Tag Archives: art journaling

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 52

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Show Yourself

This afternoon I thought I’d create another step-by-step for Hubpages. Haven’t written the article yet so no link but here’s just part of the page for now. Made a pinkish background using bubble-wrap. Yellowed up an old map, tore it into pieces and glued randomly to page. ‘Knocked it back with white paint diluted with glazing medium. Drew the face in my sketchbook and cut it out. Glued to page, cut out a dress from art paper. Toned down the background a bit more and painted her hair. Gave her a heart to hold and added text and white highlights. Rubbed gold acrylic paint and a little Neocolor II round the border and finally, journaled with a plain old ballpoint.

Edit: Here she be: Mixed Media Step-by-Step

 

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 47, 48 & 49

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My Internet Connection Hates Me

Which is only one of the reasons I am late with my updates.

I was not inspired to work in The Book over the weekend. Instead I had put down some backgrounds in a Moleskine a while back and wanted to bring them to fruition. The journal has already been written in and some pages have Zentangles on them. I’ve been giving them makeovers with color washes, layered with gesso and more washes. Stamping, collage and lettering added.

Last night I returned to The Book and created another background by spraying diluted acrylic ink over stencils and a plastic comb abandoned by my daughter. I tell you, leave anything around and it will end up in an art journal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 39

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Thinking (& Letting Go)

 

Yesterday I felt like writing. I woke up thinking about an unresolved family situation and, as I hate to let stuff like that get in my way and spoil my day, I often find it is best just to write it out, letting the thoughts flow and not trying to produce a perfect piece of writing. Simply getting the crap stuff out of my head and onto paper.

I’d already begun this portrait that was going horribly wrong. It started out as a pencil drawing with a touch of acrylic. I wanted to reinvigorate the surface for more drawing by covering it in clear gesso. Well, of course, the pencil was still dry and the gesso activated it and it turned into a texture almost like oils. So I just went with it and then gave it up as a bad job! I quite liked her poor sad face and she matched my mood, so I left her alone and wrote in her hair and all around. My writing is so small and spidery that I will never want to read it again… and that’s a good thing. I even added more writing on top with marker to mess it up some more.

 

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 33

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Passion is the key to a good life.

It is, you know. When you feel enthused, inflamed, inspired, excited and passionate… about anything. Anything at all, whether it be another person, art or collecting thimbles. If it sets your heart beating and the blood racing, then you are feeling the life force pulsating through.

My girl doesn’t look too enthused, but inside she is burning with desire for the chocolate cake she has just spotted on the other side of the room. If she doesn’t get some very soon she is going to explode! Under that cook exterior throbs a deep desire for chocolate.

The page was created with reverse stenciling. Paint a background (or not) and let it dry. Cover with a coat of undiluted acrylic. Use two or more colours if you prefer. Lay down a stencil and simply dab through it with a babywipe to remove the paint and reveal the undercoat. I added clear gesso, drew straight on top with coloured pencil and collaged the dress and headdress.

 

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 31 & 32

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Simplicity in an Altered Book

Two more pages to show you. Really basic techniques. The first has a border created with acrylic paint and gold marker pen. It’s just a little ramble about the wonderful weather we’re having here in the UK right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second is more interesting. I laid down some torn strips of masking tape close together on a plastic surface and rubber stamped them all over with a single stamp in one colour. Then I laid the strips on to the journal page, leaving some space between them to add text. I made sure that the gaps were varied. Then I just journaled in the spaces with a marker pen. I wish I had prepped the page with some paint or ink first, instead of leaving it white. Never mind, there’s always another page.

 

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 29 & 30

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Art Journal Page & a ZIA

Didn’t get to post yesterday as we were out for the afternoon and evening. Went to see a Fleetwood Mac tribute band. Was v. fun. Anyway, I did this Zenangled-inspired piece the day before…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and then today, I sat in the sunshine nursing a slight hangover and drew a girl-face. Wasn’t quite sure what to do with her and placed it on the table nearby and saw some interesting shadows cast by a lowering sun and my honeysuckle. I left the sketchpad where it was and just outlined a few of the shadows. Turned them into leaves and colored in the negative space with a dark background. All done with Inktense and some other random watercolor pencils.

 

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 28

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In the Garden

It’s going to take two years of posting at this rate. Ah well… it doesn’t matter in the least.

Today I prepared the page with clear gesso mixed with a little Golden Acrylics Titan Buff, which provided a nice semi-transparent surface. Sprayed a little diluted magenta ink then quickly sketched some poppies with Inktense pencils. Added text based on the highlight of the day, which was the discovery of a slow worm in the garden. Then I sprayed some water to get some interesting drip effects – didn’t quite come off.

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 27

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Recycle

Another quick recap if you just landed on this page. This blog is (currently) assigned to a project inspired by the book, 365: A Daily Creativity Journal. Mostly my daily postings are of my attempts to alter the book, from a commercial, prompt journal to an experimental art journal. It’s where I try out new materials and supplies and where I make mistakes. It’s not pretty. Sometimes, my creative endeavors take place away from the book so I post them instead. Today I made bread… but that doesn’t count, does it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not sure whether this is just a background or if I will leave it as is. It is a simple torn collage of printouts of old journal pages. I’ll let it dry and see. I often print out previous pages and tear them into strips for borders or cut out an element that I know will be just perfect for a new page. Using your own artwork like this is much better than using other people’s. I’ve never seen the appeal of purchasing commercial collage sheets, although I do have some in my stash of papers that were included in kits that I bought a few years ago. Kits… why? It’s so much more fun to build your own treasure trove of resources.

Here, there are scans of collages, watercolors, rubber stamps, drawings by my daughter, buttons and journal entries.

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 23

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Reinventing Myself Every Day

I managed to finish (they are never really finished) the journal page that was started yesterday. Pages were gessoed, then an acrylic glaze applied. There was some transparency, which I like because the original text and printing shows through. I like altering books but I also like their original character to show through now and then – it’s not an exercise in obliteration. Then collage, using one of my girl portraits and fabric paper. Rubber stamp alpha and text added in markers and pen. A little wax crayon to lift the borders. Done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in the colored Zentangles I did, I also made this Squidoo page today: Zentangle With Color

365 A Daily Creativity Journal – Day 12

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Clear Gesso

Some arrived in the mail, so had a little play with it. You might think that clear gesso has no purpose… I mean, gesso, clear?… So I printed yesterday’s girl onto watercolor paper and Mod Podged her into The Book on top of the plain old white gesso mixed with acrylic paint. Squished on some more collage, pen scribbles and Neocolor IIs. Now you once you have added crayon, you can’t usually write or paint over it.  This is where the clear gesso comes in. I mixed some with a little cerulean blue acrylic ink and applied it to the whole page. I thought I had effectively obliterated everything but after a short time on the radiator, all the detail underneath reappeared. Magically, I could write right over the previous layers, wax crayon and all. Cue more markers, crayons, Neocolor 1s and pastels.

This is not art; it is experimentation.