Art Journaling: Altered Transparencies

I found a fantastic book by Traci Bautista, Collage Unleashed, that's full of ideas for creating art journal collages in unusual ways, including making transparencies of your own artwork.  

Above is a drawing I did of The Ink Queen, with ink on an old book page, and then photocopied onto transparency film.

Traci gives instructions and ideas for using your own drawings & doodles to make altered transparencies for your art journal.  

The most important tip is: use the correct transparency film for your copier or printer.  If you use the wrong film in a dry toner copier (which uses high heat to make the copy), it can melt inside the machine and ruin it.

Once you get the right sort of transparency film for your copier or printer, 

you can print your artwork onto the film, and then add color with acrylic paint as below:

 I painted the back of the transparency.

And flipped it over to reveal The Ink Queen in all her colorful glory.

I added the painted transparency to my art journal, gluing it in with Yes! paste, a clear, archival adhesive.

Here's one I colored with alcohol markers.

Alcohol markers allow you to blend two or more colors together, and even move the toner around (I used a dry toner, black-only copier).

I warmed up Marion by placing her over an art journal page painted with peach acrylic and white gesso.

I hope you take some time this week to play with collage, transparencies, or just to make doodles.  

When you create, you make your artistic vision -- how you see the world -- visible to the rest of us.  

If we each make art and share it with others, we can spark inspiration and 

celebrate our unique artistic view of the world.

Happy Creating!

Copyright Betsy Bangley 2023

Fall Color Walk Map

The autumn colors have washed into the landscape.

Late blooming meadow plants like goldenrod and ironweed create pops of saturated color among the grasses.

On a recent walk, I mapped the colors I saw with notes about the plants and animals on my route.

The bold crimson of Virginia Creeper leaves stood out against surrounding green foliage.

Moth Mullein (below) had gone to seed, leaving these beautiful stalks.

These asters (below) smelled like buttered popcorn in the afternoon sunlight.

Red crabapples had fattened in the summer sun.

 The chestnuts were ripe and falling on the ground.

I hope you'll take a walk in nature notice what nature is doing.

Simply swatching the colors in your nature journal can be a simple way to record what you see.  

If you want to create a color map like mine, you can simply print out a Google map of your walking route, and add color notes.

You can find every color on the color wheel in nature!

Copyright 2023 Betsy Bangley, Betsy's Bliss Art Blog

Make a Mini Color Journal

Sometimes you want to do something creative, something playful & relaxing, and not too complicated.  

I have the ideal activity -- Create a mini color journal!

With only 4 small pages to cover, it's perfect to fill a summer hour or two.

I made my color journal (see instructions below) out of watercolor paper, then drew designs with a white Crayola crayon.  

It's hard to see white wax on white paper, so just be bold; press hard; and keep it simple.  If you need to double-check where you've drawn with the crayon, hold the paper at an angle to the light, and you can see it faintly.

Over top of the white crayon, I painted a scene loosely with watercolor paints.  Any type of watercolors or watery ink would work.  The waxy crayon repels the watery paint, so your crayon design shows through magically.

After the watercolors dried, I added more designs with alcohol markers & paint pens.

Use whatever materials you have: Sharpies, markers, gel pens, or colored pencils would work well.  You could even use the other crayons in the pack over top of the watercolor paint.

In some places, I didn't press down hard enough with the white crayon, so it was washed out by the watercolors.  I strengthened the line with a white paint pen in these cases.

Ready to make your own mini color journal?

Here's a short video on how to make your own little booklet out of a single sheet of paper. The video uses copy paper.  I used Canson XL 140# cold-pressed watercolor paper. You'll also need scissors and a glue stick or other glue.

I love playing with colors simply for the sake of celebrating color itself. I find it's a great form of relaxation and self care for me.

I hope it does the same for you! 

Inspired by Roses

This time of year, as the days grow short and dim, a bouquet of roses in the Trader Joe's grocery store seems as nourishing as the organic Florida oranges the next aisle over.  

Placed in my favorite vase, they brought inspiration this morning.

I began with a sketch of a single blossom, and then the full bouquet.

And finished by playing with my new alcohol markers.

Taking time out to follow the lacy curves of country rose petals slows a person down, like mindfulness meditation.  

All that exists in the moment is your line and the ephemeral beauty of the flower. 

As you draw, you are connected to the essence of the flower, its natural vitality. 

What could be more life affirming in these cold, short days?

Hoping you get a break in the rush of the holidays to simply sketch & connect with nature.