Documented Life Project 2016

Excited to be a featured artist for the Documented Life Project 2016. 

This year, DLP is focused on the unPlanner and is all about simplicity. The brief was to create a Pocket Art Card measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches using my favorite number as the theme. You can read more about the project here and see my step-by-step tutorial below.

I started with a playing card...

I added a layer of black gesso to the surface...

Using PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics, I covered the surface with a variety of colors...

I adhered pieces of my Spellbinders Drip Drop die cut, and outlined them with a black gel pen to make them pop. I also used the gel pen to add a border to the edge of the card...

Given my love of circles, the number 8 has always been special to me. Using rub-ons, I embellished the card with several 8s...

The back of the card, also painted with black gesso, is now waiting for journaling, listing or plannering.

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Click here to see projects from both guest artists and your DLP hosts.

Life: Documented

I am thrilled to be part of the 2015 lineup of featured artists in the Documented Life Project. 

If this is new to you, click here for a short video that explains it all.

The theme for the month of September is Journaling with Photos, the art challenge is Silhouettes, and the prompt is There is no shadow without the light. It is up to the participating artist to interpret these any way at all.

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Here is how it was done

I knew that I wanted to create in my current journal and I had a specific photo in mind at the start.


When I first started this journal, I painted black gesso on every page. The backgrounds, including this one,  are created pretty organically -- marked and painted along the way as I create other art.

While I understand the symbolic meaning of the quote, I chose a photo that interpreted it a bit more literally. I took this picture in Venice when I was there maybe 10 years ago. I thought that the shadows and reflections in it suited this project very well. I hand altered the photo using an awl, sandpaper, and dye ink.

Since the quote for this project focused on both light and shadow, I decided to add some brightness to the dark background with some sprays and splatters of acrylic paint. 

I have no clue how this picture was taken...but it definitely shows my process!

The art challenge this week for the project is silhouettes. I decided to create a simple silhouette of a face by cutting out the outline on painted watercolor paper.

The fun really began at that point as I dug into my stash of painted paper, ephemera and collage material and made this mess. 

I went with my creative gut, chose a bunch of pieces -- many of which were small scraps which most people (other than us) would have thrown away along time ago -- and began layering. Once the collage was completed and adhered to the journal page, I outlined much of it with a black Stabilo pencil, added some stamping, and splattered a bit more acrylic paint to finish it off.

When I was done, Look My Way was born.