my Dina Wakley class layout

I'm sure I won't have to work too hard to remind you of the freakin' amazing time that I had at Dina Wakley's Encaustic Tag Book Class.  F'realz, still one of the best times ever.  Yeah, I know- it was only a month and two days ago- but really- it was a damned good time.

How good was it?

It was so good that I'm experimenting with encaustic-esque goodness on my own (more on that, soon) and:  a few of her techniques and brief lesson on composition have stayed with me-  they've 'persevered' as you might say...

Before we get too far, I'm gonna level with you:  I've been drinking.  It was my birthday last Thursday. I'm just getting around to celebrating.  Get off my back.

Around 3:37pm, I woke up from a nap and thought, "Hell, I'm gonna make a page and fix myself a cocktail before my birthday party starts."

Now, let's back up a few days.

Wednesday:  I was excited to be off of work for a few days.  Somehow, I ended up deciding that the perfect way to spend a "night of unlimited possibilities" (that's what I call a night with no work the next day) was to experiment with watercolors.

I've had some watercolors for quite some time- my Mom gave me a very classy "art box" for Christmas one year.  It's filled with pastels, colored pencils, drawing pencils, tools... and:  watercolors.

Now, previously, the only time I'd tried to paint with watercolors was a few weeks ago, at work.  I was trying to complete my "Make Someone Smile" doodle-  I created a stunning (haha) beach scene, and thought I'd be really cool and use watercolors, from the "art box," to color the ocean.  It didn't work out  so well.  But, I was using my finger and spit- so that was kind of expected.

With my inspiration propelled by my copy of The Journal Junkies Workshop and my failed finger-and-spit watercolor technique, I decided to give it another go-  and while I watercolored away, (more 'bout this later, too) I ended up splattering a brand new sheet of 12X12 kraft cardstock.  I thought I pushed it far enough away- but you know how that goes...

Today, as I tried (in vain) to clean up in preparation for my "birthday party night," I noticed how much I liked the splatters on the corner of cardstock.  It reminded me, somewhat, of the Encaust Tag Book Class.  So:  I pulled three of the pictures I had printed out (thanks, Walgreens and Instagram!) and got to work.

I thought I'd take some pictures of my process.  But then the "process" stretched out hours and hours, as I placed things....replaced things...moved strips...re-moved things...arranged things... well, you get the idea.  So, I've whittled the entire ordeal down to just a few pictures...

At first, I wanted to used the entire piece of kraft as the background.  While digging through my ever-breeding box of papers, a couple of pages from BasicGrey's WANDER collection just jumped out and bit me on the ass.  After an hour or so of moving things around and around, I ended up with the above square glued to the classy distress-y blue B-side of one of BasicGrey's lil' works of art.  The square up there is made from two pieces of the same piece of paper- strips cut, flipped around and glued together.

Dat right there is a piece of the inspiring cardstock.  Hope it isn't too underwhelming.

Above, I added another strip of paper pieced together with part of its own "B-side."
I cut strips from another piece of paper from BasicGrey's WANDER collection and pieced them together, at an angle, with strips of kraft and the border piece that resulted from the background page when I cut the "tag" off.  This is what it looked like from behind:

Kinda cool, seeing things from behind, right?  I thought so...

After another excruciating amount of moving, changing and rearranging, I ended up thinking I needed two little strips of kraft- so I added them.  As you can see up there.

All I had left to do was to glue "the strip" down and figure out how I wanted my pictures!  Luckily, my friend, (and one of my roommates) Pete, happened by to say:  "WHAT YOU BEEN DOIN' FOR FIVE HOURS?!  COME OUT TO THE PATIO AND DRINK WITH US!  AND HEY- Why don't you put that picture there, cuz that's the main picture, right?  And then put that one like this- and there you go..."

And he was right-  I loved the way that looked.  Normally, I would strongly advise AGAINST taking scrapbooking advice from someone who spends most of their time playing "Modern Warfare 3" and shouting over an earpiece at people to "GET THE @#$% OUTTA THE BUNKER!"  But, I gotta say, you gotta keep your mind and ears open to suggestions.

Here's what I ended up with:

The pic to the left is my tag book in progress.  The center pic is, of course, me with the genius goddess Ms. Dina.  The last pic, on the right, is a shot of my proudly ink and paint stained hands.

There was heaps more washi, before I snapped the picture.  I remembered Coco Chanel's advice about removing accessories before you leave the house (or in this case, finish the layout) and removed an accessory.  It made all the difference in the world.

A closer close-up of my beloved center picture.

Look at those layers!

Aaaand my parting shot.  It's too late for me to be awake.  I have a crazy week ahead of me.  Beginning tomorrow with a long long day of rehearsal for a new show.  I don't know if I'll survive the next three months.  We'll see.

-kory

Crafting Binge: Day Two. Experimenting with canvas and my beloved Daniel Torrente stamps.

Inspired by the beautiful Dina Wakley's OUT OF THE JOURNAL 2012, I did a couple of canvases.  Doesn't that sound classy?  "I did a couple of canvases."

It just doesn't as civilized if you phrase it as:  "I wandered through the aisles of the Dollar Tree, wondering if I could paint or emboss or otherwise de-cheapen their plastic chess pieces, then went home and got drunk and painted and glued stuff to a canvas I found in someone's trash can on the next street over..."  

So, yeah,  "I did a couple canvases, this evening."

Do you follow Miss Dina's blog?  It's as purty and classy as she is- so, you should.  She's doing this thing-  wow, I hate the sound of that, 'doing this thing.'  That sounds demeaning, to me.  "She's currently running this promotion," doesn't sound right-  how can I say this?  Oh well, you get what I mean.  It's "OUT OF THE JOURNAL 2012" time at Ms. Dina's blog of beauty!

But, Kory, what IS it?!

Her royal inkiness describes it as:

The idea is to stretch yourself out of your journal by working on canvas and exercise your creative muscle.

I don't have a journal.  Unless you count the insanely large stack of Post-It-Notes-To-Self that I write to myself every stinking day as a journal.  But it definitely isn't the art journal that I religiously keep in my daydreams.

But I love canvas.  It has a beautiful texture.  Like a brand new blank notebook- one of my number one all time addictions- a blank, brand new canvas feels like pure possibility.  Hell, I think they're beautiful just left white.

And did y'all know that, once, I wanted to be a 'real-life' artist?  I did.  I even had (and sold, believe it or not!) paintings in an art gallery.  The hit of that opening night was a gigantic mixed-media piece entitled, "Hard Copy Makes Me Hard."  It sold.

And:  Just like I mentioned above-  I recently found a brand-new, crisply white canvas in someone's trash- so why not give it a go?!

(Yes, it is true that I cannot drive past a pile of trash without pulling over to dig for buried treasure.)

Not only was I inspired by Ms. Dina's work, and even more so by her class, that I recently took- I used stamps.  Ink, stamps, paint, paper, collage- I had a great time!  Thank you, Dina!

This was done on a nicely sized 16X24 canvas.  Acrylic paints, mostly applied with my fingers and a corner of t-shirt.  Part of an old dictionary page.  A Picket Fence Distress Marker.  Anything within reach seemed to make its way to the canvas.  I worked fast and furious and felt great.  I loved making this...

The stamp is one of my favorites by Daniel Torrente.  I love these little critters.  I like the creepy factor, but what I love most is the sweet innocence the little creatures have-  remember how I said I'm still inspired by Dina's Encaustic Tag Book class?  No, there's not encausticality going on here- but I did stamp the little critter on tissue paper- one of the techniques I learned.  I ModPodge'd him on and the tissue paper just faded away.

This wasn't my first canvas, today, though-

Early in the morning, I spotted a little stack of tiny 4X4 canvases that I picked up at Micheals, on clearance for 25 cents each.  They weren't primed or anything- so I did coat it with some gesso, first.

While I waited for the gesso to dry, I stamped and cut out another of my favorite Torrente critters.  I colored him with Distress Inks.  I touched up his teeth with my Picket Fence Distress Marker and did his shoes with the Tea Dye marker- but the rest of him was colored with regular Distress Inks.

I sprayed the tiny canvas with my other favorite 'discovery' from Ms. Dina's class-  DYLUSIONS Ink Spray.  Really?  How great is this ink spray?!  I used the colors of, 'London Blue' and 'Postbox Red.'  This is also when I learned something:  let the first color of spray dry before spraying the next color, otherwise, it just doesn't look as pretty.  That's why it's so dark up there in a few spots.  Luckily, I liked it- so, nothing to cry about.  I did touch up/blend a few spots with Barn Door and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks.  I picked a word at random from Mr. Holtz's ChitChat stickers, glued on the Torrente critter, and stamped some random letters with a white pigment ink.  The word seemed to kinda float there of its own accord.  It didn't look right.  So I drew a 'cord' to it with a silver metallic marker and drew a circle around it with the Picket Fence Distress Marker.  Not happy with how that turned out- but I do like it more than a random floating word.

So that's it for my inspired pieces for Dina Wakley's OUT OF THE JOURNAL.  Look at me, I sprang right out from a journal that I wasn't even in!  But, art journalling is the number two thing I want to do next.  What's number one?  I'm a gentleman.  I don't name names.

-kory

Encaustic Tag Book Class with DINA WAKLEY!

For anyone who didn't sign up for this freakin' great class: I'm sorry you're such a loser. So what if it would've involved a drive on the interstate or connecting flights? What else did you have to do today? And I would've taken you out for a wild night on the town afterwards, too. So it would've been doubly worth the time.

So what did I learn? I learned that I am in love with Dina Wakley and will join her cult and buy all her stamps. Hell, I would drink her Kool-Aid spray inks if she had some. I also learned that some beeswax, tissue paper and a hot iron can make some amazing shit. Also: A hot iron can burn you. Who knew?!

While I'm here, I've gotta thank Maura at My Heart's Fancy, for hosting the class, and of course- Darla, who signed me up for the class!  Oh yeah!  Don't miss KORY & DARLA hosting CRAFT WARS Commentary LIVE on the Scrapbook.com forum this Tuesday!  Bring your smarts comments over and join us!

First up:  My inky hands.  That's the sign of a successful class. 

Here's my book- the one you're kindly humoring me by pretending to be exciting to see:

Tied up with an ink-stained ribbon.  I love dyeing ribbon with ink and/or stains.

Untie the ribbons, why don't ya?  There, now you can see the cover.  I cut the wings from a stamped image of a bumblebee to glue on the crowned lady.  The two fellas were from a book page I found in Miss Dina's giant bag of collage papers.  Wasn't that nice of her to not only bring things, but let us take anything from the bag that caught our eye?!  The kraft tissue paper with words all over it was donated to me by the kind (and fun) Texan ladies who were sitting at my table.  See how I called it MY table?  I'm full of myself, aren't?  It was THEIR table, and they were so cool to shout at me that I could join them, when I found I that every seat at Darla's table was taken!

Here's the inside of my book- six tags.  Each one carefully (that means quickly and without thought) designed, colored, painted, waxed- all by ME.  We were given a printed out page of inspirational quotes.  They were all very nice and thoughtful- but you know me, I had to cut them up and reassemble the quotes until they barely made sense and weren't as thoughtful.  Yeahp, I'm the crafty William S. Burroughs.  But I like them.  And they're now ME instead of 'quotes.'  Which, seems very 'me, to me.'  Does that make sense?  Hmm.  Does to me.

The last tag, up there on the right, was made in about three frantic minutes.  When we began to assemble the book, I found that I was one tag short.  I got a spare tag, rubbed some paint on it, sprayed some ink on it, grabbed a couple of pieces of stamped tissue paper, and ran over to the wax and HOT iron table to melt it all together.  And you know what?  I think it's my favorite one.

Aaaaand- here it is, all opened up and standing up, as proud a pimp at 1st and Main:

One more shot of my book, in all it's colorful glory:

Alright, that's it from me.  I've got a wild party tonight.  I need to attempt to scrub the rest of the ink from my hands and try to look presentable.  I shouldn't look like THIS until 2:30am.  

Have a great day, everyone!  Go make something!  Here's a picture of me 'n Dina Wakley, herself!  This just might be my Christmas card.  Don't we look like such a happy couple?  We'd only been together for three short hours.  Looks like years, doesn't it?  

Happy Saturday night, people!  First round is on me!

-kory