Kathy Johnson
  • Home
  • Collage
  • Mixed Media
  • About
    • In the Studio
    • Press
  • Connect
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Classes

Monday Concertina Sketchbook Collage - December

12/29/2023

1 Comment

 
Going for 'icy' with a touch of sparkle on December's collages. That magical feeling of the first snow creating a winter wonderland. 
Picture
Picture


​Week 1
Picture


​Week 2
Dug right into the stitching this week and figured out a different way to use the silver thread to add a little metallic shine, stitching lines that look like little bursts of light.
Picture


​Week 3
While adding the silver thread bursts to this panel I went back and added a couple more to the first 2 panels as well as adding more stitches to the ones that were already there to make bursts that were more visable.
Picture


​Week 4
On the last Monday of 2023 I made this last collaged panel of my December Concertina Sketchbook.

These monthly concertina books were challenging at times and more time-consuming than the Monday collages I've done in previous years but lots of fun too. It was especially satisfying to see each finished strip on the last Monday of the month.

Now the challenge is to figure out how to bind all twelve concertinas into a book, of some kind and to decide how I'd like to approach my Monday collages in 2024. 
Picture


Completed 4 panel concertina  
Picture


​I've loved making these small collages in a regular sketchbook at the end of each month. I would use up as many of the left over papers as I could depending on how much extra time I had for play before cleaning up and getting ready to pick colors and papers for the following month.


Picture
I hadn’t added any stitching to these end-of-the-month leftover scrap collages until now but this one collage you see below just seemed to need that extra touch.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​You can read more about these monthly concertina sketchbooks and how they got started here.
1 Comment

Monday Concertina Sketchbook Collage - November

11/30/2023

0 Comments

 



​Throughout this year, there were several times I didn't know until the very last minute what colors I'd use in my Monday collages for that month. Other times, like this month I knew beforehand exactly what I wanted to use. 
Picture


​Week 1
I thought rusted papers sounded like the perfect thing to use for November, of course, with a few bits of turquoise thrown in too.
Picture


​Week 2
What would I do without the French knot, it's my very favorite polka dot.

Picture

​
​Week 3
I've been lucky to have friends who gift me rusty things like the 2 1/4 inch washer that made the large print in the middle of this collage. That's a big washer!

Picture


​Week 4
Rustic and weathered-looking rusted papers.

Picture


Finished 4 panel concertina
Picture


Small collages made from the scraps left on my table at the end of the month.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​You can read more about these monthly concertina sketchbooks and how they got started here.
0 Comments

Monday Concertina Sketchbook Collage - October

10/31/2023

2 Comments

 


"I’m so glad I live in a world
​where there are Octobers."

​
– L. M. Montgomery,
Anne of Green Gables.
Picture

​Week 1
Picture


​Week 2
I incorporated the seed stitch, which I haven't used on paper in a while. A good reminder to myself that it's a great filler stitch when you have an empty spot that just needs a little something.

Picture


Week 3
Picture
Week 4
​

This week we had some gorgeous sunny autumn days just made for getting out and taking a walk. The colors were amazing! I gathered a few things during the walk and from my garden when I got home. Lovely to see all these colors represented in the collage I'm working on this month.

Picture
Picture


​Week 5
It was a joy working with these colors this month. I enjoyed comparing the colors of the collage to what was happening outside during my neighborhood walks and when checking in on the garden as the month progressed.  
Picture

​
All 5 panels complete.
Picture

​​
​I took the same approach as last month when using up the left over paper scraps, I created a Surprise Collage. The best part is seeing what little gems appear once you cut the full sheet into smaller pieces.
​
Picture



​You can read more about these monthly concertina sketchbooks and how they got started here.


​
2 Comments

Monday Concertina Sketchbook Collage - September

9/27/2023

0 Comments

 
Embracing the enchanting world of purple this month.
Picture
Picture

​Week 1
Picture

Week 2
Picture

Week 3





​I like the texture of this purple netting and how it resembles stitching.
I've had this very large netted bag in my box of purple collage material for a long time. At that size, it was just too overwhelming so I'm glad I finally cut a strip off to make it a more collage-friendly size for me to work with.
Picture
Picture

Week 4
Picture

​All 4 panels 
Picture

This month I did something a little different with the leftover paper scraps from my concertina sketchbook collage. I made a surprise collage - randomly gluing collage bits onto an entire page in a sketchbook. Turned the paper over so I couldn't see where I was cutting and sliced it into 1.5 x 3-inch rectangles.

It's always a fun surprise to see what you end up with. Some looked great as is, and others needed just a few additions here and there to look finished.
Picture
You can read more about these monthly concertina sketchbooks and how they got started here.
0 Comments

Monday Concertina Sketchbook Collage - August

8/30/2023

0 Comments

 

A pink and orange combo always captures my attention with its playful energy. 

Picture



​Augusts concertina sketchbook was a joy to put together. I decided to go with hot pinks and oranges in a patchwork layout of blocks and stripes. 

The materials I gathered are repurposed packaging, a postcard, bags, tidbits of painted papers and a few paste paper too.


​Week 1
Picture

​
​Week 2
Picture

​
Week 3
Picture


​
​Another month ending - week 4 of my August Concertina Sketchbook


"Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August."
~ Denise Levertov



Picture

​
​The finished 4 panels 
Picture


​End of the month collages using leftover scraps 
Picture
Picture
Picture


​Pink and orange are a great color combo in the garden too. The photo on the left is from Harkness Memorial State Park. I took a walk there this week and the cutting garden was amazing. They change it up a little each year with different color and plant combinations but it is always lovely. The other two photos are of  my garden. A light pink cosmos and a cactus zinnia mixing with orange cosmos.

Picture
Picture
Picture

​
You can read more about these monthly concertina sketchbooks and how they got started here.



0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Hi, I'm Kathy an artist working in the mediums of collage, eco-printing, rust printing, and slow stitching who loves to teach. I enjoy sharing my process and guiding you on your creative journey. 

    Archives

    May 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    April 2018

    Categories

    All
    Collage
    Creative Play
    Eco Printing
    Exhibitions
    Free Tutorials
    Handmadebooks
    In The Studio
    Monday Sketchbook Collage
    My Connecticut Garden
    Online Workshops
    Recipes
    Rust
    Stitching
    Stitching On Paper
    Upcycling
    Workshops
    World Collage Day

    RSS Feed

KathyJohnsonArt  Privacy Policy  Cookie Policy
​Subscribe to my StudioNews
© COPYRIGHT 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Collage
  • Mixed Media
  • About
    • In the Studio
    • Press
  • Connect
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Classes