LifeBook 2016 - Lesson #2

Happy May 1st Everyone! This is a quick post to show you my latest lifebook lesson completed - Number 2!  I found this one was particularly empowering and yet Still FUN - Gotta Love That! 

The idea is to list the stuff you want to leave behind as you start the year and showcase the stuff you want to reach for.  Tamara created a beautiful zentangled butterfly, flying towards the sun,  a trail of stuff she was leaving behind flowing out behind the butterfly and the sun full of empowering words... I loved the concept but the butterfly - not so much, so I was kind of stumped until I decided my word was going to be GROW... well then the concept of a flower, growing towards the sun, being fertilized with all the Sheee-ite from the past, just popped fully formed into my head!

I added this figure at the final stage and as soon as I glued her down I knew the page was complete.  I am really LOVING my Lifebook journey this year.

Thanks for popping in to see my latest creation, and please do leave me a comment of you like what you are seeing!

Lynne Mizera (artist) Grin

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge #58 - "Q" is for QUILT (or paper piecing)

Well another two weeks has just blown by and it's time again for a new challenge over at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers.  This week for our 58th challenge Edna says "Q is for Quilt" (or paper piecing).  

And HERE is what I created using the "Paper Piecing" technique:

Paper Piecing means that I stamp an image onto a piece of heavy, white cardstock and then I stamp the same image again on several pieces of colored and patterned paper.

Then I cut out all the main bits and glue them into the "empty" image on my white cardstock.  It's like doing a puzzle where you get to choose the colors and patterns. 

This is an  image from Unity Stamps called "Happy Girls, Pretty Girls" and it is one that I have been hoarding, waiting for just the perfect project to showcase the awesome-ness of this image and finally THIS was it!  

Need I actually say "I LOVE FUSSY CUTTING!?" Grin It soothes my brain and calms my soul like nothing else does (well except maybe red wine!) I love the challenge of cleanly cutting out the tiniest bits and pieces and then perfectly gluing them into their spots.

But this technique pushes all my "obssesive" buttons in a BIG WAY and for this challenge I ended up with eleven cards - I just couldn't NOT use every single scrap of stamped paper that I had made.

But this stamp is just so lovely and I have such a stash of pretty paper scraps that I kept imagining that each card was a peek into some other woman's closet where you got a glimpse into who she was...

... and what she chose to wear; I could not stop making different colors and pattern combinations. And then of course I added shadows and shading to make those dresses pop even more...

And then, as if that wasn't enough, I fussy-cut out the entire image and used foam pop dots to mount it over more patterned and colored paper.

And of course they wouldn't be MY cards if I didn't do that final touch of Stickles and Liquid Glass for that wee bit of sparkle and pop!

Now I admit that this is just a tiny bit over the top... But I just couldn't stop!  And you have to admit ... they ARE pretty cool... Smile.

So I hope this doesn't scare you away from trying this technique because it is pretty fun. And of course we at the Sisterhood would LOVE if you joined in the fun and created something to fit our Quilting theme  - you have until Friday, May 13th to join in and we always pick a Queen of Snark and a few Princesses for her court!

I hope you enjoyed this brief journey through a corner of my Crazy Brain... And of course I had to share all the photos of these cards I made because if I don't show them ALL to you making this many cards would be just CRAZY!  Right?

As always, Thanks for popping by to see what I am up to and don't forget to leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

My Lifebook 2016: A Pictorial Journey Through a Mixed Media Piece

Today I have finally completed the first lesson for Lifebook 2016 - a year-long art journey into the world of mixed media art techniques, and also, if you want it, a path to emotional healing and personal empowerment as well.  This is my third foray into the Lifebook world and every time I follow this path I learn a little more about who I am as a person and as an artist.  I have learned so much about myself and my craft through this course with Tamara LaPorte and every time I take this journey I peel off another layer of old, yucky stuff and uncover some more of the Original Me that I am trying to get back to.  So here I am - 17 weeks in - finally at a place where I can give myself the time and attention these weekly classes deserve.  I hope you stop back in often to share this newest journey with me!

GROW: mixed media on 12x16 140lbs watercolor paper.

The word I selected for my Lifebook journey in 2016 is "Grow" and the vine surrounding my figure is the image that appeared to me during the meditation that was provided for this lesson.  Surprisingly, I found myself spending more time on creating the vine than I did on the face.  I am very excited about the end result of this piece and I am looking forward to more deeply exploring my artistic soul in the coming year.

Face detail: watercolor crayon, Prismacolor pencils, Acrylic paint, Black waterproof ink pen, White paint pen

For this first lesson I purposely took photos at each stage along the way because I wanted you to see the "start to finish journey" of a mixed media piece, and to show you that there are many stages along the way before you get to the final result.  I had a few blocked moments when I allowed my inner critic's voice to get loud, but then I  just told myself "Seriously Lynne, it's only paper!" and trusted in what my wee voice was telling me. I hope you enjoy this mini lesson and that it gives you courage to start your own artistic journey this year. 
Nameste - Lynne

Making the face, following along with Tamara LaPorte on my Ipad

First layer - watercolor crayons - just get something down so you can change it!

The beginning of hair... don't overthink it... you will add and change it a lot before you are done

Introducting acrylic paint and black and white pen details to the face

I kept working on face until I liked her

Adding collage background ... First Block... because I liked her so much I didn't want to Ruin Her.... Very normal... just keep going and DON'T fall in love with any stage until you are finished!

At this point I decided to paint out my wee birdie - it just wasn't resonating with me

I overstamped the entire background using Duylusions Paints and the brand new stamps I just carved on that morning

Drawing the hair back in which I had overstamped - I used Prismacolor pencils for this - and creating the vine from torn paper

Outlining the vine in white paint pen

Tracing the white with black lines to make them pop

Face too perfect (too flat?) so I added more shading and details to both face and hair to make them both softer

Something is missing... I fought my inner artist for while about this step, but finally decided to trust it and I accented my vine using Ranger Liquid Pearls

 

After much thought I picked the word "Grow" for this piece and for my 2016 Lifebook Journey.

I hope you enjoyed this pictorial journey through my mixed media piece, and please do leave me a comment if you liked what I shared...

Lynne Mizera
Mixed  Media Artist

 

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW) #359

Happy Wednesday Morning everyone!  Well I missed last week but I was determined to get in on the playing this week... it's What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday #359 over at the Stamping Ground!  

Now the idea is to snap a picture of your workspace (without cleaning up... grin) and share it with the world, but I actually HAD to tidy up my space just a wee bit 'cuz you couldn't actually see a workspace... Big GIANT grin.

My creative muse has finally come out to play in the new studio space and she went a wee bit CRAZY - there is paper and ink and stuff EVERYWHERE, drawers open, piles on the floor (grin) but I am finally CREATING again - Happy Sigh.  I don't know what it is about a new space or re-arranging a space or even cleaning up the space that causes my creative muse to go and hide in a fit of pique? But when I finally coax her out (usually with offers of glittery, inky stuff) she comes to Play!

Those cards you are seeing are for the next Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge (paper piecing) due on April 30th and My OCD kicked in and I made ELEVEN of them... seriously?!?  And you should pop back to see how the finished product turned out because they are pretty special even if I do say so myself.

So ANYHOW... do pop on over to the Stamping Ground to take a peak at work desks all over the world today!

Cheers!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge #57 - "E" is for Embossing

Well two weeks has just flown by and it's time again for another Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge.  This year Edna is really pushing us to dig deep into our stash and for this challenge she wants to see EMBOSSING!

Now I chose to go with heat embossing on this 4x6 mixed media board canvas I created, inspired by the colors in the MUSE Challenge #161 and  showcasing my brand new STAMPlorations  stamp set called Trendy Birds. I am loving these clear stamps that give me such a beautiful, clean impression.

And I used Stampendous embossing powders for all my heat embossing as they are my very favorite powders because of how easily they melt,how well they stick and how fantastic they look.  

My background was created on 140lbs watercolor paper by gently rubbing my Ranger distress inks through my "The Crafters Workshop" stencil using a blending tool.  I then stamped and embossed the poppy image right onto the paper (Donna Downey Unity Stamp - Wild and Free).  I added more color to the poppy by lifting ink right out of the distress ink pad using a wet brush and applying it to the poppy image, staying inside the white embossed lines.

I stamped my bird on some aqua colored card stock using VersaMark ink and white opaque embossing powder, which I then cut out and placed on top of the Kaiser wooden leaves that I had altered by covering them in VersaMark ink, dipping them in a light olive glossy embossing powder and heating until the powder melted, creating my own embellishments.

Lastly I mounted my paper on a 4x6 board canvas painted with teal Silks Acrylic Glaze and added this stamped saying using the tissue paper stamping method.

So that's it... Lots of embossing on this one!  Now, please do pop on over to the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers to see what the rest of the design team created, and if you want to join in all the fun you have until April 29th to create something using embossing (dry or heat) and link it up!  You know we pick a Queen and Princess of Snark for every challenge.

I am also linking this project up to the Stamplorations Flash Stencil Linky Party and their April Mixed Media challenge " 

The MUSE Challenge #161:

As always Thank you for popping in to see what I am up to and don't forget to leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing! 

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera
for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers

WOYWW #357 (What's on YOUR Workdesk Wednesday)

Well it's been almost a year since I've been able to visit Ms. Julia Dunnit over at the Stamping Ground for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW), but I know I am truly established in our new home because HERE I AM again ready to play! Grin

I was trying to pick just one photo to post today but the new studio space is so fantastic and So BIG and SO CLEAN this morning... (we had family over last night so I had to tidy up) that I am just going to post all of them. Bigger Grin

And to share a epiphany I experienced last night.  

In preparation for the big family visit I finally opened the box where all my finished canvases have been packed away since last September and I was completely overwhelmed with a) how many there were, b) how amazing they were and c) how much I had progressed in my arty, mixed-media journey in just one year.  

I know that we are our own worst critics, but I did not realize just how powerful my inner critic had become until I opened this box and was AMAZED by the jewels I found inside.

I actually allowed myself to Feel Good about my own body of work and I am inspired to go make more messy, happy goodness using paper and paste and paint and ink.

As always, Thanks for popping in to see what I am up to today, and if you liked visiting my workdesk today you can pop on over the Stamping Ground blog today and visit other work desks from all around world!

PS:  Go HERE for a video tour of my brand new studio space... 

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera