Messing with Picasa

It was simple. Select photos you already have in "My Pictures", add to a new album, then use the collage creating feature. There are lots of fun choices in the tool bar. For instance, you can have the program randomly create a collage, or you can place them like a mosaic, as I did.

Spring Flower Composition

First, I drew the Chrysanthemum with a Sharpie, then saturated the fabric with a water spritzer. I then dropped loose, dilute colors one at a time. (I let it dry in between each hue, otherwise, you get mud). After that, I stenciled, printed, added sparkle with white areas, and threw in everything but the kitchen sink! Next, I'll stitch in black thread all around the outside of the flower to emphasize.

More Monoprints

I used freezer paper cutouts for the dragonfly, then drew in details with a sharpie and used water soluble colored pencils to add touches of color. In the tree composition, I had already drawn the trees with a sharpie, then I put a butterfly linocut block into paint I had rolled onto the plate. For the leaves, I rolled the paint on the plexiglass, spritzed it to keep it moist enough to work with, then put cut paper shapes and real dried leaves down for a resist. When that was dry, I painted dandelion leaf and flower stencils for contrast in the deep blue.