Catch up news & Circle Journal 3

Hello my lovelies, I know it's been too long! I do have a good reason though. Well it's not good but it's a reason!

My son Sam was diagnosed in February 2018 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Totally turned our world upside down! Unfortunately, it didn't respond to chemo so he will be having a bone marrow transplant in the next few months. So lots of things have taken a backseat as you can imagine! I stopped doing art classes on Jot 2018 and Wanderlust 2018 and so I will be posting on those when I start to do the lessons again. It might be next year but I'm not worrying about it. I won't be buying anymore courses until they're finished anyway! 

The only art I continued with was the Circle Journal I talked about in THIS POST.

The journal which you can see in the before mentioned post, was posted off to other members of the group to do a double page spread and post on. Now this post is about the pages I completed in the other members journals! I tend to use quotes and my intuition in my artwork and these are no exception.

Catherine's Journal

 Front

Back

Unfortunately, Catherine's journal got lost in the post so we all did both sides of an envelope for a surprise journal that Chris put together for her.

 I used some magazine cut outs and went with my intuition. The quote on the front says: "Forget everything you were told about art. Just do it. Do you." on the back it says: "Make art you love!"

Chris' Journal

 Chris' journal had lolly sticks with prompts on. I chose the prompt 'Broken'. I used pieces of cut up CD's and texture paste for the hand. I used the quote " We're all a little broken. That's how the light gets in."

Claire's Journal

 Claire's journal was made in a vintage style, so I did my page to suit her style/colourways. I used the quote "Reach high for the stars that are hidden within your soul."

Deb's Journal

 My spread in Deb's journal was very intuitive. I used some cut up sequin waste and masking tape and had a grand ol' time! I used the quote "Find your own style" which I think I may have!

Hazel's Journal

 Front

 Back

I used some collage elements that Hazel included and added some of my own for this page. I stuck the eyes on the inside so they could peek through the envelopes window. The front says: "More than meets the eye" and the back says: "Look inside yourself."

Julie's Journal

 I heat embossed onto fabric which I'd never done before and used a Frida Kahlo collage element on Julie's spread. It says "Create a revolution." and "Express yourself."

Linda's Journal

I used some wire behind the element in the top left corner and the quote "Unknown expectation" which was chosen randomly from a box of typed words I have. There's also a little metal pen nib charm hanging off of it.

Marie's Journal

 Front

 Back

I used gelpress page scraps as collage as a starting point and went from there. The quote says: "Create a beautiful revolution." I love holding my heat gun close to the paint and making it bubble, it gives lovely texture!

Rebecca's Journal

 Front

 Inside

Rebecca's journal had fold out pages and we could choose from a selection of quotes to use. I used a vintage eye ephemera element for the front flap and sewed a button in the pupil as a closure. The front quote says: "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." I used a vintage lady collage element for the inside spread and the quote "Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist."

Tricia's Journal

Front

Back

I was inspired by a floral mandala type stamp I have for Tricia's spread. It made me think of a lotus flower and the quote: "Just like the lotus flower we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of the darkness and radiate love into the world." So that's what I used! Tricia was on holiday in Bali at the time which is probably why it called to me. I added a pocket and tag to the back of the page.

Wanda's Journal

I was inspired by the vintage photo I used along with some rusty metal embellishments I had knocking around and I used a page that a friend gave me from a very old book. I wrote the word Blessed in Indian ink along with a lovely splodge! I just can't do #CleanAndSimple! 

I hope you enjoyed looking at all of my pages/spreads. I will be taking part in round 4 of Circle Journal in October!

I will be posting another post on the pages/spreads that are in my circle journal too!

Thank so much for stopping by. I really appreciate it. Please feel free to leave a comment! Which were your favourite?

Much love 

Sez x

Jot 2018 Week 1 - Geometric Shapes

Hello again my lovelies! 

Today I want to share my first week of Jot 2018. Jot 2018 is an art journal course by Marieke Blokland. For more info or to join, click HERE.

The theme for this week is Geometric Shapes.

Paper Play

Main Lesson

I enjoyed playing around with different shapes and colours. I'm out of my comfort zone, but that's good! I also used Deborah Jackson's big eyed girls as inspiration for my doll.  I love her work!

Glad you could join me today. Who inspires you at the moment? Let me know in the comments!
Much Love
Sez x

Wanderlust 2017 Wk7 & Course Chat

Hello again my loves! It has been a long time since I last did a class in Wanderlust 2017. I got to week 7 back in February and for some reason got stuck. I am the kind of person that although lives and breathes randomness, also needs order and structure. (I know I am a walking contradiction!) So, I left it. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't get the hang of painting that way and it gave me a bit of a blockage. I could have just skipped the lesson but I felt kinda paralysed about it. In my last post I shared about 'Sezzing' my art table in my new studio and how it has helped me to create more, well it spurred me on! I had a word with myself, which as it happens, occurs daily, that I should just get it done. Not perfect, just done. So I did.

I looked though the practice sheets I had done and practiced a bit more. The photo above shows the final result. It is not great but it's done. I can hopefully move onto the next class before the end of 2017.

I know it is very unrealistic that I will complete WL2017 by the new year so I will just plod on! I have signed up for WL2018 and also Jot 2018. I will finish Journal 52 which I have now caught up with and I'll post the last 3 weeks together. I've knocked MiniMoleyDaily and Café Cards on the head, as I got so behind with them I'd never catch up!

I have also started Creative Recovery with Suzi Blu, which started this month. Not sure I'll share that as it's a course for overcoming personal issues.

Do you sign up for more than you can actually do?

I thought that if I kept myself busy with courses, I'd have less time to spend on acknowledging being ill. Unfortunately, due to my illnesses, I found I couldn't keep up with it all, especially if I needed rest days or had a flare up. Which in turn, made me feel worse!  I'm still working on pacing myself... Note to self: No more courses Sez.... at least until all of these are finished!

I know I took on too many courses this year, probably enough to last me a good 5 years, but they are there for me to do as and when. See there's always a positive! 😊

Thanks so much for visiting! I do appreciate it.

Much love

Sez x