Speed Projects

I've been adding videos to my YouTube channel for about six months now. I get the camera (my phone) set up, get out some supplies (usually including something I "just had to have" and purchased recently) and do a little project. Sometimes, I have somewhat of an idea of what to draw/paint/collage ahead of time, but, most of the time, I just wing it.  On average, these videos take around 30-60 minutes in "real time" to make.

I usually post all of the videos that I create, whether I like them or not. I get inspiration from other YouTube channels and artists, and some of it just "comes to me."  Lately, most of my "process" videos, have been in a "speed" format. That is, I speed up the tape to between 300 and 500 times the speed that I recorded it.  I remove the audio and add music later. Why?  Because that's the kind of video that I like to watch.

I recently joined a Facebook group called "Art Supply Junkies Unite."  We totally enable each other's supply addiction, but I have also learned a lot about various mediums AND about what people like to watch on YouTube.

It seems like around half of the people like watching tutorials or demos at "normal" speed and with narration and about half like the speed-videos with music and subtitles. I'm not sure which way I'll end up going with this... I love watching my drawings come to life at super speeds, but I also like to tell others my thought process and how I figured out how to do my projects!

Here are two videos I posted recently... one on a bargain craft supply "haul" and the other is a mixed media speed project.

What kind of YouTube videos do you like to watch?

I admit it, I'm pen obsessed!

I've been addicted to pens and stationery for years. I remember being a child old enough to have earned an allowance and begging my parents to take me to a stationery store. We lived around an hour and a half from the Twin Cities and I always asked my dad if we could visit St Paul Book and Stationery. I don't think they're still in business, (correct me if I'm wrong) but it was a wonderful store with aisles of pens, notebooks and art supplies. My mother would go to conferences and occasionally bring something back for us.  My favorite was a paint pen that wrote silver and purple at the same time! I haven't seen its equal since.

In the twenty plus years since I graduated from high school, I have continued to collect pens, pencils, markers, colored pencils, crayons, and basically anything that one could write with. I research pens on the internet and frequent Jet Pens to drool over their bounty. Dick Blick is another favorite for me. They have thousands of art supplies at discount prices. It probably doesn't come as a surprise that I've amassed quite a collection of writing utensils.

 So, I was thinking about what to write about in my blog and it occurred to me that I had a plethora of material already at my fingertips! In the next few posts, I'll review some of the writing utensils that I currently own and maybe even purchase some more for fun! 

I'm going to use a Kokuyo Campus  twin ring notebook and am going to do a smudge test, water test and alcohol test for each pen. The following is a chart showing my basic rating scale:

PEN-PETITION #1

Our first "pen-petition" includes the Prismacolor Premier Illustration Marker 08 versus Stabilo Sensor Fineliner Marker Pen 0.3 versus the Tul Needlepoint Gel Pen  versus the Yasutomo Y & C Stylist Marker Pen; all in black ink.

The Prismacolor Premier * has a smooth lay-down but does smudge. India ink is archival so, once dry, it should stay put. Be careful not to touch it until it has dried completely.

The Stabilo Sensor Fineliner  has patented micro-cushioning which means the tip will adjust to writing pressure. I really liked the feel of this pen, very comfortable. It is water soluble so you won't be able to use watercolor paint or any other water soluble media without diluting and smudging the ink.

Tul is an office supply store staple. Though primarily used for everyday writing, it does a decent job with fine lines. However, it's not waterproof so you'll have to heat set it before you use any other water based media.

According to Jetpens.com, the Y & C Stylist Marker Pen has, "a patented plastic nib allowing it to deliver clean crisp lines so you never have to worry about it cramping your style. It also features extra-dense water-based ink that produces beautiful color."   

I found the Stylist to drag on the paper and the water-solubility will be a problem if you need something waterproof. This marker pen is also sensitive to alcohol so you won't be able to use it with any alcohol-based markers without bleeding. 

Here's how they matched up according to my Pen-petition Scale:

It's a close call, but the Prismacolor came out on top. Second place was a tie between the Stabilo and the Tul.  The Y & C came up short.  I think this is because I use my pens primarily for outlining and then color in with watercolor pencils or alcohol markers.  The Stylist didn't do well with water or alcohol.

The result of this competition is my opinion only. Take it as you will.  I hope this comparison might help you in choosing the right illustration marker pen for yourself!

*Product links are to where I purchased the pen.  Though I like all of these stores and regularly use them, there are other art supply stores that offer comparable products and prices.

A peek at what I've been up to

Hi Everybody!
I've been busy creating and filming (along with keeping up with my husband and baby!) Here is a video flip-through of some of my mixed media projects.  Hope you enjoy and please subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Jazzing up some wall board tape

Wall board or fiber tape is a popular product to use to create texture in mixed media art and other craft activities right now. I wondered if I could jazz it up a little by making it patterned. So, I experimented with acrylic paint and stencils on the tape and found the results pretty cute!

Here's a link to the video:
Drywall Tape Decoration Tutorial

How to Bind Single Sheets Into an Album

I've been using mat board as a base for my mixed media projects.  (You can find it near the framing department in your local craft store or ask a framer if they have any trimmings you can have.) I like the mat board because it's sturdy and because it has a background color on at least one side. I have some that are metallic that make really cool backgrounds without needing to paint!

Here are a few of my first attempts...

I wanted to bind some of my projects into a book, so I worked on both sides of the mat board.  When I had around eight to ten "finished" pieces, I tried to figure out how to bind them into a book. I knew that sewing the mat board with traditional book binding stitches wouldn't work because the board is too thick and rigid.  I found a tutorial on YouTube by My Creative Spirit where she binds chipboard pages into a mini album. It didn't look too difficult and it seemed to fit what I was looking for.  I made a larger album with my first mixed media art pages and really liked the result.

Here's a flip through of the first book I made.

I cut some of the mat board into quarters and made some more art on those. I decided to record the process of binding these into a mini album. Instead of using cardstock to bind the mat board, however, I tried using fiber tape (wall board tape) to connect the pieces instead. It turned out okay in the end, though I think I would glue the tape down the next time as it is so flexible that the book isn't square.

Hope you enjoy tutorial!

The bound album!

New YouTube Video

Here's a flip through some of the mixed media index cards I made for the 2014 Index Card a Day challenge from  Daisy Yellow. I hope to show how I bound the album in another video...

Mixed Media Art Tutorial - Index Card a Day (ICAD) "Green"

Here's a little video I made showing how I interpreted mixed media artist, Daisy Yellow's, index card a day prompt, "Green."

I've decided to document my experience as a newbie to the mixed media arts. I will be posting videos and pictures in the coming months and hope that you will follow along as I learn! Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and click the "thumbs up" button on my videos so that I know that someone is enjoying what I'm sharing. Please also leave comments/questions/critiques for me! I love feedback! Happy crafting!