. sooo smooth. yum.


if you look closely, you can see the lines in the face which are texture left by maralena's painting. mmm texture!

what's she looking at? hmmm. dunno. we'll see soon enough.

it's all in the details

1. gesso 3 layers.
2. paint on watercolor.
3. coarse sand.
4. gesso 2 layers.
5. paint on watercolor.
6. coarse sand.
7. gesso another layer.
8. paint on watercolor.
9. coarse sand.
10. fine sand.

below you will note some various detail shots of the pages in the journal!







this last photo is a process shot. i am embellishing/altering some plastic keychains maralena sent to me. the trick is, i painted both sides, and was stuck sitting there holding it. then i used that thinkin' brain and came up with a paintbrush and a cup drying rack. which, you know, worked real well until i took the one off the short side and the other ones fell off. tee hee.

when polka dots attack

here you can see the progression of 2 pages that i started on while i was on the phone with a friend. i wasn't really paying attention to what i was doing, but i did snap a photo before i got on the phone, and after.

this page features: gesso, watercolor, cloth paper (handmade!), aluminum, board, and a cut up coin envelope containing a miniature zine i made. the zine is folded down from 1 sheet of paper. it's a little insert surprise for whomever gets their hands on this journal--namely maralena!






i started going in with doodles in silver pen (one of my favorites!) but stopped when the phone call ended. make of it what you will!

revision + 1 more so far!

as you can see, i went back and worked on the third spread of pages. there was just something missing, and i wasn't ready to send it off to maralena without another couple of layers of color. on the left, i added 2 more layers of color, some sharpie, and a little gesso painted heart. on the right, i added several more colors, as well as an ATC with a blue background, edged with textured aluminum. i'll have to take some details soon, so you can really see the finish.





these pages feel really wonderfully thick from several layers of gesso on each side, plus the paper! the paper is pretty thick anyway. there's between 4-6 layers of gesso on each side of every page + the paper itself. kind of plastic-y, but without being sticky, since it's watercolored and sanded. you'd have to feel it to really get the picture.

i am awaiting maralena's package in the mail, which has my journal in. i will switch out that journal and send her this journal when it arrives! well, as soon as i can get to the post office. so i think i will have a couple more days to work on these pages. i have a few more sets prepared for color.

first 3 - maralena's journal

i have been working on maralena's journal, slowly but surely. i started with some pen drawings, and then added color in layers afterward. this is a labor intensive process, and requires several layers of gesso, so it takes a while! you really have to run your hand down the page to appreciate the yumminess!





i have about six or seven more sets of pages with the first layer of gesso down on them. i'm working on the third coat on the next set after those pictured here. i may go up to five. the color blue is really working for me this week, as you can see!

i will soon have my hands on the journal maralena started for me, so i will have to kick it into high gear to get hers to her for the month! it will be fun working on her beginnings for me, and i am sure she will be entertained with my beginnings for her, though i have to admit, it takes a while to get over petting the pages before you can work on them...

(posted by nicci.)