Textured Surfaces

I've been painting some of my textured surfaces today. The top one is molding paste with cheesecloth embedded into it, and the bottom one is molding paste that I combed through (in both directions). I have another one that isn't dry, and still another one that is quite ugly at this point - I hope I'll be able to save it, but I'm not at all sure about that.

I'm quite enamored with the molding paste - it's a really fun product. And you're supposed to be able to sew into it too, although I haven't tried that yet. But the pieces are flexible, so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to. Probably not until the next lesson, however.

Textured Surfaces

click on picture to see it larger

This isn't finished yet, but I wanted to post my progress so far, because I've just been introduced to the coolest new product. Well, it isn't actually new, it's just new to me, but still . . .

It's Modeling Paste (or Molding Paste, depending on what brand you buy). It is for adding texture to surfaces. I put gesso onto chipboard. When it was dry, I added modeling paste. While it was wet, I put cheesecloth into the upper right corner and combed through the lower left corner. After it dried, I stenciled into the center with more modeling paste. Then when that dried, I tried to paint the whole thing. I used Golden's Fluid Acrylics mixed with Glazing Liquid, and I had trouble getting it into the cracks and crevices.

I'm taking (another) online class; this one is Textured Surfaces. I've had my first lesson so far, where we've learned to create LOTS of texture. The second lesson will be about coloring the texture we created in lesson one. But being the impatient person that I am, I tried adding color to this already. It's not bad (I actually really like the color combination) - I just want to get all of the white modeling paste colored. So I guess I'll have to be patient (as difficult as that is for me) and wait for lesson two.

This is going to be a cover for a journal that I'll bind with my Bind-it-all. I've already punched the inside pages.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Another story about ancient Egypt. Told by Nefertiti's sister, Mutnodjmet. Nefertiti marries Amunhotep, who may have killed his brother in order to become Pharaoh. Amunhotep's mother hopes Nefertiti will stabilize him, but Nefertiti is ambitious as well. There is much intrigue at court, and all Mutny wants is a quiet life away from court with her garden. At the end, I really couldn't put it down. I rate it 4 out of 5.

Goodbye Lucky

Lucky came to us in January of 1993 as a young adult cat, about 2 years old. He'd been dumped by his previous owner, and he was starving. I wanted a cat, so I fed him. I never saw a cat eat so much so fast - and after that he was ours. He started out as an outside cat, but after our dog nearly killed him (which is why he was missing an ear), we moved him inside. That turned out to be the best thing that could have happened, both to him and to us. We'll miss you Lucky!

Lucky

This really isn't finished - I need to do something with the background and put some words on the page - but it's another drawing of my cat.

Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

Very interesting book. Obama writes about what it was like growing up as a mixed race child in Hawaii - his confusion over who he was and where he fit in. Even though he was raised by a white mother and white grandparents, he always identified himself as black.

From the Epilogue:

"The study of law can be disappointing at times, a matter of applying narrow rules and arcane procedure to an uncooperative reality; a sort of glorified accounting that serves to regulate the affairs of those who have power -- and that all too often seeks to explain, to those who do not, the ultimate wisdom and justness of their condition.

"But that's not all the law is. The law is also memory; the law also records a long-running conversation, a nation arguing with its conscience."

I rate this book 3 out of 5.

Happy Anniversary Brian and Jessica

I made this card for my son and daughter-in-law's anniversary. The only catch was that I was late with it (their anniversary was May 22; I mailed the card on the 27th - I hope they got it by the 30th at the latest).

I colored the stamp with watercolor crayons, misted with water, and stamped onto watercolor paper. I tore the image and then used distress inks to color the background. Then I layered it with some patterned papers onto the card.