Smile

I’m sharing my last page for this month’s challenge over at Art Journal Journey (AJJ) which I’ve been hosting and I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who joined in the fun!

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting all your blogs to see your wonderful Flora and Fauna artwork and I was delighted by all the different styles, techniques and mediums used as well.

Your amazing creations have really made me smile so I created this page to remember you all – I hope you like it!

I started by covering the page with some old recycled graph paper that my hubby used to mount his childhood postage stamp collection on and then I applied some Pébéo white gesso over the top using a palette knife to exaggerate the worn look. Next I tore the following: some book pages defining Flora and Fauna from a very old encyclopedia that I bought at a charity shop; a wildlife leaflet; a map leftover from a previous page; and a pretty floral paper by Kaisercraft. I edged all of these torn pieces with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink using a blending tool and stuck them onto the page using Liquitex matte gel medium. I also fussy cut some flora and fauna images of birds and flowers from the wildlife leaflet. Next I outlined the Flora and Fauna wording using a black Uni Pin marker and framed it using an oval die cut which I created using a Spellbinders Die and my Big Shot machine; the inside edge is coloured using a black Big Brush marker. I also added a die cut butterfly and Smile banner using double-sided tape. The hydrangea image and flowers are fussy cut from a wallpaper sample. I actually cut two of these images out, which took some time – those who know me will know I love nothing better than fussy cutting, it’s so relaxing (grin!).

So there is a reason that I fussy cut two hydrangea images as this page has a surprise on the far right-hand side, it opens up like a leaflet to reveal those who took part in the AJJ challenge this month. I don’t think you would know this by looking at the page as I fussy cut and arranged the hydrangea flowers on top of the folded section to match the hydrangea image underneath.

Inside, it is decorated in the same way as the main page by backing it with the old graph paper and then collaging the other papers on top. I printed the names from AJJ and tore them into strips, edged them with the Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and stuck them in place. Then I added some of the leftover hydrangea flowers, the wording and the sentiment, which reads “So many wonderful reasons to be grateful” as I am truly grateful to all of you who took part (grin!).

I sure had fun creating all my pages for this challenge and I hope you did too!

I’d like to say a special thanks to Susi and Bleubeard & Elizabeth for asking me to be a guest host, they have really provided such valuable support and encouragement, thank you!  I have also been overwhelmed with everyone’s participation and lovely comments; it has been such a pleasurable experience – thank you all! Jo x

Tomorrow is a new month and brings a new challenge at Art Journal Journey and I can’t wait to see what the new theme is and say hello to our new host – I hope to see you there!

Challenges

As I used die cuts as part of my art journal page design, I joining in the fun at Moo Mania & More and their Die Cuts challenge.

I’m also pleased to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Pébéo White Gesso
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Frayed Burlap)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.5mm, 0.8mm)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Spellbinders Die Set (Unknown)
• Recycled graph paper – hubby’s childhood postage stamp collection
• The New Standard Encyclopaedia and World Atlas
• Recycled RSPB leaflet – Gardening with wildlife in mind
• Leftover map pieces from previous project
• Wallpaper sample
• Recycled black paper
• Kaisercraft Provincial Collection 12×12 Paper (Willow P1979)
• The Works (Vintage Die Cut Shapes)
• Letraset Transfer (Helvetica Bold Condensed 5mm RDC0251)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• The Range double-sided foam tape

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Dragonfly Wishes

With the wonderful sunny weather we have been having of late, I have been spending time in the garden sorting out the flower beds and planting the summer bedding plants. So today’s page is inspired by beautiful blue skies and a rusty metal dragonfly which adorns my flower bed (grin!).

I started by adding some torn pieces of sheet music to the page with Liquitex matte gel medium and then I covered the whole page with Bright Aqua Green and Swedish Blue Liquitex acrylic paint and Pébéo white gesso using a paintbrush, blending and varying the shades of colour across the page. Then I used a Shabby Harlequin stencil from Creative Expressions to apply Pébéo white gesso; I used my finger to apply the gesso so it varied in thickness and caught along the edges of the stencil to add more interest. Next I stencilled modelling paste using a Wheels stencil from Ranger by Dina Wakley with a palette knife and left it to dry. I drew a couple of big dragonflies onto thick paper and added some copper glitter glue along the body and head, and then I covered the wings with DecoArt crackle glaze. When the crackle glaze had dried I covered the wings with Iced Coffee Faber-Castell Gelato and using a wet finger smudged the colour into the cracks, wiping any access off with a wet baby wipe.

Then I used some Iridescent Rich Copper and Rich Bronze metallic Liquitex Inks, which I received for my birthday (grin!), to colour the dragonflies; I really like the iridescent quality of the inks and the way that they seeped into the cracks of the crackle glaze. To give the dragonflies more of a patina I also coloured them using a Sanguine Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and also Metallic Mint and Iced Coffee Faber-Castell Gelatos. I used the same Liquitex Inks, Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and Gelatos to colour the Wheels I had stencilled onto the page and I also splattered some of the metallic inks over the page along with some black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush. I then stuck the dragonflies in place using a UHU Stic and finished the page by stamping the sentiment “May all your wishes come true” using black Archival Ink.

You may remember my dragonfly from a previous post.

I bought him at a flower show and he always makes me smile when I see him floating over my flower bed!

Challenges

I’m pleased to be able to join the Flora and Fauna challenge over at Art Journal Journey which I’m hosting this month with my Fauna (dragonfly) page.

 I’m happy to join the Rust theme over at Mixed Media Monthly Challenge with the rusty wheels and dragonflies that I created for this page.

I’m joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday and their Summer challenge with my sunshiny blue sky inspired page.

I’m also joining A Vintage Journey and their Words and Music challenge with the sheet music that I used to create my Mixed Media Style page and “Mr. Blue Sky” by ELO that I was singing whilst I was creating it (grin!).

I’m also pleased to join the Allsorts Challenge Blog and their Insects, Bugs, Bees and Butterflies challenge with my dragonfly page – sending you Happy belated 9^th Birthday wishes Allsorts!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Bright Aqua Green, Swedish Blue)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Pébéo Modeling Paste
• DecoArt Media Crackle Glaze
• Liquitex Inks! (Iridescent Rich Copper, Iridescent Rich Bronze)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Sanguine 188 B)
• Faber-Castell Gelato (Metallic Mint, Iced Coffee)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Creative Expressions Mini Stencils (Shabby Harlequin CEMSHARL)
• Ranger Dina Wakley Media Stencil (Wheels MDS45588)
• Clear Stamp Set (Winter Woodland) – Free with Crafts Beautiful Magazine
• Thick white paper
• Violin Studies – Sheet Music
• Hobbycraft Glitter Glue (Copper)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• UHU Stic

Find Inspiration in Nature

My art journal pages are often inspired by nature which is why I chose the Flora and Fauna theme for this month over at Art Journal Journey. I had so much fun creating the background and steampunk vibe flowers for this page – I hope you like it too!

Taking inspiration from the beautiful red sunsets we see in nature, I started by covering the page in a mixture of Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red and Apricot Liquitex acrylic paint, varying the blending slightly to give different shades of colour. I added some torn book pages using Liquitex matte gel medium and some washi tapes, and then I applied a thin layer of the same acrylic paints over the top using my finger to achieve a translucent look. When dry, I applied some white DecoArt acrylic paint using a brayer and also a circular Worn Rings stamp from Gummiapan, making sure I washed the stamp as soon as I had finished so the paint didn’t dry and ruin it. I then splattered the whole page with black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush. The flowers are fussy cut from an old flower book that I found in a charity shop (thrift store) and arranged on the page with three stamps from the Vintage Circles Woodware Craft Selection Stamp Set using black Archival Ink. I used Liquitex matte gel medium to stick the flowers in place and once it was dry I outlined them with a black Derwent Graphik marker so that the stamping was incorporated into the flower design.

Both the fussy cutting and outlining took some time to complete and it really made a difference to the flowers as you can see on this before and after photo. The bees and wording which reads “Find inspiration in nature” are both Royal & Langnickel rub-on transfers and I added more detail to the bumblebees using a Derwent Graphik marker. To finish, I stamped some circles of white DecoArt acrylic paint using a bottle cap and added some more splatters of black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush.

Everytime we visit Garstang we see these beautiful metal flowers and the yellow ones reminded me those on my page today – aren’t they stunning!

I like that they stay in bloom all year round for us to enjoy, no matter what the weather … grin!

Challenges

I’m joining Art Journal Journey and the Flora and Fauna theme with my flowers and bees; there is just one more week to join in the fun (grin!). I’ve really enjoyed seeing all your fabulous creations that you have linked to this theme so far, thank you!

I’m pleased to join Moo Mania and More for their Even More Flowers challenge with my flowery page.

I’m joining Fashionable Stamping Challenges where the theme is Floral, which has been chosen by the lovely Avril, with my Vintage styled flowers, .

I really like the Vintage look of my new Woodware Stamp Set that I used on this page against the mixed media background which also included stamping, so I’m also pleased to join the Backgrounds challenge over at The Artistic Stamper.

Stamping Sensations challenge is Close to Nature so I’m very happy to be able to join them with my “Find inspiration in Nature” page.

I’m joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Use More Than One Stamp challenge as I used more than one stamp to create this art journal page.

My page reminds me of a classical music piece called “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikoli Rimsky-Korsakov and I can just imagine my bees flying around my page to this music exploring the Steampunk Style world of flowers that I created, so I’m also joining A Vintage Journey for their Words and Music challenge.

With the stamping I used to create this art journal page, I’m also pleased to join the Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge and their May Challenge: Anything Goes!: (stamping MUST be included).

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Apricot)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White, Black)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.05mm, 0.5mm)
• Gummiapan Stamp (Worn Rings 2 11050601)
• Woodware Craft Collection Magic Singles (Vintage Circles FRS665)
• The Oxford Book of Garden Flowers
• Quality Toys Group (Washi Tape 2544960)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (TIP1642G, Motivate Sentiments #ROY510, )
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

Hummingbird and Orchids

Inspired by the beautiful hummingbirds that have been featured by some of my blog-friends recently, I created this hummingbird and pretty orchid page for the Flora and Fauna challenge that I’m hosting over at Art Journal Journey this month.

I’ve been overwhelmed with the participation and support shown for my theme over at Art Journal Journey, thank you! There is still time to join in the fun this month and I hope to see you there!

I started by painting the page with Liquitex Acrylic paints; the colours I used were Christmas Green, Cadmium Yellow and Parchment. Once the paint had dried, I added some gold acrylic paint and splattered the page with black and white acrylic paints using a paintbrush. Then I covered the page with some Pébéo white gesso using a baby wipe and also my finger to tone down the colours so the images I added next stood out more. The orchids are fussy cut from a napkin and stuck to the page using Liquitex matte gel medium, once the gel medium had dried I outlined and doodled on them using a black UniPin marker and a white Uniball gel pen to add more definition and detail; this took quite a while as there are so many of them (grin!). The hummingbird and pink flower buds are rub-on transfers from Royal & Langnickel which I layered around and onto the orchids. I added a cardstock sticker which says “Fly Free” and I finished the page by adding some pretty green sequin flowers, using Glossy Accents, to add some sparkle.

Over at Moo Mania and More the theme is Even More Flowers! so I’m pleased to join this challenge too, with the pretty orchids that I included on my page.

We visited a garden centre recently and I was mesmerised by these pretty orchids which are similar to the ones on my page, aren’t they stunning!

We often visit the café at this garden centre and here we are having my favourite – a pot of green tea with a bacon butty/sandwich (grin!). So I’m joining the T Gang over at T Stands for Tuesday and wishing you all a Happy T Day!

We have some lovely garden centres in our area which have the most beautiful displays – I love this majestic looking stag and large turquoise pottery urn surrounded by all the delicate hydrangeas!

I’m glad this huge snail isn’t real as it would swallow up my garden in one bite (grin!).

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Christmas Green, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Parchment)
• Colvin & Co Artist’s Acrylic (White)
• Poundland Metallic Paint (Gold)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• The New York Botanical Gardens Napkin
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Sentiments (TIP1642G)
• Little Yellow Bicycle Cardstock Stickers (Fresh Verse PD-140)
• Poundland (Assorted Sequins)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

I want to sing …

With the glorious sunny weather we’ve been having of late, nature seems to be blooming with spring happiness, so today my page celebrates the beautiful magnolia trees, birds and birdsong!

I’m linking to the Flora and Fauna theme over at Art Journal Journey which I’m hosting this month too.

I started by scribbling some Metallic Blueberry Faber-Castell Gelato onto the page in horizontal lines and then I spritzed the page with water, and used my finger to smudge and blend the colour across the page. Next I ripped a magnolia design napkin and stuck the flowers onto the page using Liquitex matte gel medium. Once the gel medium was dry, I doodled an outline on the flowers with a black Derwent Graphik marker. Then to depict birdsong, I stamped some music notes and script stamps from the Musicality Docrafts stamp set over the background using black Archival Ink . I applied some Pébéo white gesso with my finger over some of the stamped images and then used the same stamp set and black ink again to add another layer of stamping which gave the page more depth. The bird image is fussy cut from an old calendar, edged with Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and stuck onto one of the magnolia branches using a UHU Stic. I also cut two of the magnolia leaves from the napkin and arranged them in front the bird so he blended into the scene better. To make the bird look like he was singing, I arranged some pieces of musical washi tape to flow upwards from his open beak. I placed three of these musical notes on the page background too and covered them all with Liquitex matte gel medium to hold them firmly in place. When the gel medium was dry, I edged them with a black Derwent Graphik marker so they stood out more. I added the quote using some Docrafts letter stickers  and I edged with white Uniball gel pen to soften the edges. I stamped the author’s name under the quote using an alphabet stamp set and black Archival Ink which finished the page; the quote is by Rumi and reads:

“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think”.

Walking into town we pass many gardens filled with beautiful spring blossoms and these are some pretty magnolias that are flowering not far from our house.

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, Art Journal Journey, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

Being inspired by the Words and Music theme over at A Vintage Journey, I’m pleased to join the lovely Astrid and the rest of the Creative Guides with my Mixed Media Style music related art journal page.

Over at Moo Mania and More the theme is Even More Flowers so I’m pleased to join in the fun with my magnolia inspired page.

I’m also joining the Allsorts Challenge Blog and their In the Pink challenge with the pretty pink magnolias that I included on my page.

I’m also pleased to join Mixed Media World where their theme is Anything Goes…optional Pink.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Faber-Castell Gelato (Metallic Blueberry)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm, 0.2mm)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Docrafts Creativity Essentials A5 Clear Stamp Set (Musicality DCE907112)
• Dovecraft Essentials Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCVW0050)
• Caspari Napkin
• RSPB Calender – old
• The Works (Three Washi Tapes)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• UHU Stic

Destination Morecambe

I decided to travel to Morecambe for the new challenge over at Try it on Tuesday which is Destinations; you may choose to travel to far away places, maybe somewhere in Europe, Africa or America or like me, stay closer to home – the choice is yours!

My fellow Design Team members have chosen some fabulous Destinations too, make sure you check them out over at Try it on Tuesday. Our challenge runs for the next two weeks and it would be great to see you there (grin!).

I started by covering the page in a light wash of Tea Dye Distress Ink by stamping the ink pad onto an acrylic block and applying it to the page with a wet paintbrush. Then I added Tea Dye, Hickory Smoke and Salty Ocean Distress Ink using a blending tool and a Mosaic stencil by Tim Holtz to cover the whole page. The nautical style of the mosaic pattern and colours remind me of the promenade and jetty at Morecambe. Next I fussy cut a number of sea birds from an old British Nature book that are native to Morecambe and are paid tribute to in the many sculptures and statues along the promenade walk; they included a cormorant, curlew, lesser black-backed gull, little gull and a turnstone. There is also the famous Eric Morecambe statue along the beachfront too so I cut a picture of it from a free booklet and also some of his well-known comic sayings from a greaseproof food display paper kindly provided by the Midland Hotel which is situated right on the seafront. I cut out “Morecambe” from the free booklet and backed it with white card recycled from some packaging. The seahorse is cut from the hotels advertising leaflet and can be found high on the roof line above the doors as you enter the hotel. I arranged all the elements and stuck them to the page using a UHU Stic. Then I used the Mosaic stencil again to add some modelling paste to different areas of the page and once dry I coloured the modelling using Iced Chai and Earl Grey Faber-Castell Gelatos. To finish, I added a circular silver outline sticker around the picture of Eric Morecambe and also to the background to add some interest.

Morecambe is a seaside town on Morecambe Bay in Lancashire and we went there recently as one of my birthday treats. We had a wonderful time walking along the seafront promenade and seeing all the amazing statues and sculptures along the way. Here is my hubby striking the famous pose with the Eric Morecambe statue (grin!).

You may remember Eric Morecambe from the famous comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, he was one of the most popular British entertainers and you may recall me featuring him before on this post where you can find out more about him.

His statue looks over these amazing green gulls …

… and if you walk just a little further you will find this metal artwork of a family of coots called Coot Parade.

Then you come to the stone jetty and the Rock Islands topped with these stunning cormorants – aren’t they spectacular!

On the jetty itself, it’s fun to walk out and you will find tongue twisters, a compass, hopscotch and word search all incorporated into the pavement.

We enjoyed watching the fishing boats from the jetty.

The jetty is opposite the majestic Art Deco Midland Hotel, which overlooks the seafront. On the far left of this photo…

… you’ll find the hotel’s Rotunda Bar.

I love Art Deco and this is the front of the hotel and if you look closely you can see the seahorses on the very top.

This is the inside of the Rotunda Bar where we went for lunch (grin!), which was recommended by Chris who often visits here on her blogs – it was a great choice thank you!

I had the most amazing burger – yum! It’s called a Midland Burger and consists of two beef patties, crispy bacon, lettuce, red onion and tomato on a brioche bun with a deep-fried pickle. It was served with fries and coleslaw and as you can see is presented on one of the papers I used for this page; the waiter kindly got me a clean one for my art journal. As we had water with ice and lemon too, I’m joining the T Gang at T Stands for Tuesday and wishing you all a Happy T Day!

We looked at the amazing cormorants on Rock Islands once more …

… and then we headed to the Bird Fence along the seafront where you will find lots of different seabirds native to Morecambe Bay including curlew, dunlin, knot and turnstones. Morecambe Bay is a RSPB reserve with sand flats and salt marshes that attract thousands of birds and is considered the second most important estuary in the UK.

Along the stone jetty and shoreline you also find these amazing Bird Bollards depicting cormorants too.

We had such a lovely day and I hope you enjoyed visiting Morecambe with me!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Try it on Tuesday, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

Over at Art Journal Journey I’m hosting the Flora and Fauna theme, as I included just Fauna this time with the seabirds and seahorses, I’m pleased to link to this challenge. We are half way through the month already so there is still plenty of time to join in the fun and I’d like to say a big thank you to all of you who have joined this theme so far!

I’m pleased to join Country View Challenges and their Be Humorous challenge with the funnies provided by Eric Morecambe that I included on my art journal page.

I’m also joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their For the Boys challenge with my art journal page being a tribute to Eric Morecambe.

As I had fun using my new Tim Holtz stencil to create my mosaic background, I’m also very happy to be joining Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Stencil It challenge.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye, Hickory Smoke, Salty Ocean)
• Pébéo Modeling Paste
• Faber-Castell Gelatos (Iced Chai and Earl Grey)
• Tim Holtz Collection Stampers Anonymous Stencil (Mosaic Layering Stencil THS084)
• The Illustrated Book of Nature
• Morecambe Visitor Guide & Map
• Food presentation paper from the Midland Hotel
• Information leaflet from the Midland Hotel
• White card – recycled
• Starform Outline Stickers (Silver Circle Borders 1144)
• UHU Stic

Tyger

Inspired by some Urban Street Art in Blackpool and a wonderful poem by William Blake, I created this Tiger art journal page (grin!).

I started by mixing some Liquitex acrylic paints to produce an orange and dark purple colour and along with some yellow Liquitex acrylic I stippled them onto the page using a paintbrush; as this is a high density acrylic this produced some lovely texture. They are applied so that purple was at the top of the page, orange in the middle and yellow at the bottom to give an ombré effect that matched some of the street art we had seen. To intensify the colours and give more of a spray effect, I applied purple, orange and yellow Brusho Powders over the top of the acrylics and spritzed with water, watching the colours burst on the page and whilst they were blending I used my heat gun to dry them. Next I drew a border around the page using a black Derwent Graphic marker and stamped some hexagonal shapes so they flowed vertically on the page using black Archival Ink. The tiger is fussy cut from an old book of poems that I purchased from a charity shop (thrift store) and is stuck onto the page using a UHU Stic. I used some recycled black paper and also the leftovers from the tiger image to create leaves using Tim Holtz Garden Greens thinlets and my Big Shot machine. They are held in place with sewing machine stitching along each of the main stems which was fun technique to try considering my page is attached within a book (grin!).

Next I added yellow, orange and black beads using Glossy Accents and then cut the title, first verse and author of the poem from the same book as the tiger image. The poem is called The Tyger and is by William Blake, the verse reads: “Tyger! Tyger! burning bright in the forests of the night, what immortal hand or eye, dare frame thy fearful symmetry?”. I cut them out in an abstract pattern to match the page design, edged them all with black Faber-Castell marker and stuck them in place using a UHU Stic. To finish, I added more detail with a white Uniball gel pen and black Derwent Graphic marker which included some white dots in the centre of the larger hexagonal shapes and also some faux stitching around the border.

Blackpool has some amazing Urban Street Art and this is the fabulous tiger than inspired my page, you can see the ombre effect and of course the majestic tiger. This was created by Otto Schade when he took part in the 2016 Sand, Sea and Spray Festival in Blackpool.

There are a number of other artworks in the same area .

This mural just around the corner and it was created at the same 2016 festival and is a self-portrait based collaboration of Bane & Pest (also known as the Color Nomads) and Smile1.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the urban street art in Blackpool, there are still others to see which I’ll be sure to share, as I find that they are such wonderful inspiration for my art journal pages (grin!).

Challenges

With the leaves and tiger that I included on this page, I’m joining the Flora and Fauna challenge over at Art Journal Journey that I’m hosting this month. I hope you are inspired to join us, it would be lovely to see you there!

I’m joining Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Ombré challenge with my brightly coloured ombré background.

I’m pleased to join the lovely Tracey and the rest of the DT over at That’s Crafty! Challenges for their A Stitch in Time challenge as I used both machine and faux stitching on my page.

I’m joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their For the Boys challenge with my William Blake inspired art journal page.

As I used die cuts to create the leaves on my page, I’m also reminding you of our Stencil, Die Cuts or Both theme over at Try it on Tuesday which runs until Monday/tomorrow evening and be sure to check out our fun new challenge on Tuesday!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Navy, White)
• Colourcraft Brusho Crystals (Purple, Orange, Yellow)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.1mm, 0.8mm)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Docrafts Papermania Mini Cards & Stamp Sets (Capsule Geometric Krafts PMA105308)
• Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Holtz (Garden Greens 661206)
• 100 Great Poems
• Recycled black paper
• Brighton Bead Shop (Assorted Seed Beads)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• UHU Stic