New Journal Pages, Featuring Magazine and Postcards in the Mail

Three Issues!!  We've successfully published three issues.  I love this magazine.  Many many thanks to Marit and Marius for their vision and extreme amount of work to produce it.  I've been so blessed to be able to write articles for the magazine.  We are currently working on the fourth issue.  There is going to be an informative article about Mail Art, illustrated with reader mail art!  Thanks so much if you have submitted to this project.  I already wrote an article about a Fear project-- art that illustrates people's fears and phobias, and I have a couple more possible articles in the works.  If you love Featuring, tell your friends and spread the word. 

Connect with Featuring magazine here: Website:  www.Featuringmagazine.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Featuringmagazine
Twitter:  @Featuring_Mag


I received three gorgeous postcards in the mail from the Artists in Blogland postcard swap.

Thanks to Susan, Corrine Gilman, and Jo Urbani for these colorful and creative cards.

And here are a few art journal pages I made this week.

Yes, I have had Rhianna's song stuck in my head!

One day, while I was cleaning garbage in my room at my first teaching job, I found a handwritten note that one middle school student sent to another.  One of the lines that stood out was, "In the darkest of nights, you are the brightest of stars."  I think I found a love note.  Much better than what COULD have been on that note.

Thanks for reading!  Best wishes, Marcia
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Painted Journal Pages in Progress

I don't have anything finished to show you this week, but I have a few in progress paintings and journal collages to show you.  I will probably add additional words and imagery later.

Here I combined painted papers, scans of buttons and ribbons, and scrapbooking papers.

This page contains a picture from a magazine (the two paper dolls), rub-on transfers, a sticker from printstagram and scans of colored wires and fabrics.

A painted journal page, with paint and marker only.  I will be going back into this picture to add more and refine some areas.

A collage of scans, watercolor paintings, ink doodles.  This page is the perfect start for journaling and adding photos.

 A collaborative page with my 3 year old daughter!

On this page, I was sketching in my journal and while I was sketching, my daughter said she wanted to color it.  Pink is her favorite color so everything has to be pink.

Linking to Paint Party Friday and Art Journal Every Day.

Happy Weekend!

Tell All Tuesday

Guess what?  I'm a featured artist at Jennibellie's blog today for her Tell All Tuesday series.  If you haven't seen Jenniebellie's website yet, it is a great one!  She posts lots of interesting art journaling videos.  Thanks, Jenny!

True Free Spirit

I am taking Mindy Lacefield's yearlong online class and I had some time last night to work on one of the paintings. 

I am having a lot of fun and enjoy learning how Mindy approaches the painting process and I think I am learning some things that I could translate into my own painting styles and subject matter.  The only thing that bothers me is that clearly this picture looks like Mindy's style.  I like how it turned out, but it definitely feels like an imitation.  I just need to figure out how to incorporate these techniques into my own unique style.

My long time friend Jen recently had a new baby who she named Grace.  I was looking for a gift for her and found the perfect one!  She has 3 other children, named Faith, Hope and William.  There are lots of home decorations with Faith and Hope on them.  This one was perfect because it had 3 of her kids names, plus Love.  Isn't it great?  She did love it when she received it in the mail.

Cupcake Art Journal Page

Happy Valentine's Day All!  Here is some cupcake art for you.

This is a collage I made in my art journal using watercolors and colored pencils (for the cupcake) and scraps of paper, rub-on letters, pan pastels, and markers.

Valentine hearts made by 1st graders

There are several great link-ups this week that I am participating in:
Paint Party Friday
Art Journal Every Day
Inspiration Avenue, Artist's Play Room, Collage Obsession, In the Studio

Art Journal Pages with Watercolors and Mixed Media

Hello friends!

While I have not shown you any new pictures recently, I have been busy busy busy making artworks and journal pages, plus writing.  I finished up an article this week for Featuring magazine about Julie Elman who has been working on her ongoing Fear Project.  It was super interesting and got me thinking about all of my own fears (escalators, worms & snakes, axe murderers...) I used to love that show Fear Factor (did anyone ever watch that?) and ponder what I would and would not do for money (eat cockroaches?  sure, why not!  eat a plate of worms?  heck no.).  

Watercolor Art Journal Page

I also have been working on an article for Cloth Paper Scissors PAGES magazine.  I submitted something to them quite awhile ago and had forgotten all about it.  I was stoked to hear from them requesting an article and in-progress pages. 

Another thing I was working on these past two weeks were preparing and setting up our student art show at the local mall.  I selected 12 artworks to mat and display.  Tomorrow is our closing reception.  I will show you pictures of it later!  The kids were all, of course, thrilled to have their artworks chosen for the show.  One is selected to go to the state show and one other artwork received a Sax Award (from the Sax company), so those kids were on cloud nine.

Hmm... what else is new?  Last night, my sister-in-law texted me to see if I would go with her to get her ear pierced.  We both decided to get our traguses pierced.  (Google it!)  My husband reminded me that I am in a professional field and face piercings are out. 

Now I will leave you with a few photos of art journal pages:

Color this Quote: Digital Hybrid Art Journal Page

Digital Art Journal Page by Marcia Beckett

This watercolor journal page was made for the Artist in Blogland "Color this Quote" challenge.

I made this by first creating a watercolor doodle with an empty white space in my regular art journal.  Then, I scanned the image and created the text in Photoshop.  It's a digital hybrid art journal page!

"Good friends are like quilts- they age with you yet never lose their warmth."

I encourage you to join in the challenge at Artists in Blogland.

Also linking to Art Journal Every Day, Paint Party Friday, Show Me What You've Got, and It's a Hodge Podge Friday