So I have been housebound and laid up the last month because of a couple of herniated discs in my lower back. This has given me a lot of time to search Pinterest and watch art journal how to videos via YouTube. I have always admired people who could art journal and I have always wanted to try, but wasn't sure how to start. I have learned so much during this not so convenient down time! Lol Not to mention the inspiration I have received from other artists! There are so many talented artists out there and I'm so grateful that they share their experience and work with us via YouTube, blogs and on the various social media websites!
Now comes the fun part! I have been playing like crazy! Every chance I get I disappear into my studio, pain permitting. I am having a blast finding my own style and technique. There are so many wonderful products to try! What a journey I am on......
Here is my first completed art/inspiration journal. I hope you enjoy my pages and that you find a little inspiration of your own.
This is the cover of the journal. There are several layers. I used Tim Holtz tissue paper, Pan Pastels, and Faber Castell Gelatos. I used Tim Holtz Grungeboard letters to spell out art. They are colored with the Gelatos as well. The edges are covered with washi tape.
This is the book I started with. It is just a cheap little book made for scrapbooking. I didn't want to buy a mixed media journal until I played a little and was positive I was going to enjoy the whole art journal process. It is now my passion.
Close up of cover
The small hearts are chipboard covered in Gelatos.
This is the inside cover and the first page. I adhered more Tim Holtz tissue paper to the inside cover. I will add more to it when inspiration strikes. I'm not sure what to do there... maybe some actual journaling! lol
I covered the first page in white gesso and then painted it with cheap craft paint. I used modeling paste through a circle stencil, swirly stamps, heart punch outs, and Gelatos to add color to the modeling paste.
I'm not sure what to say about this page! When I had the first couple of layers down I really disliked it so I just kept adding more and more layers! lol Now I'm not sure what I think of it, but that's ok because I learned a lot about different products from this page. I started out with a layer of gesso and plain white tissue paper. I then added lots of splatters with Twinkling H20's (LOVE this product!), acrylic paint, bubble wrap dipped in paint, heart punch outs, heart stencil, and Bombay india inks. There are probably more products on there, but I cant remember because I keep going back and adding to it trying to fix it! lol
I love the color of this page. I used various Dylusion spray inks and then wiped it down with a paper towel and it left me with a soft mix of colors. The heart flowers were made with a stamp and heart punch outs from a dictionary. I then covered the hearts with a mix of the Twinkling H20's. I also used modeling paste through a circle stencil and stamps for the hanging twigs and bird.
On this page I started out by covering the page with a butterfly napkin I found at Tuesday Morning using Collage Pauge by Traci Bautista. I also added the paper doilies to the corners using this Collage Pauge. I watered down white gesso for the drip affect and Bombay india ink for the splatter drops. Once again I used modeling paste for the circles and the clouds are from a punch.
I had so much fun with this page. I had no idea what I was going to do when I started. I just started by laying down a few of my favorite paint colors. I used a very cool pebble stencil that I found at Michaels by Folk Art. Its hard to see, but I used the end of a wine cork dipped in black paint for a little bit of texture. There are also a few drops of Bombay india ink, washi tape and an alphabet stamp by Stampabilites found at Hobby Lobby.
This was another page that I didn't like in the beginning, but now I LOVE it! I started out by laying down white gesso and then I covered the page in drywall joint tape that I found at Ace Hardware. I added the flowers that I fussy cut from some junk mail and then added several layers of Dylusion spray inks and acrylic paint. The feathers were created with modeling paste and a stencil designed by the fabulous Julie Fei Fan Balzer called Peacock Feathers. While I was waiting for the modeling paste to dry an amazing thing happened! The modeling paste absorbed the color from underneath it. I had no idea this would happen! I LOVE the way it turned out! I completely left it alone after this point. What you see is exactly how the modeling paste absorbed the color! Gorgeous!
Close up of feathers
This page makes me laugh :) I have been taking some VERY strong pain meds for my back. One day I told my hubby that it made me feel floppy and he laughed and told me I should put that in my journal. So I did :)
I started by covering the pages in black gesso (which I love!) and then used modeling paste and the circle stencil to add some texture. I used the Twinkling H20's for the drips that also ran over the modeling paste. I stamped the hearts and funny face with some white pigment ink. Easy Peasy Fun!
I love tea and have been drinking TONS of it lately since I can't mix my beloved nightly glass of red wine with my pain meds. As you can see Tazo Calm is one of my favs so it had to be put in the journal! I started these pages with a layer of black gesso and some acrylic paint. I layered the tea bag wrappers, white doilies, and scrap pieces of white lace with Collage Pauge. The two tea sayings are from a 12x12 paper pad by The Paper Studio. I also used a little bit of lace tape in the corners.
My last page is also one of my favorites so far. It was an easy and relaxing page. I covered the page in white gesso and applied a few different blue acrylic paints with a foam brush. I then used a palette knife to apply some gorgeous gray acrylic paint. The swirls you see are from a swirly stamp using black ink and traced with a white gel pen. I covered a phone book page with orange, green, and gray acrylic paint and then punched out the clouds. I also used this phone book page with Tim Holtz Umbrella Man die. I outlined the clouds and Umbrella Man with a black Faber Castell Big Pitt Artist Pen and a white gel pen. The stamp is also from Tim Holtz.
Close up of Umbrella man. The light blue circles you see are from a stencil using a light blue acrylic paint.
If you made it to the end I thank you for looking! I hope you enjoyed the pages as much as I enjoyed making them! This is definitely my new passion! I have always enjoyed being crafty, but I feel like I have found my truest of trues!
Gentle Hugs!
Happy journaling!
If you have any questions about any of the pages please please feel free to ask!
