Sunday, October 31, 2010

Virtual Summer Studio Tour!

 by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes



 
Hello World

Howdy and Welcome,

Now that the evening temps here in Chicago have dipped to freezing, it's once again time for me to move my art studio with wet supplies back inside the house to my 'winter studio'. What a pain to move the art studio twice every year - but I've almost got it down to a science. (The front porch is not heated, so the art studio is moved inside every fall and back to the front porch every summer).

I wanted to show you what it looked like this summer. These are the 'before' pics. The 'After' pics are coming in a few days.

Fan and top of drying rack 1


Work station




Wet work carts

Wet work turntable

Black under-table cart with gessos and texturing pastes
(Cart from Tar-get, love it - best cart to fit under tables!)

Drying rack 2 on second table

Pile of at work in progress for Sep 2011 show and storage cabinet

Looking north at second work table
with my friend Jane Sassaman's spectacular art quilt covering the intereior window wall
 (This side of the porch is shaded by a huge pine tree, so there is no direct light on my quilt)

Long south view to the other half of the studio
Storage on south side of studio for paper, mags and books
Door to inside 'winter studio'
You can almost see the entrance to my jewelry studio to the left of the red fan



Thanks for visiting - please leave a comment and come back soon!

Peace,
LuLu

Celebrating my 1st year Blogoversary with a give-a-way!


Thursday, October 28, 2010

CLOSED - Giveaway! Giveaway! LuLu's 1st Blogoversary Giveaway! CLOSED

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and welcome, 
Wow, that was fast! It's hard to believe that I've done one year of blogging already. Zip, zip, zip!

So to celebrate, I am offering you wonderful Followers, my first ever online Giveaway! This prize contains some of my favorite art supplies! All Followers of LuLu Too Beaucoup have until midnight November 27, 2010 to enter.


Super-duper mixed-media art prize package!
  1. original art journal - prepped, signed and dated art journal by me  - suitable for adding your journaling, painting, sketches, collage or photos (watercolor paper, prepped with gesso, glazes, calligraphy, art writing, dimensional embellishments, ribbons on wire binding - $300 value)
  2. Moleskine Cahier Large Plain Notebook (red softcover, 80 plain blank pages - 40 leaves, spine stitching, acid free paper, 16 perforated removable pages, back pocket, 8.25" x 5.25" - suitable for sketching or practicing your calligraphy).
  3. Vintage 1954 art book from the Art Treasures of the World Series - Van Gogh (used book, includes many color prints in fine condition - $50 value. These art books are wonderful for studying the 'master' artists lives and art works. The plates are perfect inspiration. I have a whole set of these vintage art books!)
  4. old dictionary pages (from foreign language and English dictionaries)
  5. old Spanish textbook pages
  6. old French textbook pages
  7. old math formula pages
  8. Shakespeare sonnet pages (distressed by me with tea and walnut ink)
  9. vintage sheet music 
  10. maps
  11. organizer tote by Crop In Style (for 12" scrapbooking paper, divided interior of 3 pockets, with velcro strap to slip over handle of rolling case)
  12. 3 faux-vintage softcover 'Shipshewana' travel pamphlets (perfect to use as an Art Journal, already prepped with some pages removed)
  13. metal / aluminum repair tape strips (adhesive backed, can be dry embossed and painted with acrylic paints or alcohol inks)
  14. pocket notepad
  15. vintage divided lunch tray
  16. vintage illustrated nursery rhyme pages
  17. vintage illustrated cookbook pages
  18. old book pages
  19. two chipboard coasters
  20. foam brush
  21. two  B & W prints (Tower of London and Tower Bridge, suitable for painting or coloring)
  22. original watercolor of The Tower of London
  23. 7 Gypsies chipboard album  (small)
  24. various ephemera
  25. original embellishments by me for LuLu Too Beaucoup
  26. various dimensional embellishments  
HOW TO ENTER
  1. Become a Follower.
  2. Surf my blog to determine which of my posts you like best - and note the title.
  3. Add a post to your blog mentioning this Blogoversary with a link back to this Giveaway post.
  4. Add a comment (in English, German or French) to this post and include the title of my blog post that you like best and why you like it (from #2 above), PLUS include your email address, PLUS include your country, PLUS include a link back to your blog post.
  5. Complete your entry before DUE DATE: midnight November 27, 2010
  6. One entry per email address.


    Note: To be eligible, you must have a blog, an  email account and follow this blog.

Winner will be selected by me based on your comments to this post. Winner will be announced before midnight Novemebr 28, 2010. I will email the winner to get their full postal mailing address when winner is announced. Good luck!

Thanks to all of you for following my art work! During my many ups and downs, fortunes and misfortunes, you have made this past year rewarding and incredibly inspiring for me.

Thanks for visiting - and please come back again real soon!

Peace,
LuLu

NEW FLASH! MORE PRIZES here as of Nov 14!


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

List It Tuesday - DVD list

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and welcome!

Here's another entry for List It Tuesday.
These are the DVDs and videos sitting on top of the TV waiting to be put away...

Black Pentel WOW BK440 Ballpoint pen and 
Blue fine point Sharpie on wallpaper sample

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

List It Tuesday - My Libra Birthday List

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome!
Here's my entry for List It Tuesday.

This is the list of things I did for my birthday weekend this year on Sat Sep 25 2010. Hubby and I did everything on my list except one thing (did not go to golf course). Plus we added 2 more things. He was such a good sport. We had a fantastic day  - a great adventure, and the weather was spectacular!



Thanks for stopping by - please come back again real soon!

Peace,
LuLu

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Art Lettering / Calligraphy on AJ journal pages w-i-p!

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome!

Here is a sampling of my calligraphy and art lettering on art journal pages in progress.



Front cover of wire bound art journal -
glazing covered with calligraphy and art lettering

c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010

c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010


c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010

c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010


c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010



c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010



c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010



c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010


c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010

I often use my version of the ancient Greek Boustrophedon style of writing alternate lines upside-down. My version does not incorporate mirroed characters - yet! Although I do write phrases, numbers and sayings in variuos languages, my art lettering is not designed to be read - I just think it makes an interesting texture layer. Texture is what my art is all about. 'The more texture the better', I say.

TOOLS

Gel pens, chisel tip and calligraphy markers are my fave tools for calligraphy and art lettering (Zig, Sharpie, sometimes Copic, whatever I can find with a chisel tip that is permanent & water resistant).

c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010


c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010


c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010

This page is written with Sakura gel pens - yellow and white.

c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010

This page is written with Sakura gel pens - yellow and white.


c mlh1 M L Haynes 2010

Most pages have been embellished with my embossed and painted metal corners. Plus most pages are edged with printed tapes (my own 'LuLu Too Beaucoup', or Tim Holtz or 7 Gypsies tissue tapes). You can see my own printed tape at the bottom edge of the bottom photo!

INSPIRATIONS FOR ART LETTERING
I've practiced penmanship and calligraphy since elementary and high school. I still communicate often by writing long letters with fountain pens. (Love fountain pens!) But my inspiration for 'art lettering' comes from discovering Martha Lever's blog and other lettering artists whose work I've admired in the Stampington mags!

What do you think of the lettering backgrounds on these art journal pages? They are so much fun to create.

Thanks for stopping by - please follow me - and come back again real soon!

Peace,
LuLu

Saturday, October 23, 2010

FREE Tutorial! How to Emboss metal for Art Journal pages, Altered Books, cards, scrapbooks! Complete steps!

Howdy and Welcome!

I'm back after a brief minor illness. Also, been working on pages in my art journals, scrapbooking and taking care of other areas of life.

This is a free tutorial. (UPDATE: Don't forget to check out the other FREE TUTORIALS and FREEBIES here on my blog!)

Embossed metal flags

These embossed and painted metal 'flags' are fun and relatively easy to make. They look fabulous on art journal pages, junk journals, altered book pages, greeting cards, BuJos (bullet journals), smash books, glue books, flo-jos (flow-ish journals), and in scrapbooks. This is not a new technique - just my way of doing it.

The embossed texture is so gorgeous - 
I almost don't want to paint it...























This metal repair tape is not archival, so if you want to use them in your acid-free archival scrapbooks, my suggestion is to seal them with an archival medium - like Golden soft gel medium gloss or Liquitex matte medium.


SUPPLY LIST:

  • apron
  • Big Shot [or other die cut machine] with embossing platforms
  • bone folder [or similar burnishing tool]
  • decorative scissors [or junky pinking shears dedicated to crafts (not your good pinking shears used for sewing)]
  • dust mask [to protect your lungs when sanding the paint]
  • 'Dust Buddy' [or damp paper towels]
  • embossing folders and texture plates (Cuttlebug, Sizzix, etc.)
  • latex gloves (optional) 
  • medium (optional) - Golden soft gel gloss medium or Liquitex matte medium
  • metal [aluminum repair tape (comes on a roll, from hardware store)] - this flexible, thin tape is adhesive backed and comes with protective wax paper on the back
  • old table cloth [or large craft sheet or something to protect your work surface]
  • old mouse pad (cut to fit)  [or flexible pad included with your die cut machine]
  • page protectors (optional)
  • paints (I got best results using Ranger's Adirondack acrylic paint dabbers which are opaque) or acrylic paints and 1.5" paint brush 
  • removable tape (one-sided) - optional, for use with Big Shot
  • ruler
  • sanding block (from hardware store) [or Tim Holtz's]
  • scissors
  • various storage containers
  • wax paper
PROJECT DURATION:

Several days, if done in 'batches'.

TESTING / MODIFICATIONS:

Test first: you can make a 'prototype' to test this process in just one day, by slightly modifying each step to just use 1 or 2 strips of metal. 


STEP 1 / DAY 1 - CUT:

Cut 5"-6" lengths from roll of aluminum repair tape using scissors. [Cut whole roll. This is a good   project to do while watching TV or a movie.] Store cut tapes until ready for next step.

Mine are stored in an old VHS tape box. Pencil boxes from Target or office supply store would also work. Or just rubber band them together. I store mine in a reused empty VHS box, because I take my projects on crops and when I travel.

Cut strips from metal repair tape - ready to store

Strips stored in old VHS tape box -
a perfect fit!

STEP 2 / DAY 2 - TAPE: 

(optional - works with large Big Shot platforms and the larger texture plates)

Tape three metal strips together using removable tape. Tape together in two places - about 1 inch from top and 1 inch from bottom of metal strips. The purpose of this tape is to keep the metal strips stable while embossing, and also while painting. You could skip this step and emboss and paint the metal strips one-by-one, but it would take forever! Removable tape is required so it can be easily removed later.

Repeat for all remaining strips. 

Store taped strips. I store mine interleaved between sheets of wax paper. One sheet of wax paper is used for each 'three-pack' - that is, one sheet of wax paper for each three strips taped together.



STEP 3 / DAY 3 - DRY EMBOSS:

Emboss a 'three-pack' using an embossing folders or texture plates. You might have to create a two-pack or use a single strip if the 'three-pack' is too wide in the embossing folders. Experiment. 

Repeat for all remaining three-packs. Store embossed three-packs.

Various embossing/texture plates and embossing folder




Metal Strip and Embossing folder


Metal Strip inside Embossing folder



Strip inside embossing folder -
ready to run through die cut machine


Embossed metal strips - yummy texture!



The embossed texture is so gorgeous -
I almost don't want to paint it...




Embossed metal strips stored in
 re-purposed plastic packaging -

ready to be painted  in next step

 STEP 4 / DAY 4 - PAINT:

Put on your apron, gloves, and protective covering on your work surface. 

Using 2-3 different color paints (analogous colors that touch on color wheel, or different tints of analogous colors, or your fave colors), quickly paint a three-pack using long broad strokes of the dabber or your brush. I usually paint my strokes diagonally.

Set aside to dry overnight.

Repeat for all remaining three-packs. Store painted three-packs.

Note: the painting / drying step may take a few days.

Important: paint must be completely dry before the next step, sanding.

Dried painted  embossed metal strips -
ready for next step: sanding

























STEP 5 / DAY 5 - SAND:
 
Put on your dust mask. 

With your sanding block, gently sand a three-pack. Then wipe off dust using a 'dust buddy' or slightly damp paper towel. The goal is to sand off a little of the paint that's on the raised edges of the embossed metal.
 
Repeat for all remaining three-packs. 

Store sanded three-packs by color family. That is, store cool color strips together. Store warm color strips together. I use a rubber band or large clip. Fyi, when the painted strips are stored by color family, it makes it easier to apply strips to your pages based on color.

Sanding block and 'Dust Buddy'

STEP 6 / DAY 6 - REMOVE TAPE:

Pull off the removable tape from the back of the thee-pack. You now have single strips.

Repeat for all remaining three-packs. 

Left side has tape on back -
you can just barely see the tape.

Right side is an embossed and painted three-strip

Store single strips by color family. That is, store cool color strips together. Store warm color strips together. I use a rubber band or large clip. Fyi, when the painted strips are stored by color family, it makes it easier to apply strips to your pages, cards and altered books based on color.

Painted strips - sorted by color family,
clipped together and ready to cut in next step

STEP 7 / DAY 7 - CUT FLAGS:

Cut each strip diagonally from corner to corner using the pinking shears or a decorative scissor. I like to use the torn paper decorative scissor or pinking shears for this step.

Repeat for all remaining single strips. 

Store cut 'flags' by color family until ready to use on your AJ, altered book, BuJo, Flo-jo, cards, junk journal, ATCs, or scrapbook page, etc..

Finished Cut flags -
ready for cards, altered books, art  journals, and
scrapbook pages
(Important Note: seal first with a medium for archival scrapbooks)

























STEP 8 / DAY 8 - ADHERE FLAGS:

When ready to use flag, remove backing and carefully place flag in or near corner of your page. This adhesive is very sticky so don't press into place into it is in the desired position. When in desired position, press gently to adhere. Try not to smash the embossing. Burnish edges only with bone folder or similar tool.

Sit back and enjoy your artwork!



c mlh1 - M L Haynes 2010


SEND YOUR RESULTS!

If you try this free tutorial, please post your results on YOUR blog and then send me a link to that post via my Contact form. I'd love to see your work based on this tutorial!

Thanks for visiting - please follow me - and stop by again soon!

Peace,
LuLu

P.S. My 1 year Blog-oversary is rapidly approaching!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!!! Stay tuned for my first Giveaway!



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