NBA All-Star Weekend goes RED

I like to create art during the NBA All-Star Weekend,

so I'm off to New Orleans to join the All Stars for a look back at this weekend thus far, and a look ahead at tonight's big game between the East and West (eastern and western conferences).
 
If you are a football fan, and watched Super Bowl 51, you might want to rethink your sport.  Unlike the NFL (National Football League) who knew about Houston's Proposition 1, which was struck down (Prop 1 would have prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity) yet still held the game in Houston, my beloved NBA (National Basketball Association) moved the All-Star weekend from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans, Louisiana (or NOLA).

After the surprising events of the 2016 election, the NBA has remained much more outspoken about current events and the political climate in America than other major leagues. The league pulled the All-Star Game from Charlotte after an anti-LBGTQ law was passed in the state. Several coaches and many players have expressed distaste for Donald Trump. Teams have refused to stay at Trump hotels.  The league continues pushing a global initiative as Trump’s presidency ran on nationalism, and there’s a chance the NBA could even expand to Mexico in the coming years. So rethink your sport and enjoy the rest of the NBA All-Star weekend with me in NOLA.

I was definitely on a red kick for this one.

I started with this glitter crayon, but the only glitter seems to be on the crayon cover.

I decided to try using the crayons on a stencil.  This one was gifted me at Christmas by my friend Chris.

This wasn't turning out as I had hoped,

so I grabbed the dabber used to mark bingo numbers.  I have said this before, that this is a really, really inexpensive alternative to those expensive daubers used by a well known artist.  Yes, this entire container cost less than $1.00 (USD).

I got a bit carried away and added the dabber ink to the vintage sheet music, too.

Next it was time to get messy.

When it was wet, I couldn't see much difference in the metallic from the regular craft paint I used.

I missed a step, because after I added the paint, I dripped it down the page.   Here I'm trying to remove paint using a wet baby wipe.

Goodness, nothing is turning out as I anticipated it!  Even the stencil created a problem by allowing paint to pool under it.  I now believe I should have removed the paint BEFORE I dripped the paint down the used file folder.

Since removing the paint was a bust, I decided to add red using a colored marker.  You can barely see a few letters I tried to remove, but the stencil worked fine with the colored marker. 

Next, it was time to put it all together.  Here is what it looks like after it was all together.  It's intended for Art Journal Journey, and Linda's 50 Shades of Red theme, along with Moo-Mania and More's music theme, as well as Try it on Tuesday's messy theme.

A few close ups show I added an "R" stencil and placed a photo slide behind it that was lying around on my table. 

I was really surprised how glittery and metallic the red paint looked under my full spectrum light once it dried.

I added a red and gold circle to one side of the tag,

and a red circle to the other side.

You can tell my black paint I added for effect was still wet, but I was out of time and didn't want to wait for the specks to dry.  I already made a mess when I tried to wipe off a big blob of black paint, so what you see is what you get.

For this piece I began with a used file folder (I believe they multiply while I sleep), added sheet music I colored in red dabber and glitter crayon, a used stencil, a gifted photo slide, a tag, and red and black craft acrylic paint.

I hope you will join me at Art Journal Journey, Moo-Mania and More, as well as Try it on Tuesday.  Each require something a bit different, but each have some of the greatest mixed media you will find anywhere.  And of course, thanks for joining me here today, too.