I've been to Sayulita, Mexico several times. I've taken photos there each time, but they just sat in my storage or album on Flickr. On my last trip, took a few photos, but I also made art!
I was inspired by Tansy Hargan (@palimpsestparade) to prep a Strathmore 400 Series, softcover sketchbook with tan toned paper for "thumbnail" sketching and collage during my trip.
You see, I had taken a workshop with Tansy at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, near where I live. She shared her thumbnail sketchbooks, and showed us how she creates these sketches and collages. She uses a view finder in order to see differently. And it really is a new way to look at your surroundings. It is focused and detailed and you can more deeply experience a place. I just knew I had to create thumbnail sketches and collages while I was in Sayulita!
Before I went in February (it seems ages ago, now!), I printed out some of my Sayulita photos, small enough to use easily in a thumbnail collage. Tansy shared her technique for creating the collages: Lay down two-sided tape in the thumbnail box, and then pull up the backing to adhere your collage on the go!
I brought some other supplies, and with my sketchbook grids and tape installed, everything took up less space than the books and iPad I also brought (and never looked at!). It was very enjoyable and truly inspired!
I decided to make similar collages as my postcards for iHanna's Spring DIY Postcard Swap. I printed out my photos again, this time a little larger. I made lots of art papers inspired by the project: I had made some papers by just randomly dropping, dripping, splattering, and scraping acrylic paint, ink, and watercolor. Then, over the course of a couple months, I used up extra paint and ink, or cleaned off my stencils onto these papers. I made some other collage material by just doodling and making marks with Tombow pens, acrylic inks, and pastels onto some thin paper.
I gathered a bunch of magazine cut-outs that were in my stash, curating them into a selection that mirrored the colors, patterns, and themes in my papers and photographs. I also decided to include some of the leftover loteria (Mexican Bingo board) images I had from one of my Wanderlust 2020 classes.
It was so fun creating these cards. I made over 30 of them! I was able to send 10 to my swappers, 10 more to winners of a Wanderlust 2020 Giveaway, and a few to friends. I have some originals to keep or send later. I scanned them all, of course! I will create sets of Moo-printed cards to sell in my Etsy shop, so that anyone can get a little Sayulita in their mailbox.
Thanks for reading! If you'd like to see the process of creating these cards, check out this video that is on my YouTube channel: