Saturday, June 7, 2014

Making an Art Journal - Part 2


Jordyn               Gegi              Quaddy


After creating the art journals for my granddaughters, Jordyn and Gegi (Egypt) I got the word from my grandson, Quaddy (Quadir), that I HAD to make him one too. Since he saw theirs he has been leaving subtle reminders - he has been ripping blank pages out of my sketch journal, borrowing my Uni-ball pens and leaving his creations all over my place!

So I started his...

First step is preparing the canvas I use for the cover. Some people like to use chipboard or cardboard for the cover, I like the feel of the canvas. Its flexible and feels like ART!

So I get some 8oz canvas. Now here's a tip for you. FORGET the canvas you buy on a bolt. TOO pricey! I bought mine at Home Depot. 


Yup, it's a canvas drop cloth. You get a canvas dropcloth, aka rectangle of canvas, in size 6' by 9' ...so for $10.98 you get approx. 50.3 sq. feet of canvas (or about $.20/sq. ft.) 

I compared that to some other places:

   JoAnn's Fabric:  One yard of 54" wide for $10.19 PLUS shipping - over $.75/sq ft.

   ebay: One yard of 60" wide for $6.25 plus $4.95 shipping - over $.75/sq.ft.

   Amazon: One yard (width?) for $7.99 plus shipping - definitely more, even if the piece is 60" wide


Crazy huh? Got to love Home Depot! Yeah, I love getting something of equal value at a cheaper price. I am always on the lookout for these kind of deals.


So, once I have purchased the canvas and got it home, the next step is to give the canvas a bath. It softens up the canvas. I tend to like the look it has when you give it a hot tea bath. AND before you get excited,  that's the extent of any cooking you will find on this here blog! I boil the water, drop in a bunch of tea bags and then throw in the canvas (usually cut up into smaller pieces). I let it soak a couple hours and then rinse in cold water and let the pieces air dry. 

After the canvas is dry I prepare for the art! 
NOTE: Remember in my last post I admitted to hating to write, well I do. And right now I have reached my daily limit so to continue the story, here is a video of the next steps:




Did you like it? Haha...when I edit my videos I play the same clips over and over to get the timing, captions and music just to my liking. Well when I played the part where I tell my grandson that there is nothing to help me with, I crack up. EVERY time! I mean, I don't even recognize myself. WHO is that calm, patient woman?!

Any who...tune in for my next part in the process, coming soon.




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