A Review of the Strathmore Visual Journal

I recently attended a visual journal workshop at Catalyst in Westminster, California that featured Kari Foteff teaching multi media techniques on Strathmore's new Multi Media Visual Journals.  The class was offered by the Art Supply Warehouse and in conjunction with the fine folks at Strathmore.  

   The mixed media visual journal from Strathmore solves the problem of pages that warp under the weight of different types of media.  The medium-weight paper was specifically created for both wet and dry media applications.  Strathmore offers several papers of different weights and types of paper (Vellum Finish, Bristol, Drawing, Mixed Media, and Water Color) in these journals. 

   The manufacturer claims that folks can use water color, acrylic paint, pen, ink, pencil, crayons, charcoals, markers, collage materials, and even some of the fun texture mediums that art stores carry in these journals.  To give you a better idea of what types of mediums and materials that can be used on these pages, I have uploaded some fun examples of techniques and materials that can be used to decorate these journal pages.

Example 1: Strathmore Mixed Media journal pages painted with Airbrush.

Example 2: Pan Pastels and Stencil used on the journal pages.

Example 3: Watercolor color with pen and ink.

Example 4:  Letraset AquaMarkers water-based twin-tips..

Example 5: Golden's Acrylics and hot sticks.

Example 6: Acrylic paint and colored pencil.

Example 7: Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal with acrylics, mulit media and ephemera.

Example 8:  Acrylics, Gesso, Golds liquid medium and various ephemera

Example 9: Liquid Acrylic Artist Ink and calligraphy (paper was smooth enough to utilize modern calligraphy techniques effectively).

Example 10: Card stock, liquid masking medium, water color, and crayons.

Example 11: Pigment Ink Marker 

Additionally, this journal has wire binding which makes it easier to lay flat while you are working.

The workshop was a lot of fun and had a "Mardi Gras" theme.  I wanted to share with our readers some pictures from our workshop and the finished pages made by various students using the materials they had a available to decorate our journal pages.

Example A:

Example B:

Example C:

    It was fun to see how each person used the same theme and materials to create a layout that was reflective of their own style and interpretation.  

    If you are new to the mixed media visual journaling trend, it is mostly the use of different media to reflect the attitudes, values, experiences, and/or thoughts of the person journaling.  It can also include visual images and the written thoughts.   There are many ways to do visual journaling and/or multi media journaling.  A search on Google, YouTube, and other online sources can provide you with more in depth information on this art form.  You can also attend a class at a local art store or find books on the topic.  If you want to learn more and cannot find a local source, Strathmore offers a free online course that you can register for.  They have a great one called "Doodles Unleashed: Mixed Media Techniques" given by Traci Bautista that you can learn some great techniques from, she also has a new book coming out on a similar topic.

   I also found a blog called iHanna,  that has a great tutorial on how to alter a journal.

Pros

• These journals come in three sizes with a choice of several different types of papers.
• The paper is thick and can hold up well to a variety of media.
• The books are wire bound which allows for them to be opened flat while working on the pages.

Note:    The price of the books is higher than some lesser quality books, however there are great deals to be found online and at local art supply stores and I found the quality to be worth the expense.

The journal papers can buckle or warp if you do not allow the pages to dry properly before closing the book and/or storing it away.  I also recommend using pallet paper between the pages until the ephemera, glues, media have set.  It will keep the pages from getting stuck to each other. Strathmore offers these books with various types of papers,  so be sure to read the label to make sure you are getting the type of paper you want.  By picking the right paper before beginning your journaling project,  you will not have any unexpected issues or disappointments.

I would love to hear from about your favorite journaling techniques and supplies. Please leave a comment and share your tips.

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Easy Craft Ideas Revisted.

This week, I decided to share some informational videos to watch crafting videos made by Craftside for fun quick and easy craft project ideas.

In the following "Look Learn & Create video", learn how to make felted flowers with Craftside blogger/author/craftster Stefanie Girard, author of "Sweater Surgery", from some 
recycled sweaters.  The recycled sweater felted flowers can be used for jewelry, pins and other great accents.

Another great video from Craftside, is a video featuring Lisa Engelbrecht, (author of "Modern Calligraphy" and "Modern Mark Making")

demonstrating some fun and easy calligraphy techniques.  Her lettering can vary from the more modern art letters to traditional calligraphy letters.  She also shows how to use traditional and non traditional inks and paints to use for art lettering.

In this particular episode Lisa Engelbrecht shows how to use the Martha Stewart Glue pens to create fun art letters with foils and glitter.




and in the video below,  that I took of her at my local art supply store, she demonstrates using various inks to create fun art letters and make cool designs.  Her ink work is fabulous and fun to watch.




Have fun week creating.

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A Review of the "Star Burst" Jelly Filter Lens for the iPhone 4

There are so many new lenses available for use on the iPhone that choosing one can be overwhelming.  There are macro lenses, fish eye lenses, wide angle lenses and much more.  The prices can vary with each of the retailers.

I recently came across an inexpensive lens at my local "Old Navy" store.  It was on sale for less than a dollar and worth checking out.  It was easy to use.  There is a suction cup surrounding the lens that helps it attach itself to the iPhone.  That being said, the surface must be fairly clean for it to adhere well to the iPhone.  Below are a couple of pics that I took with it. The first is a pic of a green birdhouse without the lens.

Then using the lens.  You can see that it just adds a fun "star burst" type of effect to the picture, which seems to make the colors pop a bit more than the photo I took without the lens.

Anther shot of some hydrangea using the iPhone camera.

The same shot using the "Jelly" lens.

I also found that the lens can be offset a bit to create some other effects.  So here is a pic of a succulent plant that I had in the yard.

Then by off setting the lens and taking a close up of just part of the plant, I was able to capture the image below.

It came out pretty cool.  I have to say that it was a dollar that was well spent.  I have had a bit of fun with this lens.  If you keep your eyes open for good deals on these types of lenses, they can be found pretty cheap and are fun to use.

If you are looking for a more expensive collection of lenses, then you may want to check out the Photojojo site or Amazon to see what is available.


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A review of the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire Art Show

The Renaissance Faire has it's own special selection of artwork on display and available for purchase.

On the last weekend of the faire, the local Renaissance Faire showcased the drawings, paintings,  and 

water color work of various artisians and displayed them in the "Friends of Faire" garden.

The various artwork was painted and finished through the run of faire 

and featured various members of the entertainment crew.  Like the one below which 

features one of the members of the royal court.

The selection was very interesting and they had a very kind host who was there to answer questions about the various pieces on display.

Another very cool display was at the opposite end of the faire grounds of a painting in progress.

Here is a close up from part of the same painting.

And a close up of the part that features the queen.

The attention to detail is amazing on this piece, as you can see by looking at the picture below of the queens gown. 

I will write more about some of the various artists at the faire in another post.

A review of the Spring Glitterfest 2012 Craft and Handmade Gifts Show

     Nothing says "Spring" better than a cool craft show featuring a fun selection of handmade spring craft and decor pieces.  There were also vendor selling a fabulous selection of crafting supplies, glitter, and other merchandise to tempt folks who like to make their craft projects.
     I love spring and all the excitement associated with it.  So in between planting seeds, replacing plants and designing a new garden, I found time to attend the Spring Glitterfest craft and handmade gifts event.  It was held at the Elks Lodge in Santa Ana, California (which is about 15 minutes away from Disneyland).  The show offers parking at the Elks Lodge or you can park at the store and take a tram to the show site.

    There is a wide offering of merchandise available at the Spring Glitterfest show.  The organizers take care to plan the show floor with care so that you can enjoy the various "eye candy" in a fun and relaxed atmosphere without getting overwhelmed nor over crowded. Since I reviewed the Fall 2011 Glitterfest Event, I thought I would concentrate on introducing you to just a few of the many talented artists who sell their hand crafted art work at this particular show.
   My first stop was the Craftside publishing booth, to visit with my friend Stefanie Girard.  She was giving away some really really cool journals and sketching pads to show visitors.  The Craftside booth also had a great display of some of their more popular craft books for folks to enjoy.   This gave me a chance to look through some of Craftside's newest craft books and see what types of projects they offered.  Something I really cannot do while shopping on Amazon.

Craft book authors Karen and Ann Mitchell,  who are well known for their wonderful jewelry designs

which they sell under the name Ankara Designs were also at the Craftside booth sharing their talents with guests and teaching them how to make jewelry.

The Mitchell sisters are also known for their polymer clay designs and have demonstrated various polymer clay design techniques on cable shows like "Carol Duvall", and other "how to" segments.

The Mitchell sisters are the authors of the new book "Bead Jewelry 101" which teaches the reader how to master basic jewelry making skills and techniques.

They did a "Make &Take" (at the Craftside booth) that taught folks how to make a cute pair of

earrings from paper and other inexpensive jewelry making supplies.  This was an easy craft project that was also an inexpensive craft project for folks to make.  This same project would also make a great upcycle project just by using materials you already have on hand.  You can also use parts from an old necklace and give it a more updated look.

Earrings made from a punched paper leaf.

Visitors of all ages enjoyed making this particular project.

My next stop was the "Ink Stained Book Arts" booth, where I had a chance to talk to Jeanine Stein.  Her most recent book is called "Re-Bound" and is centered on creating fabulous books from recycled and repurposed materials.

She had some very cool hand bound books for sale that were made from unique materials, the book below is made from recycled cowboy chaps.

I loved the hand bound books that she made from Vintage Photographs and frames.  This one is made using a modified long stitch binding that allows for the contents to be viewed easily.

Jeanine also teaches classes in book and paper arts. She also did a "Make & Take" at this show that featured a simple binding technique like the one in the photo below.

She also made a hand bound journal using the advertisement cards for the Glitterfest show and heavy weight paper.

Here is another peek at some of the fabulous items she was selling at the show.

If you look carefully you can see that she makes books from a large variety of materials, including some journals made from vintage french lotto cards.  As a person who collects vintage books and ephemera, I just love her creativity and the beautiful journals and books.

Here is what I went home with, a beautifully bound book made from natural repurposed materials.

For a bit of whimsy, I decided to stop off and take a peek at the wonderful hand sculpted work by David H. Everett.  

His booth featured his "Chicken Lips" line of whimsical art. These amazing creations are made from paper-mache.

The detail in these pieces is incredible.  I have worked with paper-mache and can appreciate the amount of creativity and talent that he puts into each of his creations.  He actually hand sculpts each and every paper-mache figure that he creates.  Then he covers the base material in gesso. Once the gesso dries, he hand paints each figure giving them their individual personalities and features.  If you want to learn more about his creations, he has a fun blog where he shares his musings and his newest creations.  I am

a huge fan of his halloween line and am looking forward to seeing what he creates for the upcoming 2012 fall season.   The Glitterfest Spring 2012 show offered so many different types of handmade and vintage art that it would take too much space to cover it all here.  I highly recommend checking the show out if you are in the Orange County area.  You can also find similar shows in your own area by doing a local google search.


Do you have any favorite craft shows or events that you like to attend? Leave a comment to share it.

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