Mission Inspiration August 2017

I am, for once, completely up to date with the Mission Inspiration monthly art journaling challenges.  It seems fitting that I share this page today as it is the first anniversary of my first ever art journal page (MI August 2016), even though I actually completed it on my birthday on Tuesday.  As always I worked with the eight steps, three suggested colours and chose one of the five prompt words.

Step 1

Step 1: Cover your page with book text fragments.  I used a mixture of pages from an old German/English dictionary and a biography of Byron.  This step was completed at the art journaling session in Stockport on Monday, but I couldn't go any further with it as I had no means of drying the medium!

Step 2

Step 2: Add a thin layer of paint or gesso.  The three suggested colours were buttermilk, peach and warm grey.  I started with a layer of buff titanium as it was the closest colour I had to buttermilk, however I removed most of it with a wet wipe as I didn't like the colour, and went over the page with Adirondack Peach Bellini instead.

Step 3

Step 3: Stamp over your page with ink or paint.  For this step I used all three stamps from the Slight Alterations set, the world map from the Documented stamp set, the Chicken Wire from Mixed Media and the type writer script from the School Desk stamp set (all designed by Tim Holtz for Stamper's Anonymous).  I stamped them in Watering Can Archival ink, mostly holding them in my hand rather than using an acrylic block.

Step 4

Step 4: Add one or more focal images.  I chose one of the couples from the Paper Dolls set by Tim Holtz idea-ology as they toned in perfectly with 'warm grey' and fitted in with the chosen word 'kiss'.  Once glued in, I went over and around the image with distress collage medium, so that I could use a big brush marker later to add some shading around and below the couple.

Step 5

Step 5: Add washi tape or ptterned paper strips.  As a change from washi tape, I chose two papers from the 6" x 6" paper pad by Melissa Frances (Classic Elegance) and one paper from the K&Company Hydrangea Stripe Pad (also 6" x 6") and cut several narrow /medium width strips from each.  These were arranged to frame the couple below and to the right and along the top of the page on the left. 

Step 6

Step 6: Add texture paste through a stencil.  Before I completed this step, a Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker in Warm Grey IV was used to add shading, blended out with my finger before the ink dried.  I used the large layering stencil by Tim Holtz (Flourish THS032) and some Pebeo High Density Modelling Paste mixed with a small amount of Yellow Ochre to approximate buttermilk.  The page was then set aside to dry for a couple of hours.

Step 7

Step 7: Add splatter, drips or runs.  I masked off the couple and mixed some medium yellow, buff titanium and titanium paints together with several spritzes of water and used a fan brush to add splatters over the page.  Once dry, the rough post it masks were removed.

Step 8

Step 8: Paint, ink or doodle a border or frame.  I simple rubbed some Watering Can Archival ink around the edges of the page to darken them, as I didn't wish to add anything else around the page.
To finish, I stamped one of the suggested prompt words 'kiss' using Versamark ink and heat embossing with Moonstone embossing powder from the Pearlustre Embossable Dream Kit by Stampendous.  As usual, I used the Claritystamp Word Chain Alphabet for this.  I printed the rest of the quote 'Can I borrow a' and 'I promise to pay it back.' using my Dymo Letratag and added the print outs to the page, sealing them with Distress Collage Medium and then using the Big Brush Marker to add shading (once all was dry).