Art Elements Reveal - Foliage

I've really been loving the themes presented by the team members each month at Art Elements. They've made it hard NOT to participate. This month's Foliage theme from Caroline was no exception. While I wasn't sure what I wanted to create, I did find a few small leaf charms as I cleaned out my bead cabinet. However, they didn't really speak to me. Something told me to turn to paper instead.
I was drawn to use my Sizzix Big Kick die-cutter to make paper leaves and incorporate them into a picture. I used several shades of green scrapbook paper. Once my paper leaves were gathered, I collaged various papers onto a small piece of watercolor paper and scraped gesso across the surface.

I drew and colored in a face with various media before adding a night sky with stars. Finally, the leaves were added as hair for my fairy. I used a pencil to give the leaves some shadow. 

Once she was done, I realized I still had leaves leftover - enough to make her a sister.
I used the same process for this second picture except I used crackle paste instead of gesso.

There's no perfection in either one. I see all my mistakes.

But, I still absolutely love these two leaf fairy sisters.
I want to frame them in some manner, but that will have to come later. 

After I had my fairies, I turned my attention back to the leaf charms, giving them some thought for a day or two. Fall officially began on September 23rd, but we've not felt it here. And, we don't really get the beautiful change of colors either in the deep south, so I decided to create my own on these little leaves.
I used red and yellow Vintaj Patinas to alter the gunmetal color of the charms into fall hues. Look at that beautiful blending of the two in the middle.

A simple red-orange bead hangs above them to complete the earrings.
It may not feel like Autumn in Alabama, but these earrings help it look a little more like Fall!

Don't forget that this challenge is a blog hop. Make sure to check out what the other artists created with the Foliage theme.

AE Team: Lesley, Susan, Marsha, Claire, Cathy, Jenny, Niky, Caroline

Guests: Dawn, Hope  (you're here!), Alison,  Beth & Evie, Laurie, Kathy, Sarajo, Michelle, Tammy, Divya, Karen, Alysen, Mary, Cat, Jill, 
Thanks to Caroline for the theme and to the Art Elements Team for letting the rest of us play along!

38 comments:

  1. I love your fairy sisters! What a cute idea and so well executed!
    I also like the earrings, everyone should have a pair of fall leaves :-D

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    1. Cat, Thank you! I wasn't sure how the fairies would turn out, but I'm pleased you like them too!

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  2. Your fairies are very cute and your earrings are perfect for the Fall. Well done!

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  3. Beautiful work, the sisters are wonderful

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  4. Love the earrings, but those fairies!!! They're stunning. Thanks so much for joining us for the challenge.

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    1. Thank YOU for the inspiration! I'm not sure what made me think of using leaves as hair, but I love how these turned out myself. Thanks!

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  5. I so love your foliage fairy sisters as well, they look so beautiful! :)

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  6. I love how you can create amazing pieces from just paper. Love the two sisters you created!
    I also love those colors you created on the leaf charms - gorgeous!

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  7. Your paper leaves are wonderful Hope. I also love the your metal leaf charms. The colors are right out of the Adirondack Park for Fall grandeur. Magnificent!

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    1. Mary, Aw, thank you! I'm so happy you like what I created for this theme.

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  8. Oh yes, Hope, I love your fairies, especially the night sky one. And the colors in the earrings are beautiful..

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    1. Thank you! I can't decide which of the two are my favorite. I'm not sold on the earrings yet, but am pleased at the coloring I was able to get on the leaf charms. It's a win if I enjoy the process, right?

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  9. Oh Hope, your collages are gorgeous! Thanks for explaining your process, so interesting! And the earrings are great! Love the colors!

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  10. I am enchanted with your sweet, whimsical fairies! I see no mistakes or flaws, but I know that the artist always sees those things. Those secret flaws are a reminder that charming pieces such as yours are made with the talented hands and the loving heart of the person who created such magical pieces. They carry a little piece of you within them.

    The colors in your fall leaves are wonderfully bright and definitely a reminder of autumn. Your area may not have a fall season, but you have made your own autumn with those pretties!

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    1. Dawn, Oh...you are too kind. Yes, the artist always sees the flaws. But, that's the charm of something handmade too isn't it?
      Thanks so much for stopping by and for you kind words! 😀

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  11. Your mixed media paintings are just stunning! You should frame them! I love your work on the leaf charms - they look like actual leaves brightened by the sun!

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  12. I am delighted that you listened to your muse. Your work is so beautiful :)

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  13. We're not feeling much like fall here in the mid-Atlantic either. There are 90-something degree days in this week's forecast. We have trees that turn color though. Your leafy fairies are fabulous and definitely need framing for display. I love how you used Vintaj patinas to great a fall color gradient for the earrings. Beautifully done.

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    1. Tammy, I hope y'all are staying cool. We hope to get a cooling trend next week. Everyone's looking forward to it.
      Thank you for your sweet comment! I hate that I didn't get more made for the challenge, but am happy with what I did create. I'm glad you like them too.

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  14. I absolutely love your fairy sisters! The colors, textures and depth you achieved on the background are perfect for the leafy crowns. And your patinas on the leaf charms are blended perfectly to create some fall bling for your ears:-)

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    1. Aw, thank you Cathy! I'm coming to realize how much I love creating texture and layers in my mixed media pieces. And blending colors is my jam. I definitely need to do more of that in my jewelry too. Thanks for hopping by!

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  15. Your earrings are very pretty. I love, love, love the fairy sisters and their leafy hair! Wonderful!!

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  16. I love the idea of leaves for hair. Makes me want to go right into some clay and carve some. Yours are so poetic. Enjoyed seeing your post so much.

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    1. Mary, Oooooh, I'd love to see how your carved interpretation came out if you try it. Thank you for the kind words. They mean so much to me.

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  17. Hope you're mixed media portraits are great and I love how you've thought out of box on the the theme to great effect. Lovely seasonal earrings too.

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  18. There are NO MISTAKES! You are being overly critical, they each have a personality and their uniqueness is what makes them so great! (seriously, I can’t see any mistakes at all) I love how one is night and the other is day! Great Job! I just started a few card projects and I can’t figure out how to get glue on tiny papers like your fern leaves, I am curious what you used.

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    1. Alison, Aw, thank you!! My parents often called my sister and myself night and day because we were so different. I think that's what inspired me for this one. (That and the extra leaves I had once the night one was made!) To get fiddly bits like that down, I often use something I can spread with a paintbrush on the canvas and then over the top of the paper. In this case, I used Matte Gel Medium, but something like Mod Podge works well too. Good luck! And, thanks again.

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  19. I love your fairy sisters! They are really cool. I envy your artistic talents! Your earrings are super cute too... nice work with the patinas! I'm not looking forward to the "fall" weather I'll get when I visit my mom in Huntsville next week, but at least my summer clothes are still out!

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    1. Sarajo, Thanks so much! My "artistic" talents just come from playing around with materials until something comes out that I like! HA! As for your trip to Alabama, we're supposed to be getting a cooling trend next week (at least at the bottom of the state.) Enjoy yourself!

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  20. That's some wonderful coloring on your leaf charms - looking at them makes me happy for some reason. :-) As for the fairy sisters - they're just beautiful, and I'd love to see how you'll frame them.

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    1. Anita, Thank you! I simply wondered if I could blend those two patinas and used a toothpick to do it so that a brush wouldn't soak them all up. I'm not exactly sure how I'll frame them, though I do have someone interested in buying one of them. So, we'll see. Thanks for your kind words.

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  21. The leaf nymphs (fairy sisters) look ethereal. To me they represent day and night - sisters, guardian angles or stars like the Zoryas (of slavic mythology) who protect the world at morning and night.

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    1. Divya, Aw, thank you! Those fairies just emerged. I had intended to just play with the art process, but they really evolved into something special. I'm so glad you see it too.

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Thanks for stopping by! It means so very much to me. I love to hear what you have to say.

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