frida round robin journal

This is the last Frida journal in this round-robin (sniff sniff) - I will miss Frida! I still have pages left in my journal that has come back to me, so I might add some more of my own pages to that book while I am still fascinated by her! I have learned so much about her from the reading I have done in research for the pages.


This journal is Lee's and I have decided to do a spread on Diego and Frida. I made Diego a frog and Frida a dove. The couple were referred to as the elephant and the dove, but Frida made references to Diego being like a frog. The quote on the left page is by Frida and it says "If you see him naked, you immediately think of the frog boy standing on his hind legs."


The background is acrylic paint, the frog and dove bodies are from the internet, as are the heads of Frida and Diego. I added stickers and rubons, and wrote and decorated with black Sharpie and black Pitt artist pens.

frida round robin journal

Still going on the Frida Round Robin. This is my entry in Tracy's Journal. Her theme is a visual diary or a secret diary.

I decided to do a page about Frida's Communist beliefs. The two excerpts are taken from her actual diaries.

The pages were painted with two shades of red acrylic paint. Then smudged with lack ink pad. The image of Frida is taken from a painting she did in honour of Leon Trotsky. I added the hammer and sickle with black pen. The flags are found images from the internet. I drew the line with black pen also. The images are outlined with graphite pencil.

Strathmore Online Workshop

I recently did a free online workshop offered by Strathmore. This workshop was done by Pam Carriker. I enjoyed the workshop and these are the three journal pages that I produced using her techniques.

We used printouts of our previous artwork and journal pages, altered the sizes and used them in new pages. We layered these images and patterns with colour and texture using charcoal, oil pastel, graphite, acrylic paint and more.

The end result was very different art to the original artwork the pages were made from. I enjoyed it immensely. Below is an image showing the progression of the pages over the four weeks. I forgot to scan week three on the angel page (-_-) sorry.

I was very pleased to do this workshop as it brought me back to my old love of layering and layering and layering!

Steam Punk

Steam Punk card I made a month ago for my Mum's birthday. I absolutely adore Steam Punk. I love that mixture of feminine and clockwork, of olde world and futuristic, I love the clothes and the accesories.

I used some Graphic45 papers called Steampunk Debutante Collection. The image of the lady is from the internet. Also used stickers and stamps.

frida round robin journal

This is my entry in Elena's journal with a theme of anything Frida.

The pages are layered scrapbooking papers, printed image of Frida, acrylic paint, pencil, gesso, stickers and other ephemera. The stick-on letters are really cool! They are puffy and cool colours.
I added texture with punchinella and stencils.

frida round robin journal

This is my entry in Elizabeth's journal with the theme "Self Portrait as Frida"

I kept these pages simple with mainly drawing.

Little bit of mixed media collage, but mainly fine tip felt pen. The patterns on the plaster cast on the second page are actually children's temporary tattoos!

frida round robin journal

I am involved in a journal round robin with a Frida Kahlo theme. This is my entry in Eileen's journal with the theme "inspired by Frida" - anything as long as Frida's influence is felt in it.

I decided to do a mixed media collage of things that make me think of Frida.
Mixed media collage, using ink stamp pad, fine tip felt pen, found images, objects and stickers.

frida round robin journal

This is my entry in Janet's journal with the theme "La Casa Azul" - anything you might find in Frida's blue house.

I know this looks a little formal ... but I wanted this to look realistic like a doll's house ... so I went with straight collage and a little mixed media decoration. Research to get an idea of the inside of her house was difficult because visitors to Cas Azul are not allowed to take photos inside the house. But then I found the Museo Frida Kahlo Virtual Tour. At first I was a little depressed that the blue was actually on the outside of her house not the inside. But on the virtual tour I found rooms with the blue around the bottom of the walls.

Now don't sue me for the in-authenticity of the rooms, this is not the furniture from Frida's house, it is my imagination. I had wanted the portraits to be actual photographs, but I couldn't find any actual photographs of Frida's mother's parents, so I went with the painted versions.

The pages are mixed media collage, using acrylic paint, gesso, fine tip felt pen, liquid pencil, and pencil.

frida round robin journal

This is a spread in one of the Frida Kahlo Round Robin books. It is Maxine's book and the theme is "The Day of The Dead"

Maxine's book is a collection of card and paper held together with two rings. I cut each of the skulls out in various sizes and decorated them with sharpies and sakura gel pens and black Pitt Artist pens. Frida is collaged on from an internet image, but with extra pieces of collage added to her skirt to make it fuller. I also painted over her skin and other areas with Sakura gel pens and outlined everything with black Pitt Artist pen.

Taylor Mali poem "What Teachers Make"

This is a brilliant poem! Thought I would share it with you all!!

frida round robin journal

This is a spread in one of the Frida Kahlo Round Robin books. It is Kate's book and the theme is Frida in San Francisco. I decided to go with her time in San Francisco in the 1930s.

Kate's book is yummy with thick watercolour paper, and it is a decent size to work in as well. I loved working in it. My layout is far from perfect, but time was of the essence, and I am still happy with the result.

It was soon after Frida and Diego's marriage, and Frida desperately wanted children. She lost a child because of her misshapen pelvis from the accident. She suffered much pain with her right leg, and met Dr Leo Eloesser who became a life long friend and medical advisor to her. She painted more as a hobby during this stay in San Francisco, keeping her husband company at his mural painting. She also fell in love with the little children in China Town.

It is mixed media collage with gesso, charcoal, pastels, stamps and ink, fine tip felt pen, Sakura gelly and souffle pens, and pencil. Especially loved playing with the gesso and blue pastel in the sky!

Right, now onto the next journal, the theme is Frida's Blue House. Can't wait to start on it... I am rearing to go!!!!

frida round robin journal

I am involved in a round robin journal project with ten other artists. The theme is Frida Kahlo. This is my journal that I decorated and did a spread and sent to Lee in Australia to do the next spread. Eventually I should get it back with mine and ten other artists take on the theme Frida that I will be able to keep. We each have started a journal so that we all have one to keep at the end.

I used a vintage children's book as my journal. I removed pages to make it the right size and gessoed the pages (MAN that took a ton of gesso and a lot of time!!!!)

The cover was painted with gold acrylic paint then red acrylic paint. I aged it with black and white ink pad. The pages are painted with acrylic paints, collaged with images and scrapbooking paper and decorated with stickers and stamps. LOTS of fun!

This was my spread to kick things off. It is inspired by Frida's description of where the notion of "Two Fridas" came from. She said that when she was young and feeling unhappy, she would go up to the window in their house (La Casa Azul - The Blue House) and look out. She would breathe on the glass of the window and draw a picture of a door onto it with her finger. She said she would then go out through the little door and run through the streets where she would go through the "O" in a store sign "Pinzon". This gate took her to an underworld where her imaginary friend was waiting for her, and the two would play. When she finished playing she would return home and go back through the little door. She would wipe off the door from the window and go about the rest of her day with a smile on her face!

I did the page with drawing, collage, acrylic paint and coloured pencil.

partner journal

I am involved in a partner journal with Wendy in Australia. These are the eighth set of layouts that I have done. These layouts are in Wendy's journal.

The theme for these pages was hopes, dreams or aspirations for 2010 or beyond.

They both have gesso backgrounds with water-soluble crayon colour over the top. Both have collage elements. Hand lettering has been done with white Signo Uni-ball pen and Sakura sparkle gelly roll pen in the roses page, and black Pitt artist pen and coloured pencils in the wings page. The wings and flourishes in the second page are stamped with black ink.

I think I will try something a little more vivid in my next two partner journal spreads. Mmmmmmmm! Have to think about that!

book wraps

I was busy before Christmas trying to make as many presents as I could for my family. I managed to make book wraps to give to my Mum and my sister. They are fabric covers to wrap your book up in when you want to take it with you. The wrap protects the book, and it looks good too!!

The idea came from Quilting Arts Magazine Issue 29 page 50, "Textural Book Wraps" by Angie Hughes. Angie's book wraps are just "to die for" and I would love to get my wraps more lacy thin like hers. I have been working on another project of Angie's from another magazine, a decorated bag. That is definitely a U.F.O. at the moment, I will post the finished product when I eventually finish it!!

The fabric of the book wrap is actually woven from strips of varied fabrics. Angie said she was looking for a use for upholstery offcuts, and weaving new fabric from old strips was the result. It is held together by being ironed onto iron-on interfacing. The ironed "fabric" was then decorated with acrylic paint and stamps, pieces of fabric and threads. Then a layer of organza is placed over the top and you take to the whole thing with your sewing machine. I crazy sewed all over the whole thing, folded one end in to be the flap that holds the book in place, added a decorative strip of fabric or ribbon at the end for a flourishy finish, and finally attached strips of recycled silk yarn for the ties to hold the book wrap closed.

partner journal

I am involved in a partner journal with Wendy in Australia. These are the seventh set of layouts that I have done. These layouts are in my journal.

I have had trouble getting back into my art after the hectic Christmas and New Year break, so these are simple layouts.

The theme for these pages was hopes, dreams or aspirations for 2010 or beyond.

The background for the first page is scrapbooking paper, the nest and egg are collaged on, the background is smudged with gesso, the writing is in black Pitt Artist pen and white Signo pen.

The background of the second page was stamped with text, then painted over with acrylic and gesso. The daisies were collaged on, then I drew and wrote over the top. I love Ali Edwards' ideas on taking one little word as a theme for your year!