All posts tagged handmade backgrounds

Billie’s Craft Room – FREE online workshops

My friend Billie is hosting a series of online workshops, completely free of charge this summer, called Adventures in Acrylics! Be there or be square!

Billie has been making video tutorials for Youtube for a long time now and she’s cool, calm and collected! She delivers her tutorials in a no-nonsense, fun way and has lots of practical advice to share. So, if you’re having a “staycation” this year and want to have some fun with your acrylics, which will only cost you time and materials… here’s where it’s at:

1 Comment

by Rosie on April 25, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Acrylic painting, canvas, challenges, How-tos

Tagged Acrylic paint, acrylic painting, adventures, arts, backgrounds, Billies Craft Room, collage, entertainment, handmade backgrounds, recycling, vacation, video tutorials

Posted by Rosie on April 25, 2012

https://alteredartandstuff.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/billies-craft-room-free-online-workshops/

Take a Word #51 – Childhood

I developed my love of books and losing myself in other worlds when I was a child. I was one of those kids who’d be sleepy in the morning on the way to school because I’d been reading under the bedclothes by the light of a torch! So when I saw this quote by Marcel Proust, I created the artwork around it!

Thanks to Tangie Baxter for the cat. The vintage image is from my own collection of photos.

For Take a Word this week. 🙂

9 Comments

by Rosie on October 16, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in challenges, Digital art, Digital collage, Original designs, vintage

Tagged black cat, childhood, Digital Art, Digital collage, handmade backgrounds, Take a word

Posted by Rosie on October 16, 2011

https://alteredartandstuff.wordpress.com/2011/10/16/take-a-word-51-childhood/

Zombie Revolution

For SPA this week – zombies…

Texture layers courtesy of Kim Klassen;

Che-zombie courtesy of an image from “Zombie shirts”;

Original background layer – me!!

I converted the Che Zombie image into a brush as the complete image was a bit too OTT for the purpose!! Fun all the way today! The sun is shining brightly and would probably sear the rags off a zombie, but hey, it’s only a theme, innit? 😉

6 Comments

by Rosie on October 2, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in ATCs, Digital collage, Freebies, recycling

Tagged Che Guevara, Digital Art, Digital collage, handmade backgrounds, revolution, Sunday Postcard Art, zombies

Posted by Rosie on October 2, 2011

https://alteredartandstuff.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/zombie-revolution/

The wagon lit…

Or sleeper car? Mix that with the rhythm of a train travelling through the night and you get a rocking, almost melodic sensation that lulls you to sleep… in theory at least! I found the image, transferred to watercolour washed khadi papers, in an old National Geographic advert for American transcontinental trains. I liked the gentle, caring pose suggesting excellent service, as the man turns down the covers. At this angle, with the staves in the background, he could almost be conducting music!

It’s a mere flight of fantasy, but… I like this way of creating. It’s very enjoyable to paint backgrounds, transfer a few images and then play with them in Photoshop. I am enjoying the “hybrid” experience, whilst I work on my classes, etc.

Lynn, of Celebrate Green and Green Halloween, has asked me to do a blog interview for them, as I still recycle most of the items I use in collages and recycle my own artwork to make collage sheets, etc., so I shall submit that later this week! Busy, busy!! 😉

6 Comments

by Rosie on September 13, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in challenges, collage, How-tos, Personal stuff, Published, recycling

Tagged american railways, handmade backgrounds, Hybrid artwork, Image transfer, Khadi papers, Mixed Media, Take a word, transcontinental, Watercolour painting

Posted by Rosie on September 13, 2011

https://alteredartandstuff.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/the-wagon-lit/

From junk to poetry…

I had a really enjoyable experience again yesterday. The foot was painful, so I treated myself to some down-time and a little sewing by hand. I had another couple of “pomanders” that I wanted to finish off, but these developed characters of their own. These two became rebellious little stuffies – “The Pomander Boyz”! Meet Cyclops and Chewy!

It’s amazing the attitude an inanimate object can assume with a bit of help from some buttons, beads and embroidery floss, isn’t it?!!

The same evening, I got out the giant pencil case, a couple of pens, the khadi papers journal I dislike and the tin of Neocolours. I spent a while creating washes for backgrounds and cutting up a Council Tax leaflet (I’m not mad – it’s a process!!), for Lesson 2 of Quinn’s Raw Art Journalling. I found phrases and words that held appeal, or the potential of a union and this poem was born, from the wordage I found in the junk mail:

I haven’t analysed any of this – but I feel what the verse means to me, personally. I wonder what it means to you? 😉

5 Comments

by Rosie on August 24, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in challenges, fabric, Inspiration, Personal stuff, recycling

Tagged backgrounds, Council Tax, Found poetry, handmade backgrounds, junk mail, Quinn MacDonald, Raw Art Journalling, recycling

Posted by Rosie on August 24, 2011

https://alteredartandstuff.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/from-junk-to-poetry/

Wednesday Stamper closes its doors…

I think this is so sad as I’ve been a participant on and off for the last 3 years or so. But, everything comes to an end and new challenge blogs emerge and life goes on as people get busier, etc. In honour of their closure, I wrote haikus and created this page:

“We flocked to their blog

and we created with joy:

every week was new.

Their challenge awoke

sparks of creativity

In all who took part… “

So farewell to WS and I wish you all joy and peace and creativity…

I am adding this to Theme Thursday’s “Wings” theme, which inspired the page originally! The stamps are a combination of handcarved and commercial. 🙂

15 Comments

by Rosie on July 7, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Art Journal, challenges, collage, recycling, rubber stamping

Tagged AJED, Art Journal, backgrounds, collage, Haikus, handmade backgrounds, Mixed Media, theme thursday, Wednesday Stamper, WS

Posted by Rosie on July 7, 2011

https://alteredartandstuff.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/wednesday-stamper-closes-its-doors/

Running up that hill

“And if I only could, I’d make a deal with God

And I’d get Him to swap our places…”

MUSICAL MUSINGS – JUNE 30TH

The Prompt: What’s the deal?
The Song: Running Up That Hill by Placebo (or Kate Bush)
Written Lyrics HERE
Product/Technique: Playing Cards

I fell in love with the lyrics to this song, written by Kate Bush in the 1980s and vaguely remembered the tune. Now of course, I can’t get it out of my head! Like many of her songs, there’s a lilting, haunted recurring theme, that takes you deep down inside yourself and I love the choreography on the video too…

Here’s my take on the challenge where I’ve endeavoured to interpret the words and how they make me feel.

I forgot all about the playing cards aspect, and look at those hearts floating around!! So much on my mind lately too! My subconscious has a mind of its own, obviously… 😉

The stamps (except the heart), are handcarved. Size – 8″x8″ (20x20cm) To see more examples, please click on A Year in the Life of an Art Journal!!!

6 Comments

by Rosie on July 5, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Art Journal, challenges, collage, Personal stuff, recycling, rubber stamping

Tagged Art Journal, AYITLOOAJ, backgrounds, collage, handcarved stamps, handmade backgrounds, Kate Bush, Placebo, Running up that hill

Posted by Rosie on July 5, 2011

https://alteredartandstuff.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/running-up-that-hill/

Eggs for breakfast?

Admittedly, Gordon the Gnome was a little surprised at the size of the egg he’d collected for his breakfast that morning, but he was really shocked at the size of the birds flying overhead… He wondered what their eggs looked like? Hmmmm….

For Sunday Postcard Art today!

I created the background artwork last night with watercolours and Gordon was discovered today, courtesy of Google images!

Have a great weekend! 🙂

13 Comments

by Rosie on June 26, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Cards, challenges, collage, Digital collage, recycling, rubber stamping

Tagged backgrounds, Digital Art, handmade backgrounds, Hybrid artwork, Mixed Media, recycling, Sunday Postcard Art

Posted by Rosie on June 26, 2011

https://alteredartandstuff.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/eggs-for-breakfast/

Vintage Men

My vintage man is a gentleman dressed and equipped for salmon (game) fishing… and I’ve put him on one of the bubble background postcards I made yesterday. The fish are from a brass stencil and the frame is inspired by Marit!

Game Fishing

For this week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge! 🙂

9 Comments

by Rosie on June 19, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Cards, challenges, collage, recycling

Tagged backgrounds, collage, handmade backgrounds, Marits Summer Camp, recycling, Sunday Postcard Art

Posted by Rosie on June 19, 2011

https://alteredartandstuff.wordpress.com/2011/06/19/vintage-men/

At last! Bubbling!

At (Marit’s Creative) Summer camp we are exploring simple pleasures, like marshmallows, camp fires, ghost stories, techniques and prompts. Here’s the result of me happily playing with food colourings, baby shampoo and a straw!