ART JOURNAL PLAY TUTORIAL...

 I don't often share my play time in my art journal, mostly because it contains experimental techniques, testing of supplies, etc. and its not my normal form of artwork just something I enjoy.  I thought I would share a walk through of supplies and steps I used to create one of my play pages that will go in my recently created loose leaf cereal box journal.

None of the techniques on this page are new or particularly exciting, in fact I call this lazy art journaling.  I only used what was within reach of where I was perched on my stool and I used printed papers and images giving them a painterly look by enhancing them with layers of colors from various supplies, a little shortcut to a quicker page if you don't want to do all the drawing yourself.

SUPPLIES:

Strathmore Smooth Bristol Paper 9x12 100lb - 2 sheets

Scrapbook Paper in 3 coordinating patterns - I used some old K&Co. papers from my scraps

2 Old Book Pages

Paper Matte Mod Podge - acid free and great for all paper projects

Stampabilities Brown Pigment Ink Pad

VersaColor Bamboo Pigment Ink Pad

Rubber Stamps: French Script and Fern Leaf

Foam Alphabet Stamps: letters PLAY

Clear Cling Stamp: Leaf Branch

Delta Ceramcoat Paint: Black, White, Sea Foam, and Watermelon

Folk Art Paint: Sawgrass

(paints available at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, Michael's, and Wal-Mart stores or can find online)

Faber Castell Gelatos: Yellow, Pink, Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Coral, and White

Reeves Watercolor Crayons: White, Light Green, Vandyke Brown

Black Ultra Fine Point Sharpie Permanent Marker

6B Graphite Pencil

Chalk Pastels: Gold and Brown

Winsor Newton Iridescent Medium

Scrap Pieces of Mesh

Paper Spine or Stencil of your choice - this was off a piece of paper I tore out of a pad

Makeup Sponge

Fine liner Brush

Water

Tracing Wheel - as used for Sewing

Bottle Dauber or round piece of sponge or your finger (makes great circles!) - mine is one you get at office supply store for dampening stamps

Scissors

Heat Gun or Hair Dryer

Print out of a Bird (about 4x6) - can be an outline like mine or a colored version of a realistic bird

Matte Fixative

LET'S PLAY!

NOTE:  I did not go into detail of the use of Watercolor Crayons or Gelatos as that information is provided on the packaging, just follow manufacturers instructions for use.

*Tear up your scrapbook papers and book pages laying them dry in a pleasing composition on one piece of your Bristol Paper.  You want to keep the papers rather large as this will be blocks of color and pattern that will show through as part of your over all design.

 *Using the Paper Matte Mod Podge begin gluing the papers to your second sheet of paper by removing the back most papers and gluing them first, smoothing out all the wrinkles.  Continue in this fashion working from the back most papers on your design page until you have all the papers transferred and glued down, this method helps you to keep the papers in the place and order you want them.

*Brush Mod Podge on top of all papers and dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*Use Gelatos to color small areas then rub them with your finger tip to soften and spread.

*Use white craft paint to create a dry rubbed areas across the paper surface.  Dip the tip of your finger in a little water and pick up a little white paint on same finger.  Rub and spread paint across the surface to create some highlighted areas.

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*Use Bamboo Ink Pad and leaf stamp to stamp three sets of leaves across top of page.

*Use Brown Ink Pad and same leaf stamp and over stamp a couple of sets of leaves over the green ones. 

*Repeat the above process first using the bamboo ink then the brown ink with the fern stamp across the bottom of the page.

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*Use paper spine or stencil of your choice to add another layer of interest by using a makeup sponge to lightly daub paint (Watermelon) through the spine or stencil, an odd number of these is pleasing to the eye.

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*Use Tracing wheel and paint (Sea Foam) to create more page interest by rolling wheel through the paint then roll it across your page, it leaves a little dotted design. (I made big "X" shapes on my paper)

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*Use a piece of mesh, makeup sponge, and paint (Sawgrass) to create more random patterns and layers to your page.

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*Use French Script rubber stamp and brown ink pad and random stamp page.

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*I used Gelatos in pink, coral, and yellow plus watercolor crayons in white and brown to enhance the paper printed cherries and flowers.

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*I used chalk pastels (brown & gold) to outline and shade fruit and flowers.

*I used watercolor crayons (white & light green) to enhance and highlight leaves then used a black ultra fine Sharpie to do some sketchy outlining of fruit and flowers.

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*Cut out bird shape, glue down with Mod Podge, coat top of image with Mod Podge.

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*I layered and blended Gelatos (blue, green, orange, yellow, red, white, coral) to the birds body, then did a little highlight and shading with watercolor crayons (white & brown).

I shaded around the bird with chalk pastels (gold & brown)

Dry with a heat tool or hair dryer.

*Using a black ultra fine Sharpie I outlined the bird and feathers in a sketchy outline.

Some lines did not show up well so I went back in with a fine tipped liner brush and black watered down paint to do a little more outlining.

Dry with a heat tool or hair dryer.

*Using sponge dauber (or finger tip) and  paint (watermelon, sawgrass, sea foam) I created a few random polka dots on the page.

Dry with a heat tool or hair dryer.

*Using a piece of mesh, iridescent medium, and makeup sponge, I applied medium through mesh, lifting mesh straight off to leave a raised textured pattern. (this stuff is amazing, my first time to use it, it has a pearl shimmer to the finish and really gives the page pop!)

Dry with a heat tool or a hair dryer. 

*Add personal markings to page by using black ultra fine Sharpie.  I placed dots around the edge of all my large painted polka dots and small "X" shapes between my square stencils.

*Use Gelatos in white and accent color to highlight and shade large polka dots.

Dry with heat tool or hair dryer.

*Use graphite pencil to draw and smudge an outline around the bird to make it pop off the page more.

*Use brown chalk pastel to shade around large polka dots, repeat using graphite pencil.

*Use brown ink pad and gently rub all outside edges of the paper for and aged look.

*I used a brown ink pad and foam stamps to stamp the word "PLAY" on my page and dried it.  

I then used a white Gelato to highlight the letters.

Then I used a black ultra fine Sharpie to sketchy outline the letters.

Lastly I used a graphite pencil to shade the letters.

*For a finishing touch I scribbled a quote that feels meaningful to me at this time:

"The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you.

Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision.

So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can."

~Neil Gaiman~

*Look over your design and go back to enhance, shade, or highlight any areas that might need it.

*To finish off the piece I sealed it with a matte fixative to protect it from smudging.
Once completely dry loose page may crinkle a bit from all the mediums, weight down for a day or so to get a flat sheet.

This technique could easily be applied to a canvas or journal cover as well.

Make this your own! 

 Use as many or as little of these tips and supplies to create your own lazy journal page, grab whatever is within reach and play!

I would LOVE to see them!

blessings,

Sandy

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BELLE OF THE BALL ART JOURNAL...

I have been exploring creating some art journals using Karla Nathan's (Karla's Cottage) online class, Creating An Art Journal. I started with the Hardcover Book Journal as described in the class...

I was inspired by an old magazine ad for silverware, the demure belle in the ad reminded me a little of Melanie in Gone With the Wind.  I imagined that she like to dance in dainty silk slippers under glittering crystal chandeliers with pale pink roses pinned in her hair as the ribbons and lace of her dress flutter at each spin...

I picture her as a sentimental sort who collects mementos from her memorable moments and pastes them in her scrapbook, a quaint poem her first collection...

Vintage paper pages await being filled with her artful fancies...

A tiny clasp with dainty golden key keep her secrets locked away for only her eyes to see...

A pile of pretties await their turn at being pasted in.

Next I followed her Vintage Cabinet Card Folder Journal and am in the process of making two versions as described in the class.  I used two vintage upholstery fabrics for one and a favorite old sweater for the covering of the other one...

Both are very much still in the works...

I am enjoying so much inspiration from this class!

I hope to have them finished soon.

blessings,

sandy

NATURE'S BLESSINGS JOURNAL PAGES...

“Isn't it mysterious to begin a new journal like this? I can run my fingers through the fresh clean pages but I cannot guess what the writing on them will be.” 

― Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy in Spite of Herself

I recently had a little fun creating some journal pages for a swap, A Journal of Nature's Blessings, hosted by Karla of Karla's Cottage.  Participants were to make 6 signatures, the base being 8 1/2 in. x 11 in. folded in half to make four layouts per signature.  At least half of the journal pages were to be usable for the recipient to write, sketch, or collect/store special mementos. I used a series of pullouts, hidden journal note/sketch books, tags, and pockets to provide plenty of recording and storing space.  Inspiration for the page designs were to be our interpretation of nature's blessings.

My main ingredient for all my pages was glitter, lots and lots and lots of glitter, a whole container of glitter!  I was in a glitter kind of mood.  If you have followed my blog for very long and like to play "I Spy" you might see tidbits of past projects, supply stashes I made up, even tags or pages from my art journal recycled into the nature journal pages.  For instance on the layout below you might spy hand dyed/ stamped ribbons as well as skirts and wings from a fairy cupcake topper class I did a way back when.

Page inspiration:  Watching my grandchildren chase butterflies and pick dandelions, the awe, the wonder, and the joy of simple natural pleasures.

Page inspiration:  I spent the summer watching a robin family build a nest in the wisteria bush just outside my studio window, three tiny eggs rested in the nest and it was pure delight to watch the little hatch-lings feed, chirp, grow downy little feathers and finally gain their independence and leave the nest. 

Page inspiration:  Seasonal changes, autumn and winter, crisp frosty autumn mornings and glimmer snow dusted winter days, colorful foliage and falling snowflakes, the twitter of birds at the feeders.

Page inspiration:  Purple cone flowers and the large lilac bush blooming in my grandmothers garden where butterflies collect in profusion sipping natures nectar.

Page inspiration:  A color filled botanical garden stroll where every flower imaginable bloomed in profusion and the air was punctuated with bird song.

Page inspiration:  A little yellow warbler I photographed while strolling down a country lane, yellow sunshine and flowers spilling into the roadside, the sparkle of water from the creek crossing, patches of cool leafy green shade that provided resting places to admire the brilliant blue sky.

Page inspiration:  Cool ocean tones of blues, greens, and tans that mimic surf, sky, and sand...vacation at the shore where collecting shells, sending post cards, and watching seagulls sail are a few of my favorite past times. 

Page inspiration:  An abandoned fallen nest I found over the summer with three tiny eggs in it, I watched it for days to see if the mother bird would return but sadly she did not.  I collected the little natural wonder and saved it.

Page inspiration:  A colorful quilt patch that reminded me very much of the paper pattern, a quilt that was carried on many childhood picnics where clover chains were made and worn as jewelry, tasty treats were consumed, and softly slipping into naps on my favorite flower patch while listening to the cadence of my grandmothers voice as she told the cousins and I stories.  Sweet memories.

Page inspiration:  The simple pleasure of a walk in nature exploring, observing, collecting, something I have done since childhood.

Page inspiration:  Pockets and pictures, it seems I never set out to explore my natural surroundings without a handy pocket or a means of snapping a photo.  My pockets fill with little tidbits especially found feathers and I snap happily at whatever catches my eye.  I have recently framed some of my nature art to decorate my home.

Page inspiration:  The Victorians, during the Victorian era there was a surge of artistic representation of the natural world.  They had an entire language and symbolism of flowers, much poetry of that era reflects upon nature, painters created pastoral scenes, there was an emotional attachment to the things of nature.  Quaint children, chubby cherubs, and dancing fairies frolicking in natural settings were often depicted on fashionable greeting or calling cards.  The study of natural science became in vogue, private collections of natural specimens became popular, quite observation, recording and/or painting or drawing of observations resulted in nature journals. 

I can't wait to receive my swap pages in return!

I hope you all enjoy a fantastic week.

Blessings,

Sandy