Keep Calm and Be Prudent - #WOIW

Hi Friends,

Over at Kraafters Kommunity, a G+ Community, they have Word of Inspiration Wednesday. Heather (the owner) posts a prompt to help inspire you on a project. This week the word was 'prudence'. What this word prompt made me think about is that old adage 'think before you speak' or maybe even what Grandmas everywhere say 'If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all'. Lately I have seen so many artists I respect from Youtube or my G+ Communities post that they have been hurt by what someone said about their art, or even by someone putting 'thumbs down' on their video. I think that this is a big problem in how we communicate on the Internet. Because we can't see a person to read their body language, or hear their reactions, we think we can just say anything to them. I made a page in my Gelli jumpstart journal about this subject.


I picked this really pretty pink background layout to start. Then I made a sketch of the quintessential calm and thoughtful person...someone meditating. I also printed out what she should have on her
 t-shirt on my computer. I know the pencil is hard to see..


Next I painted over the figure using white gesso and black gesso on her leggings. I also used matte liquid medium to attach the saying onto her shirt.


Then, I painted in the figure using water soluble crayons and acrylic paints. If you would like to learn this coloring method that is great for skin, I recommend classes by Tam Laporte at Willowing Arts


Next I wanted to add more layers and also unify the pages, so I added text stamping in white, and a harlequin stamped image in dark purple acrylic paint.


Then I stamped the title on the page using large and smaller stamps with black archival ink. I also added some paisley looking images with the same ink.


To finish everything off I used my Sakura white gel pen to draw in some squiggly line highlights.


I hope you enjoyed this project. Leave me a comment below if you did... but if you don't have anything nice to say then maybe be prudent! :)
<3 Shel






Comments

  1. Love your figure Shel, and I know what you mean with the text, I prefer to use stickers or prints, rather then pencils or pens, never really satisfied with my writings. I still loved the contrasting stamping!

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    1. Thanks Ruth :) Yes, whenever I try to write on my art...I think my ugly writing makes the whole piece get ruined. So I just print or stamp things usually. Maybe I should add to my list of goals "learn to write pretty"

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  2. This is a terrific spread, and I love the thoughtfulness of it, and your post. Thanks for sharing it.

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  3. She is fabulous! I love everything about it.

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  4. I love these strong female characters you create Shel! I would have never thought that you painted her directly onto the gelli print! Great extra textures added to the background with the stamps. I so agree with what you said about inconsiderate comments and thumbs down on YT videos. I often see fantastic videos with a few thumbs down on them (and hundreds of thumbs up!) - and think they must do it out of jealousy. There's no other explanation!

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    1. Thank you Zsuzsa. Yes, I agree it must be jealousy. I guess instead of being angree at these inconsiderate people we should just pity them. How unhappy of a person they must be to enjoy going around and 'thumbs downing' people all day. I barely have to time to say all the nice things I want to all my artist friends..certainly no time to be mean!

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  5. I would say definitely thumbs up, beautiful drawing, very calm and zen indeed.

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    1. Thank you :) Believe me some days I am soooo not zen...but when I made that I guess I was :)

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  6. oh there ya go! If only we could all follow this mantra - the world (even the internet) would be a better place! I must say, your jump start journal is gorgeous and I think this page is just so perfectly executed. I would love to have you on the show one day - just to see you work!!!
    A girl can dream, right?

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    1. Thank Heather :) It would be fun to be on the show! But first, I would have to figure out how to be on camera in my 'studio' which is actually a tiny (and I mean TINY) bonus room with a steep pitched roof. There is no computer in there and I have no laptop or camera or any of the equipment I would need to do that. If I did, I would come to after kraafter parties and all day kraafting Saturdays too :)

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  7. Fabulous journal page I love your gelli prints the colours are gorgeous. Thank you for visiting my blog Anita (Itsamistry Design Studio)

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  8. She is brilliant Shel, Ya know it can become quite disturbing to witness such ugliness. Yet it is all planned that way, without darkness there can be no light.:) and BTW, I take a personal liking to her, I have a Zen room in my house where I meditate. I will re blogging this :) Keep the Zen coming :) Love it.

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