A Fantasy Art Journal Page: Still I Rise

I am determined this year to complete the challenges over on Mission Inspiration before the end of each month, so here is January's contribution.  The theme given was 'Fantasy – Imagining the Impossible or Improbable Things'.  Anyone experiencing 2020 might feel that it is improbable we will ever get over it, but I feel hope.

The stated colours  are Tropical Teal, Terracotta and Golden Honey and the techniques in no particular order: stencil, torn book text, paint, die cut/punch and doodles.  Add transparent gesso to a double page of handmade paper in a journal and allow to dry. Add Fossilized Amber Distress Paint roughly to the pages. Dry thoroughly.

Add some Terracotta Adirondack paint through the Clarity Wild Privet stencil in places.

Trim black card 10 4” x 4.5”. Use the Clarity 3.25” nested square picot die to cut an Aperture from one end.

Stamp the Clarity Phoenix onto stencil card in Terracotta Adirondack ink.

Colour with Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils blended out with a watercolour brush pen.

Fussy cut and attach behind the die cut.

Attach the image and die cut to the left-hand page. Seal with matte medium and dry thoroughly.

Add shading around the image with a Faber-Castell Big Brush marker blended out with a Pergamano blending pen and nib.

Add doodles to the edge of the frame round the phoenix in white gel pen.

Tear pieces of book text into the shape of flames and add to the right-hand page. Seal with matte medium and dry thoroughly.

Go over the flames with the Cobalt Green, Dark Naples Ochre and Terracotta Faber-Castell Big brush markers blended out with a Pergamano blending pen and nib to echo the image.

Add further doodling to the flames using a white gel pen.

Stamp 2020 in Versamark ink below the Phoenix using the Word Chain Numbers. Heat emboss with white embossing powder.

To finish, add ‘Still I Rise’ to the right-hand page using the Word Chain Alphabet stamps in Nocturne Versafine Clair. Heat emboss with clear powder.