So remember that picture I painted for my poetry book cover? Well, now that I have it scanned in and ready to go for the book, I’m going to use it to play around with some mixed media stuff. I’ve been seeing all these cool techniques and really want to try a few out.
I love the idea of adding pages from old books. I go to a lot of used book sales, and besides that, I just like words. So I wanted to add some printed words, and words I wrote by hand. I started with the picture, and wanted to add a few words from a poem I wrote years ago. The poem mentions a big red chair, and since I had one of those in the painting it seemed to fit. I took the words and printed them out on my computer, then tore up a couple pieces of scrapbook paper.
Then I combined them all together and put them on top of the picture. I used ModgePodge to glue everything. Next, I wanted to add a girl sitting in that chair. I sketched out a figure that I wanted to cut out of scrapbook paper. Then I sketched it out again on scrapbook paper, and cut. I also used a page from an old book for her head. Then I pasted it on the painting.
I added some highlights to the paper. Granted, the girl isn’t really sitting in the chair, but she is kind of in front of it. Details! Anyways, I also added some throw pillows and used embossing liquid to put the “buttons” on. Next to the chair I added a vase with flowers on top of a side table.
For the flowers I used a white ink pen and some black embossing liquid. The vase is done with paint over a page from an old book. I wrote on the table with various words, and really do not like the way it turned out. I’m going to have to play with it, or at least do something different next picture. I wanted to give the effect of words in various forms here and there throughout the picture.
I should have stopped there, but then thought I should add something above the chair. I decided on a window, and used some brown striped paper to work as “shutters.”
I think the window looked okay, but I hated the shutters. I used the same paper for the girl’s hair as I did for the shutters, which was too much. Plus, there aren’t shutters on the inside of a window, are there? I just didn’t like the overall effect. I wished I would have left it alone. But I was committed now, so I had to forge ahead. The “outside” area is a page from a book, covered in light blue paint and written on with white ink pen. I realize that the ink pen doesn’t really show up on the blue paper, but it’s not a big deal. Still, I needed to do something with that window, it bugged me. I decided to give the window curtains instead.
I liked it better with the curtains, but I didn’t love it. Still, there’s not much left I can do with this picture so I’m going to leave it. I do like using a variety of papers, so I’m going to try and do some more of those on the next picture.
Eileen says
Cherie, I love the phrase on the plaque. Is that original? I want to give due credit when I use it. I have a scrapbook page in mind š
Cherie says
Hi Eileen! Yes, it’s original, from a poem I wrote called “Today I take for me.”
Here’s the whole thing:
Today
I will look in the mirror
for the little girl I left behind,
and I will ask her to show me
how to giggle, again.
Today
I will talk to God,
and I will not ask Him
for a better job, a better house,
a better life….
Today
I will thank Him.
Sincerely thank Him
for giving me this interesting life,
filled with surprises
and the ability to laugh.
Today
I will let the phone ring
because those who are my friends
will understand,
and those who arenāt,
well…
Today
I take for me.
Today
I will let Cather calm my mind,
and Shakespeare ease my soul,
and Hamilton, Kingsolver and Buck
awe me with their talent.
Today
I will acknowledge my own talent.
Today
I will watch the snow
fall down outside
and see how it gives the world
a fresh start
making things clean again
with its fresh blanket of white.
Today
I will curl up in my favorite chair,
and hug my curves and smile,
and realize my best asset
is my uniqueness.
Today
I take for me.
You’ll have to send me a picture of the scrapbook page when you get it done. I’d love to see it!
Marsha says
Interesting idea with all the layers to your picture. I wasn’t sure I liked the muted effect the picture became once you added the curtains, since it made the whole picture more yellowish.
Just so you know, people do use shutters on the inside of their windows, although they are made to actually close, and they are always wooden, but may be painted a different color. So your shutters were almost perfect. For all intents and purposes they could have been folded back until night-time.
I didn’t think the words on the table was overkill either as the whole picture wasn’t words.
Bless,
Marsha
Cherie says
Hey Marsha,
Nice to see you on here. Actually the yellowish was due to the flash on my camera. I’m not sure why the thing looked more yellow when I took the last picture. (My photography skills are to blame for sure.)