all in an inch

Really Unique Idea #5 - truly 'artful' valentines!!

I am a great admirer of the work of Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. She is a graphic designer, painter, artist and even author... she is multi-faceted with a wide range of expertise involving art journaling, scrapbooking, fabulous original design work, mixed media, unique crafting...you name it!

I visit her blog often, if for no other reason than to get a creative boost, and always come away inspired. 

A couple of months ago I had sent her some of the Inchie Arts products. I was dying of curiousity to see how she might utilize the squares with her style of imaginative design. Needless to say when I saw her Valentine posting today I was blown away and wanted to share her wonderful creations with everyone. 

Check out her incredible valentines with Inchie Arts squares at http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2011/02/valentines-day-inchie-cards.html

I love how she used everything from glaze pens to watercolor crayons on the squares. 

Thank you Julie...once again, I am truly inspired!!

First Valentine

crisp and contemporary

Using the pen and coloring technique from the last posting we thought it would be fun to try a valentine by using appropriate colors and 'drawing in' a tiny heart. This technique is highly addictive, but relaxing at the same time...we can't stop making them!!!!

 

 

Since we knew it was going to be a valentine we picked the colors before we even started the pen work. If you are using multiple colors in a project it's often helpful to create a tiny palette made of the same material as your project (in this case a white Twinchie Square). Not only can you use it to test and select which colors to use, but once you decide on colors it is a handy reference to remember which marker is which color as you work on the project. Be sure and use the pointed tip end of the Copic markers when coloring small spaces like these and color on the 'top' side (the side with the more textured surface and rounded edges) of the squares for the best results. 

(for more information about coloring on the 'top' side refer to a posting called Frequently Asked Questions from June 2010)  

 

 

The key to this technique is drawing one continuous line that connects back to the original starting point. The fun is coloring, because you really have no idea how it's going to turn out until you fill the spaces your pen has created! The pen work goes so fast it's easy to make several white Twinchie (2") Squares at a time.

 

 

After coloring, give the heart a little extra emphasis by applying Glossy Accents by Inkssentials. It's a clear liquid that dries leaving a hard, shiny 3D finish. It's tempting to check to see if it's dry, but resist the urge to touch it until completely clear and hard.

(An easy way to check for dryness is to take a piece of scratch paper and apply a drop about the same size as on your work - you can check this for dryness instead of touching your finished piece)

 

 
with a feminine touch

Creating these 'art' twinchies also gives you an opportunity to experiment with the card components. For each of the four finished pieces we created 4 completely different cards.

 

 
clean and simple

 

 
a bit more masculine

Looking at the calendar I guess Valentines Day is only a little more than 3 weeks away!!

(Mix and match valentine sentiments...Love, be my valentine and Queen of Hearts from the Lockhart Stamp Company and valentine wishes from Savvy Stamps)

Miro or Kandinsky? Art inspired twinchie's and inchie's

 

I am horrible at New Year's resolutions but just might change my mind due to a certain book I received for Christmas. It's called, "The Daily Book of Art - 365 readings that teach, inspire and entertain." At odds for exactly how to explain this absolutely wonderful book here are a couple of paragraphs from the back cover....     

"What do the Mona Lisa, the Parthenon, and a pinecone have in common? Why did van Gogh purposely sever his ear? When did coffee evolve from a morning beverage to an artistic medium? What colors should you wear while dieting? And who was Caravaggio?"

"Learn the answers to these questions and more with the engaging readings contained in The Daily Book of Art, a yearlong journey through lively and thought-provoking discussions. Inside, ten rotating categories paint a picture of the compelling world of art in broad brushstrokes." (fyi...the book is available at amazon.com)

As I embark on this journey of 365 readings from The Daily Book of Art, I find my mind wandering to teachings, ideas and projects from long ago. My personal career origins are art based and I have morphed through a few different directions over the years. No matter what tangent I seem to be exploring I find myself coming back to art basics; whether they be technique, creative exploration, history or personal imagination - art is the center.

I remembered a project we used to teach in Art Docent Training. It provided an excuse to do a little art history lesson about a style of art and artists, and also proved a wonderful exercise to get the adults to 'loosen' up and not be so afraid of putting pen to paper!

Inspired by the Expressionist and Abstract styles of Wassily Kandinsky and Joan Miro you apply a continuous line to paper and through random directional changes and overlapping, create shapes that are then colored. 

And what a fabulous project to try with Twinchie and Inchie Squares!!  

 
The supplies for this project are pretty basic...a handful of brightly colored Copic markers, white Twinchie and Inchie Squares and a .05 Sakura waterproof Micron pen. 

(a hint...your pen work will be the most crisp if you do your drawing on the 'top' side of the squares. You can learn more about which is the top side by looking up a post we wrote on June 10, 2010 called Frequently Asked Questions) 

 

 
Begin with the larger 2" white Twinchie Squares to get comfortable with putting pen to paper before trying the much smaller Inchie Squares.

Ready....set....draw!

 
The trick is to draw one continuous line...weaving, bending, looping, overlapping and finally connecting back to your starting point. 

 

 
Then, taking your time, color in the enclosed spaces that you have created...using one color at a time to fill in selected spaces. 

 

 
It's always a surprise to see how each one turns out!

 

 
Then try a few more lines, creating a few more spaces to color.

 

 
Or one colored with just 3 'cool' colors...

 

 
or 3 'warm' colors!

 

 
Now that you have gotten comfortable with the 2" size, go ahead and switch to the 1" Inchie Squares. Put four together to create a larger square puzzle design or lay out 5 squares horizontally for a long continuous design. Remember, it's all about letting loose with the pen...but eventually coming back and connecting to your starting point.

It's recommended that you anchor the squares with a removable adhesive so you are free to move the pen across the multiple squares without having to worry about them moving.

(Our favorite is the TOMBO Mono Removable Adhesive roller) 

 

 
You just never know how your squiggles will turn out until you start coloring in the shapes.

 

 
Since the Inchie Squares are solid core white you are able to color the edges...don't forget!

 

 
Never would have guessed that this one would have yielded so much white space!

 

 
How can you resist creating such fun...and random...designs?!

 

 
And finally a single Inchie Square...

(well, actually it's stacked on top of black 1 1/2" Inchie + Square!)    

These cards wouldn't have been nearly as successful if it weren't for the wonderful set of greetings from Hero Arts. This Poly Clear set contains all the greetings used, plus more, and is called Essential Messages.