Pushing a journal to the Second Floor

I've been working through an online workshop by Roben-Marie Smith called Collage, Construct and Affirm where you make a cool portfolio journal using a base of a sheet from a large canvas pad. As I've been exploring more mixed media art and learning to stretch from what I often do - worn, soft, comfortable colors and vintage images - I'm trying to expand my horizons and try new things to continue to grow. I also have been reading the blogs of Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and Nathalie Kalbach and learned about their Second Floor Challenge which is designed to push you to experiment and determine what could happen if you try. So in the spirit of the Second Floor Challenge, I'm taking it to the next level! The current challenge theme is "circles" (See Julie's blog post HERE to join the challenge) and here's how I've incorporated them:

So much of what I find appealing about mixed media art is the depth of the layers. My 16 x 20 canvas sheet is first covered with a collage of tissue papers and washi tapes.

Next, I added circles with texture that I created either by applying two different types of drywall tape to a sheet of canvas before cutting out the circles, or by applying flexible modeling paste through a Crafter's Workshop stencil onto the canvas and then cutting out the circles.  I've admired the look of texture created with drywall tape, but hadn't tried it, and I've also not used much modeling paste, so it was fun to try that.  I also added color at this point and wanted to see what would happen by watering down gesso with Glimmer Mist - great color, but alas, no glimmer :-(.  Also the drywall tape with the circle holes started to lift-up when wet with paint and in places I had to use extra adhesive, but the square type didn't seem to lose it's stickiness.

Look at that cool texture!!!!!!

To define the circles more, I outlined with a black Stabilo All pencil and blended with water.  Made the circles quite bold......

I loved how adding in some white, both by stamping with gesso using a canning lid and a scotch tape dispenser ring, and outlining the circles with a white paint pen blended things again, making the background look more whole.

Finally I added words in sketchy handwriting with a gel pen.

Here's a close-up of the final background with all those wonderful layers!

And here's what I did with the canvas piece, using Roben-Marie's design for the portfolio journal.

This is how it looks inside - a pocket on the left and a signature stitched in made of Bristol paper that I added drippy ink blots to by trying out Dylusions spray inks.

Just had to share my favorite ink blot spread - so cool how the colors combine together.  I think this is going to be a fun journal to play in.

So what did I learn from this?

1. I read in a Stampington publication once that you can't fake layers......it's true.  I also think that as you work through each one, some of them are quite ugly, but it's just amazing how they all work together in the end.
2. When you want to make a layered project, it takes time to allow the layers to dry...often more time than you want, but it's an important step to not leave out.  Just think of it as practicing patience :-)
3. It's important to seal one layer before adding the next either with gel medium or clear gesso, and sometimes, the water in the medium activates the layer and can over-blend it.  Some things like gel pens, don't like to be sealed unless they are REALLY REALLY dry, and a white gel pen just melted away, but not a white paint pen.
4. You can actually sew through flexible modeling paste with your machine - who knew!