Friday, February 2

India Mixed Media Scrapbook: Take 1


I traveled to India last fall with my husband, and we fell in love with the country, the wonderful people we met, and the glorious colors everywhere we looked! I wanted to make a scrapbook of our journey, but not in the traditional sense...I wanted to take a mixed media approach. 

I started by printing a lot of my own papers, using DecoArt Americana Premium acrylics, my gelli plate, and stencils. This way, I could recreate some of the colors I saw on my trip in my papers.
My dancing hula girl, bunny, and water garden accompany me as I work.


Samples from some of the pages I made, using marks and stencils.


I also added gold touches to a number of pages.




Now, I have a good selection of papers I can pull from as I work on my pages.

I decided to use an old art journal I had on hand and removed the pages. I began by adding lines or splats with watercolor, then went in with acrylic paints and stencils. Here are a couple of samples.



Since I had deconstructed the album, it was easy to  paint the cardboard covers. I started with a layer of gesso, and once that dried, went in with a couple of blues. To get the variation you see here, I wiped off areas with a baby wipe.


I stenciled in some partial mandalas with gold paint, layered on some wonderful papers, images, ribbons, laces and objects. I also colored some of the elephant in with gold doodles. I got these awesome materials to use from Gwen Lafleur, who was a fellow traveler on our journey, and a mixed media artist. I love how the cover turned out!


My first page inside will be this compass rose mandala. I found a map of India in an old atlas and cut that into some of the points, used some of my handmade papers for others, and cut apart a photo I took while there that shows the exact location. Lots of layering, color, and doodles in this one.


Pages in progress...I'll probably go back in and add some journaling and maybe a bit more.




One of the wonderful aspects of making a scrapbook of your travels is reliving the experience and memories as you work on it. I hope you've enjoyed seeing my work in progress. 

Thanks for stopping by! 
Maura



5 comments:

  1. What a beautiful page and a wonderful way to remember your travels to India - it must have been amazing! Your page looks so opulent with the rich colours and gold - stunning 😁. Great photos from your travels too! Wishing you a happy weekend! J 😊

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Jo! We had such an awesome journey!! I have a lot more to work on, but I've started. I so appreciate your comments and love seeing your work too! hugs, Maura

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  2. wow I am so thrilled to see you showcase my country !! amazing pictures and hope you had a splendid stay here !
    cheers

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    Replies
    1. Sharada, thanks so much for stopping by! We loved India!!! Definitely want to return some day. There is so much depth to your country, from the wonderful people to amazing colors, to so much history and culture - loved it!!! Maura

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