Alchemy

This is page one in my Connections journal, but only the barest of beginnings of a page.  If you're interested, you can read a little more about the book and see the inside cover HERE.  

I may or may not show this page again when it's been a little further down the line, but I wanted to show it at this stage to point out how easy it is to turn one thing into something completely different just by making tiny changes here and there.

For instance, the center photo was black and white and glossy.  I removed the gloss and gave it an uneven sepia tint with walnut ink.  Darker here, lighter there.  

The paper top left was a light cream color.  What now looks like a lighter design was quite a bit darker than the background.  Brushing on walnut ink unevenly, stained and darkened everything but the design which resisted the ink, so now the design appears lighter.  Nothing more than that.  

The lettering was fun.  I did that by myself.  But the flowers--bottom left--were stamped with plain, black ink.  Adding a bit of the blue from the letters at the top turned the flowers into something completely new altogether.  

Alchemy!

Now the fun will be in adding more and more layers, making it uniquely personal, tying it all together, and turning it into something more than a composed grid.  

Abracadabra!

Comments

[Astrid]

A wonderful page and it certainly expresses some real alchemy (love the thinking behind that) Hope you will show the rest of it at some point!

[Astrid]

Oh and I meant to say, I absolutely adore the lettering!!!

[Monica Smith]

fascinating page. I like your use of alcohol inks.

[Barbara Hagerty]

Hmmm...I didn't use any alcohol inks, Monica. Where do you think you see them?

[Rita Ackerman]

Love the lettering. Can you imagine steering that canal boat like that?

[Joanne Thieme Huffman]

Love your lettering. I like the idea of alchemy involved in making the colors and textures of your page.