My Chaotic Realm

there was a question posted on one of my art group today:: Is there any type of art you hate to do? My reply was:: well...started off doing decoupage not quite 2 decades ago... from there I got into mixed media... then ATCs, altered books... all that led to greeting cards (my primary art form these days since I sell them) then I started teaching workshops for scrapbooking & rubber stamping that branched out to include teaching "how to" classes for a myriad of things including: sculpey, paperclay, alcohol inks, pearlX, clayboard, jewelry, embossing, greeting cards, ephemera, acrylic paints, encaustic wax, sponging/masking, photograpy, composition... etc about the only thing I don't enjoy is freehand drawing & CAD I used to crochet/knit but have not done in a long time (think I forgot how) I REALLY miss having ppl here to share in those interests... had a group of 8-10 ppl back in TX that sorta validated my e...

So, had some friends over for Art Day and went to grab my printed tutorials binder from 2006-2009 only to find it somehow got wiped out with a red liquid. Pages ha lost all color (needed that!) AND were mildewed together by who knows what. had been that way for a while it seems. And was the only binder touched in my art room... WTF? Those were tutorials I had made ages ago and printed without storing on my (now ever-present & absurdly large) collection of flash drives. So have spent almost all freakin' day recreating the 100+ into digital tutorials. I will think about printing them later for my class binder when I can afford all the ink.... sigh. BUT.. it is DONE....and saved to removalbe memory!!

Kathy posted my ATC she got from our ATC_Fun swap last month where we had to send backgrounds only with instructions. I forgot to send her the instructions so posted on her blog . Thought I would post here as well... You need high gloss card stock & alcohol inks with some blending solution & a blending tool. Put some blending solution on the tool then add a few drops of each color you want to use to the felt pad that ison end of blending tool. I apply single drops of color a little randomly on various areas of the felt. I usually do 3 complementary colors. Then lightly dab your surface repeatedly until you achieve the coverage and pattern desired, covering as much of the white space as you wish (i cover it all). While you are applying, sorta smooshing and twisting the tool to give you that blurred look. If you apply it by patting the surface only a couple times you will get a blended, less marble looking / blotchy effect as you do if you keep patting your surface repeatedl...