Art Slam

min·i·mal·ism
Pronunciation: 'mi-n&-m&-"li-z&m
Function: noun
A style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity

That there, Slammers is the challenge for the week.

K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple slammers!

Instead of covering the page with stuff, embrace the blank page. Use a small image(s), some journaling and lots of white space. Not necessarily a white page, just what space. All of those pages you painted five weeks ago come in real handy for the Minimalist Approach. Now, don’t just slap a picture and say, "Here is a picture" and think that is slammin’. It is not, be creative in your minimalist approach.

I will be working on this in the midst of lots of design team projects, so this will be a much appreciated and welcome challenge for me.

SLAM ON!!!!

Truly, I am obsessed with making flowers of all kinds. As cute as this is, it gets on my nerves making it. I used a bloom loom and that damn thing is so small, it sucks. There has to be something better than this out there.

Last night, I attended a Spoken Word poetry night and left completely inspired. They had a featured act that night, Sandbloom, based out of California. They were freakin’ awesome!

So, today, I decided we would explore altered photos for our art journals. I did this scrapbook page last year and used a bleach pen to funk up my picture.

Basically, the longer you leave the bleach on the picture, the whiter the area becomes. You will need a photograph that has been processed at a lab. Ink jet photos will not work for this technique if you want interesting colors. Make sure you are close to a sink so you can rinse the bleach off your picture. This is the ideal time to experiment with your not so perfect images and play with a bleach pen.

The instructions are very simple:
1. Doodle on your pic, leave the bleach on for at least ten seconds and rinse it off.
2. Leave the bleach on longer and the area will become lighter.
3. Then let your picture dry. I have noticed images with dark areas seem to work better if you want your bleached handi-work to show up better.

I can’t wait to see your altered pictures. Remember have fun, having fun. That is what art is all about!

*********
Also, make sure you check out the first Blog Mixer at Pink Ink Studios. There is a little feature with yours truly on there, too!

Our latest assignment with Lazar StudioWERX was to create a book about summer favorites using the Poppet collection of papers and stamps. I can now post my project since it is up on the Street Team blog. This had to be one of the most fun projects. I created my book from the perspective of a dog about his favorite summer things.

I was asked to participate in this interesting thing over at Pink Ink Studios’ blog called a Blog Mixer this Friday. Make sure you check it out. It sounds like it is going to be pretty interesting.

I am so behind on reporting interesting news and stuff. Firstly, I am one of the members of the Cupcake Scrapshop design team. Colleen has done a wonderful job of putting together one heck of a kit club and team. You must check out all the kit club has to offer.

Secondly, Lazar StudioWERX is starting to show off the Street Team’s latest assignment. We had the chance to use Poppets to talk about our summertime favorite things. So far three members books have been shared and they are awesome. They really make me want to do this assignment all over again. Such creativity!

This past week has been rediculously busy and I was glad to see it over. I don’t mind being busy, but when being busy involves me fixing people’s mistakes, I have a huge problem with that.

Around you, that is?

One of the most challenging things for me to do as a journaler is to not personalize every single one of my entries. I easily have about thirty journals (not all of them art) filled with the woes of my life and how crap is not fair and so on. Honestly, I would not let anyone read them they are so pathetic, but very necessary for me to see my growth as a woman and a writer.

What I would like for you to do this week is observe and record your observations. This is the week where you learn to pay attention to what is going on around you.
What are people saying?
What are they eating?
How many cars pass on your street at 8 a.m.?
What did you eat for lunch and did you actually taste it?
How long do you spend on the internet wasting time instead of living life?
What kinds of things do your kids say to you?
What is your daily routine? Hour by hour?

This is the time you get to be nosey. Listen to the things going on around you. Are there things you have not noticed that you pass everyday or people you see and you never even look at them? Look at them today…without staring. How much can you remember about them and record. Honestly, I can say I am not as observant as I want to be. So, I am embracing this 100%.

I think journaling is an important part of any journal. It makes you a better writer and you start to become more conscious of the world and people around you. Our lives are so rich and we spend too much time complaining about what we don’t have or what we can’t do or what ever the hell. So, this week, just chill and observe AND have fun.

Around you, that is?

One of the most challenging things for me to do as a journaler is to not personalize every single one of my entries. I easily have about thirty journals (not all of them art) filled with the woes of my life and how crap is not fair and so on. Honestly, I would not let anyone read them they are so pathetic, but very necessary for me to see my growth as a woman and a writer.

What I would like for you to do this week is observe and record your observations. This is the week where you learn to pay attention to what is going on around you.
What are people saying?
What are they eating?
How many cars pass on your street at 8 a.m.?
What did you eat for lunch and did you actually taste it?
How long do you spend on the internet wasting time instead of living life?
What kinds of things do your kids say to you?
What is your daily routine? Hour by hour?

This is the time you get to be nosey. Listen to the things going on around you. Are there things you have not noticed that you pass everyday or people you see and you never even look at them? Look at them today…without staring. How much can you remember about them and record. Honestly, I can say I am not as observant as I want to be. So, I am embracing this 100%.

I think journaling is an important part of any journal. It makes you a better writer and you start to become more conscious of the world and people around you. Our lives are so rich and we spend too much time complaining about what we don’t have or what we can’t do or what ever the hell. So, this week, just chill and observe AND have fun.

I have been meaning to post these, but sista girl has been a little busy and a lot tired. New project, challenge like thing tomorrow.

I did not journal in order. I usually create on pages that fit my mood. Notice all the freakin’ green. I don’t know what it is or why it is in so much of the stuff I have been creating lately.

I have created a home for the Slammers to share their creations on Flickr.

Art Slam