Albert via Sunny Carvalho

Hello peoples! I've been very busy lately, but managed some time to make things while sitting with my Dad as he recovers from lung surgery.

Please Do Not Feed the Fears!

I made this spread in my Strathmore mixed media journal (5.5 x 8.5 inches) using a whole smorgasbord of supplies. I started with some Distress stains, then put some acrylic paint over it. I glued down lots of text pages, journaled over that with Copic markers, added more paint, more bits and pieces of torn paper, scraps from butcher paper that I sprayed with Dylusions inks during another project, and then added some pen details and letters. I used charcoal pencils for shading, and a white Souffle pen by Gelly Roll.

This whole business of nursing my Dad through this medical nightmare has stirred up a lot of fears in me, resulting in panic attacks, stress reactions, and exhaustion. He's on the mend and home now, but this page reflects a very dark place I was in. God saw me through. God held my hand. I know it's but the grace of God that we made it this far.

I have an artist-crush on Sunny Carvalho. Her whimsical style and cast of characters is so fantastic and amusing. She makes them in a variety of media which amazes me. So that little guy down in the bottom left corner? Yeah, that's Albert standing in for me on a very bad no good day. Hope you like it, Sunny!

This is for the 6th challenge week of The Documented Life Project to honor the work done by an artist we love.

I hope you have a blessed day - and feel free to leave a comment if you have questions or like what you see. Videos will happen when Dad's a bit stronger.

Ta for now,
~ky

Growth and Challenges

Hey there! It's time again for another Mix-Ability challenge over on Splitcoast, and I'm hosting this week! Here's a close-up detail:

This week we are all about the LAYERS! I love layers, almost as much as I love bacon!

I started with a little paint, and scraps of paper and bits of collage left over from previous projects. Then I added texture paste through stencils to get some texture. I colored the texture paste with Dylusions spray - using a small paintbrush to apply it just to the areas I wanted to accent.

I added bits of washi tape, some gold modeling cream, a little more bits of acrylic paint, some rubbed on with my finger, some put through a stencil. I added a photo of myself, and taped the edges with washi, added more texture paste over the edges to embed the photo into the background, added 2 word stickers. I die cut the letters and the banners (Tim Holtz - Sizzix), glued them down and accented them with my graphite pencil.

Once I was happy with it, I went around the edges with Distress Stains, added more shading with graphite, and some white accents. I used a gel Souffle pen (Sakura) for the white, but you can use a liquid paper corrector pen, too. Once I get it all done, I coat everything with Mod Podge to seal it all up.

This is a project in progress photo for another page I did not long ago.

You can see the raw texture paste through stencil in the corners, bits of paper, paint, stamped images and book text. I follow the same process, generally, just putting things on the page until I'm pleased with the effect.

And this is the final photo of that same project:

Can you pick out the details? The thing that pulls it all together, for me, is the shading. Don't forget to go around the edges of your pages - that really frames the page!

Here's another in-progress picture:

And this is where I'm at with that page. Not done yet! I still have a lot more layering to do, and I need to get some more items to pull the whole thing together. I was working on this at the hospital today, and the social activities director saw it. She wants me to come teach and play with her patients in the rehabilitation unit.

I know these last 2 in particular look odd - I took the in-progress picture with my phone camera, and the final with my Canon SLR, so the color and detail quality aren't the same. I think you can pick out bits and see where the layers have been added and changed as I went. It's very obvious how important shading is between these last 2 photos.

In case you can't read it, it says, "One day this pain will make sense to you." Caring for an elderly parent with ICU psychosis is very painful indeed, and I need to remind myself that while I'm going through a dark place right now, God can see beyond it. I just have to trust Him, and know that the sun will shine again.

I really wanted to give you a video, but my Dad had surgery and there have been complications, so I've been at the hospital all day every day. So, let me be in your debt and 'owe' you a video, ok? I love to share! Is there a product or technique you really would like to see me demonstrate? Leave a comment below!

Thanks so very much for stopping by, and play along! I want to see what you do with my challenge!

Ta!
~ky