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Some of My Favorite Posts from 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
A blog is a great way to look back at your favorite artworks and posts from the year. I think about the year and it doesn't really feel like I accomplished a lot... just tinkering around here and there in my art journal and scrapbook. Rereading my blog entries reminds me that I did do a lot. Here is my year in review.
In 2013, I continued working on Project Life style scrapbooking (however, not documenting each and every day because that is way way too much.)
In January, Featuring magazine Issue #3 (of which I am a contributing editor) was released. To learn more about Featuring, visit the website.
February: I made this sweet page around Valentine's Day. I love the bright colors and the lettering in this one.
March: I chose the word "soul-affirming" for the year 2013. I was hoping to choose to use my time on soul-affirming activities.. making sure that whatever I said "yes" to was something I really wanted to do and was a good way to nourish my soul. That happened mostly. I made some choices I shouldn't have but I'm more on track now. Here is a journal page with that phrase and I'm super excited that this was selected to be a part of a book about art journaling that will be published in 2015. Yay!
Here is another one from March that I really enjoyed making: You Shine Brighter than the Brightest Star.
March was a busy art month and I made several art journal pages that I treasure.
April: In April, I signed up for the 21 Secrets online art journaling workshops and had a blast. Cathy Bluteau's workshop was one of my favorites and here is a page I made inspired by her videos:
Here is one I made for Artists in Blogland Color this Quote Challenge:
In April, I had an article titled "13 Great Layers for Art Journal Pages" published in:
And another colorful burst of fun!
In May, I made more journal pages and decided that during the summer I would create a series about using stickers in your journals. There were 15 posts about "sticky journaling" during the summer.
In 2013, I continued working on Project Life style scrapbooking (however, not documenting each and every day because that is way way too much.)
In January, Featuring magazine Issue #3 (of which I am a contributing editor) was released. To learn more about Featuring, visit the website.
February: I made this sweet page around Valentine's Day. I love the bright colors and the lettering in this one.
March: I chose the word "soul-affirming" for the year 2013. I was hoping to choose to use my time on soul-affirming activities.. making sure that whatever I said "yes" to was something I really wanted to do and was a good way to nourish my soul. That happened mostly. I made some choices I shouldn't have but I'm more on track now. Here is a journal page with that phrase and I'm super excited that this was selected to be a part of a book about art journaling that will be published in 2015. Yay!
 | |||
March was a busy art month and I made several art journal pages that I treasure.
April: In April, I signed up for the 21 Secrets online art journaling workshops and had a blast. Cathy Bluteau's workshop was one of my favorites and here is a page I made inspired by her videos:
Here is one I made for Artists in Blogland Color this Quote Challenge:
In April, I had an article titled "13 Great Layers for Art Journal Pages" published in:
And another colorful burst of fun!
In May, I made more journal pages and decided that during the summer I would create a series about using stickers in your journals. There were 15 posts about "sticky journaling" during the summer.
Anatomy of an Art Journal Page are among my favorite types of posts to write:
June: Ah, summer. The perfect time for leisurely arts and crafting.
I wrote a post about How to Make Stickers Using PicMonkey,
our trip to the Lego Brickworld Convention,
and showed more pictures of my watercolor doodling.
In June, Featuring Magazine Issue #4 was published. I wrote several articles in this issue.
July: I wrote an E-zine about Art Journaling with Kids. I have a new one that I am working on.
An article I wrote for Cloth Paper Scissors Pages came out. Love their photography and presentation!
I made a number of index cards for the Daisy Yellow Index Card challenge:
1. leaf icad, 2. ICAD, 3. ICAD, 4. ICAD, 5. ICAD, 6. ICAD, 7. ICAD, 8. ICAD, 9. index card art Marcia, 10. index card art Marcia Beckett, 11. icad art, 12. hello index card art, 13. bird art marcia beckett, 14. Index Card art, 15. Daria making index card art, 16. ICAD: Index Card a Day Art, 17. ICAD: Index Card a Day Art, 18. ICAD: Index Card a Day Art, 19. ICAD: Index Card a Day Art, 20. ICAD: Index Card a Day Art, 21. ICAD: Index Card a Day Art, 22. ICAD: Index Card a Day Art, 23. Bird ICAD, 24. icad to journal page, 25. icad to journal page marcia
August: We went on a family vacation in August and then on a girls' weekend with a few friends later that month. I did some art journaling with my daughter and my niece while we were there. Check out our craftiness here.
At the end of August, I found out I was pregnant. We kept it a secret longer than our first.. we wanted to make sure everything with the baby was healthy and besides, I'm still barely showing as it is. Well, my stomach is definitely bigger but I wear a lot of loose clothing as it is. (I'm 23 weeks now.) From August until the present, I have been going to bed between 7:30 and 9:00 every night and I'm still working full-time, so my art time has been drastically reduced. All I feel like doing is laying on the couch!
September was back to school and nothing really amazing stands out to me art-wise. I did some fun Lego stamping with my students.
October I was pleased to do a Stencil Test Drive for Jessica Sporn's new stencil, did a painting of a Dreamer Girl and wrote a tutorial about making windows for an art journal page.
November the book Quotes Illustrated came out and I was honored to have an artwork published in that book.
I also started painting faces more:
That brings us to December. Well, December is so recent I probably don't need to bring up anything that happened!
As for goals and resolutions for the year 2014, I will have to think about that. Mostly, survival! Getting through the rest of this pregnancy and then surviving having a newborn.
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my blogging friends. These are some cards I made a couple of years ago.
Art is Basic website
My Art
Etsy Shop
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Art is Basic website
My Art
Etsy Shop
Doodling with Watercolor
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Are you bored? How about doodling with watercolor paints? It's one of my favorite ways to doodle. Make some marks, add some water puddles, drop in some colors, make some dots and dabs.. see where your brush strokes take you.
I created a Facebook page for my elementary art blog! I will mostly be posting links to artsy things I find that are inspirational. If you like to make art with kids or just want to see what I'm up to, join me over there on Facebook.
Art is Basic website
Etsy Shop
One Way to Print Your Own Project Life Cards
Saturday, December 14, 2013
I like to use my own designs for scrapbooking. I have been using the Project Life system for a couple of years now and I typically cut up my own cards from leftover scrapbook paper or painted papers. I have also made a few digital cards that I print out every so often to replenish my stock of cards. I have had ongoing struggles with my printer to get them to print out nicely. We bought a brand new printer and I still can't figure out why it's printing wonky.
So I looked around online for a place to order cards and I found a printing company called 4over4. (This is not a sponsored post, I was just happy with the printing quality, so I thought I'd share.)
I ordered the mini postcards in a custom size: 3.94" x 2.88. If you order 4"x 3" they won't fit into the sleeves of the Project Life scrapbook binders.
I love the quality of the cards that were printed and I loved that they sent emails throughout the process so you knew exactly when your cards were being mailed.
For your first order, you can get 20% off with the coupon code Template20. I was hesitant to order more than one image because in case the cards did not turn out nicely, I didn't want to be out a bunch of money. I was pleased to find out that they sent another coupon to use on my next order! yay!
The downside I think is the minimum number of cards required. The minimum qty is 50. So, unless you are going to be doing a lot of scrapbooking, it might be too much. I'm planning on using these for other purposes (like little note cards or to use in backgrounds on art journal pages.) I am also going to make some "art journaling/scrapbooking kits" for my Etsy shop when I order more designs to ease the cost of the cards. It would also be a blast to swap these with other people, so if anyone decides to make some of their own cards, let me know!
I tried to use Overnightprints.com a few years ago for prints and postcards, but I just couldn't get the colors to work right. When I sent them an email about the color differences, they didn't have any answers for me. I'm going to try this company to make greeting cards and other prints.
Big News!
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
I’m pregnant! I’m due at the end of April and we are having a boy. Holy cow! I still can’t believe it. We had our 20 week ultrasound and everything looks healthy so far.
As a result, I have not been making art much. I have been so tired and typically have been falling asleep around 8 pm every night (or earlier).
On My Wishlist....
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Hey friends.. I always love seeing what other people are interested in (especially art books and products) so let me show you what's on my Christmas wish list this year!
1. The Big Book of Art, an interactive book for preschoolers. Partly for my inspiration, partly for my daughter... Here is what the description says, "This is your first book of art! Grab it, flip through the pages, turn it upside down?what do you see? Scribbles and splotches, shapes and letters, signs and lines? You're the artist: mix and match the patterns paintings by simply turning the page. Use your creativity and imagination - and most importantly, have fun!
From the New York Times bestselling author of Press Here comes a new interactive book for pre-school children. The Big Book of Art features different colors, shapes, and patterns on pages that have been cut in two, presenting hundreds of possibilities for unique combinations. Young artists will delight in creating their own masterpieces time and time again."
2. Set of 28 Gelatos: These are one of my favorite art supplies and I'm starting to use up the ones I have. I have about 12 colors, so having more choices would be amazing!
3. Mixed Media Masterpieces: The authors of the blog Everyday is a Holiday came out with a book. They have the sweetest and cutest artwork and they just seem so nice!
4. Creative Illustration and Beyond: Stephanie Corfee is another artist with cute, colorful and inspirational artwork that I love.
5. And last but not least,
A Retired Art Teacher Tells All: One Hundred Simple Tips to Help Teachers Become Efficient, Inspiring, and Happy Educators
. Because I'm always interested in learning more about teaching art.
Art is Basic website
My Art
Etsy Shop
Pinterest
1. The Big Book of Art, an interactive book for preschoolers. Partly for my inspiration, partly for my daughter... Here is what the description says, "This is your first book of art! Grab it, flip through the pages, turn it upside down?what do you see? Scribbles and splotches, shapes and letters, signs and lines? You're the artist: mix and match the patterns paintings by simply turning the page. Use your creativity and imagination - and most importantly, have fun!
From the New York Times bestselling author of Press Here comes a new interactive book for pre-school children. The Big Book of Art features different colors, shapes, and patterns on pages that have been cut in two, presenting hundreds of possibilities for unique combinations. Young artists will delight in creating their own masterpieces time and time again."
2. Set of 28 Gelatos: These are one of my favorite art supplies and I'm starting to use up the ones I have. I have about 12 colors, so having more choices would be amazing!
3. Mixed Media Masterpieces: The authors of the blog Everyday is a Holiday came out with a book. They have the sweetest and cutest artwork and they just seem so nice!
4. Creative Illustration and Beyond: Stephanie Corfee is another artist with cute, colorful and inspirational artwork that I love.
5. And last but not least,
A Retired Art Teacher Tells All: One Hundred Simple Tips to Help Teachers Become Efficient, Inspiring, and Happy Educators
. Because I'm always interested in learning more about teaching art.
Art is Basic website
My Art
Etsy Shop
Art Journal Pages
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Art journaling, in my opinion, does not have to have lots of words. It can be simply playing with colors and imagery.
Art is Basic website
My Art
Etsy Shop
Watercolor Quote
Friday, November 29, 2013
I am so pleased to have an artwork published in Lesley Riley's new book called Quotes Illustrated. The quote was given to me by Lesley and the quote definitely resonates with me. Love it.
I have not received my copy of the book yet, but I am eagerly awaiting it! I think it would be a nice gift for an art or quote lover.
Here is what the description says,
"QUOTES ILLUSTRATED by Lesley Riley is a timeless source of
inspiration and motivation. Through the diverse and eclectic work of
over 90 artists, familiar and some not-yet-discovered quotes are brought
to life.It's an eye-opening experience to see how these talented artists interpret modern and age-old wisdom. To quote Georgia O'Keefe, "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." And therein lies the magic of this book - it expands your awareness, so that you see, not only with new eyes, but come to understand how art can illustrate and illuminate more than words alone can express.
100 quotes were carefully chosen by Lesley to create a positive book that moves the reader to take action on their dreams. If the quotes alone don't do the trick, the artwork certainly will. Artists were free to interpret their quote in their own way, with their medium of choice.
The book includes wonderful examples of digital art, art quilts, fiber art, mixed media, collage, assemblage and paintings. There is something to delight all tastes. Artists in particular will find this compendium a source of ideas and techniques for their own art. While it's not a how-to book, information on materials and techniques used are provided for each artwork."
All Creatures.. journal page
Sunday, November 24, 2013
This journal page was created using scrapbook paper, acrylic paints and oil pastels. The faces and bodies were painted by dipping a brush in water and rubbing the brush on Gel Sticks in order to get color. I also used Derwent Inktense Blocks
mixed with white acrylic paints for the background.
Guess what? I'm having a winter SALE at my Etsy shop for November and December. I have some vintage ephemera, postcards, downloadable digital products and some mixed media art prints.
Use the code: Winter2013 for 25% off your entire order! Yep, you heard that right, 25% off!!
Art is Basic website
My Art
Etsy Shop
New Art Journal Page with LOTS of Materials!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
This has been an ongoing process since last school year! I put some things down originally, did not like how the layout was coming together, so I returned to the page and added more. Then, I toned down the craziness with some white paint.
Some of the materials I used were:
- photocopies of old artwork
- scrapbook paper
- paper towels with Metallic watercolor paints
- a scrap with a written phrase on it that I found on the ground in my classroom... isn't that beautiful?
- decorative tape
- collage imagery
- a sticker
- gelli printed papers
Here are some close up views:
Some great links for you to check out:
- Check out our Featuring Magazine Campaign BLOG.
- Here is a cool article about setting up tweets by NatashaMay. I'm not the best at using Twitter, so maybe this is something I should try.
- Great money & future planning advice for high schoolers!
- I just love Brian Kasstle's art.
- These adorable photographic portraits of well-loved stuffed animals.
Linking to Paint Party Friday and Art Journal Every Day
Art is Basic website
My Art
Etsy Shop
Anatomy of an Art Journal Page #5
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Anatomy of an Art Journal Page is an occasional series I post that shows a break-down of the parts of one of my art journal pages. My hope is that it gives you inspiration for materials you could explore in your art journal and deconstructs the layers of my art. Sometimes I look at other artist's layered artwork and think "what did they use to make this section?"
If you have any other questions about the page, let me know!
Here are some close-up views of this page.
If you liked this post, check out:
Linking to Paint Party Friday and Art Journal Every Day
Art is Basic website
My Art
Etsy Shop
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