SUZAN BUCKNER

Oh!! I love a good sale!! Danielsmith.com has a canvas sale going on. You pay for 3 pieces of canvas, and you get six. I just ordered a ton of 8 x 12 canvas' to do some journal pages on--and they came to $1.85 each--which is CHEAP as far as canvas' go. So, if you are just starting to paint, or just need some stretched canvas--check it out!

(these are the actual stretched canvas' on wood frames--as opposed to the canvas panels, which I normally use--get those from Dick Blick.)

Sometimes, you have to put a little smile on your face--and think "What goes around, comes around.."....LOL..(Random thought)

ok..here's the second background tutorial. This one has a lot of different steps, and stuff. First--I took an 8 x 8 canvas panel, and a glob of white gesso, and One drop of Golden's blue, and One Drop of Burnt Sienna. I globbed the white gesso on my brush, lightly dipped it in blue--and painting in one direction, I covered the canvas. Then, I lightly tipped my brush in burnt sienna--and stroked it across the blue/white mix. This is all done with wet on wet paint/gesso, and not cleaning the brush between colors. Let that dry. (takes about 10 minutes).

Good Afternoon!! So many people ask me daily to tell them how to do backgrounds, and so today--I thought I would give it a try.

First--My backgrounds are never planned. They are a combination of boredom, and layering. Basically, I sit around, and pile paint onto the surface. If I don't like it, I paint over it--and then sometimes I sand it off. Today, I was sitting at my art table, eating breakfast, and I picked up a Sharpie black marker, and scribbled on a piece of 8 x 8 canvas panel. This was boredom. LOL. Then, I thought--well--I should photograph this, and tell about it...ummm..(the brown circle is where I had sat my coffee cup down on the canvas, and it left a ring...I am not the neatest person in the world...)

I then decided to add some color. I picked up a few bottles of Golden's Fluid Acrylics (definitely worth the money if you want BRIGHT color). I had bought the tester set that Dick Blick sells for I think around $35--which is A LOT for me to spend on paint--because I am a cheap person, who hates spending money. But they are worth the cost. The product is excellent. If you don't have Golden's then use Folk Art or some other cheap brand. Folk Art is what about 90% of my stuff is made from. (I am very stingy with the Golden's). So, I started with the bright yellow. I put ONE DROP on my plate, dipped my brush in a little water, and just randomly put it on the canvas. Then, One drop of red, put that on the canvas. Switched brushes, and did one drop of green, then a drop of blue. Then I started to let that dry. Don't try to blend, just lay the paint down, and move on--don't think--just DO.
I am super impatient, so before the paint was dry--I got one of my big foam stamp (the cheapie kind--in the kid's craft section)...it just happened to be checks...and I put some white Folk Art paint on it, and stamped it around a bit.
Before that was dry (you can let it dry--I just have a tendency never to let anything dry..LOL) I grabbed another stamp, and put some Folk Art red on it, and stamped it around. Remember--repeating anything makes it part of a design. At this point--I was bored--so I went to find cookies, and have a cigarette while sitting outside with my dog. ...
When I came back--I was pretty much bored again--and had all, but forgot about the tutorial..so in a few minutes, I picked up my white gel pen. (I use Japanese White Signo, but they are REALLY hard to come by.) Anyway--I just started doodling on the piece. Adding circles and lines here and there.
Then, I took a paint cap, and dapped some turquoise Folk Art paint (my favorite color) directly on the paint cap, and stamped it onto the background. It makes perfect circles (which I have a "thing" for. )I am such a circle person! I outlined those with white, and decided that I really liked it...and POOF--I am done.
So, we have:
1. sharpie black pen scribbles
2. paint (or ink works well too!)
3. stamping in checks
4. stamping in circles
5. white gel pen doodles
6. stamping more circles

Six layers, one half hour of boredom eliminated...I usually do about 5 backgrounds at once--and just do each one differently. I will next be doing a more muted background, but I hope that you enjoyed this. Thank you for asking me to do these.

One more --then it's time for bed. This is an 8 x 8 mixed media on canvas--and looks so much better in real. Oh well...I will re-do it tomorrow maybe. It's sometimes hard to take pictures at night indoors.

Good night everyone!!

This is another piece that I did today--I guess I am in a productive swing. I painted the background, added some paper elements, built my "paper doll" and slapped it all together. Her dress is one of my "doodle" journal pages that I photocopied, and cut up.

I did something a little different this morning. It isn't what it started as, but I liked it ok. Hope you enjoy!

Well, this is what I did tonight while vegetating..LOL..It's an 8 x 8 mixed media on canvas. I used a real photo postcard, and stuff..I think it looks a bit dark on here..it's actually lighter..but anyways--here it is. Sweet dreams!

Hello!!

I really want to thank all of the people that leave comments here for me. I try to get to your blogs, but I am limited right now with my computer time, due to my husband being in school trying to get ED-U-KATED ...heheheh. But, I really appreciate you all, and if you need anything--just email me. I will answer as soon as possible. Thank you again!! Have a wonderful night!

Good Morning--Well--I woke up at 4am, and it was pouring down rain--and I figured with this flu, I probably shouldn't go out estate saling. So..here I am....

This is the page that I showed last night, but this morning, I added words.

It reads:
"We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God."

It has been better for the husband--he has two big test coming up, and I couldn't bug him while I was out cold...LOL..so he got some studying done. It's hard to nag when you are having convulsions from high temperatures....hehehe. Anyway--I did two more journal pages. I don't particularly care for them..but oh well....

That's all. Everyone have a wonderful, happy, artistic day!!!

I am absent for a few days. I got very sick on Valentine's Day..and haven't even left the couch very often. I will return as soon as I feel better.

If you have anything specific that you would like a tutorial on--Please let me know. I know how to do most things--and will gladly share what I do know. It doesn't have to be about journaling. Thank you!

whew..it's been a long day. I haven't done a damn thing, because it was 63 degrees yesterday, and literally went to O degrees last night. I woke up, and it was snowing. I HATE COLD WEATHER. It sends me into a depression, where all I want to do is hibernate.LOL. (I was a bear in my other life) But, as I was sitting at my art table, in front of my heater...I did manage to "creatively glue" 2 spreads together...I am fighting sleep--have already taken one nap today--and am ready to go back to bed...LOL. I definitely need to take a trip to Florida!! I feel one coming on...... I hope you all are staying warm, and artfully creating!!

Good evening!! Wow..this spread took me forever to finish! I am tired...LOL..I need to do some real artwork, and stop journaling every day--all day long..sigh...

well..time for bed!

Hello!! Well..it's been awhile since I have posted--I think Wednesday, or Thursday, right?? Well..one of those days, I recieved 21 White Uniball Signo Japanese pens that I found on the internet--I bought all that they had, and my Dick Blick art supply order. I have been in HEAVEN!! I haven't used anything except the white pens yet, but I have some wonderful supplies, and A LOT of them!

I bought Prismacolor Colored Pencils, and Prismacolor Watercolor pencils, and watercolor paper, 60 canvas', Caran D'Arche Neocolor 2 watercolor crayons, Golden retarder, Golden gel medium, Golden Glazing stuff, Van Gogh watercolors (in the tube), and Golden fluid acrylic paints(13-15 bottles). I spent so much money--that I am afraid to use any of it though...LOL..and I am not going to use it for journaling, because the cheap stuff is wonderful, and I love it.

That must have been on Wednesday, then Thursday--I went to the hairdresser, and she wacked all of my hair off (it was past my mid-back), and now it's so short that I feel like a boy. I am very upset about it, but I guess it'll grow back.

After that trauma, Chuck and I went to the college, and he had his first midterm. (I am married to a very scholarly redneck)..hehee. He had 300 study questions, but the test had only 50 questions on it, so I image he made an A. Then we went to Micheal's, and I couldn't find ANYTHING that I needed...(it's was WEIRD!). We went to dinner, etc...came home...etc...Saturday, we went thrifting--boring, boring, boring--didn't find ANYTHING..Thrifting is funny, it seems that I either find a million good things--or NOTHING. I am living for when estate/yard/garage sales start up again!!

Saturday--my horoscope said something about meeting an interesting person in a chatroom, and just by coincidence--this very nice woman invited me to join a GROUP, and I accepted! I am very excited about it--because it's only 9-10 people. So, we will see how that goes.

Then today--well--let's say that it is 4 pm, and I have already taken 2 naps and done a journal page, and I am still in my nightgown...LOL..just a very LAZY Sunday...

That catches us up on my boring life--I hope you all have a wonderful, happy, artistic day!

Hello!! This is what I've done this morning...that, and doctor Petey the Wonderdog's ear. Silly dog stuck his head in a briar bush, and cut his ear ...blood was everywhere on his face...Poor baby. I've had to rub his tummy all morning. LOL. That's about it.
Have a happy day!!

I get so many questions on journal pages--I thought that I would do a step-by-step for those of you who are interested. First, I painted the pages with Folk Art paint in bright yellow. (Straight out of the bottle, no water added, and with a dry brush). I let that dry, and glued various papers around the edges.

Then I added some things that I found interesting, bits of paper, and pictures. No thought as to where this is going at this point. Just some patterns and things.

Oh my God!! This spread was so much fun to do!!! It was like putting a puzzle together! I cut out all these little pieces that I liked, then I pieced them all together around the edges, then found a picture of a 1928 Eskimo woman, and made the figure in the middle--(she adopted some hot model's legs out of Vogue magazine). LOL. The figure has 2 right eyes (one male, and one female), her hat and the bird's hat are cut from a flower....etc.... I certainly hit my LALALALLLALA mode today with this piece!! I haven't added words yet--because I worked most of the day on just the glueing and coloring, etc...This just turned out JUST RIGHT, and I love it!!!!(I really love very few pieces that I do!!). I can't believe that this started out as a purple blue page...LOL..It was hideous, I put the stuff around the edges, and it was purple-blue in the center part, and the colors were clashing, and making me want to puke...and I just added paint, and more stuff, and then the LALALALALALLAL hit me...and WA-LAH..this is the finished result.
Have a good, artistic, happy night!!

Well, I splurged, and bought Teesha Moore's zines and journal books! I have to say that they are FANTASTIC, and WELL WORTH THE MONEY. They are FULL of delicious eye candy!!! If you would like to see them--just go to her site TeeshaMoore.com.

I was SO inspired by them, and I think they will help me do better journal pages. I absolutely reccommend that you get them. I bought 4 issues of "Play", 4 issues of "Life and Art", and her 4 journal books that she just put out. So run over there and check them out.

I did these two pages tonight. I am rather happy with how they turned out, but I used a very small moleskine, and working so small was tedious. It measures 5 x 7 opened like it is.

My pages are not as bright and colorful as Teesha's, but I also went and ordered everything she recommends using from DickBlick last night. I ordered some great products, and can't wait to get them.