Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Art Journaling with Private Dancer

Hello all! I'm posting to share a spread from my Little Book of Wisdom quotations art journal. It's more song lyrics, this time Tina Turner's Private Dancer, which was #811 on Marit Berentsen's 2016 Top 2000 List. I am posting it on the Top 2000 Facebook group page and am also participating in Art Journal Journey's August Challenge, Poetry In Motion.

These lyrics have always haunted me. Seems like they really get to what this kind of life is like for some women. Again, poetry sung to music. And the backstory of this song is interesting: it was written by Mark Knopfler for his band Dire Straits, but he pitched it instead to Tina, as he thought it was a woman's song. It spoke to Tina, who had given her share of private musical dances earlier in her solo career and knew the mind-set but also how innocent some of these women were, and that came through in her delivery. Some members of Dire Straits performed on the original recording.

I worked with a previously-created background of acrylic colors. Here's a shot I'd taken of the left side, the right was the same. I knew my page was going to busy with collage sheet images and text strips, so I wanted to tone it down.

I accomplished this with a couple coats of Liquitex Interference Red acrylic (which is like a glaze) and then a coat of Golden's Soft Gloss Gel. I wanted a shimmery somewhat glossy background that would take my gluestick well.

Alrighty, then. Ready to Rumble!
First thing I wanted to do was make a border and I tried experimenting with one of my fan brushes and liked the effect...sort of like a curtain. So the red went around the edge first... then I began choosing, printing and fussy-cutting my images and my song text.

Here is my mock-up placement pic before glueing down. I ALWAYS take a photo that I display on my computer monitor as I glue. Yes, it always changes slightly due to artistic creative epiphanies, but it's a perfect starting blueprint for me, a LOT better than my memory, lol. These images are all from Gecko Galz, Collage Visions (can no longer find a link) and Dezinaworld. I fussy cut these and many more before narrowing it down...

After getting them all glued down like I wanted, I put the black border paint layer on top of the red. I like the distinct scallop black border over the red fringy one. When I turn to this spread in the future, I will remember why this song touches me so. One of the best things about filling up an art journal is getting to enjoy it, remembering how and why pages and spreads were created. 

Well, it's been another long-overdue post from me. This time my hiatus has been caused by my personal life. You wouldn't believe it if I told you, at least some of it, anyway, and it's all TMI. But it was sucking out any artistic motivation inside of me. Thankfully, my life as of late has settled some, problems not all solved but the light's on at the tunnel's end, and art is the first thing I've run to. I was really shocked I did not escape to it whilst in my chaotic situation. Guess I do have to have some level of harmony in my life in order to create! Lately, I've found myself jonesing to create, so hopefully I'll have more posts because I always share. Except not so much my drawing. I have discovered I draw more if I don't share those. LOL 








No comments: