Monday Mugshot Collaboration Jan 15th

 IT'S TIME!! Welcome to the official FIRST PROMPT of 2013 and our Monday Mugshot Collaboration! If you're new here, you can take a moment to see how the prompts work this year by clicking HERE.
Ready!?
PROMPT: New Year's resolutions or ONE WORD. Do you make New Year's resolutions, or take part in the ONE WORD project?
SHOOTERS: Shoot your mugh with your word or something that symbolizes your word. Some ideas would be to take a picture of your mug on top of a page with your word on it, or a trinket that reminds you of that word, or your mug in a setting that reminds you of your word. If your word was say, TRANQUILITY, you might take a picture of a mug in a window looking out into a garden) 

Shooters, you can share your shots from this prompt on Monday Mugshots facebook page on the 21st of this month!
BOOKERS: Use watercolors on your page to emulate your word... (if you don't have water colors, watered down acrylic paint will do just fine.) use color to convey that word and what it means to you. While your paint is WET, sprinkle salt on it, and let it sit. When your paint is dry, brush off the salt.  (people taking part in the creative prompt can put their mugshot for this prompt on this page.) 

Here's what the team came up with!  
RACHEL

My word for the year is SLOWLY. So I opened up one of  dictionaries from my vast collection, and shot my mug next to SLOW.

SUMAIYAH

2013 The Year of Release...

Journal Page Composition
My word for 2013 is "Release." This page in my journal depicts the releasing spread I did at the beginning of the new year to release 2012 and welcome in 2013 as the Year of Release for me. I had fun with my Derwent Inktense pencils and blocks, using them to write down all of the things from 2012 that I wanted to release. I scribbled and scribbled all of the thoughts and memories that no longer served me and I wanted to let go of using various color pencils/blocks -- I used the entire rainbow of colors! After being satisfied that I had gotten it all out and down on the page, I activated the pencils with water -- they are watercolor pencils -- and smeared the writing so that it was obscured. I will always know what it says, but I don't want it legible because I have released these things and moved on. I put on a coat of clear gesso on top so that any further wet media I added would not re-activate the watercolor pencils, and then I used a large background flourish stamp and stamped a few images using Unbleached Titanium acrylic paint. Finally, I took my signature acrylic paint color -- Dioxazine Purple -- and wrote my word for 2013 across the page, releasing all of it into the universe and moving forward. Today's Mug of Joe: My version of a chocolate (not white) mocha - Nestle's Hot Cocoa Mix and Sumatra Nights coffee (I get my grounds from Wegmans). YUM!

GLENDA
I knew what my word was going to be immediately as it's something I sorely lack and am always trying to improve upon. Patience. I envy people who have the patience of a saint, or even just have patience to begin with!! haha I am very high strung and find this patience thing very elusive but I refuse to give up. I keep trying to be a better person and become more patient. As for technique, not sure what I did. I used paint and glimmer mists so I'll go with that! haha I used this gorgeous soft yellow paper that had felt flocked leaves to give the feeling of serenity, which is turn makes me think of patience.

REBECCA

I knew right away what my word was and well that word is action, I am quite the dreamer and I spend way to much time in my head so to speak. So this year I am going to send my art journal to a magazine and start teaching classes and start making connections! Its time for me to take action with my life!

I used craft paper and some fun scrapbook paper! I used (a lot) of gesso to make the hearts in the background and to layer some color on the chipboard! It was lots of fun to make! Happy creating!

AMY

My word for 2013 is "New!" so I shot my cup in front of a print out of the definition of new (& fresh) and with the new curtains I just got for our new house along with the new thread & iron needed to hem said curtains.

This new year has brought some BIG changes for my husband & I. The biggest, a move from Oregon (where I had spent my entire life, 38 years +, up to now) to Idaho! So, my choice of word is directly related to this change and all that has/will come with it.
This year I REALLY want to focus on...

• The NEW start this move has given Jas & I. 
• Trying NEW things. 
• Making this NEW place a HOME. 
• Making the old things people see as junk NEW again and giving them NEW life. 
• ReNEWing myself! Getting to know myself & forcing myself to step out of my comfort zone & GROW. 
• REALLY getting to KNOW my new town. Finding NEW places...restaurants, coffee shops, quilt shops, salvage & thrift stores, etc, etc.
• I want to DO the things I have wanted to DO! TRY the things have I have wanted to TRY! GO to those places I have wanted to GO! LIVE the life I want to LIVE!

*Techniques*  I used a white crayon resist for the arrows and words. After that I painted it with watercolors. I tried the salt technique but it didn't really too much (I think it may have been because I used table salt, not rock salt). After letting it dry, I used markers to add finishing details & my journaling.*

LINDA

My word for 2013 is Health.  

I made a background with watercolors and then painted over with acrylic paint.

Inspired by the Creative Jump Start video by

Catherine Matthews-Scanlon

HEIDI
The word, okay...two words (I'm not much for rules, as you'll find out if you don't already know me), I chose as my focus for 2013 are "let go." I've decided to make a conscious choice to let go of the yucky stuff: negativity, hurtful things others say to me, criticism that isn't constructive (you know the kind...and don't we just love to hang on to it and let it eat away at our self-esteem?) anger, things beyond my control, and anything else that tends to ball itself up into a big black chunk of anxiety for me.

MUGSHOT: This is the mug that inspired my choice this year. It is shown with all of my piles of work in the background...and while the work itself doesn't tend to weigh me down, I do have a tendency to hang on to some of the negative aspects of my job, and so, it fits.

JOURNAL PAGE: As you can see, I did not paste my mugshot into my book, yet. I may, or I may not. Like I said...rules to me are...more like guidelines anyway. ;) I did use watercolor, among other things, and I DID apply salt while wet & scraped off when dry, and I love the effect.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's mugs and pages!

JEN

Most of the time, when I pick my word of the year, it just comes very easily to me and I don't usually have to think too much about it. But as 2012 came to an end, I really struggled with my one word for 2013. I came up with several ideas, but quickly dismissed them all. Then, as I was online looking for inspiration it hit me like a ton of bricks: free. Free yourself from pressure. Free yourself from expectations. Free yourself from all the junk running through your head. And when you do, you'll be free to enjoy your life.

Naturally, I was happy with my word but when I saw the prompt I thought "Ugh...this is going to take some thinking." I was so wrong about that. I've had this mug for a while now and it's one of my favorites. I bought it at a craft fair and was drawn to it for two reasons: the color and the bird on the front. When I saw it in my cabinet this morning I knew it was perfect for the prompt and the mugshot. Birds are free, and that's what I'd like to be. 

SUSAN

My word for 2013 is Brave. I wasn't going to pick a word but it just came to me after reading Divergent & Insurgent. I've done some brave things in life & had to be brave to get thru other events. But I felt like life had gotten a little safe & predictable so this year it's time to mix it up. Also I felt that for my recovery & spirituality to grow I needed to do some things out of my comfort zone. So BRAVE it is! 

 

The rules

1. Use all or just one of the prompts.
2. MAKE THEM YOURS. These prompts are IDEAS. They are not set in stone. I do encourage you to stretch yourself. If you find a prompt doesn't speak to you, think on it. Find a way to MAKE it speak to you, and go with that. 
3. You do NOT have to be a coffee drinker to play along! Tea, Water, Beer or the Hard Stuff. WE DON'T CARE!! Make the prompts work for you and your mug.
4. There is NO right or wrong.
5. Share your feedback positively. ABSOLUTELY no judging of what others share. (If I find that people aren't following this rule, I will remove links left by that person.)
6. This is a place for you to explore! It doesn't matter if you've just gotten here in the middle of the year, or if you've gotten "behind" and don't create every day. It doesn't matter if you don't create at ALL... (although we'd love it if you do)  
7. Add your link to what you book or shoot in the comments here for easy visiting and sharing!! Be sure to add a DIRECT LINK. (you can get this most times by clicking on the title of your post, and then copying the URL.) General links to websites will be deleted (because they make it hard for people to follow behind and find the post pertaining to this prompt) ALSO, links leading to posts that do not make it clear how they are related to the prompts will be removed.

~rachel
All images and content on this blog is copyright to Rachel Whetzel and Guest Hosts. Please give credit when sharing your art that is inspired here! Thank you so much!!