Millande has some great techniques for creating one of a kind backgrounds for use in art journaling. They can be adapted to any style.

eyes
Originally uploaded by pierrey

PIerry on flickr has a great stream of images. This is just one of the images I liked. I particularly like the drips in this one.

downward
Originally uploaded by sparkleface

Great collage in a moleskine on flickr. Love the glaze of color over the whole page. Check out the rest of the stream its pretty good.

I've been wanting to try some  white markers out for awhile. I've heard people rave about particular brands, and honestly I've never had much use or luck with them. So I headed to AC Moore and then Michael's with but a few dollars in my pocket and the intent to try out some white markers.

First on my list, Broad Point Galaxy marker. It lays down a wide white line on a variety of surfaces. Sitting as a more opaque white on sealed or glossier surfaces. It had no issues writing over acrylic, a variety of inks and over regular colored paper. The color is more transparent on flat surfaces. No bad odor, slight scent of alochol. Cost was decent at $1.79 at Michael's.

Next was the Elmer's Painter's Pen. It lays down an even opaque line on all the surfaces listed above. It worked great on flat paper. It didn't soak through, the layer of paint/ in k was even and fairly opaque. No bad odor either. Sale price at Michael's was $1.99 regular is $3.99.

Next was the Gelly roll. I read the most hype about this online. It performed okay on flat paper, better on paper treated with ink, and best on acrylic. I liked this pen, it wasn't awe inspiring but performed really well. It was $1.49 at Michael's.

I tried the Marvey Gel Excel. I've tried this pen before. With terrible results. It performed okay. I'm not excited by it. It would do well with just writing over a colored background. I wouldn't want to draw with it. It tends to skip and leave a line that is split in the middle. Of the pens I tested it was the least useful. It was also the cheapest at 99 cents at Michael's.

The final pen I tested and the old standby  in terms of a white pen was the Pen-touch by Sakura. It had a fine point and laid down the most opaque and even line. The line also remained narrow.I liked this pen the most of all. Which goes to figure, it was also the only pen with a nasty odor and the most expensive. It clocked in a t a whopping $4.49 at Michael's.

While at AC Moore I noticed that  Liqutex had a new line of acrylic inks. The small bottles were $6.99 and the large bottles were $14.99. I wanted to test out the white but couldn't stand to spring for a large bottle when I hadn't ever tested the inks. So I picked up a bottle of silver. I figured the silver would react much the same way as the white. It's really really nice. I suspect it wouldn't do too well in a pen but with  a brush it performed very well. It would work well in paste to make paste paper or to tone a page. It was also vibrant on all surfaces, it was also suitably opaque.

The 2 stores I visited were both int he Liberty Tree Mall in Danver's Mass. I've noticed a recent reticence on the part of store's to have open stock pens and markers. Damn those that steal or ruin them. I've have been happy to find small sets in blister packs. Instead at AC Moore I found nothing. I couldn't find any open stock pens at all, nor was I interested in looking more than I did. The store was as usual a cluster f*ck of disaster. Stock in boxes all over the store, employees non-existent and when around avoiding eye contact. I walked past several, while obviously looking for something. No help offered. When I finally found something I was interested in purchasing and made my way up to the registers, I found all the employees, 4 at 2 registers, chatting about their recent tattoo adventures, and loud enough that when I asked a question they didn't answer me, in fact I had to ask my question twice. I then had to wait for the cashier to turn away from the other employee to finish my transaction. Had she simply paid attention to my needs I'd have been gone a lot faster than her ignoring me. It's not like Tuesday afternoons are particularly busy at AC Moore in Danver's in fact it was rather slow. Obviously I'm a little peeved at the utter lack of customer service and complete lack of social graces shown by this kid at the  register. I say kid but she's clearly an adult- you must be over 18 in Mass to get a tat.*

When I headed over to Michael's it was the complete opposite. It is a new store with a large amount of square footage. It's well stocked and product is never in boxes on the floor. It was not busy in this store either, but I was able to find everything I wanted and it was clear that they had stocked up on their sale items in advance of their sales- the Paint markers were plentiful, as were all of the holiday items. Items were in their place and easy to find. Staff was ready to help at a moment's notice. they were friendly and efficient. When I checked out the cashier gave me her full attention, even when another cashier arrived to take her place at the next register.

I probably won't be back to the AC Moore again, at least not until this school season is over and they have a staff change. They seem to have a change ever 9 months or so.

*I'm not some anti-tat nutbag either. I'm all for tats and hell it would have been an interesting conversation had I not had to wait for it to end before getting checked out or to have my question answered.

Originally uploaded by fake_glue

Fake Glue on flickr has a nice city scape up. I like the drippy treatment of the tops of the buildings.

Again digging on these art journals.

Living here in the NorthEast allows for some pretty spectacular events, one of my favorites is the changing of the seasons. Spring brings with it bright greens, cool rains, and a brightening of the sun. Summer brings bountiful flowers, yummy floral smells, and in general some much needed heat. The time period we are currently in, the change from summer to fall is my favorite. The days are still long, the sun still hot, but nights cool and the harvest is soon upon us. This is my favorite time of year. I can switch from t-shirt and shorts to my favorite pants, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, and lightweight jackets. I move from sweating all day to being comfortable. It's a glorious time. Hopefully next year this time of year will also be marked with a personal harvest time. This year's rainy spring led me to no garden and a sad pear tree.

A friend of mine on facebook said it best "better enjoy it while we can." This transitional season lasts but a short time and soon the trees will be bursting with color, the winds will remove the warm mass of air sitting on us, the oceans will cool and we'll be headed into the hard cold days of winter.

So how shall we best enjoy this season? Personally I'm putting on some pants, a wool sweater, packing my sketchbook and watercolor supplies and heading to the beach and downtown area to sip a latte from Atomic and sketch some of the buildings and life of Beverly, MA. If I'm feeling really saucy I'll hop the commuter rail to Salem and head to Derby Square to sketch the old buildings and strange peeps in the area, and grab some great food for lunch. For today I suspect I'll stay local, and venture out on foot.

Every Inch a Gentleman
Originally uploaded by gigglepotamus

I have a friend, whom I've shamefully not seen in months, who paints a lot of pictures of himself as a rabbit ad in general a lot of pictures of rabbits in a variety of costumes. He also paints dogs… Anyway. I thought this was really cool. I love the texture of the canvas/paper peeking through.

This moleskine has a really interesting concept- one idea throughout the entire journal. This might be a good idea for a jotter notebook. 48 pages all working out one concept, one idea over and over one each page.