Hello!
I hope you're warm (or cool if you're up North), staying safe, keeping well and injury free, and enjoying daily moments using your favourite treasures.
I love the soothing scratchy scratch sound of pencils as they skip across a page, watching watercolours blend and move while they dry, how Oxide Inks come to life when you add a splash of water. Art, creating it in any form is simply amazing and makes the world go round.
Feel like you're working alot lately? Maybe take your smaller journal and a "few" supplies into work so you can chill out during your breaks. Creating art is so good for us, it helps our hearts, minds and hands :) It also makes others around us smile, cos we're all like little kids in a lolly shop when we're surrounded by our arty treasures! lol :)
Art by Jenny EOFY Sale ... I'm having an EOFY sale! I expect you may have noticed already because I've plastered a huge banner on the home page, can't miss it really! Well, I've now added a quick link into the top navigation of the shop (so its easy to find wherever you are in the shop). It ends midnight Sunday, 27th June 2021 - just in time for new announcements and more deliveries from both Tim and Dyan :)
The new Dylusions Art Journal "Classics" (pictured right close up) paid a short visit but more will be back in the next few days! It looks very cool actually. I quite like the mixed pages. They're in striped sections, so a few page spreads have 2 colours to work on. What do you think? Do you like white, cream, tan, grey, black or a colourful background to start your artwork? Or like me, all of the above? Prefer something smaller than 9"x12"?
Check out Dina Wakley's new Kraft Journal, at only 6"x6", its a perfect size for keeping in the lounge room to stamp, doodle and colour in after dinner!I've been stamping the kraft paper with Ranger's Archival Ink then colouring with Posca Pencils and Caran D'Ache Neocolour IIs (watercolour crayons), and the colours show up beautifully, even white. Love it! Its all good fun really, whatever we use!
Most awesome news is that Tim's Tonic Studio Guillotine Deckle Trimmer is finally here! I've updated the product name and description with details so if you're watching the space, you'll know when they've landed. Quite a few products that have been out of stock for a while will be here too.
Keep an eye on your Wishlists over the next couple of days (click the little purple heart on the product pages to save them). As I they arrive instore, you should be able to see what arty treasures are finally back in stock!
Gesso - White, Black and Clear ... Did you know gesso is a basecoat (sealer and primer) that allows most other mediums (paints, sprays and inks) to sit on top the paper rather than get soaked into the surface? It can lead to using less of a medium, which means your paints and inks should last longer. I always thought gesso was about "tooth" (and never really understood that answer), I used on my canvases anyway because it was the done thing! Who knew it was so useful? You can find it here :)
White and black gesso are great for priming any surface to get a solid opaque coverage but Clear Gesso is one step better - it allows the original surface colour and texture to show through while enabling the properties of a black or white gesso.
Gesso is pretty handy to use when using paints or spray inks on all kinds of surfaces including thin paper from a dictionary, decorative scrapbook paper, metals, plastics (resin characters), stone or wood. Pet rocks anyone? Apply with a brush, spatula or blending tool and have fun!
Stamping and colouring, inside and outside the lines ... these ladybug stamps (from the Tim Holtz Specimens set) were printed using Ranger's Archival Jet Black ink pad on Dina Wakley's fab sized 6"x6" Kraft Journal. Imagine how awesome these would be crawling over Dyan's new large journal with the black, white and kraft paper! Just need to wait for them to arrive back inStore to have a go 
The leafy garden is from Dylusions Stamps Oodles of Foliage, also stamped in black. Swipe right for the whole scene.
Turns out the paint (Neocolours) soaked in a bit but looked great and the wax crayon is an excellent resist. But to colour over the resist again I need to either scrape it off or maybe use heat and melt it off... might try both next time 
I coloured with Posca pencils (cos I was in the lounge after dinner colouring in), layering the colours til they looked rounded and shiny, the white worked brightest when i left a bit of paper uncoloured. I used Posca pencils over the background and for the leaves too, leaving the pencil marks rough cos I love texture!... visit this shelf (webpage) for a colourful shelf of crayons and pencils
Click here for Brand New Designs
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Click this link for the Latest Arrivals
To keep up to date with behind the scenes, latest product news and fabulous finds, visit the shop's blog at www.shop.artbyjenny.com.au/blogs/art-and-craft-news, Facebook at ArtbyJenny.GGofRB or Instagram at @art.by.jenny.
Stay well, keep smiling and have a Happy creative day!
:)
Jenny
