Keep Calm and Enjoy the Sun: Art Journal Page

This is my latest Mission Inspiration journal page following the prompts for June set by guest controller Gina Ahrens.  The current weather helped me decide on a direction!  The suggested colours this month were Ocean, Lemon and Lime.

Step 1: Cover your page with words, writing or text.  For this I used the Newsprint stamp (Sam Poole/Creative Expressions) held in my hand and inked with Manganese Blue Archival ink to cover the page with random stamping.

Step 1

Step 2: Add a wash of colour.  I blended Salty Ocean Distress Oxide all over the page, gave it a light spritz of water and dried the page thoroughly.  I sealed this layer with Distress Glaze before proceeding.

Step 2

Step 3: Collage tissue paper.  I had a paper napkin which looked ideal, so removed the top layer, wet around the part of the image that I wanted and cut/tore out the coconut cocktail.  This was added to the page with Distress Collage Medium and sealed.

Step 3

Step 4: Add sketchy marks.  I used a Sakura white gelly roll pen to add sketchy highlights to the cocktail focal image.

Step 4

Step 5: Glue something from nature.  I went out into the garden and collected some dried grass.  These were glued into place using extra thick slap it on by IndigoBlu.

Step 5

Step 6: Add fibre, ribbon, lace or trim.  I used a piece of hessian in bright lemon along the bottom.  Lolly sticks were added to create the effect of a net seaside fence, again using the super thick slap it on to hold everything in place.

Step 6

Step 7: Add brads, staples or clips.  As one of the suggested prompt words for this month is 'sun', I found a sun shaped large brad that I had in my stash and added it using lime coloured mini brads.

Step 7

Step 8: Add a word, phrase or quote.  I finished off the quote 'Keep calm and enjoy the sun' in various ways.  'Keep calm and' is part of a stamp set by Stamposaurus.  It was stamped in Versamark ink and heat embossed in detail white EP.  I had to ensure that an anti static pad had been used first as the Distress Glaze causes a great deal of cling. Enjoy was another suggested prompt word for the month.  I stamped it in the same way as the first stamp, using letters from the Word Chain Alphabet by Claritystamp.  Finally, I added 'the' using a fine white Posca pen.

Step 8

I can't decide whether to add further details to the page.  For the moment I will leave it as it is.