Origami Boxes and Book folding

Much, much sharing takes place during our bi-monthly gatherings! As our shared project we  tasked ourselves with exploring origami box folding from papers we've created in the past. And some of us tried folded book forms.

Separately we've all been decluttering and minimizing our stashes - and friends' stashes of stuff.

We share - plants, fabrics, jewelry bits, magazines, books,   - some to use, some to sell, some to pass along again!

And we share - stories and tales of technology woes, travel hopes, family, pets, books, films, and shows.

And always - good company and nibbles galore!

Elizabeth here - I am participating in the Documented Life Project that is the brain child of five artists who blog at http://www.arttothe5th.com/.  Every week we are encouraged to document our lives using the offered prompt and if we choose - to share those on the Facebook page. Here are two of my journal pages that I shared with our Odd Tuesday tribe.

The prompt was inspiration from your favorite artist. I tried to create in the  style of Ingrid Dijkers with photos of my father and my grandson.

We were prompted to add a flap to a flap for this page. I had happily purged some of my husband's very old and bad wine so using the label and a journaling card, I added a playing card. "It's a good thing."

The Documented Life Project Facebook group has 5600+ members with so much information, inspiration and encouragement that I'm finding it a wonderful experience. Check it out!

Gouache Resist

Last get together Jackie told us about this technique she had tried out, pretty cool using water color paints, gouache watercolor paint and India ink. She and Belinda both did some experimenting before today so we had a tutorial. Jackie and Belinda getting started.....

 Elizabeth and I hadn't done our prep work so planned to just audit the class but I couldn't resist a resist class so got busy with my supplies.

 Here's one of Jackie's completed pieces she brought to show us. I love it! (I've been trying to save all the Monarch butterflies in our yard this week so this little bug shape is very special and it's so well done!)

 More of Jackie's work in the foreground and Belinda is working on her design. First step is draw and outline your design with a black marker.

 Jackie getting ready to spread white gauche paint over her watercolor painted design.

 It was a winter day in Florida .... B's wearing a sweater!

 Cool but sunny outside so we hurried the drying time with the help of the sun. Note previous OT project, painted rocks used as weights.

 I think Jackie's bug held with the rocks is in the second drying stage (gouache done) . B's and mine are in first drying stage (watercolor done).

 Third drying stage was covering the whole thing with India ink. Here Jackie is washing it off.

 J's paper was a softer paper (recommended is watercolor paper) so she was gentle in the wash as the paper can also get washed away!

 The magic begins .... color appears.....

 and a bug emerges .....

 Here Belinda washes madly using a toothbrush. That streak in the middle is the blur of her toothbrush.

Three finishes pieces or at least the start of something .....

 I wasn't happy with my teapot so tried to add some more watercolor but that only made it muddier so I used a sponge  to pounce some white acrylic on it. It's still the start of something.

Thanks for another fun OT day ladies!

Elizabeth here - in between drying times and while we were eating lunch, we watched a video called Art Stamping Innovations: Carving Workshop by Gloria Page which we would recommend. We got it from our local library.

It was such an informative video with many new techniques that we may try in the future. We were especially impressed with her helpful, unassuming manner in her directions and narration. It is so sad that Gloria Page passed on last February, 2013.

Jackie's heart cards - gouache resist technique

Jackie here - there's my heart cards that were in process at Gina's. At home I added the black ink while being mindful of the brush stroke direction - choosing to encircle the heart on the left card, and radiate lines outward from the heart in the right card. Both of these cards used colored gouache - a mix of yellows and pinks. I think the color mixing is interesting - more vibrant end result than white only.

And a 'watch this next time' point: when drying cards outside in the wind - be aware that the paper will take on the shape of the paper weight. I have huge circles impressed in the plain side of the cards from my flower pot paper weights!!

For future reference source of the gouache resist idea: Jane Powell gouache resist demo
Martha Lever blog