The Alternative Path

So I really love my mixed media piece that I turned in for 2-D Design.  It was a concept piece relating three sort of random things about you into one cohesive piece.  So, here it is.  Take it in.  Let me know your first reaction to it -- good or bad.

The colors are more intense than the photo.  My three things were rebel, the many paths life can take and dogs (of course).  I had so many ideas going on in my head and for sure that comes out in the piece.  One thing I really need to do is self-edit.

Let me point out a few things, in the left part of the piece is a very plain green grass hill and a very straight and narrow pathway with the typical milestones in a person's life -- birth, school, career, date, marriage, 2.5 kids, etc. The pathway is all monochromatic which means one color family (alternating path stones in grays) and uses more rectilinear lines to show its formality.  Coming out of the school path stone is an alternative path.  It is more organic (I used glue and sand to construct it) and uses curvilinear line which are more natural.  Along the alternative pathway there are various crops of different places I've been.  Last, but not least, there are various pictures of the girls however I have altered them into other things.  Bailey is a spider, Phoebe is a honeybee, Sophie is a butterfly, Izzie is nesting in a giant flower and Viola is a gorilla looking at a bunch of bananas.  The bright patches of color show my rebel nature as does the change in texture from one side to the other.

Not sure I would hang this in my living room -- maybe my studio!

Materials -- canvas (I think it is a 24X36 so fairly large).  MODGE PODGE  Lots and lots of Modge Podge!  All the paint is actually Copic Markers that I airburshed onto the canvas.  I don't recomend hand coloring canvas with Copics since it is so porous, it will soak all your ink in.  The intensity of the colors is due to many layers of different markers.

Copic Marker Certification

On Monday, I attended a Copic Marker Certification class. I am in LOVE with Copic Markers! I have the 72A set of markers. There are three other sets of 72 that I really really want.

As we were learning about the product and how to use it and blending techniques, all I could think about was my project for 2-D design. We are doing a project that takes three or more things (objects, words, hobbies, life statements, etc.) that describe us and relate them into one conceptual art piece. I have chosen the words off the beaten path, rebel, dogs and travel. One one side of the piece I will have a very straight and narrow path in blacks and grays and then there will be another path that shoots off it that leads to lush greenery and flowers and then embedded into the plants will be pictures of my dogs and places I've been to. But the lushness that I'm seeing in my mind, I think I can achieve with the Copics.

Copics are great for coloring in stamped images. With 300+ colors to choose from, you can achieve the lightest skin tones to the bluest sky. The markers are easily blendable from one color into the next so you can really play with highlights and shadows or seamless slip from one color into the next.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Stampin' Up water-based markers. You can't really compare a water-based marker to alcohol-based markers. They are two different tools. You can't screw in a screw with a hammer. You need a screwdriver. They are different tools for different effects.

My water-based Stampin' Up markers are my go to for immediate coloring of stamps when I want to multi color the stamp on the stamp with no outlines. For instance, Upsy Daisy, is a stamp that I like to color the petals and the grass different colors. I use the Stampin' Up! markers to color right on the stamp before I even set it down onto paper.

Some highlights about Copic -

• Copic has its own airbrushing system where you can use canned air or a compressor. The compressor needs to be 40-60 psi. Using the airbrush feature allows you to control the coverage of the ink and provides an even coating effects. The airbrush is great with stencils and because you are using it like the marker itself, it is easy to control. If this is something you are interested in, then tell your hubby that you need a compressor -- but don't let him try to rig you up using a compressor he has out in the garage. Anything higher than 60 psi will damage the markers and probably throw ink all over you!

• What I love about Copic is that you can refill them when they run out. Yes, the are costly to buy but the savings really comes from being able to refill when needed instead of throwing away and buying a new set. The nibs on the markers (I have Copic Sketch) can be replaced easily and depending on the marker style, there are a number of different nibs you can get.

I will be putting together a copic marker class -- maybe at Kennesaw -- later in the fall. I will keep you posted!