Behind the Art with Jen

I don't know about you, but time seems to be flying by faster each year.  I think there's a conspiracy to speed things up... well, not really but I really wish I could slow it down a bit!  I feel like I'm only in my 20's still most days but I just turned 41 in August.  I have to say that I'm at my strongest, healthiest, and happiest I've been!  It's amazing that I'm in my 40's!  At least to me.

 This page was a celebration of my birthday.  It doesn't matter how old I will be, birthdays will always be special!  I am a kid at heart when it comes to celebrations!  I think you should have certain things for your birthday...  someone should recognize it's your birthday without being reminded, every birthday girl should get some cake or sweet treat, and it should be a day of the birthday girl doing whatever makes them feel relaxed and special!  One day out of the entire year should be dedicated to doing something nice for yourself!  It's nicer when someone else surprises you with greetings or cake but I hate waiting for surprises so I made sure to schedule some special treats that day.  I got my hair done and got a massage! 

 It's hard to be patient when you are kid and it really doesn't change much when you are an adult... except that you can go out and get your own cake and fun!  I wasn't disappointed when my husband and kids (and wonderful neighbors) got me cake!  I don't think a cake has ever tasted so good! 

 But more than the cake and gifts, a birthday is an end of a year in your life and a beginning of another year ahead.  I set new goals for myself and always reflect on my year.  This past year was one of change and good habits being set for the rest of my life.  I loved 40! 

 I know that being 41 will be just as fabulous if not even more!  I feel the winds of positive growth and change blowing!  I'm so excited to get started on new goals and new pathways to reach them!

 

What year made you feel the most optimistic or confident?  What determines a successful year of your life?

Behind the Art with Jen

Hi Artsy friends!  Do you always use a photo on your pages?  For this one, I didn't. I used a picture from the kit.  It was more about the journey or process for this page.  I started with the white paper and knew I needed to get some color on there!  I started with some Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Gold Texture Luxe brushed on the right hand side.  I then used the marker to color on a non-stick mat and added water to create a puddle.  I pressed the paper onto the puddle and allowed it to go where it was pressed. Serendipity!

 I loved the papers and wanted to create layers of shapes. So, I cut 3 pieces using Cricut's Close to My Heart Artbooking cartridge.  I chose different sizes for each layer.  When layered,they create different levels of shapes and positive/negative space relationships. I tucked the little card in there to connect the idea of the journey (or process).

 I never knew that I would crave exercise. Actually, I avoided it.  Sweat, sore muscles, and time were my excuses.  I just didn't know how much I needed it.  Once I got passed the difficult start, I was hooked.  I need it everyday!  Now, my dream includes setting fitness goals and breaking through them. I've run up to 6 miles and my speed is faster than I thought I'd ever go!  My body is changing in a positive way and my mind is clear and focused when I run. It's not just about goals, it's about being healthy and getting what my body needs.

 Who would have thought that I'd be doing this 2 years ago.  I started this journey a year from March and I have achieved more than I thought I could.  I am setting new goals, however scary they are (can you say 1/2 Marathon?) and I will achieve them!  I am confident now that I can!

 What dreams do you have that you set but really didn't know if you could achieve them?  How do you feel when you do achieve them? It's amazing what achieve a goal does for your self-confidence and mind!

Behind the Art with Jen

Hi Artsy friends! 

Jen here to share one of my favorite pages from the Live Your Dream kit this August!

 I immediately was drawn to this painterly dots paper from the kit and knew exactly what photo I wanted to use!  It's a photo that was taken in the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft booth from last CHA.  I had worn heels all day and by the last hour, I took them off for some relief but kept right on demonstrating and helping others create! I didn't think anyone would notice my bare feet on that white sumptuous carpet!  A friend took this photo and shared it with me!  I was at first embarrassed to be caught with a less-than-professional shot but laughed because it totally was the photo that summed up that week!  Full of creation and feet aching!

I'd like to think that I created inspiration for the people that came to the booth looking to see the newest mediums and colors.  I absolutely LOVE working with their products and demonstrating their awesomeness is easy for me!  It was a thrill to hear people thank me and get excited about what they created and the products!

 I used some Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft products on this page too.  The "create" was created with Whipped Spackle through the stencil from the kit! I did that three times around the page.  Threes are good in that they create a visual triangle that pleases the eye and brings the viewer around the area. The scribbles and splatters were created with the Stamper's Bit Brush pen in Black & PITT Artist pen in Gold and Black.

 I

 I'm so drawn to circles and all of these colorful circles made me so happy!  I added some scribbly ones with the pens to create landing points for the viewer's eyes and some flair!  The puffy stickers were also a favorite so some of those went on the circles and I scribbled around them.

 Aren't those letters adorable?  I love the artsy feel they gave the page without being too in-your-face about it!  They are super sweet!  Here's a close up of the pen. I added a bit of Texture Luxe too in there just for the gold splatters.  I love this page.  It sends me back to last January and all the fun, memories, and friends I made at CHA Anaheim!  I hope I inspired you to get that pen out and scribble on your pages! 

Behind the Art with Jen

Hi Artsy friends!  I am back for another month of fun with this amazing kit!  Live Your Dream is perfect for me right now because every August I reflect on why I became a teacher and what I'm going to do this coming school year.  I plan, get excited again and reflect on the past year's lessons.  Being an art educator for elementary aged kids is the BEST job!  It can also be very exhausting, make me feel like I'm an extra (mostly because classroom teacher's don't get what I do), and also be a challenge with all the different grade level projects going on at the same time!   I love every minute...

 How lucky can I be?  I get to teach my favorite artists!  I'm a rock star in the halls and kids can't wait to come to my classroom for 40 minutes every week! I wish I had them longer! 

 Every new school year is a chance to re-evaluate my curriculum and add more excitement to my lessons or just clean up my presentations.  I keep a few of my favorites but add in new lessons each year for all grade levels.  I get just as excited about the 1st week of school as my students do!

 I loved this text paper but I thought the color was a bit busy for this page, so I toned parts down with some tinted Gesso from Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft.  I just added a bit of yellow in the Gesso puddle and spread it in the center and some areas.  Once dry, I scribbled circles with a PITT Artist Pen in Gold (from the kit) and a black one. 
The photo was from our end of the year, district wide art show.  I ran the photo booth and kids made masks to have their photos taken.  That show is a culmination of all of our hard work as art educators and the families love it!  They come with their children and revel in the creativity of the day!  It's amazing!

 Being an art educator AND an artist is a dream come true!  The possibilities and rewards are so great!  I am passionate about the arts and love teaching young artists to realize their potential and abilities.  Seeing them gain confidence each year is such an amazing result of all the hard work put into a year's worth of lessons!  What is your dream?  Are you living it?

 

Behind the Art with Jen

Hi friends!  The Shine kit has so many fun embellishments and colors in it to show your memories, feelings and beautiful self!  I love this page that I designed for this kit.  It's one of my favs and it's stupidly simple to recreate!  I just loved the papers in this kit so I wanted to use a bunch on one page...

 Using a paper cutter, I cut several wedges from corner to corner and arranged them on the page to radiate outward from the center.  I glued them down and trimmed the edges.

 

I journaled along the edges of the rays and added some of those sparkly embellishments. 

 Now the fun part!  I used some of my Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Luxe Texture Gem pens to create scribbly circles around my photo.  Once dry, I did the same with the pen in the kit.  Fun texture and focal point!

 This page represents all of those things that have become obstacles in my life and how I've overcome each and every one!  I'm proud of who I am at 40 and still have a lot to work on but the focus has become about balancing my health (both physical, spiritual and mental) and my family.  I used to sacrifice my health and needs for my family's (and still do sometimes) but a healthy mommy/ wife, is a happy one!  I am so much happier when I can exercise, eat right, and do something that makes me happy daily (artwork, going out with a friend once in a while, relaxing with a book...).  Taking time to shine up my radiance from the inside out is what it's about!

Behind the Art with Jen

Hi artsy friends!  This page was so fun to make!  I loved all the die cuts and epoxy stickers in the kit and added a few mediums to create texture too.  Here's a look into the way I added shine to this artwork.

 I used Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft's Texture Luxe (from my stash) to rub onto the paper with my fingers. 

Once dry, I used the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Pen on a craft mat and adding some Textural Accent Whipped Spackle to create a tinted texture paste to push through the stencil.  I only put it through the sunbeam part.

Scribbling more of the Stamper's Big Brush pen onto a craft mat and adding water created a wash of color that I painted over areas of the paper.

 A stamp from my stash was inked up with the Stamper's Big Brush Pen and added.

Using the Texture Luxe again, I put it through a stencil in the upper corner for more shine! The Stamper's Big Brush pen ink was mixed with some of the Texture Luxe and water added to create the drips.

 

 I live is Central New York and it's grey and rainy (or snowy for 5 months of the year or more) a lot of the time!  I crave sunshine and the warmth it gives so when summer comes along I try to soak up as much as possible. I often wonder why I stayed in this area, but when summer comes, it's so gorgeous and green here.  We don't worry too much about terrible storms or earthquakes.  Rarely, do we get a tornado or brush fire.  I am lucky that we only really have to deal with rain and a LOT of snow.  Shine on CNY!  We enjoy the sun way more when we don't have it all the time.  Although I really wish we saw it more during the warm months!

 

Behind the Art with Jen

Do you ever doubt yourself and your abilities?  Sometimes I do.  I know before I do something that seems impossible, I go through this weird inner debate.  I argue with myself over whether I can do it or not.  For this page, I didn't do much journaling.  I think the photo tells most of the story. 

 I ran my first obstacle 5K- Vino and the Beasts and this photo was right after the mud obstacle.  I didn't think I could do all of the obstacles but I did!  I didn't quit and I did it!  It was hard but really fun!  I felt like the strongest woman ever after this accomplishment! 

 Staying strong isn't always easy.  It's hard to adjust your mental attitude about things that you think you can't do.  I try not to tell myself that I can't do something... most likely I can do it!  I now tell myself to just try it... if I really can't do it, I work at it until I can!

 Lots of symbolism in this page with arrows and repetitive shapes/ patterns to represent trying again and again or moving from one difficult challenge to the next.

 I can change the mindset of myself and others by being positive and convincing myself to just try and not give up!  I can do anything I put my mind to... I truly believe that now!

 What do you tell yourself when you feel like quitting or when things are scary at first?

Behind the Art with Jen

 This is not me in this photo... but a friend took this photo of a young dancer and it made me think of the theme this month "Soft & Strong"... I look at this photo and see a strong but very feminine figure.  It made me think of what makes us uniquely female.   The capacity to love, care for, and empathy towards others. BUT we are strong too in so many ways... giving birth, raising children (you know that is not easy!), relationships, and overcoming difficult situations.  Whether it's something horrible that has happened to you, work related struggles (perhaps in a man-dominated work environment), relationship issues, or violence, we cope and can be so strong when we need to be or others need us to be.

For this page, I wanted to create a beautiful background.  I used the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Design Memory Craft Gelatos® Double Scoop® Color  in Guava on a craft mat with water added.  It made a puddle of color.  I placed the white cardstock face down on the puddle and kept repeating until I covered what part I wanted.

 After drying with a heat gun, I placed the Crafter's Workshop feather mask over part of the page.  I sprayed with the Fireworks Sweet Plum spray from our Energy Kit a few months back.  I removed the mask and used it to trace another feather over the dried area.  I used a Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Essential PITT Artist Pen in black to add some details and sketchy look to it. 

 I also did the journaling with the same pen! 

 I had cut some banner pieces for another of my pages for this month and had these leftover triangles.  I used them throughout the page.

 I like the contrast between the papers, patterns, and soft colors.  It reflects the feel of the page and my sentiments for this month's kit!  I will be back next week to share another page from this month's Inside Out Visual Journaling kit!