woyww #153

Another week of crafting voyeurism.  Wander through blogland checking out how the other 100+ crafters/artists work and what their creative spaces look like for another week of What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday hosted by  Julia at Stamping Ground .....here's my desk this week.  Filled with mail art projects.  I was gone over the weekend so didn't do any art, jumped back in on Monday and have spent the last couple days creating up a storm.

These postcards are WIP and are using advertising p/c I picked up this weekend as the base and pieces of some beautiful patterned tissue paper I got in a swap.  Love swap-bot for it's paper swaps - I've received some fabulous new pieces for my stash.

Enjoy your desk wandering.

woyww #149

Joining in the international "what's on your workdesk wednesday" to peek and snoop at everyone's messy  creative spaces.....

Mine:

In the middle of my desk I have a newly arrived packet of mixed papers from my very first swap on Swap-Bot - I really got some GREAT pieces!  The yellow square is the beginning of my art entry for Seth Apter's call for art (more when it's done) (thanks Karen for the push).

The more encompassing view shows the canvas I was working on last week.  I'm thinking it's about done but I have to live with it a bit longer just to make sure.  Below are a couple of detail shots.

Added a few birds on my India ink 'tree' that was blown with a straw.

Oodles of texture (twine circle).

Visit Julia at Stamping Ground to see the many links that will let you wander blogland exploring workdesks both tidy and not-so-much. :)

woyww #148

No, it's not my 148th participation on WOYWW (what's on your worktable Wednesday), but it's the 148th Wednesday that you've been able to browse around the web and check out other crafter & artist work spaces - legally.  It satisfies the bit of voyeur in all of us, very harmlessly.  I think this is my 10th or so time of sharing my work table.

In all it's glory:

Showing off my AB in progress (upper right) and my new Letraset Aqua markers that I won - still experimenting, but they seem to have lots of applications....a canvas project and collage papers.

The wide view shows a mess and a canvas that I'm still trying to figure out.  It's 12x12 and has gone through many styles and colors.....this is it so far this week.  I tried Jane Davies' ink & straw & blow method.  I like the randomness of it - I'm kinda seeing a tree.  Maybe I can build on that since my other ideas haven't panned out.

There are LOTS of WOYWW players and you're always welcome to join.  Visit Julie over at Stamping Ground to have your chance to be a voyeur.  Legally.

woyww #145

Okay, no it's not my 145th time to participate, but it is the 145th edition of What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday hosted by Julia at Stamping Ground.  It appears everyone identifies it by this number, not the number of times they've participated, so I'll join the crowd (it's my 10th time).

This week has been fairly busy creatively:  I've completed the zentangle challenge, a couple of digital art challenges, worked in my art journal more than usual and am muddling through a new collage (or two).  Oh yeah, I've finished the next stage on my first altered book.

My work table:

Here are my most recent journal pages and the diamond stencil is the first I've cut for myself using my new tool.  To the right of the journal is that purplish green square....it's a piece of that rubberized shelf liner for the kitchen that has an interesting texture when paint is spritzed on it (I used it on these journal pages on the upper right in between the pink streaks and on the lower left on the diamonds).  Also, remember my little soap box "canvas" that was covered in music sheets? There it is at the top of the pic with the next layer added....

 This is the same busy desk showing my progress on my altered book and the niche all glued together.  (free lessons provided by Elizabeth at Altered Book Lover, join in!)

I'm off so see what other busy folks are up to....

woyww #9

This week for WOYWW I have some progress from things started last week.

You may remember I'd gessoed (?) over a canvas I didn't like and was going to go a different direction....direction started:

Liking the layers of red and orange and texture...not sure where next.  Also started a little box 'canvas' covered with music (it's actually the box my soap comes in).

Then, I was working on trying to make my own decorative tape using masking tape. (I used it in my lettering journal which I'll share later in the week)  I made some more and found that using the expensive stuff from Home Depot didn't work as well as the $1 store stuff.  HD was too sticky and wouldn't peel off the freezer paper - it might work better on waxed paper but I don't have any right now.  Plus the dollar store tape is whiter - here are some new experimental strips:

I found that acrylic paints and Inktense watercolor pencils work well, oil pastels (the green/yellow stripe) don't blend or smoosh at all, rubber stamps work great!  I'm playing with my new alpha stamp set.

I found my projects overflowing my work table this week (I'm sure that never happens to any of you) so behind me on the ironing board (great table height :)) I have my AB (altered book) project waiting to get going and some great tissue paper pieces I'll be adding to a collage (project from Jane Davies Collage Journeys book).

The tissue paper project is to choose 2 colors of paper and sandwich something in between, sealing the papers together with matte medium.

The top one I stamped with a lady bug on yellow and glued it to a light blue tissue paper; on the right I drew spirals with oil pastels and used yellow and lime green tissues; on the bottom I used yellow and white and sandwiched cut out leaf shapes.  Using the 2 layers of tissue paper gives the paper more substance and the two colors blend to form a nice third color with a stronger tint depending on which side you place up.  An easy and fun project - thanks Jane!
Lots of other desks to explore over at Julia's Stamping Ground.....

woyww #8

What's on Your Worktable Wednesday, my edition #8, main edition #143!  Julia over at Stamping Ground is the master hostess and it's the perfect time to check in with other crafters/artists and see where they work and what's in their little creative brains.

For me, my downstairs desk is full of pieces of my Lettering Love journal (class info here) and my ALAW project.  It stays fairly tidy because it's just pens and paper.

Upstairs is a totally different story.  I paint, splash, and make messes .... the project on my desk is a do-over.  I had this canvas hanging on the wall but didn't really love it.  Then I read a couple of posts this week (Jane Davies and Julie Balzer) who both started over on projects...... so I did too.  I kept the bit I liked and will see if I can work it into something new....

I also bought a $1 roll of masking tape to try making my own decorative tape - maybe for my lettering journal?  Thanks for checking in with me.

woyww #7

Today is another WOYWW (what's on your work table Wednesday) hosted by Julia at Stamping Ground.  Let me tell you LOTS of folks participate in this - I guess it feeds the voyeur in us.  It is a great time to see other workspaces and projects they're working on......

I cleaned off my downstairs work table (above) last week in my cleaning flurry and I love it cuz now I have space to work on my ALAW project - an alphabet connected by zentangles and paint spatters.

My upstairs desk is obviously where I do the messy, painty, gluey stuff - I've got this collage going through about it's third permutation and I'm liking this base a little better than the others but there's much yet to do.

What's on YOUR desk?

woyww #6

Wednesday means it's time to share my worktable with the world.  Upstairs in the art room I'm showing off my new toys/tools: watercolor sticks.  They are SO much fun and I'm having a great time seeing what sorts of marks I can make with them.  Downstairs on my office/art desk I'm busily following along with Joanne's Lettering Love class so have all my pens and notebook out.

Check out more amazing workspaces and projects in progress at Julia's Stamping-Ground blog for the 140th edition of blogland sharing.

woyww #5

It's Wednesday so it must be time to share my workspace photo for WOYWW.  I actually got back in there this week and starting playing around after watching Traci Bautista's new videos for Strathmore.  She demonstrates how she makes a mixed media painting using such a wide variety of mark making tools so of course, I wanted to try.  Mine are in early stages but that's what's on the table (along with a jar of dirty water and some miscellaneous pieces from a quick card making venture yesterday).

I'm working on a 12x12 canvas and two sheets of watercolor paper (though only one is here for some reason).  Traci explains that whenever she uses a stencil or stamp on a main piece, she always rolls or stamps off the excess ink/paint on a second piece to use later to cut up or use in some way.  So that's what I'm doing.....

Here are the first stages:

Visit WOYWW for lots of links to busy artist work spaces and check out Traci's blog and free Strathmore videos.

woyww #4

Wednesday means it must be time to show my worktable..... I just cleaned it and the whole work room!!!  I'm a contributor in Julie's organizational extravaganza next week, so was motivated to get my space under control.  I shared how I did this and created a filing system that works for me to manage all the paper stuff I now collect.  But, of course, it doesn't stop with paper....so where should I keep jewelry bits and pieces, cool looking sticks and branches, rusty metal finds, or fabric?  It's a challenge, isn't it?  Be sure to visit Julie's blog next week to see how other artists tackle the problem.

My work area is tidy without the piles of magazines and papers under the table, all the loose papers & junk mail I've collected is filed away for quick access and even my bookshelf is reorganized and houses mainly card making supplies!  It's SO great!

My actual worktable is even cleared and ready for my next project!

Here's my actual 'worktable' the last couple days.....sitting on the sofa with my sketchpad and pens/pencils.  I'm working on my goal of improving my drawing skills so am trying to sketch every day.  But I'm feeling the pull of the paints and paper.....AND a clean space, so I think that's soon in the plan.

Be sure to visit WOYWW today to see lots of other artist spaces and how they work....it's only my fourth time joining in, but it's been going for 135 Wednesdays!

woyww #3

This is my third participation in showing what I've been working on for What's on Your Worktable Wednesday (though it's the 133 edition of the prompt). Not much happened up here this week but then I woke up this morning with a last minute gift idea so I've been in a flurry of activity.  I'm making photo bookmarks and wanted to get them printed and cut so I could take them to work and laminate them.  Tonight I'll add yarn/charms/whatever.  Simple but a fun tie on for the readers of the family.

You can see the cut pieces for the bookmarks and the stack of Christmas cards that are either in process or didn't make the cut and will be recycled into other art.....

Happy Wednesday before Christmas.  I hope you're not frantically working on gifts or cards, but can take time to have a cuppa and enjoy the day!

woyww #2

My second week of sharing my work table mess - though this time I had a little time to restore order.  If you remember, last week it was a total disaster, a dumping site.  Now, it's still mess, but ..... a controlled mess! :)

Stamps & cards out, ready to start making.....

I've cleaned it up so I can start on my Christmas cards - don't think EVERYone will get a hand made one, but I'm going to see how many I can manage.  My subconscious has been stewing and mulling for a couple weeks so I guess I better start making a decision and moving forward - maybe they could be Valentine's cards? (ha)

I'm so lucky to have an understanding, tolerant man that allows me the space to make a mess wherever I happen to be.  I've discovered my "worktable" can be just about any surface in the house - here I've taken over the ottoman where I spread out my Zentangle stuff, sketching card ideas while I watch TV.  He's relegated to the other end of the sofa, pulling pens from between the cushions!

Visit more work tables and works in progress at Stamping Ground.  You know, this is the 131st edition of WOYWW though only my second participation!  That's a long running prompt - wanna play?

WOYWW

Here's a new one for me WOYWW (what's on your worktable wednesday) - and maybe not the best time to start since everything is SUCH a mess.  But I guess that's the point - what's the reality of your work space?  Right now, all of mine are a disaster.  In my 'office' I do all the computer stuff, digital art, etc. so have my reference books nearby.  I also have a watercolor painting table set up next to a window though I haven't used it in a while and it's gathering stacks of other projects.

Then, upstairs I have a spare bedroom that has become my workroom.  OMG, looking at it through the camera's eye really shows the mess it's in.  I've not been in there creating, just dumping stuff from other parts of the house as I decorate for the holidays.  This will take some serious time to restore to order.....  So without further ado, here's my spaces on this cloudy Seattle morning.

Yikes - how do I find anything in here???

What's your your work table/bench/desk/surface today?  I just finished my Zentangle entry for the week (see it in front of my keyboard) and got it posted. That's the only active project at this moment - tomorrow, who knows?

Linking to WOYWW and you can take a little vicarious trip inside other work rooms - it's a little voyeuristic, but all in good fun!  {ED: to show you how popular this prompt is, I'm in at #100!)