DISGUISE ....

 

I recently bought a stamping magazine which had a free stamp on the front of a moustache and glasses, and for once I knew right away what I wanted to do with this page!  I dug out this image which I'd cut from a history magazine (charity shop find) and began work on the background below, which I wanted to fit around the picture.

As you can see, Caran d'Ache neocolour II background, and head stuck in place, Bob's your Uncle as we say in the UK.

This was an amazingly quick and easy page to do - some of them just are, and none the worse for that, but I did manage not to write in straight lines.  As I've explained before, my lettering sort of grows, and the way I do it is to write in a very simple form, as you can see below, and then go back and embellish.  I've also taught myself to mix together upper and lower case, and to vary sizes as well.  Just play and have fun!

Then, as I hope the picture below shows, I go back to the beginning and thicken up each letter, adding curly bits to the outer edges and just generally embellishing as it takes my fancy.  I do look at lettering everywhere around me, and note different styles and ways of doing things, and thats how I learn.

So here's the finished result - as I said, a pretty simple page but it works.  This is something of a heartfelt cry, as anonymity is something you crave when you don't have it. 

But some days you just feel grumpy and want to go out without putting your face on or combing your hair, or most of all being nice to anybody.  Where did I put that hat?

SANITY SAVER ....

 

I've often told people that, when I got ill and my life and career hit the fan, I might have gone under if I hadn't been a crafter.  It meant that when I was suddenly at home all day every day there were lots of things I'd been waiting for the time to do .... and exploring all those things was terrific therapy while I struggled to get used to the idea that (barring a miracle) I wasn't going to work again.  That's what I was trying to get down on this page.

It began with lots of lovely PINK and a Stampotique image which I really like - intended to represent me, though I do admit to not being quite this thin!  I'd seen a magazine advert with a black band with text down one side and liked it, so thought I'd try that here - its funny where you get your ideas from!

The pink is of course (what else) the trusty Caran d'ache Neocolour II crayons.  I coloured the stamped image with promarkers and gave myself a saintly pair of gold wings, whilst adding the headline which explains the page using my latest love, Posca paint pens.

I was however, as you can see above, thinking negative thoughts like "my life sucks" so was engaged on my Think Positive therapy - it does work, honestly.  So an outpouring of my thoughts on the subject followed, and a bit of doodling in black - which looks so good against the pink.

I'm not quite sure what made me divide up the page with these curving lines, but I like them a lot, and it does allow you to separate various "thoughts" from one another.  I do like sinuous lines rather than straight boxes - life rarely goes in straight lines (well mine doesn't) so they had no place here.

And below is the final result, complete with doodly white bits, but the light was bouncing off the gold so the picture didn't come out too well.  I really like the limited colour palette of pink and black, and how the colours are a total contrast.  In the end its yet another of those (necessary) exercises in which I count my blessings and try to focus on the many positives in my life rather than dwelling on the negatives....

Yep, I do know I sound like Pollyanna, but what the heck?  You'd rather read an outpouring of gloom and despondency?  I make pages like that too, sometimes, just to get it out of my system.  Being a journaller the good, bad, indifferent, EVERYTHING goes down on the page ....