2024 - New Job! 'I'm on my first Design Team!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes - Artist and Bricoleur

Happy New Year!

One Paper Place in Frankfort, IL has hired me for their Design Team! 

Thanks to owner, Chris Rispoli, for this crafty job!

Some samples of my work:

Art Journal Planner

(from Annette Green class at OPP July 2023).

Supplies: provided by Annette Green

Front Cover

Technique: Stencils + glitter paste

Inside back cover:

Technique: My original MLH stamp + unknown stamp

Assemblage

(from Finnabair class at OPP July 2023)

Techniques: 3-D collage, painting, gilding

Supplies: gesso, acrylic paints, embellishments 

[from Finnabair class and from home stash]

Thanks for stopping by - please leave a comment!

Peace, 

LuLu

'Tonight' poem excerpt

Howdy and Welcome!

Here are closeups from some pages from my 'Art Journal #2 Never Give Up - Never Surrender!'.

Enjoy!

Closeups of pages from Art Journal #2 -

 'Never Give Up - Never surrender!'

The italics calligraphy text is an excerpt from 'Tonight', one of my original published poems.

Ingredients: each page of sketch paper covered in 2"wide masking tape both sides, white gesso, tinted gessos, various paints, mediums, techniques, watercolor, acrylic, pens, mesh tape (from hardware store), inks, ZIG calligrapy marker, gel pens, glitter, 14k gold paint.

What do you think of thses closeups? I love the abract quality of these pages. I specifically tried to turn off the analytical side of my brain and let the artwork create it self with little thought or design.

What do you think of the textures, and various layers peeking in and out?

The title of this journal 'Never give up, never surrender!' is a motto from the sci-fi movie 'GALAXY QUEST' with Tim Allen!

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment if you have a moment or 2 - and visit again soon!

Peace,

LuLu

'Never give up - Never surrender!' Art Journal #2 - with ribbon fringes and texture!

Howdy and Welcome!

I'm back for a hot minute...
Been feverishly working on pieces for my September 2010 art show and haven't posted for a while.

Here are some pix of my first art journal. Started it a year ago in July 2009. It contains a mish-mash of pages. Tests of paints and image transfers, calligraphy, zendoodles, gel pens, Sharpie paint pens - just a lot of different things. The subsequent journals I've started have themes so I can focus on specific processes.

For example, I now have another  moleskine journal dedicated exclusviely to practicing my calligraphy. I love, love, love calligraphy - ever since I took penmanship class in grammar school, I've enjoyed writing, pens and stationery. I'm one of those throwbacks who enjoys writing long 10 page letters with a fountain pen and sending them off to friends in the post. Must be the poet in me!

Closeup of cover of journal #2.

Ingredients: white gesso, tinted gesso, gold and other colors of acrylic dabbers applied via monoprint from deli wrap paper, Golden fluid acrylic (Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold), italics calligraphy font using purple ZIG calligrapy pen,  Ranger Distress Crackle 'Clear Rock Candy', various acrylic washes, diluted Liquitex matte medium between layers, diluted Modge Podge gloss to seal.

Cover of journal #2

Art Journal #2 - with ribbon fringes and texture!
Photo showing ribbons on coil binding of journal #2.

Really had fun adding the ribbons. Up until now, didn't think I was a ribbon lover - but they have grown on me.

Technique: cut ribbons in advance 6"-10". Tied ribbons mixing colors randomly. Fyi, I no longer keep ribbons on spools. While watching TV, I unravel the spools, cut to shorter strips and affix them to those little plastic ribbon cards. Spools take up too much space in my studio and crop bags...

What do you think of this cover. Aren't the textures yummy? That clear Rock Candy is an incredible crackle product. Have you ever used clear Rock Candy crackle paint?

Thanks for visiting - please leave a comment and stop by again soon!

Peace,
LuLu

'Swirl Challenge - and FREE TUTORIAL!'

'Swirly Girly Screen' - Front

Assemblage

'Swirly Girly Screen' - Back

Assemblage

 Howdy and Welcome!

This was an experiment for the Saturday swirl challenge at Lots To Do. My first time using grungeboard. I needed to adhere the embossed repair tape to a surface that could stand up on it's own. The grunge board worked well, and I love the self- adhesive aluminum repair tape from the hardware store.

But, there were computer problems this week, so I was never able to enter 'Swirly Girly' at the challenge in time. Oh, well, it was a fun exercise!

Ingredients: aluminum repair tape (front - ACE hardware), embossing tools for aluminum reapir tape(front - Big Shot + texture plates - various), Tim Holtz grungeboard, Ranger ADirondack acrylic paint dabbers, Felt Fusion swirl (front), Bo Bunny swirl (back), Karen Foster sticker swirls (back), brads (unknown), beads, rhinestones (unknown)

TUTORIAL for front of screen:

• 
  
  CUT many 6" long strips from a roll of 2"W self-adhesive aluminum tape from hardware store (you could do this task while TV watching. I used the whole roll).
• 
  
  TAPE three of the strips together on back of adhesive paper using one-sided removable tape (this makes the foil wide enough to completely cover the texture plates. Also you will be embossing 3 strips at once instead of embossing 1 strip at a time - which would take for-ever!)
• 
  
  SELECT whichever texture/embossing plates that you want to use.
• 
  
  EMBOSS, as usual, so that the metal side has the impression (I use a Big Shot).
• 
  
  SELECT an assortment of acrylic paints in coordinating and contrasting colors (For this technique, I found that Ranger Acrylic Dabbers worked best).
• 
  
  PAINT the 3-strip embossed foil with quick, light strokes. Let dry (overnight is best).
• 
  
  SAND lightly with TH sanding block (or other sdandpaper) using the fine grit side. (You are trying to expose some of the shiny metal, but don't sand off all the paint. Some of the embossed impressions will flatten with the sanding, but that's ok.) Wipe off debris with a damp paper towel.
• 
  
  REMOVE tape from back of strip - but not the adhesive paper protector. Keep the paper on until you're ready to adhere the strips to something. In this project, I adhered my strips to the textured grungeboard.
• 
  
  ADMIRE your handiwork!

What do you think of this experiment with TH grungeboard? What have you used to cut it? What do you think of the emobssing?

Thanks for visiting - and I'd love for you to come back soon!

Peace,
LuLu