Estate Sale Finds For Making Art

Hello friends! Welcome to Part 2 of my field trip to an estate sale. I hope you found some time to sit back and tour the Anaheim home I featured on my FB video.  So much good stuff in one place and I got to share my tips and tricks about junkin’.  I’ve learned plenty over the years and I’m always willing to share what I have discovered and experienced. Definitely a wealth of information on there so if you didn’t see my facebook video,  you might want to check it out here.  It’s about 20 minutes of free entertainment, inspiration and junking goodness! No admission fee or mask necessary! 

Now just because my trip is over, doesn’t mean it’s the end.  Today is the second half and perhaps for some of you, the better half of the treasure hunt.  I am always asked what I do with what I buy.  Well, some of that gets answered now!  So onto what I purchased, how I used it and, how I photographed it.

Ok, so what did I buy after all?   Well I have to tell you, I promised the estate sale owner, I would only look, not buy, on the day I did the video because it had not opened to the public yet,  nor would it be fair to those planning on attending on the real date, and they weren’t setup for sales yet. I had to go back. That was torture. Lol. Naturally, I am very cautious when going out anywhere these days so I called ahead and found out what the crowd was like on that opening morning. Lucky for me, it was pretty much empty and no one but the workers were around. Perfecta!  And just so you know, that is a rarity. Lines are very common at these sales.

I was really good and only purchased those things I had a use for or really, really had to have. The postcards are for inspiration for an upcoming opportunity that I can’t share…yet! That metal boat with the oar and wheels was meant to be mine from the beginning! That was a nice treat! So happy it was there since I didn’t get to the sale early. I’m a florist and I see plenty of spring decor possibilities with that boat, plus it could look great as a prop, right? Ok, that’s my story… Also got those postcards for some VIP. And the hankie, I did NOT need but it was so sweet. Lost cause.

And of course, I found these two amazing books. One is from the 60’s, (the Budget book above) which I assume is vintage now, eyeroll, because I guess I am included in that category these days, lol, and one that’s an actual antique accounting ledger, from 1902 which, thank God, I am not. Lol.  (Well sometimes my body acts like it but that’s another story for another day.) 

So I pulled out some pages and began working. There are times when I do feel a sense of guilt for tearing them out, I mean, after all, we were always taught NOT to do that, right? But for the most part, I recognize that outside of the personal value it had to the recent owner, there are thousands of these kinds of items that get tossed if not purchased. My conscience has now eased somewhat. Here is what I made from the parts and pieces of these two books…

The main background was created from the paper in the budget book. I applied gesso to parts of it, then layers of Turquoise, Hint of Mint, Elephant, Niagra Falls and Buff paint by Seth Apter and PaperArtsy. (See all of Seth’s paint colors here). I love using a “smudgee” to move around the colors. It gives it a bit of transparency instead of being so opaque. 🙂

Next I added pieces from the budget book, particularly those with handwriting and figures (love that stuff) and then I made a light wash of the paints again so that things began to blend and soften. I stamped Seth’s Eclectica 3 Mini Stamps: Full Set by PaperArtsy using Black Dress Paper Artsy paint, did some stitching on the pieces (after everything was dry), used a wood Stabilo pencil to deepen the color, lightly added Seth’s Story Time Stencil by StencilGirl® in places, and misted things with a bit of Honey IZINK Dye Spray. Adding the word “moment” from Journal Jargon stamps by Seth for IO Stamps onto deli paper and blurred out the “soul” sentiment from the Story Time stencil seemed to give it purpose and meaning. I liken mark making to cake decorating. Just a few subtle markings with IZINK Avalanche Ink , some swirls of black string and Seth’s Coffee Ring Die-cut and my art was complete.

So that my friends is what I created from a few of my pieces. Definitely worth every penny, and kept me busy for HOURS! Can’t find much to do for a mere $5.50, right? And, there are still more pages left over. I also could have worked right inside either of these books and made it my art journal. Think I am going to frame this piece though. Actually, I made two! Again, something for another day!

Now for my pretty shots and on to photography.

Photography

In my first post as Seth’s Creative Team member, I outlined how important photography and stylizing were to me. If you have not read my post I wrote for StencilGirl® on photography, I encourage you to do so. Lots of basic information that is easy to comprehend and easy to apply. (Go here to read). You will be glad you did.

Last week fellow Creative Team member, Phoebe Tonosaki talked about creating great backgrounds for your projects. You will want to check out her LIVES here. Lots of ways to create them and they are very important to your artwork. They can literally make or break what catches people’s eye. I have designed many different substrates in the past few years but I do a lot of photography. It is not necessary for you to have as many as I show here. The first one is using Seth’s stamps and PaperArtsy paints. Thanks to Phoebe for showcasing another way to use Seth’s products and I applied what she shared. Gray is always a great backdrop. It’s perfect for both toning down brights and making pastels stand out. Make sure to blend in several colors for your background for interest and versatility. I used Seth’s paint by PaperArtsy: Elephant, Gold Rush, Hint of Mint, a little acrylic white and touches of Honey IZINK. Notice Seth’s stamp image. I like that it added both texture and a weathered look.

I also have a nice rusty brown board with a Hint of Mint and Mahogany. This is a staple for me.

And then there is this scratched up denim. It’s actually a bit more blue than the photo shows. I created it from black and blue paint and then sanded it in different directions.

For some reason I am drawn to teal and use it a lot. Based on the lighting I am working with, it can reveal itself in different shades.

Less light…

And then some natural and shabby chic ones…

This first one is tree bark. I LOVE this one. It’s only a 12″ x 12″ square though, so harder for me to use, but oh my-lanta! Look at all that texture and layers!

Shabby Chic…

Wood and cork…

Of course I always have black and white on hand. They are what I generally use most and are definitely a good starting place.

So, how do you decide what is a good background when photographing your art? Well I first decide by looking at what colors are in the piece and then how busy it is. If it has a lot of light colors, I generally steer away from that same background. I want to bring a richness to the art so I usually pick something that brings out the dark tones in my work. It’s vice versus for dark. I recently did a floral photo with a teal background and my object had no aqua or teal at all but the teal was a complimentary color and it looked fabulous! See below. So sometimes you can just experiment. REMEMBER, the point of any background and/or props is to highlight the project, not the other way around. Also, if my object is fairly simple, then I might be able to use a background that has more textures and an easy pattern in it or I might be able to add some props.

Obviously, props can alter the backdrop choice but for this post, we are only discussing backdrops. Next post will be all about props. I played with my project on several of the painted and natural surfaces I showed above until I eventually found one that I thought was ideal. I settled on the teal because it brought the light turquoise into focus and deepened the piece. It felt like it was no longer “floating” in light colors. Backgrounds can help transform your piece for better visual aesthetics. You do not always have to use them, as mentioned in my StencilGirl photography post. Art can stand alone too but for some beauty shots and for telling a story, they can be helpful.

So that is it for today. Long post. I don’t generally write this much but I am very passionate about both topics and felt that since so many people wanted to improve their photography and stylizing skills, there was no time like the present. Please feel free to leave me a positive comment if you have any questions. And most especially, thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Hope I helped you on your artistic journey.

XO,

Debi

I loved these colors of paints separately and together so I had to share!