Michelle Ward's 49th Crusade challenged us to create a Forensic Self Portrait. Sadly, I've made a habit of coming in every month as the last Crusader and this time I'm just downright late. (Shakes head & inserts sick note).
Despite my tardiness, the self portrait has come at a good time for me because I've recently been questioning selfishness in art. Michelle's totally cool freebie file even comes complete with a little "Me Me Me" patch that had me rolling!!
I finally decided to put to use a groovy 1970s postcard book I found at a flea market. This thing is the perfect altered book because not only is it made with heavy quality paper, it also has these little spacers between the spreads, anticipating the way a book will fatten with everything you add to the pages! Genius!
I'm not sure how the rest of you prep your journals when you get going but I've found that wrapping everything you're not going to paint in cling film (plastic wrap) is the easiest method.
I use the term "easy" really loosely here. I'm more of a single-page journal girl so within 5 minutes of working in this fat book I wanted to chuck it right through the window!
I sprayed my hand cut "Bavarian" style stencil onto the pages and then glued in some copies from Edelweiss I had been carving.
It was sort of funny because recently I was posting about being Twist Defiant and when I got all done and saw the big old flower stuck to my head I immediately thought of Anahata Katkin! So there ya go. Dang. Maybe everything has been done.
The book is large. I think if I did one of these each year around my birthday then I can live to be in my 80s before having to start a new one. And wouldn't it be fun to look back year-by-year and see how we've changed? I totally loved this Crusade!
This is the basic spread before I went in and added the journaling. I'm thinking I've got to thread the tags onto that red ribbon and then attach it to the left page with a staple or something...
Here's a close up of the left side finished. I'm not sure if I regret adding the yellow or not. My stamping was it's usually craptastic-ness so I've had to learn how to enjoy going back in with black and reconnecting everything. I'm not kidding. I cannot stamp. Ever. (Look closely at the top pic). The results are never a clear and even impression. And this is quite a problem because the human eye always stops at a solid line. If you have disconnected stuff at best it just looks bad, at worst people actually can't even read it. I've spent so much time "fixing" my bad stamping that I've gotten pretty good at it. My brain goes into some kind of craft coma and I wake up to a page that's more cohesive! Voila!
As always, a big thank-you to Michelle for hosting the fun! BTW, have you guys noticed her upcoming class Raise the Bar? Check it out! And if you're wondering what the crusades are, I hope you know you can come join the fun!
TJ - great spread! Bravo for getting it done, regardless of the timing :) Love the detail shot (last photo) where you creatively "repair" the stamping....makes it way more interesting. Love how you added lines to follow the pattern and wrote within them. Love the stitching around the Edelweiss. And love the colors. Great tip to wrap pages in plastic. I use wax paper and eventually they get mucked up with paint and become excellent additions to a page. Thanks for sharing with the team....now keep at it and start the next one!
Posted by: michelle ward | April 09, 2011 at 12:10 AM
p.s two more things....i love the tags your show...I spy a perfume label...it's what I wear too! AND I only just realized the clever title of your Twist Defiant...duh, twist....like your pretzel thing. *smacks head*
Posted by: michelle ward | April 09, 2011 at 12:12 AM
Loved this post so much I ended up tracking back through link after link, reading your old posts. Your sick note cracked me up. Would you write one for me too? Just in case I need it...
Posted by: Cath S | April 09, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Thank you Michelle, oh how I miss wax paper! They only have brown baking paper here, it's not quite the same but maybe I'll try it anyway...
Cath - I love your blog. Wow I'm trying to be all cool that you're here visiting... thank you so much for telling me you read those links! They're a lot of work to weave into a post and something I think I'll quit doing it because I never knew if anybody read them. Dang you made my day girl!!
Posted by: TJ | April 09, 2011 at 12:43 PM
Glad you're feeling better and making pages again. what a cool book find that is, it will look extremely yummy when you've filled it up with "you". keep twisting crusader!
Posted by: iHanna | April 09, 2011 at 08:43 PM
Cool !!
It is such inspiring.
Love the blue 'square' background.
Posted by: Lay Hoon | April 10, 2011 at 03:24 AM
I'm feeling sad that I didn't make it to Atlanta to see your Sketchbook : ( But, glad to see you back to your art. Hopefully, your family is all healthy and well again.
I love the yellow. It just kind of adds a little zest. I didn't know you don't have wax paper. I wonder why?
Posted by: Anne | April 10, 2011 at 02:08 PM
I love your style TJ!
Posted by: robin | April 12, 2011 at 07:20 PM
TJ! I got one of your postcards in the swap! fab. And this is a really cool page. I recently posted a question to the group mind about how to surface journal pages so that my pens work correctly!
do you not love Anahata?
I'm going to try the plastic wrap thing. I use waxed paper to make texture.. why not plastic to protect? Pretty soon I'll be buying all supplies in the kitchen department....
Posted by: Chris | April 15, 2011 at 11:15 PM
Late? You're not really late - you just thought longer ! It's a great page and well done !
Posted by: Marie Z Johansen | April 18, 2011 at 12:26 AM
Great layout! Love the harlequin stencil!
Posted by: Michelle | April 27, 2011 at 12:40 PM
I know what you mean. I realy don't like to stamp directly on my projects most of the time because of this. I do use a thick piece of fun foam under my cardstock. That helps alot. As for hand carved stamps, they never seem to come out perfectly. I asume that if you used a barren or stamp press it would turn out better. It's been 10 years and it is still on my list of things to aquire. I realy have been enjoying reading your blog. You are an addictive writer. I love that you include lots of links. I enjoy being able to see what you are talking about. I may well have to start doing that on my blog, but then again I am pretty lazy. LOL
Posted by: viki | May 30, 2011 at 09:22 AM
Very neat idea, that looks like a complicated stamp to me, It would be neat to just save the book for portraits.
Posted by: Rosemary Griffin | June 06, 2011 at 02:34 AM