SNOW is the Word #WOIW

Hello Friends :)

Over at the Kraafters Kommunity we have a weekly challenge called the Word of Inspiration Wednesday. A word is picked and you can make whatever you want using that word to inspire you. This week the word is 'snow'. Well, as some of you have figured out..I live in the desert! We don't see snow often and if we do its just a tiny bit that doesn't even stick to the ground. So as I was thinking about snow...I wanted to express what a magical and mystical thing snow in the desert can be. I hope I captured that feeling with this art journal page.


To start out the page I did a pencil sketch. I was at the chemotherapy infusion center with my DH and it can be boring if he sleeps, so I brought along my art journal today to have something to do., The other patients were very interested in my process, so now I have to bring the finished page back next week :)


After I came hope I started to 'fill in the blanks' of the sketch with paper collage. This process is really my obsession. I do a lot of 'paper paintings' or 'paper mosaic'. I love it! The papers I used for this were mostly retrieved from the floor of my studio. My favorites were the used baby wipes that I had from the Christmas tree canvas projects (the rust and yellow ones) I also used some deli paper with second generation Gelli prints from my koffee kozie yesterday. Usually I tear up the papers, and I did that mostly..but for the desert plants I cut out the shapes. I applied all of these papers with matte gel medium both under and on top to seal. Then I went to dinner (we had chicken)


The gel medium had dried while I was at dinner, so I suddenly had this urge to outline. I never do this on my paper paintings..I just use the varying papers for shading...but today I needed to do it! I used a fine tip micron pen in black. Then I added some 'snow' to the mountains and cactus using my trusty white sakura gel pen (love it!)


Next was the sky. I wanted it to be slightly wispy and soft, so I decided to use water soluble crayons. I scribbled 3 tones of blue and then blended with a fat brush and water.


While the sky was drying I moved onto the figure. I used my trusty tube acrylics and a small brush with water to shade, highlight and color in the girl. Then I took a big brush and very watered down white gesso and splattered the scene to create falling snow.


Finally, I added a tile to explain the page. The word SNOW was cut out from some light blue cardstock. Then I used a ink pad in a darker blue to 'smoosh' over it to create more contrast. The 'believe in magic' was printed off my computer and attached over the snow letters. My final touch was to add a shimmery snowflake and some stickles glitter glue for the crystalline glittery effect of snow.


I hoped you enjoyed my interpretation of snow in the desert :) 
<3 Shel

PS... I finished the Kozies!

Comments

  1. Shel this page is awesome; I can feel her joy at a glance - true magic!

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  2. This is just a fun, magical spread! You are so good at drawing and painting! And I love the tones of your sky. I will be visiting the dessert for three weeks in March...wonder if we will get snow??

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  3. You definitely have a recognizable style, Shel! It was nice to see how you built up the page. Great idea to put snow in the desert!

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