Another Envelope Idea

Here is another envelope idea that I am playing with. This will be a printed envelope that then will be embellished with doodling. I am still perfecting the printing aspect but I think that this would be beautiful printed on a vellum envelope with a white liner hiding the contents. The graphic would then be enhanced with doodling.

Just an idea.

Week 31

Postcard  Front

For this week's card, I wanted to continue with my Subway Art series. I needed a fast card this week because I was so busy with the Iron Craft Challenge for tomorrow so I decided to take my pens on a subway ride this weekend.

Usually, I just take a blank medium and start working on the subway as I ride to work. This time, I decided to outline the hearts on the front of the card and the word "love" on the back of the card. I then loaded up my pens and took them with me.

This set of markers was an artist brush set of colored markers that are almost 10 years old. I didn't know if they had any ink in them before I started (I guess I should have tested them out at home). While some of the pens were more dry than others, I realized that I could vary the ink flow by the amount of pressure that I exerted.

After doodling each heart, I decided not to leave well enough alone and then added another layer with a black fine/medium tip Sharpie.

I was about to doodle on the back side but realized that the doodles would have gotten in the way with the text of the postcard so I just left it blank.

When I returned home, I decided to add another layer of interest by using a alcohol ink overlay on both sides. For the front of the card, I used green, blue, and orange inks. On the reverse side, I used a fuchsia ink.

Overall, I am pleased with the way they turned out. Total time doodling was 8 minutes. Entire project (using a card with a pre-existing background) was 12 minutes. 

Postcard Reverse

Subway Art #3

Today's blog entry is a test of the iPad Blogger App. I am at the theater right now and didn't have time to post this from the office. The photos were taken with the iPad camera. I am interested in seeing how the post is formatted when viewed on a regular computer screen.

Today's envelope is for a letter that I am sending to my aunt. I am following along with the book Creative Doodling and Beyond that I reviewed in an earlier post. The goal of the exercise was to use a repetitive element for a border. I tried to do this for the front of the envelope but as you can see, it didn't quite turn out that way.

The funny aspect of the exercise for me was how stiff I was with the hearts. As the hearts got smaller the looser my wrists got and the better the hearts. Also, I started off going clockwise with the heart shape (i.e., right side heart, then left side heart). When I started to reverse the process, the freer my wrists became.

The back of the envelope was based on a set of repetitive actions. Star bursts in two colors and then spirals in one color but in three different directions. I then added dots in black but in two sizes.

Front side of the envelope took 8 minutes and the back took 4 minutes. BTW, the blue paper is temporary to hide addresses. 

Add caption

Subway Art #2

Here is the reverse side of the envelope that I shared with you yesterday. Total time on the subway creating was 16 minutes. Next up, decorated vellum for a handmade envelope.

Subway Art #1

Previously, I shared this envelope with you here, This is the final version of the front of the envelope. I have started a new series called Subway Art that I wanted to share with you and this is the first piece of that series. First, a little background.

I have started my evening job again at the theater. We have a new show in and playing which means that most of my art time has diminished tremendously. I am trying to keep my New Year's resolutions absolute by (1) doing something creative every day, and (2) posting every day from Monday through Friday. So far, I have been able to keep both resolutions.

Not that I am working two full time jobs, sleep is of the most importance so I decided to do mini-art pieces on the way into Manhattan and going home to the Bronx. The transit time is usually about 20 minutes if I don't have to wait for a subway. If I have to wait or if the trains are on slow-down, the travel time could be upwards to one hour.

So, I am dedicating this time to being creative--with minimal supplies. I will only take one pen/marker and some type of surface. Most of these pieces will be mail art (as exhibited above).

Most of the patterns above were created using a one-line technique. In this technique you continuously use a single uninterrupted line. I was amazed at how anal retentive I was when trying to do this technique. I had trouble freeing myself up to simply let the line wander across the page. My mind is so used to thinking in geometric and ordered patterns that I had trouble. Maybe that is the learning experience that I needed.