Colours in context.

Here we go. THIS is a Tiplet that features my beloved Pencil Crayons  - and a few of their pals. Seems - that I keep encouraging you guys to make ART. My friend Chrissy - keeps encouraging me to make SCRAP. To Scrapbook! Fair is fair, I guess. I'm not much of a scrapbooker - I think there's lots of GREAT ones out there. I'm more of a scatter-brain artist... BUT, as a compromise here's a scrap-meets-art-meets-Kal application for pencil crayons...

One of the things I love about scrapbooking IS THE PATTERNED PAPER. Oh, how delicious. One of the things I hate about scrapbooking IS THE PATTERNED PAPER. Oh, rats that pattern that I love DOESN'T JIVE PERFECTLY with the colours in the photo I want to use. Because I work a LOT in Photoshop and paint and media where I can create my own custom colours - I am a SPOILED ROTTEN SNOOTY BRAT when it comes to colour. My eyes actually hurt (okay - it's not my eyes it's my heart) when colours are off. Seriously - there's a good colour - and then there's the PERFECT colour. (Sigh.)

Right now, I am attempting to participate in a Circle Journal with a stash of REALLY TALENTED scrapbookers. I feel a LOT OF pressure with that. They have cool tools. They probably have Cropodiles and embellishment trays and all kinds of ribbons. They've got the mindset. They're like wild memory-creating animals. I've got pencil crayons and pair of dirty scissors. The journal in my hands today - is from Chrissy and the theme is wedding day (or something like that). The way it works is: Chrissy creates a journal does a few pages - and them mails it to the next person on the list and they do a few pages and mail it to the next person on the list... and so on. And it goes all the way around in the circle until you get your own journal back - with a collection of other people's takes on your theme. Kinda cool.

So, let's check this out.

Step 1 - Name the game. This journal is about 8 inches wide by 5 inches tall give or take. These are the pages I need to work my design into. I like them. I like working in horizontal formats just like I like laying down when I sleep. It's a nice format.

Step 2 - Pick and size. Our wedding photos were all done digitally so I opened up the shots I wanted to use and made them black and white. I love black and white and I have an idea brewing. I sized up the shots laying them out within an 8 x 5 inch file and farting around with some design ideas and how the layout will work as a two page spread (hey, it's the designer in me).

Step 3 - print and go. I printed these pictures on REGULAR paper through my HP laser printer. Easy.

Step 4 - Throwdown. I have a plan to cover the entire page with the colours that remind me of the day. I start a basic colour THROWDOWN. My plan is going to include COLOUR-FREE subjects in kind of an 80's inspiration I saw yesterday. I have an ocean and teal idea in my mind that is exactly what I want to portray in the background. I want OCEAN. I don't want sort-of-ocean. I don't want blue. I want a helter-skelter mist-blowing ocean feel. I want exactly what I want. And I get it.

Step 5 - MORE! Just keep on throwing down the colours. The magic of the pencil crayon is really in the saturation and blending. I like to apply and apply and layer and layer and layer until there is NO PAPER showing at all. 100% colour and recolour and RICH.

Step 6 - Date stamp. Quite possibly my favourite stamp is the date stamp. I like to use it as a medium IN AND OF ITSELF to create a texture - I like the smushed around look and the imperfect stamps. The date of our wedding was October 9, 2006 - so that's the date I'm using.

Step 7 - more stamps? Sure. I have some cool Ali Edwards stamps that I wanted to use. I like Ali and I like her stamps. This one says TODAY.

Step 8 - GLUE and cut to fit. Hey - I lost my glue picture - but, I adhered the REGULAR PRINTER PAPER to the pages from the journal with MATTE GEL MEDIUM and then I trimmed them cleanly with an Xacto knife.

Step 9 - TO DA! It's amazing how professional it starts to look when you get it all trimmed up and fit. These pages are taking shape and looking up.

Step 10 - STAMP it up AGAIN. I found some cool letter stamps from the Martha Stewart collection and they are fun. I don't really like Martha - but, I like her stamps.

Step 11 - keep stamping.

Step 12 - Cool. I added a bit of an explanation of our wedding day with a fat ass HB pencil (any HB will do) and I also added some white paint pen details where I thought they were needed. Hey - over there on the far right I accidentally ripped the paper by CUTTING IT BEFORE THE GLUE WAS DRY. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Don't rush! I found a cool circle sticker from Ali's kit and it wasn't the right COLOUR to exactly balance out the hues I'd been using SO I COLOURED IT WITH PENCIL CRAYON LIKE A RENEGADE CREATIVE would. Seriously. THAT's what I love about pencil crayons.

And there you go! This is my attempt at scrapbooking FOR REAL. AND - if you can imagine my delight -  Pencil Crayon in practical application. (click to enlarge)

It's a party of scrapbook and non-scrapbook elements. Good enough and on to something else.

Thanks for checking this out. Go.

Comments

[Carla]

absolutely amazing.you used my favorite colors of blue. do you know what the actual colors are called? i hope i have those in my pencil stash of 24, but i have a feeling i dont have the light blue you used first. you are a scrapbooker and dont even know it. the word is just too confining for what the ART really is. Life Artist, as Ali would say. that is what you really are. great job!

[Kasie]

So. Totally. Awesome.
I'm inspired!!

:)Smiles!

[Idan Asinely]

amazing.
thank you so much for the great inspiration :)

[Maria]

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!...yes, I am actually screaming. This is just FABULOUS! Wow. Love it to PIECES!!!

[Gillian]

That's a great CJ entry and a nice fusion of digi with touchy-feely art. You are so going to get into scrapbooking when the baby arrives!

[Heather]

Rock on! Not to shabby for a non-scrapbooker-type-person. :o)

[It's Not Easy Being Green]

Love it! You are too damn creative!

[kerry lynn]

damn girl. you continue to amaze me with everything you create. so stunning!!

[Michelle]

WOW!!! I need to get some pencil crayons! Any particular brand that you'd recommend? :)

Love your CJ pages! They are awesome!

[Helena Rutan]

Sigh... I just love looking at your stuff. So inspiring. And......CONGRATS!!! I add my congratulations to all the others on the pregnancy. I am so very interested to see what little things your creative mind will come up with in this phase. Rock on.

[Melissa]

Beautiful and stunning. I love it...
Melissa

[Patty S]

i love your circle journal entry! the way you play with those pencils is just amazing :-)
i am doing a circle journal with the afore mentioned ronda and it is so much fun - the best part is seeing everyone else's ideas and how they create... and you get to touchy-feely the ACTUAL piece of art!!! (my favorite thing about circle journals!)
thanks for sharing your work - i enjoy it!
not always so practical patty :-)

[Chrissy]

You are just too cool. Trying to catch up on your blog...I can't wait to get the CJ back in my hands.

:)Chrissy

[Juel]

Totally beautiful, just beautiful!!

[Corey]

oh my freakin heck! this is my favorite tiplet EVER! Wow, this rocks and I'm insanly jealous of Chrissy right now! ha!
Beatutiful.

[Beth]

This looks freaking fantastic. LOVE it. It kind of makes me want to scrapbook....whoa.

[Kimberly White]

So excited about seeing this in person! This rocks and totally inspires me! Thanks Kal! Have a great day! Kim

[Joy]

absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!! have never tried pencil crayons before.... think i need to find some!

[Gen]

totally yummy :)

[mary]

wow - beyond-words-beautiful! thank you! the tiplets have been calling me since you started, but this one got me to try it on my own->http://mere-et-filles.blogspot.com/2007/06/playing-with-pencils.html. thank you for the inspiration!

[Amanda]

Your first scrapbook page is way better than any of mine and I've been scrapping for 4 years.

[Rebecca Geach]

I just love your blog and your art and your ideas and......
oh as a woman who is 28 and a bit weeks pregnant.. I think your idea of doing a (whatever it is you said, calendar, collage... oiw pregnant brain does not recall)... WHATEVEr it is you decide to do.. will OF COURSE be brilliant, cant wait to see it. Joy.
Bek :-)

[Theresa]

I like your thought process and your CJ pages :) x

[Paola]

Thanks so much for this! It's amazing!!!!