Inspired by a beautiful notebook that my sister bought me, I created this fun Highland cow page as a reminder to ‘Just be your beautiful self’ (grin!).
I started by taking a page out of the notebook to use as part of the collage background. I dyed the page with inks, firstly Bluebird ink for the sky and then with Leaf Green, Fern Green and Prickly Pear ink for the grass; they are all Wendy Vecchi Blendable Dye Inks.
As the page was lined I ripped the paper diagonally, positioning the pieces so the lines ran from left-hand side up to the right-hand side diagonally across the page. I collaged them using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium along with some torn pieces of kitchen towel and baby wipes that were used to mop up blue and green inks and paints from previous art journal pages that I had created. When dry, I painted Ultramarine and Sap Green Kuretake watercolours to add more colour to the sky and grass. The highland cow is from an old magazine and layered some of the pieces of coloured paper, kitchen towel and baby wipes over the edges to blend it into the background. As you can see, I created my page background so that it matches and blends with the felt/fabric look of the highland cow image background.
For the foliage and daisies I used a Wildflower Stems #2 Thinlet set from Tim Holtz: cutting the tall grasses from brown tissue paper and layering them on top of the background using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium; I used white cardstock for the leafy foliage which I stamped using black Archival Ink and a Finnabair Stamp, coloured using the Leaf Green, Fern Green and Prickly Pear Wendy Vecchi Blendable Inks and Mowed lawn Distress Ink, and edged using a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker; and I used some linen textured cardstock for the daisies which were coloured using the Leaf Green and Prickly Pear inks and also watered down Watering Can Wendy Vecchi Blendable Ink for the petals. Once stuck into place using a Zig glue pen, I edged the leafy foliage and daisies using a Cold Grey Faber-Castell Big Brush marker so they stood out more. Then I added a Kaisercraft sticker which reads “Just be your beautiful self” which finished the page.
Here’s the beautiful A4 notebook that inspired my page.
You may notice that I always list the materials I use for pages at the end of my posts and as you can see here I use this type of notebook to record these details, so this gift was perfect (grin!).
As T Stands for Tuesday I’m also sharing my cuppa (of Ceylon Tea) which I often enjoy whilst crafting – wishing you all a very Happy T day!
Hoping that you all staying safe and well! x
Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.
Challenges
I’m pleased to join the lovely Halle from Halle’s Hobbies over at Art Journal Journey and her A Stitch In Time challenge this month with the faux felt/fabric background.
I’m pleased to join in the Summer Fields challenge over at Country View Challenges with my highland cow summery field art journal page.
I’m also happy to be able to join the #121 – Sketch challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my page; the green and blue splits the page and images.
I’m also joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Sprays and Splashes challenge with the splashes of green ink on the die cut foliage.
Don’t forget that you still have time to join our monthly Anything Mixed Media Goes challenge over at Creative Artiste Challenge Blog too!
Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:
- Notebook page
- Ranger Wendy Vecchi Make Art Blendable Dye Ink (Bluebird, Prickly Pear, Leaf green, Fern Green, Watering Can)
- Recycled kitchen towel and baby wipes used to mop up inks and paints
- Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
- Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Paint set (Ultramarine No:64, Sap Green No:53)
- Old magazine
- Pritt Stick
- Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Wildflower Stems #2 664164)
- Recycled brown tissue paper
- White cardstock
- Prima Marketing Finnabair Clear Stamp (Old Receipt #966980)
- Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
- Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Mowed Lawn)
- Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with Linen Texture CRO240/GE)
- Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
- Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt Artist Pen (Black 199, Cold Grey IV 23)
- Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Fiesta! SS284)
Wow, that is truly a cheeky, awesome work, I love it!! It´s beautiful!
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That#s a fun page, and I have to say, your beautifully windswept hairstyle in the photo has a certain resemblance to that gorgeous cow….I am always totally fascinated by these beautiful animals. Have a happy T Day and a great week! Hugs, Valerie
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My mother did a lot of art and had a rule against having a drink next to the work in progress. But I find it nice that so many of the journal-page creators have their coffee right there.
be well… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
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Oh, I love this! I’ve always had a soft spot for Highland cattle (our first dog, a Briard, always reminded me of them!) – and the gorgeous meadow foreground is right up my street (as well as providing lots of lovely nutritious grass for the cow). The sky is amazing!
Sorry I’ve not been visiting much – busy with new stamp release – but hopefully getting back to normal for a while now.
Alison x
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It looks like a beautiful painting! Have a great week ,Jo!
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Highland cows are the most adorable breed with all that hair. And you made such a gorgeous page Jo. It is really a summer day page with those beautiful flowers.And of course the cow. Hope it was a nice cup of tea.And your Tuesday/T day is a nice day too. Hugs-Erika
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And I hit post too fast. Thanks for linking up to AJJ also.
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I love your page, but then I love all your pages. I love cow’s faces. I think it is the big eyes and lashes. Goodness knows if I will get to see one up close and personal this year. Though I still have my fingers crossed. I love how you use the Tim Holts die. I think there are a lot of uses for it!
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Thanks so much Nan! Fingers crossed that you get to see them too 😁. Hope you got my emails ok. Take care! Hugs, Jo x
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Its an awesome page Jo and a lovely notebook that gave you the inspiration.
Highland cows have such big eyes and you just have to smile at the expression on the face of this one.
Stay safe and happy T day wishes.
Yvonne xx
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I want to pet that sweet forehead lol I love the backgrounds. Backgrounds can really make or break a work, and yours are _always_ perfect. That’s a dark tea. I’d’ve thought it was coffee if you hadn’t said. Happy T Tuesday!
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this is a sweet, beautiful journal page with the Highland cow and the wonderful flower meadow !!! It is a great gift. I love these cows!
Greetings Elke
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what a really beautiful page Jo!! And how I love those Highland cows and would love nothing more than to see some in person and up close. Your wonderful journal is a great way to keep organized. Happy T day!
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Fabulous page, Jo. That’s a terrific way to remember the products used. I jot mine on scrap paper when I remember to.
Happy T-Day! Hugs, Eileen xx
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What a neat notebook, and I love your page you created-it’s awesome!
Happy T wishes Kathy
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What a fabulous page, Jo. Your background is so unusual and it turned out perfect. I feel like I’m in the middle of a meadow and that cow is staring at me. You have a real gift, and I’m thrilled you shared this with us using Halle’s theme at Art Journal Journey.
You are SO dedicated in your ability to list everything you use in your art. Unlike you, I show photos because writing is hard for me. Of course, you list items by name, and, as a rule, I don’t. I love how you showed your list in the notebook that matched your adorable inspiration. It went well with your ceylon tea, too. Love that heart mug. Thanks for sharing your art, your list, and your tea with us for T this Tuesday, dear Jo.
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What a beautiful page, the cow is gorgeous and the Bg is amazing, the notebook is really lovely. my boss used to breed highland cattle them as a hobby!
HappyT day, jan x
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Wow! Perfect summer fields for our Country View Challenge! I do like the look of these highland cattle, so sweet… Hope you are having a good week Jo! x
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Lovely, vibrant colors in your art piece. And I like the notebook that inspired it. Happy T-Day!
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Your collage is simply gorgeous! Love love the blue sky and that shaggy Highland cow…adorable! A perfect summery page with the flowers and grasses. You put your layers together so well. Happy T day!
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I love that highland cow – such lovely hair and eyes – make me want to paint her/him. I had a lovely cow with beautiful hair years ago. She let me play with it and put in bows (for like 2 min). I loved her! Our cow adventure did not turn out well as our land is too swampy so we had to sell them. They are so cool. So anyway, I love your theme here, your lovely journal page, and your fun notebook that inspired you. Super cool. Hugz
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I love highland cows. I had friends that raised them years ago. Gentle giants.
Beautiful journal page for A Stitch in Time!
Happy T day too!!
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Jo, this page is stunning! It caught my eye when I was checking out the entries over at CVC! Love the way you created your background and layered the foreground die cuts that truly make me feel as if I am wandering through a pasture. That cow is an incredible specimen; what a great eye you have! I hope you are doing well! Have a wonderful day!
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What a terrific page! I think Highland cows are really beautiful, so I can imagine that a gift with these beauties on it would really be well received.
I’m sorry I’m so late in commenting. I never got round to it.
Sending you hugs,
and a belated Happy T-Day!
Lisca
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Another beautiful page Jo, I always look forward to seeing your name in the line up as I know I will enjoy what I see,
I love daisies, they are so fresh and always make me feel happy and think of sunshine so this page was a winner from the start. Then you used the highland cattle and that is another favourite of mine. (I love those cushions and things by that guy who does them in bright colours, am sure you know who I mean). Your sky is fabulous as is the grass at the bottom. I don’t have any of those colouring mediums but they sure have made a lovely picture here.
Hugs, Neet xx
ps love your journal – I must look out for one of those when I get let out of lockdown lol.
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What an absolutely wonderful page! I love how you were inspired by the notebook cover! Good job! A very belated Happy T Day, Chrisx
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I absolutely adore this Jo – bravo! thankyou for entering the challenge at Countryview Challenges this month and good luck in the draw! Hugs Rachel xx
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Oh I love this Jo, beautifully done, and the highland cow would bring a smile to anyone’s face. Thanks so much for joining in with us again at Country View Crafts, and have a great weekend, Sue xx
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This page made me smile =) These cows are so funny and lovely – gorgeous make!
Thank you so much again for joining in with our challenge at Country View Crafts this month!
Evelyn xx
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