Liquitex acrylic inks and a book challenge

I was lucky to receive two sets of Liquitex inks for Christmas - a set of basic colours, red, yellow, blue, raw umber, black and white and a set of gorgeous iridescents.

I've been using them on paper and fabric and love the results.

Viewers of DMTV will be able to see how I've created the papers and how I've translated the effects to fabric. This should come with a health warning though! It's another of those completely obsessive techniques - once you start it's impossible to stop and before you know it every surface is covered and you are drowning in glorious colour. I don't know - maybe that's just how it grabs me, most people probably have more restraint!

I also have a new challenge in my life! Laura has presented me with one of her, 'Finish Me' art journals.

Nothing exceptional about a journal you might say but this one is very unusual. In the handmade book, the blank, white papers are interspersed with all kinds of different pages - antique newsprint, vintage text, old maps, original artwork, prints etc......  Every journal Laura makes is individual and unique and the challenge is to work with the existing imagery, fill in the gaps and  'finish' the book. It's certainly thought provoking and I've have spent quite some time this evening looking through my journal wondering where and how I might start. My plan is to be inspired by something already existing on the page and to integrate often diverse words and images that have been bound together in a totally random fashion. I'll let you see how this works out.

Here's a 'before' picture to show you an  example of what I'm facing.

The small scale text might look like a low key pattern which would provide an interesting background to drawing or printing.

On closer inspection your eye is caught by some little gems in this newspaper from 1898. I'm certain I'll be doing something about 'Tea Table Dainties'! Not so sure if 'How to be Happy Though Married' is such a safe bet - he who gardens might have something to say about that!

I've always been fascinated by maps so this page shouldn't present too much of a problem.

And this page features a lovely monoprint which won't cause me to scratch my head too much.

But this page is more of a puzzler - Laura tells me it wouldn't be half as interesting without such challenging images!

I'll keep showing my progress and any bright ideas you might have to contribute would be welcome although you might like the idea of finishing your own book - they are now for sale on her blog and don't forget, no two books are alike!

Must be off - I've got a book to finish!  Linda x