Orange Spiral Arts

Here's Why I am Signing Up for Life Book 2019

Here's the truth: I am not into creating faces and portraits. Even though 30-40 percent of the lessons in Life Book will have some sort of face, that leaves 60-70 percent of the content that does NOT focus on creating a face. What I appreciate about Life Book is that there is a focus on personal development and healing. I completely believe in the power of the arts to help us heal our emotional wounds. I know that imagery is a powerful tool that helps the subconscious deliver messages to our conscious mind. Once we are aware of what's going on inside our hearts, bodies, and minds, there is the opportunity to shift, change, and transform our lives for the better.

It is important to note that Life Book does not take the place of professional therapy. The offerings in Life Book are tools for personal growth and development. 

This year, I am particularly excited about Andy's offerings related to NVC (Nonviolent Communication). As an expressive arts facilitator, I am always looking to add to my own list of resources and skills that will help me to be a better facilitator. 

If you are interested in developing your mixed media skills, in being playful and experimental with art supplies, or in creating a Life Book for 2019, I hope that you will join us. You may click the image above, or click here. Don't forget to enter coupon code "LOVEBOMB2019" to save 20%, valid through December 31, 2018.

Sending Blessings to you,

Briana

PS I loved the Life Book Creativity & Wellbeing Summit, and that content is included once you register for Life Book 2019. It's truly a win-win.

Register for Mixed Media Paint Scraping-NEW Online Class

I am so excited! I am working hard on my next online class, Mixed Media Paint Scraping.

Go here for more info and to register!

Class opens on Tuesday, October 16th, 2018 and runs for five weeks through November 13th, 2018.

After November 13th, 2018, the class will be self-paced.

 

Sending Blessings and Creative Vibes your way!

-Briana

September Visual Journal Collective Meeting Summary-Gesture Drawing

Greetings! Thank you for being here!

In this post, I am sharing the pages I created during the September 2018 Visual Journal Collective meeting. We had special guest teacher, Erin Maurelli. Erin brought along one of the models she uses when she teaches gesture drawing to college students. Erin gave the Visual Journal Collective participants a crash course in drawing the figure. We had tons of fun, and we learned a lot, too! Thank you, Erin and Ashley (guest model).

We did a series of one-minute drawings, where the model switched poses every sixty seconds.

Drawing quickly is my preferred way to draw, as there is not time to think and critique your own work.

I decided to use a Tombow Brush Marker for most of the one-minute gesture drawings.

I worked on top of pre-colored background pages (most done by monoprinting with a Gelli Plate) in a large Canson Mix Media XL journal.

Other students used charcoal, pencil, or water-soluble graphite sticks.

After the one-minute gesture drawing warm-ups, we drew for longer periods of time, like ten or fifteen minutes. (Below I tried the charcoal that Erin had available for us to use.)

Below, I went back to my Tombow marker. I had extra time, so I sketched the model again using a Dixon crayon.

It's good to try out different sketching tools, as they can make quite a difference in your experience and results.

We had a quick sharing time near the end of our meeting, but I didn't get any photos. This was a new experience for many in the Collective, and I didn't want anyone to feel "on the spot." The drawings were truly amazing, though. Everyone's unique style came through, which was awesome to see!

We'll be doing another drawing activity at our meeting in October, so mark your calendar for Monday, October 15, 7pm-9pm, if you're curious. All you need to do is bring your sketchbook/journal and $5, which goes to space rental at MCBA.

Feel free to request to join our MCBA Visual Journal Collective Facebook group here. Also, we have a Google Group for those not on Facebook. Leave me a comment with your email, if you wish to be added to the Google Group. We send out meeting reminders a few days before each meeting. 

Thank you again to TJ, Erin Maurelli, and our guest model. We appreciate your time!

Sending Creative Vibes and Blessings to You,

-Briana

Gelly Roll Doodles on Purple Diamond-Plus a Giveaway to Rag and Bone Bindery

(Original post written for artistcellar, as a Design Team member)

Greetings, Everyone!

Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you? Well, I would like you to know it. I appreciate you being here, reading this post, and getting ideas for your art. I appreciate you supporting a small businesses like artistcellar, Orange Spiral Arts, and Rag and Bone Bindery. In fact, you are quite wonderful. You are shiny as a sparkling diamond, and as “glow-tastic” as the brightest neon Gelly Roll pen! Really, it’s true! You and your creativity matter. I just wanted to let you know that you are appreciated, sparkly, and “glow-tastic”!

Today I am going to use one of the Diamond Series stencils in my art journal. I am currently working in this amazing, Large Blank Page Journal by Rag and Bone Bindery. As one of Rag and Bone Bindery’s new brand ambassadors, you could be a lucky winner of a $75 gift certificate by entering my giveaway! Enter to win right here! (Pictured below are several sizes of Rag and Bone Bindery’s Blank Page Journals. Aren’t those deckled edges yummy??!!).

For this current journal spread, I am working in the Large Blank Page Journal with the bright orange patterned cover.

Above, you will see an Art Foamies stamp, some texture from a children’s texture roller tool, and rolled out acrylic paint, using a brayer. The Radiant Stencil from the Diamond Series is ready and waiting for paint.

I applied purple paint through the stencil using a cosmetic wedge. I created one on the left side of the spread:

And one on the right side of the journal spread.

From here, I pulled out my Gelly Roll pens and started to doodle, draw designs, and write on the page. I was sitting outside on a beautiful summer day, just enjoying the warm air and breeze. Moments like this are important.

The Moonlight Gelly Roll pens are my favorite. I seem to have the most success getting them to write.

After I doodled on the diamond, I extended the doodles around the page, too.

I enjoyed these moments in my journal.

May you find the time to take a break, work in your journal with some fun supplies, and enjoy some fresh air. May it be so.

In Summary

Art journaling is relaxing and fun.

If you like handbound blank journals, photo albums, binders, brag books or need a guest book, feel free to enter my giveaway for a $75 gift certificate to Rag and Bone Bindery.

You are appreciated! Thank you for being here!

Blessings to you,

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

Visual Journal Collective June 2018 Meeting-Paper Toy-Cootie Catcher

Greetings to you! Thank you for being here.

For the June Visual Journal Collective meeting, we got a little playful and made a paper toy. The book, Magic Books & Paper Toys by Esther K. Smith was used as a reference. (This is such a great book! I highly recommend Esther K. Smith's books!)

 

We learned how to fold up a "Cootie Catcher" from a square piece of writing weight paper. Then we brainstormed as a group, how we might make use of our paper toy.

Some members of the group did their own Google Search to jog their childhood memories.

Also, co-facilitator TJ Goerlitz thought it might be fun to try to draw the Cootie Catcher in her sketchbook.

Working in our journals is always encouraged at our monthly meetings.

Artist, Theresa Harsma (above) decided to make a sketch of her Cootie Catcher she made at our meeting.

Theresa's Cootie Catcher looked like a map, due to the line drawing she did on her ledger paper.

Artist Sue Rowe also drew one of her Cootie Catchers. (See pink image in photo below).

Each participant had a unique idea on what could be done with the Cootie Catcher.

Book Artist, Kari Kruempel turned her Cootie Catcher into a poetry maker.

I tried to catch everyone's great ideas, but I unfortunately was too caught up in the moment to take notes. So, I guess I will just share the pictures.

 

As you can see, we had a great time!

Below are some of my work in progress photos I took before we had our sharing time a the end of our meeting. These Emoji stamps by Yellow Owl Workshop are so fun to play with. 

I am in LOVE with this eye stamp by Yellow Owl Workshop, too. And I've had this set by The Small Object for a long time. They were so fun to use!

And the end of each meeting, we try to have journal sharing. It is soooo inspiring to see other people's journals. We had time for a couple of peeks into Molly's, Sue's, and TJ's.

Here's a peek at Molly's current journal project.

And here's a look at Sue's journal pages.

However, TJ's journal pages are TOP SECRET, as her pages were about her upcoming workshop featured in 21 Secrets-The Great Outdoors. (You can also SAVE by signing up for the 21 Secrets Summer Studios Bundle that features Just Add Water, which starts July 9th, AND 21 Secrets Summer Studios- The Great Outdoors (starts Monday, July 30th)).

I LOVE 21 Secrets online art journaling workshops. There is great instruction, variety, and they are to keep forever! Also, you are supporting small businesses and artists when you purchase 21 Secrets online art journaling workshops. It's really a win-win!

I want to thank everyone who showed up to the June Visual Journal Collective meeting! It was so fun!

MCBA SHOP INSPIRATION

The SHOP at MCBA has so many great journals, zines, artist books, paper, book binding supplies, and cards. Some of my favorite cards featured above are by Twin Cities artist Jennifer Kunin.

IN SUMMARY

We made Cootie Catchers at the June 2018 Visual Journal Collective meeting.

It's great if you can support local businesses, shops, artists, and online teachers.

There's so much inspiration out in the world, and I feel grateful for it.

I am thankful that you are here, reading this post, too. 

Sending Creative Vibes and Blessings,

Briana

 

 

 

 

Enter to Win-Gift Certificate Giveaway to Rag and Bone Bindery

Howdy Everyone,

Thank you for visiting or reading this post via your email.

I am working on a brand new blog post series.

In my previous post, I shared the following info with you. 

I'd like to share it again, in case you missed it, and also to remind myself.

NEW BLOG SERIES PLAN

Here are my intentions for this blog post series here at OrangeSpiralArts.

1. I want to help promote and share the awesome blank page journals created at Rag and Bone Bindery.
2. I want to inspire you to open up a blank journal to express yourself creatively.
3. I want to share ideas for having fun and playing with blank books and journals.
4. I want to offer a giveaway for a $75 gift certificate for Rag and Bone Bindery.

So here we are with post number two. 

I am happy to share some information about the Large Journal by Rag & Bone Bindery. I also will be sharing the link for you to enter to win a $75 gift certificate to Rag & Bone Bindery at the end of this post!!

Let the fun begin!

The journal I am using is the Large Journal Paprika. The large journal measures 8.25 inches x 10.25 inches. It contains 144 bright white, acid free pages. I absolutely love the paper in the Rag & Bone journals. It has a smooth surface. It's sturdy and pliable. I will demonstrate this quality when I share my first two pages later in this post.

First, let's go over some of the special qualities of the Large Blank Page Journal by Rag and Bone Bindery.

FABRIC COVER

If you know me and my art at all, you know I love pattern and prints. 

I have a workshop in 21 Secrets Color, Color, Color called Draw, Paint, and Print Artful Color Patterns. (See the sidebar of my site or click the above link for more info). People had so much fun with this class, and there are tons of additional workshops by teachers from around the world when you purchase 21 Secrets Color, Color, Color. The Rag & Bone Bindery blank page journals would be perfect to use for 21 Secrets, too!

The reason I started talking about pattern is because of the fabric on the cover of the above journal. Those over at Rag & Bone Bindery attend fashion fabric shows, then have the fabrics converted into bookcloth. Isn't that awesome?!! No wonder why they have such unique cover designs. The fabric is made by fabric designers!

Here's some inside information straight from Jason Thompson, co-owner of Rag and Bone Bindery:

"FABRIC COVERS:

We choose the fabrics by attending fabric shows and visiting with fabric reps. We purchase fashion fabrics and have them converted into bookcloth for us, a custom process we utilize for all of our fabric covers - cottons, silks and linens. We have worked with the same fabric distributors, but we vary up the designers we work with. In the past we’ve used fabrics from Riley Blake, Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Kaffe Fassett and many others. When choosing fabrics for book covers, we have to consider availability, exclusivity, cost, and uniquely the size and direction of the pattern, which dictates the number of books per yard. Once converted, we cut down the yardage to manageable widths for production in the bindery."

INSIDE PAGES

Awesome paper, awesome fabric covers, and each book is handbound. Here's what the inside stitching looks like.

I asked Jason Thompson what he had to say about the paper in the journals.

"PAPER PAGES: 

The pages of all of our journals are a 65lb vellum finish paper which is acid-free and archival. We chose it after testing books myself - many many years ago! We still use the same paper we designed for Journals back in the 90’s. I chose it because it’s thick, but pliable, and it has a good ‘tooth’ which takes pen, pencil and a light wash very well. A little bit of history - we still employ the same person to ‘cut’ and sew our journals (cutting gives journal pages a deckled edge) since 1996. Ann is employee number one, my first ‘official’ hire, and she still works for us, cutting all of our album paper and our journal pages." -Jason Thompson

 

I love reading this little bit of history. Thanks for sharing, Jason!

 

BRIANA'S FIRST PAGE SPREAD IN THE LARGE BLANK PAGE JOURNAL

 

I decided to do some paint scraping with a Catalyst tool and acrylic paint.

 

The process was quite soothing, and also kept me curious, as I played with the paint scrapes layering on top of one another.

 

 

I often can't have orange without pink in my art, so I decided to add some pink paint, too.

 

 

Then I felt inspired to test the paper a bit, by adding some stitching.

 

I used an awl to poke some holes.

 

 

As you can see, the paper had no trouble handling this process.

 

I added lime green embroidery floss.

 

 

And stitched an X pattern.

I had so much fun, I decided to challenge myself with a spiral on the right-hand page.

I drew the spiral in pencil, then poked my stitching holes.

 

Here's the front side of the completed spiral.

 

And here's the back side, which also looks pretty cool.

 

I am very pleased with the paper in the Large Journal by Rag and Bone Bindery.

Thanks for taking a peek at my process. It was very calming and meditative. Stitching takes time, but that's the point. (Have you heard of the #slowstitching hashtag over on Instagram? There's a lot of beauty happening there.)

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

So, are you ready to enter to win a $75 gift certificate to Rag and Bone Bindery?

I am so excited for you!!!

 

All you need to do is follow this link. Fill in the info and hit submit! The giveaway will be open until the end of Monday, July 16th, 2018. I will announce the winner on my www.OrangeSpiralArts.com site a few days after that. You may wish to sign up to receive Orange Spiral Arts blog posts by email. On the sidebar of my site, look for "Art Inspiration in Your Inbox" and hit Subscribe. Or, simply mark your calendar to come back and check in. Good luck!

 

SUMMARY

Rag and Bone Bindery journals have great paper, designer fabric covers, and are handbound by dedicated staff. 

If you love to journal, and wish to explore color and pattern, you might want to check out Briana's 21 Secrets Color, Color, Color workshop called Draw, Paint and Print Artful Color Patterns.

If you'd like to have the chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Rag and Bone Bindery, go here.

 

Happy Creating!

 

Sending Love and Blessings out to you now!

 

-Briana of Orange Spiral Arts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Blog Post Series-Rag and Bone Bindery Blank Page Journals

Hello and Welcome to a brand new series of blog posts here at Orange Spiral Arts.

I am thrilled to share that I am collaborating with Rag and Bone Bindery out of Rhode Island in the United States as a brand ambassador.

One of my favorite things to do is support local artists and help spread the word about how awesome they are! (Though I am in Minnesota, I am calling Rag & Bone Bindery local, since we are both in the United States.)

Here's my story with Rag & Bone Bindery. Back in the early 2000s, I took several book binding and visual journaling workshops at the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts. Many of those classes were taught by Roz Stendahl. Roz loves to bind books, and loves to teach others how to bind books. She also taught me that if I ever wanted to buy a well-made blank book, purchase one from Rag & Bone Bindery.

So, I did. I have purchased several journals from Rag & Bone Bindery since the early 2000s. Now it's 2018, and they are still making, BY HAND, amazing, high quality blank journals. They also make albums, baby books, personalized books, recipe journals, brag books, and Instabooks, just to name a few additional kinds of books. For more information on all of their products, go here.

NEW BLOG SERIES PLAN

Here are my intentions for this blog post series here at OrangeSpiralArts.

1. I want to help promote and share the awesome blank page journals created at Rag and Bone Bindery.
2. I want to inspire you to open up a blank journal to express yourself creatively.
3. I want to share ideas for having fun and playing with blank books and journals.
4. I want to offer a giveaway for a $75 gift certificate for Rag and Bone Bindery.

How does that sound? 

I plan to post something at least once per week from now until mid-July. I will be posting here on my blog site www.OrangeSpiralArts.com, as well as to my Instagram account @brianacreates.

In the next blog post, I will share the link to enter the giveaway for a $75 gift certificate to Rag & Bone Bindery. Isn't that so exciting?! That is so generous of Rag & Bone Bindery; I am grateful to them, and I am so excited for you!!!

The giveaway will likely run until Monday, July 16th, and the winner will be announced shortly after that. Don't worry, I will make several posts to remind you of the giveaway, along with the link.

So, I hope you will visit me here and here.

May you feel inspired to express your inner creativity, thoughts, feelings, and also simply play with art supplies. Being in the present moment is one of the most healing things you can do for yourself. By being present, you let go of worry and anxiety. Your brain sends calming chemicals to your body, and you feel better. May it be so.

Sending Love and creative vibes your way!

Blessings to you,

Briana

PS If you want to get some ideas for how to work in a blank journal, I highly recommend Jason Thompson's book Making Journals by Hand. It's one of my all time favorites!

 

Visual Journal Collective's May 2018 Meeting-Gelli Printing

Gelli Plate, Gelli Plate, Oh my, my, my, my, my, my Gelli Plate! Ba dump bump bump . . .

I love Gelli Printing, and it's really fun to do in your journal, too. So that's what we did for our May 2018

Visual Journal Collective meeting at the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts (aka MCBA).

Below are some of the pictures demonstrating the fun that we all had messing around with various sized Gelli Plates!

Suggested Supplies:

Gelli Arts Gelli Plates

Gelli Plate Printing by Joan Bess

Soft Rubber Brayer

Acrylic Paints

Stencils

Art Foamies Stamps

Baby wipes

My Preferred Set Up:

As a right-handed person, I prefer to have a brayer, stamp, and stencil cleaning area to the right of the Gelli Plate.

What we noticed the night of our Gelli Printing play time is that the clean off sheet of paper is often our favorite. As it is created with many, many layers, without thought, worry, or agony over what it will end up looking like!

The Gelli prints turned out quite well, too.

Thank you to everyone who showed up to the May meeting! It was wonderful seeing your Gelli prints!

Sending peaceful, loving, and creative vibes out to you all reading this post! 

PS Don't miss the next Creativity and Expressive Arts Workshop happening in Minneapolis, MN on Sunday,

June 3rd from 1pm-4pm. The theme is art journaling, and we will be talking about kindness, empathy, and

empowerment. These workshops integrate the mind, body, and spirit. It is more like a mini retreat than an

art workshop.

What you take home with you is a sense of peace and creative joy in your heart. I hope to see you in June! 

For more info and how to register, please go here.

All of my best,

Briana

 

 

 

February Visual Journal Collective Meeting-Mail Art Postcards

Greetings!

Thank you for visiting. I am happy that you are here.

This post is a summary of the February Visual Journal Collective meeting at the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts.

We created mail art postcards, and it was a blast! 

If you are curious to learn more about the history of mail art, this Mail art Wikipedia page is an interesting read!

I have had a love of mail art since I first learned of it in the 1990s. I have always loved stationery, cards, and handwritten letters. Now that I am a mixed media artist, the idea of combining art, collage, stamps, and ephemera into "good mail" really makes me feel happy!

I am pleased to spread the joy to the participants at our February Visual Journal Collective meeting.

Here are some samples of Mail Art I have received or created. Mail art is fun for everyone. No artistic experience required. Almost anything goes, so it's all about freedom to play and create without any pressure.

Supplies

Paper and cardboard

Tape, Stickers, Labels, Paint Scraper

Rubber Stamps, Ink Pads

Artful Labels and Stickers

(Thank you Mary Ann Moss and Roben-Marie Smith)

A good ol' cereal box, or a sheet of 140 lb. watercolor paper makes for a great substrate for your postcards.

Mail Art Postcards in the Making

(Chris from StumblingOverChaos)

(Beth, playing with color, comics, and luggage stickers)

(TJ of Studio Mailbox, working on pre-cut cereal box postcards)

(Molly of The Found Art Walk, and Kathy, having some fun!)

(Karen, using a glue brush to add texture over her scraped paint)

(Here's Chris' awesome postcard stamp from Paper Source.)

I didn't catch everyone's creativity in action, but here are some of the results.

(Mail Art postcards by Beth)

(Super fast mail art postcards by Chris)

(Mail Art postcard by Chris)

(Mail Art postcards by Karen)

(Mail Art postcards by Kathy)

(Mail Art postcards by Molly)

(Mail Art postcard by Kara)

(Mail Art postcards by Catherine of Storyslices, LLC, and Kara's mom-I love it when mothers and daughters create together!!)

(Mail Art postcards by TJ)

(Mail Art postcards by Briana)

SUMMARY

I hope you feel inspired and empowered to create something fun and send it through the mail. We all could use some happy mail that is not a bill or a boring advertisement. Would you agree?

For the USPS standard postcard sizes are as follows:

Minimum: 3 1/2 x 5 inches

Maximum: 4 1/4 x 6 inches

Current postcard postage is $ .35

First class mail letter is $ .47

Enjoy! Make art! Spread color, love, light, and personal stories.

Blessings to you,

Briana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOUND OBJECTS-Visual Journal Collective July 2017 Meeting Recap

Greetings and thank you for being here. This post is dedicated to recapping the Visual Journal Collective July 2017 meeting that happened at the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts.

Molly Anthony was our guest artist, and she presented on her passion for using found objects in her journals. She loves to dip them in acrylic paint and see where they take her imagination. Every object has a story behind it, and with a writing background, Molly enjoys sharing stories and art on her Instagram account, as well as her blog, The Found Art Walk.

A Little Philosophical Thinking

What's the key to life? Perhaps it's seeing with new eyes. Perhaps it's turning something old, into something new. Or maybe it's listening. Listening to our own inner wisdom and guidance. Listening to that inner call to express ourselves and create. It may also be about finding joy in the little things. Take action! Do something with a sense of play, and most certainly feelings of joy and being in the present moment will come about. And guess what's not in the present moment? Worries about the past and the future. Ahhhhhh. Doesn't that sound wonderful? 

Molly's Journals

Molly brought several of her journals where she's made found object marks and beautiful collage pages.

This is what a full journal looks like! Isn't it divine?

I just love those track marks Molly made in her journal (see below).

TIP: Molly claims that you can find the best stuff in the Target parking lot. 

If you are too shy to pick up your own found "trash to treasure" objects, Molly has curated special kits that she'll be selling on Etsy.

(Note: Everything has been sanitized before being placed in the Found Object Creativity Kit.)

A small tin is a great way to store and carry your found objects.

 

Who'd a thought dipping a ball in paint would make such a great dot mark for a journal page? Molly Anthony, that's who! You never know until you try. And by trying, we are really talking about playing around and observing results.

I am pretty sure that plastic hook came from the Target parking lot. I just love how Molly put those shapes together on her page! Molly encouraged us to play with repeating shapes and making patterns when printing the found objects.

Do you see the potential in the objects below? Which ones grab your attention the most? 

Don't forget that found wrappers and miscellaneous papers can make excellent collage fodder, too.

Let's get started creating, shall we? First, here are some tips from Molly about using found objects in your art journal, visual journal, or sketchbook.

Step 1:

Collect your objects of interest.

Step 2: 

Set up a paint palette. Have a baby wipe, rag, or paper towels on hand. Have your journal open and ready.

Step 3:

Start experimenting and playing with what each object can do!

As you can see from the participant photos above, a weeeee bit of fun was being had!

I loved using this stick (see above photo). It made so many great marks!

Look at the fabulous dots created from this thin Lego brick?!!

These tiny circles are created with a pencil top eraser. (It's purple, in the top of the photo.)

We had some time at the end of our meeting for people to share their journal pages. People shared pages created that evening, or any other time. We love looking at each other's journals. It's sooooo inspiring. It's such a gift to have a group with like minded folks.

Hooray for MCBA!

What I love about all of these journal pages is the FREEDOM that they all express. Even if expressive marks or messy paint is not your normal way of creating, it sure does help to loosen you up for whatever is next on your agenda! 

Special thanks to Molly Anthony for being our guest artist at our July 2017 meeting.

And thank you to all of the wonderful participants who allowed me to take photos of their journals! You are such an inspiration. I am grateful to you for showing up and trying something new! (Note: If you'd like me to credit your work with your name, and a link to your site, I am happy to do so. Leave your info in the comments below).

Blessings and Happy Found Object Hunting!

-Briana