January 5th and 6th #CJS 2020 Projects

Hello Paint Party Artists...

January 5th on Creative Jumpstart 2020(CJS 2020) was taught by Tina Walker whose Super Power is "Making Mini Books". I had to watch it several times to figure it out! She was a very good instructor but I needed to rewatch to get all the steps in!
It was really fun to do. This is my original version. The book is 2.75" tall by 2.50" wide.
Click on images to enlarge.

The Front

Side View From Above

A View of Two Inside Pages

January 6th with Nathalie Kalbachs' Creative Jump Start 2020(CJS2020) was led by Iris Fritschi-Cussens. Her SUPER POWER is called "Into the Shadow". It is about journaling and really expressing how you are feeling, using your journal as you would a diary for your eyes only! I loved all the layering in the background.

The first two pages done in my new gifted sketchbook from my friend Polly D.!  

Thank you, Polly!

Gloria J Zucaro's "Moving Forward with Mixed Media"

Sunday March 12, I enjoyed another mixed media workshop with Karen Sako at Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich, IL .

Each table had a pod of people(either 3 or 4) and supplies to share for the pod. Each pod was given a limited palette to work with. Our table got lime green, and turquoise blue as well as black and white. ’

The first thing we all did was apply gesso to a piece of watercolor paper that was 12 x 6, a smaller 6 x 6 piece and a piece of illustration board that was 9 x 12. Those three pieces would be the basis for our three finished projects so they had to have time to dry while we were making more papers.

Next was to do 3 minute drawings(paintings with our colors and India Ink). We did two large, about 20 x 24 in size and one smaller about 9 x 12.  

Another fun project was using long wooden dowels with leaves, strings and rubber bands attached to the ends. Each stick had a different thing attached. We got three more pieces of paper and a plate of very liquid paint to dip into and scribble around on our papers.  Every couple of minutes we had to pass our stick to the person on the left so that we could try out each type of texture on our papers. 

After all the prep we began to assemble our pieces by ripping our papers up and gluing them on our three gessoed papers.  We could add acrylic paint, pastel pencils, pastel sticks, ink, and pan pastels.  There were stencils to use and we tried some transfers.  

It was a great day!  Here are my three original finished projects after I added some marks and lines when I got home and everything had dried.

Happy Paint Party Friday, and have a great week.

Gloria J Zucaro's "UnderPear"

First of all "Happy 6th Anniversary/Birthday" to Eva & Kristins' PAINT PARTY FRIDAY site that gives many artists a place to show their artwork each week.
I always enjoy and get inspired by what my artist friends from around the world are doing. Not only do they share their artwork, but many show photos from their area of the world, offer advice on supplies and techniques and viewpoints on various topics of world interest.

A couple of weeks ago I showed you the beginnings of a mixed media project.  I got it finished this week.  I finished the background with various stencils, stamps, Neocolor Crayons, Marks All pencil, Posca Pens, collage and acrylic paint.  Now the decision was between covering most of the background and allowing it to show through in one area, or leaving the background mostly exposed and covering an area to give the eye a resting place.  Since I had tried the first option previously I decided to leave most of the background showing this time.

Here is the finished project.  The original WIP is below it.  I am calling this "UnderPear" a play on Underwear!

Here is the WIP photo shown two weeks ago

Have a wonderful week of celebration Kristin and Eva and thanks for another year of Paint Party Friday!

I would love to hear your comments.

~gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's " Trying Some Intuitive Abstract"

This week I switched gears like I often do and have a work in process. I used black and white acrylic paint and a couple of colorful inks. I did some stamping and small pieces of collage. I don't like it yet. Too busy and too colorful all over. I plan on adding some black and white text pieces, some more stenciling and stamping and some gesso cover-up. Then I hope to see areas that really appeal to me to make into my focal points.  I did have fun so far though!  I am linking to Paint Party Friday.
Have a peek at that site and have a good week.
Oh yes, I have a question and would appreciate your help.
I now have some beautiful stamps from Nathalie Kalbach and from Darkroom Door.  I don't seem to understand how to use them!  I never get a good imprint with all the details.  I don't know if my inks are not good, or should I roll on some paint?  What is the best way to proceed?  Thanks so much!

Gloria J Zucaro's "CJS 2017 Project with Rachel Greig"

Today we had Rachel Greig as our CJS 2017 project leader. Rachel made a two part journal spread combining ink stamping, stenciling, collage, stitching and embellishments. My journal pages are below.  This week is also about quotes inspiring us.

My quote is "Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud."
I would love it if you could leave a comment.  Thank you~Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro "Putting on Layers with Rae Missigman"

Today I got to make a colorful relaxing mix of paint, watercolor crayons and pencils, ink, glue, collage and a quote.  The quotation addition is our theme for this week on CJS 2017, about how we are inspired by quotes or if we have favorite quotations.  Or project leader today for our CJS17 project was Rae Missigman who can be found at http://rae-missigman.squarespace.com/

My quotation-"The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most" by John Ruskin  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Gloria J Zucaro's "Paula, Basquiat and Me"

Our mixed-media artist instructor with Creative Jumpstart 2016 led by Nathalie Kalbach for January 10 was Paula Phillips. She showed different methods of layering.  The one I had never tried before was to layer several colors, and put in words or areas with a white oil pastel. Cover that with a thin layer of acrylic paint.  Then use your heat gun or hair dryer to melt the oil pastel layer.  Wipe away with a baby wipe and you will see the first layers underneath.  So cool.

Paula had a "stack of books" stencil which I did not have, so I looked through my stash to see what I had that I might use.  I found a couple of text stamps, and a Tiki mask stamp.  The Tiki mask stamp just had that Basquiat "feel" to me, so I stamped it in several places and then used the design as my focal point. Basquiat also sometimes used large hands in his paintings. They reminded me of Mickey Mouse glove hands, so I added those to my stick figure body. The final and steps are below. I used acrylic paints, Sharpie markers, Golden Gesso and some stamps with a Ranger ink pad. I also drew in words, crowns and scribbles with a Scripto ink pen # 08.

text and bits of magazines, stenciled on paint, matte medium

more paint pressed on with paper towel

stamping

add oil pastel words(tomorrow, ok) and Tiki basic lines for head, add acrylic paint layer, melt off oil pastel to see underneath.

outline Tiki head and the word "tomorrow" in marker

go over page with gesso, wipe some off

Add body, hands and text.  Outline with black and white, fill in some areas with red and black marker.

Gloria J Zucaro's "Bits & Pieces"

This week I have a couple of works in progress. I started a "snow" scene in oil. I picked unusual colors after using my color wheel and doing a thumbnail sketch. I decided to paint a base coat of Alizarin Crimson, which is transparent. I started adding in the darks. After talking to Susan Ploughe, an instructor at Mainstreet Art Centre, I decided what I wanted was an abstracted landscape with a traditional base. So I am at the stage now where I will start filling in more tree limbs that will become panes for a stained glass look in between each pair of limbs. That is the hope anyway. Below are some of the steps for this painting.

Hopefully this experiment will work out!

The other work in progress is the free workshop with Carolyn Dube. It entails making a mixed media journal. First I cut out similar sized pieces from a cardboard box. Then I applied white gesso. Next we were to add pieces of text, papers, stamps, receipts or whatever we wanted. I coated most of them with Gel Medium so that when more work is done on them the paint originally applied to them won't rub off. Some of the papers are from Carolyn and are called "sparks of inspiration", some are pieces of magazines made to look like leather in a workshop with Karen Sako, some are from gelli prints I made. I got the front sides done tonight and they are drying. I still need to do all the backs. I was also supposed to paint or gesso both sides of a ribbon, but I have to look for one in my basement tomorrow!

I am linking this to Paint Party Friday hosted by Kristin and Eva. Each week they feature a new artists' work. Every medium is represented, so take a look.  Have a good week,

GLORIA

Gloria J Zucaro's "Seuss Backs and New"

Today after meeting my accountant to talk about taxes, I spent the afternoon working on finishing up my Inspirational Card Deck Swap hosted by Jennifer Brogan over at "In Search of Dessert".   I will be shipping the cards out next weekend or sooner if they are dry.  I had already added quotes and paint and stickers and stamps to the fronts.  Today I worked on the backs to adhere my personal information(name,blog,etc.) that I had printed onto mailing labels, outlined around those stickers with crayons, and hand-printed my on-earth location with permanent marker.  Then I edged each card in gold or silver leaf pen.  I am thinking I want to spray them with a sealer, but am a little nervous about lettering smearing  or their not drying quickly for mailing.  Does anyone have suggestions for what sealer would be best?  They are not due until the 29th, but I was allowing plenty of time for delivery.  Plus it doesn't seem quite right to drop them on her on the very last day.  This picture shows the backs before I finished hand lettering and edging.  When I complete the set I will post a picture of the fronts.

I also sprayed the back of my Seuss inspired ATC's from my post earlier this week with various inks through my Julie Fei-Fan Balzer stencils.  Then adhered my info on those.  These are some of the designs on the backs.

Next I created three more ATC's.  I had cut old Christmas cards to 2 1/2 x 3 1/2" rectangles.  I then lightly brushed on gesso to mostly but not entirely obscure the designs and colors.  I did both sides at once, so when I laid them down on the table, they got squashy designs on them that are so pretty.  I decided to tangle some of them and add Silks Acrylic Glaze and glitter. I left some of the card peaking through on each one.  I also finished the backs of those cards with the ink spray as on the cards above.

"Red Heart"

"Winter"

"Cactus Flower"

That's all folks!  Have a nice Sunday

Gloria J Zucaro's "Distorted Faces ATC's"

 I missed my Artist Trading Card meeting in February.  It was themed "Distorted Faces".  I wasn't quite sure what to do with that... but drew some this morning in case people still have some of theirs to trade next Saturday.  These are 3.5"H x 2.5"W on watercolor paper.  All Original Designs in Ink and Watercolor.  Stamps, Sticker, Glitter Glue, and cut-out from candy wrapper.
Email me with questions

Distorted face #1

Distorted Face #2

Distorted Face #3