Art E. Choke - Altered Envelope

Here it is the middle of November already.  Thanksgiving is only a week away.  Where does the time go?!  Honestly, it seems like just last week I was mailing my October partner's altered envie, and here it is time to mail November's.

I painted this watercolor artichoke when I went to an artist hangout.  I didn't have any plans for it and in fact it was still taped to my painting board.  Since I had used a large piece of watercolor paper, I had enough leeway to turn it into an envelope.  After I cut and scored my envelope shape, I added the checkerboard border using watercolors and the lettering using a Tim Holtz stencil.

The artichoke and the checkerboard both wrap around to the back of the envelope.  I outlined the entire envelope with a silverleaf pen to finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; Grumbacher Transparent watercolors; Tim Holtz stencil; Staedtler pigment ink pen; authentic mail art stamp from Red Lead Paperworks.

Mysterious Eyes - Altered Canvas

Once or twice a year, the altered envelope group I participate in has a "Weirdy Mail" option.  By weirdy mail, we mean an artsy bit other than an envelope or postcard, preferably sent through the mail "naked" (without packaging).  It's always fun to see what people manage to send through the mail with only a label and postage adhered to it.

I'll admit, I'm a little leery about sending naked weirdy mail, especially when I've spent so much time making something special for my partner.  I was doubly concerned this time, because my mail had to go to Canada (and Canada Post has been threatening to strike in recent months).  So I settled on a basic 8x8 wrapped canvas that could potentially go naked, but decided to wait until I was done with it to make a final decision.

Based on my partner's profile, I chose a Halloween theme and got to work creating a 4x4 collage for the hole in the back of the wrapped canvas.  The base of my collage was an old bingo card cut to size, and the focal point would be this lovely bat image from Oxford Impressions.  I stamped the bat on white cardstock and colored it with Prismacolor Premier pencils, then trimmed it closely.  I tinted the bingo card with distress inks and acrylic paint and added some rub-ons (the black grungy stuff) before adhering the bat.  The text was cut from an old novel.

Once I had my collage largely done, I turned my attention to the canvas itself.  First I gave the entire thing a coat of black gesso, then I painted the canvas with a mixture of black, purple and white acrylic paint.  Next I adhered a vintage-looking scrapbook paper to the wooden frame portion.  That paper was tinted with paint and ink to match the bingo card, and also received a few spots of the grungy rub-on.  At this point it was looking pretty good, but I still felt it was lacking something; it needed texture.  Molding paste to the rescue!  I applied molding paste through a stencil to the entire frame as well as to the central collage.  This turned out way better than I could have hoped, and it pulled the entire piece together.  Once the molding paste was dry, I tinted it with distress paints.

I adhered the central collage and outlined it with antique bronze Stickles.  I spattered white acrylic paint onto the entire thing (again, to integrate the collage with the frame) and then sealed everything with an acrylic spray.

I suppose you want to know whether my canvas got to travel naked or not.  Well, it did not.  I chickened out.  I didn't want it to get damaged or, God forbid, stolen by some crazed fan of winged mammals.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Collage Owl - Altered Envelope

I was digging through my clip-art file this week in search of inspiration, and discovered this fabulous owl image that was perfect for my October Envie Addicts exchange.

I created the envelope using a piece of patterned paper from one of my Stampington magazines.  (I have a huge stack of these papers, and I've decided that this is a good use for them since many have designs or colors I might not like at first glance.)  The patterned paper is glossy, so I used an old credit card to swipe it with titanium white acrylic paint; the paint gives the next layers something to cling to.  Along the bottom of the envelope I adhered some old book text, then stenciled the trees using dusty concord distress ink and stamped on the spatters using Ranger Archival Ink in a color called watering can.  After adhering the owl, I tinted it lightly with markers.

I added some shading around the owl using a black Stabilo All Pencil and smudged some gray Gelatos around the edges of the envelope.  A suspenseful sentence cut from my favorite old novel finished off this collage.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Patterned paper and clipart owl from Stampington and Company; We R Memory Makers envelope board; titanium white acrylic paint; tree stencil by The Crafters Workshop; bubbles stencil by Tim Holtz; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Ranger watering can Archival Ink; dusty concord distress ink; Derwent forest green tinted charcoal pencil; black Stabilo All Pencil; water pen; book text; Faber-Castell PITT artist pen; Gelatos.

A Lady Never Reveals...Altered Envelope

Years ago, we were at my grandparents' house for something and it just happened to be my great aunt's birthday.  Someone asked her how old she was and her reply was, "A lady never reveals her age."  I had to kind of laugh at that.  I mean, we all knew she was 80-something.  Did it really matter whether she was 82 or 83, or even 87?  I would think she would be proud of having lived a good, long life.  But in generations past, it was not considered good form or even prudent to reveal a woman's age.  Women who were not married by "a certain age" were labeled spinsters and looked down upon, even pitied.  Married women whose children had left home, or young widows, were disparaged if they were youthful and vibrant or tried to have a life of their own.  Even today, age discrimination still exists for women far more than for men.

But enough serious discussion.  I only brought it up because it relates to this altered envelope I created as a birthday RAK.  I found the paper and this clip-art image in my stash (both were freebies in a Stampington magazine), and wanted to come up with a snarky caption related to birthdays.  And for some odd reason I remembered my great aunt Emily telling me, "A lady never reveals her age."  But what else might she not reveal?  Hmmm, how about the amount she spends on art supplies?!

I used a We R Memory Keepers envelope board to turn the patterned paper into an envelope, inserting a lightweight index card inside before gluing it shut (for added sturdiness).  I adhered my lovely lady and printed my snarky statement on the computer.  I added the white dots, black zigzags and mini stars using a black PITT artist pen and white gelly roll pen.  A birthday greeting and the recipient's address went on the other side of the envelope. 

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by. 

Supplies: 
Patterned paper and clip-art photo from Stampington and Company; We R Memory Keepers envelope board; computer generated sentiment; Sakura white gelly roll pen; Faber-Castell PITT artist pen.

Icelandic Poppy No. 4 - Altered Envelope

Inspiration can come from just about anywhere.  In this case, it came from a forgotten monoprint that I found in my stash.  I made the print into a 6 x 4.75 inch envelope using my envelope punch board, then sat and studied it until I finally decided what my next step would be.

Since my partner likes poppies, I decided I would try to paint one on the envelope.  I did a practice sketch on a piece of scratch paper first.  Once I was happy with the size and shape of my design, I transferred it onto the envelope and outlined it with black Stabilo All Pencil.  I then painted inside all of the pencil lines with white acrylic paint.  Some of the Stabilo pencil smeared a little when it got wet, but that actually worked well with my design.

I continued to add color and details to the poppy by painting on lemon zest Dylusions ink spray, peeled paint and antiqued bronze distress paint, more white acrylic paint, and more black and white Stabilo pencil.  This was such a fun process that I never wanted it to end.

I added the No. 4 with a stencil to signify that this month is the Envie Addicts' fourth birthday.  I stamped a flourish border but left the back fairly plain, mainly to prevent any confusion at the post office.

I just love participating in this altered envelope exchange every month.  It's a fun and talented group and I have received many beautiful pieces of art through the mail.  I've also learned a lot and have been motivated to try new things.  For example, my first inclination was to add some stamped images to this envelope.  Instead, I drew my own poppy and am quite pleased with how it turned out.  I hope my partner likes it!

Have a wonderful day.  Thanks for dropping by.

Supplies:
Homemade monoprint using white cardstock, Liquitex acrylic paints and Gelli Plate; We R Memory Keepers envelope punch board; black and white Stabilo All Pencil; titanium white acrylic paint; Dylusions lemon zest ink spray; peeled paint and antiqued bronze distress paint; Tim Holtz stencil; black Staedtler pigment liner; flourish stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms; Ranger Archival watering can ink; squid ink Gelatos.

Watermelon Wedge - Shaped Postcard Mail Art

Now that my July mail art partner has received her postcard, I'm able to share it with you all.

Nothing is more refreshing on a hot, summer day than a bite of ice cold watermelon.  So when temperatures were pushing 100 last week and the heat index was 115 degrees (that's what it felt like when you factored in the humidity), I decided to wage psychological warfare by painting a wedge of cool watermelon.  I used Grumbacher transparent watercolors on a piece of 140 lb watercolor paper and added some details with a Staedtler pigment liner pen.  For extra kicks, I wrote the address in a curve along the rind.  And for once, I was able to coordinate the postage stamp with my design!

To stabilize my watermelon wedge for mailing, I backed it with a piece of Bristol vellum paper and used distress inks to create my watermelon.  A quick search on the internet yielded a perfect poem: a cheeky metaphorical description of watermelons in just four lines, by Charles Simic.

Green Buddhas

On the fruit stand.

We eat the smile

And spit out the seeds.

I hope you're having some summer fun!  Thanks for dropping in.

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; Strathmore smooth Bristol vellum; Grumbacher transparent watercolors; Staedtler pigment liner pen.

Lemon Tree - Altered Envelope

This hot summer has me reaching for cold beverages.  I don't mind drinking water (which is best), but sometimes you just want something with a little more flavor, know what I mean?  So I alternate between brewing my own iced tea, making a pitcher of Crystal Light or whipping up a batch of lemonade.

My altered envie partner this month likes botanical images and watercolors.  Since I do also, this was the perfect month for me to pull out the paints and have a go at it.  I created my own envelope out of 140 pound watercolor paper using the envelope punch board by We R Memory Keepers.  This process included scoring the envelope, but I did not fold or glue it yet.  I taped the flat envelope to my watercolor board using painter's tape and lightly sketched my lemons on the front.  I then painted them and the background using Grumbacher transparent watercolors.

Once I glued the envelope, I added the lyrics to Lemon Tree to the back. This is an old Trini Lopez song that is very catchy.  Feel free to look it up on Youtube if you want to hear it, but be forewarned:  you'll probably be singing it all day if you do!

I hope you're having a wonderful (and cool) day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb cold press watercolor paper; Grumbacher transparent watercolors; Staedtler pigment liner sketch pen.

Let's Play - Altered Envelope

A new month means it's time for another altered envelope exchange with the Addicts.  I've been playing with this group for two years now and always look forward to each month's exchange. I didn't realize how much I anticipated that one piece of mail until the month I didn't sign up.  I felt so left out that I decided I wouldn't skip another month, no matter how busy I am.

This month I made my own 5x7 envelope out of Strathmore bristol vellum paper.  It's a heavy paper (100 lb) so I don't have to insert anything extra inside, and because it's a smooth paper it's great for stamping.  I used stamps from a bunch of different vendors including the tricycle by Deep Red and the ball from Artistic Outpost.  I colored both images with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  The zigzag stitch and ruler are Tim Holtz images.  I sponged ripe persimmon distress ink around the edges, then used the same color to stencil on some bubbles for a tone-on-tone effect.

On the reverse, I stamped the borders and some fun sentiments before sponging and stenciling on ripe persimmon distress ink.

Thanks for popping in!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Strathmore bristol vellum paper; stamped images or sentiments by Artistic Outpost, Tim Holtz, Deep Red, Viva Las Vegas Stamps and Red Lead Paperworks; Adirondack Archival black ink; ripe persimmon distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils.

Accordion Man - Altered Envelope

This is the altered envelope I sent to my March partner.  Her profile stated that she likes accordions and I just happen to have a rubber stamp of a man playing a concertina, which is kind of a cousin to the accordion.

I started by swiping the deep violet acrylic paint onto the envelope.  Once it was dry, I added the stenciling using chipped sapphire distress ink.  The musical washi tape wraps all the way around the envelope.  My guy was stamped separately on white cardstock and trimmed closely before being adhered.  The butterflies are rub-ons.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Liquitex Basics deep violet acrylic paint; chipped sapphire distress ink; Tim Holtz alphabet and bubble stencils; accordion man from River City Rubber Works; white cardstock; Adirondack Archival black ink; music washi tape; Tim Holtz butterfly rub-ons; white gelly pen.