NeocolorII Crayons - Yay or Nay !!!

Good Morning lovely people out there in Mixed Media land !!

Tracy here with todays Mixed Media Wednesday post........

I dont know about you but i am obsessed with every new mixed media product that i discover, the lure of playing and experimenting with something new is just too much for me to resist and before i know it ive made the purchase only to leave my new obsession sitting there gathering dust as i have no idea what to do with it !!

Well no more !!!...... i am working my way through my materials and determined to justify each and every purchase...

A couple of months ago i went on holiday and decided to take only my neocolorII watersoluble crayons (that i had had for about a year and never used!!) and some black and white acrylic paints as well as some background and feature stamps, and i am so glad that i did, the first couple of pages i created i wasnt very impressed with but as i perservered throughout my holiday and just experimented with them in different ways eventually i was able to produce results that i was happy with.....

So.....What are neocolorII crayons ??
They are a crayon in all senses of the word and come is some fabulous colours, you can use them in the traditional sense and use them dry to colour, highlight and shadow your work, they are highly pigmented and the best this about them is when they are activated with a wet brush they turn into amazing watercolours,

Are they Expensive ??
They are not the cheapest watersoluble crayons on the market however they can be purchased either in sets or individually and in my personal opinion the colours and intensity make them worth the price (individual crayons retail for around £1.40 or $2.00) and the fact that you can purchase individually means you can buy the colours that you want or just buy a couple to try out and see if you like them without committing to a more expensive set purchase.

Would i recommend them ??
Without a doubt !!, they have become a real staple in my art journalling stash now that i have figured out how to get the results that i want and i love the portability of them when travelling.


So if like me you have these sitting in your stash gathering dust, break them out, blow off the dust and get playing and experimenting, they really are a hidden gem !!

Thanks for stopping by and visiting today

Bright and painty hugs
Tracy
xxx

My heart is full of longing for the secert of the sea.(Longfellow)

To journal everyday might seem daunting, I think the key is to keep it simple and learn to work quickly. Try to capture the essence of what you want to say and don't over think things or feel the piece needs to be complicated or to have taken allot of time to have any merit.
Here is a Journal page inspired by a walk by the sea collecting shells.

                                              

This Journal page took about 30 min to put together, I have also chosen not to stage the photo, I kinda like the shadows that play through my window onto the page.

 Here is how I achieved it.

Create a frame in masking fluid allow to dry and apply a blue wash

Stamp some shell shapes onto the background

Add another stamped image( starfish) rub off the masking fluid  to create a white frame and highlight with a black pen.

.

Add some contrast between the imagery in a darker colour

Finally journal around the edge  

Quick and effective. I hope you have been challenged to have a go !
Thanks for reading
Linda x

Family Time

Hi everybody! Lucyna here. 

Today I am sharing my album page showing the family scene.

You can see my grandfather (the young man) with his siblings on the picture taken around 1933.

I can still remember my grandpa as he loved children and played a lot with me.

The photos underneath present the whole process:

gluing scraps of paper from an old book

stenciling and priming with gesso

adding some die cuts

adding microbeads and another wash of gesso

inking and misting

rubbing some Inka Gold paint

playing with stamps

stenciling some white acrylic paint

stamping the lettering.

At the end I decided to add little stamped angel watching the family.

Hope you like my project!

Spotty Flower Journal Page

Hi all, Hazel here, today I'm sharing a flowery journal page with you.

 

For the background I built up layers with acrylic paint, stencilling and stamping.

I stamped the flower onto spotty paper and cut it out, I also punched out circles from the same paper and stamped the words onto scrap card. After adhering the flower etc. I gave the whole page a coat of matte medium. I coloured the flower and circles with Faber Castell Pitt pens, because I'd given the page a coat of matte medium it gave me time to use the pens and spread the colour with my finger.

The stamps I used are
PaperArtsy for the flower and words and the background.
Indigo Blu for the white circles on the background.
Impression Obsession for the lines on the background.
The dotty paper is by Kaisercraft.

Santa Fun - July Guest Designer!

We introduced our July guest in our July 1st post!  But here she is the lovely JOI:

Here is a little something about Joi:

"Wow,  sooooo totally honored to be here with you today.  Thanks bunches and bunches to the fabulous Maria and her very talented design team for giving me the SUPER FINE privilege of Mixed Media Mojo Guest Designer for July. Happy 4th to All!!!

I am Joi from Texas - known by most as Joi@RR because I do all my artwork here on the ranch.  In case you are wondering... the 'RR' is our ranch brand!  Over the years, I have learned to quilt, knit, crochet, cross-stitch, embroider, and to make commissioned stained glass pieces.  However I had never picked up a paint brush to paint on canvas, create paper art such as cards, or do any type of mixed media/altered art until about a year ago. I feel so blessed to have reached a point in my life when there is time to share and create art. 

All my life, I have been an encourager which means that I really really love spending time reading about your projects and leaving lots of messages for you all.  It makes me happy.  And you know what... in doing that - you have all become like family to me!  I can't wait to see what your next project will be .  Here is a big thank you to all for inspiring me to keep learning, growing and creating.

My first love is mixed media on canvas.  And guess what... I seldom use a brush!  I am one of those folks that love to have my fingers in the mess - heeheheheh!!! 

NOW ON TO THE PROJECT....  Santa's "Sew" Patriotic. 

No, I don't have a sewing machine. I'm a hand quilter, hand stitcher!!! BUT... did you know that Santa does????  He has been busy making flags for July 4th Celebrations.  While his little elves and happy reindeer begin to decorate and get the fireworks gathered, Santa has been busy creating with the red, white and blue.  For more details and pictures of Santa's "Sew" Patriotic... visit me at http://joiattheranch.blogspot.com/  

Hugs to all. j."

Today I have a great Journal Layout from Joi to share with you. But first this poem is the inspiration for the layout:

Santa Says...Shop Til You Drop

It's Christmas in July

Mrs. Claus hits the mall

Thinking Santa gave permission to buy.

Meanwhile Santa relaxes at home

Unaware of his face on sale tags

Imagine his shock from head to toe

When the Mrs. walks in with her bags.

I just love this and all these wonderful images!!

Check out these close ups:

Be sure to visit Joi's Blog for loads of more mixed media inspiration!  Go to her blog via this link to find out more details regarding this fabulous layout including mediums used!

Till next time!!

Maria

Christmas In July

Happy July!!!  It's time for a new challenge and time to announce our Mixed Media Mojo Diva for June!  Thanks to all who played along with us in June, I loved all the creations.

Our Mixed Media Mojo Diva and August Guest Designer is:

Mayoori with this stunning layout:

Now for our JULY challenge!  It's Christmas in July around here so our challenge is Theme: Christmas / Twist: Santa.

Check out this fabulous projects created by our Design Team:

First up let me introduce JOI our JULY GUEST DESIGNER!  Come back on July 13th to see more of Joi's wonderful creations!

Joi - JULY GUEST DESIGNER!

Barb

Maria

 Hazel

Linda

Lucyna

Siv

Tracy

Please link up below a new project created for this challenge and do not combine with more than 6 other challenges.  Limit to 3 entries per person. 

Be sure to check in Monday's and Wednesday's for Art Journal and Mixed Media Inspiration!  Our Guest JOI will be back on JULY 13th so come and officially meet her!

Thank so much for stopping by! I can't wait to see what you create!

Maria