Thursday Journaling Class Part One

I love my Thursday Art Journaling Class!  I can't believe this class just began in May as we have all become family so quickly.  Each one of these special ladies brings something unique and enjoyable to every class.  I am so blessed to share my Thursday mornings with them.

One of the things I like most about conducting this class is seeing the creative growth and exploration of each of my students.  I thought that I would share a couple examples with you today.

Tina has jumped into art journaling with both feet.  Her first journal is an amazing documentary of her rather extraordinary life, and I know I speak for the rest of the class when I say that her insights, wisdom and humor delight us.  Tina told me today that she has forty pages of artwork in her first journal.  She's on the ball!

This journal spread used a wax crayon and resist technique with black acrylic paint.  Tina wasn't pleased with her initial results, so she went back over the crayon with watersoluble pastels.  She photocopied an image of herself and her siblings and Mod Podged them to the pages.  We all love her results.

Her brothers seem to glow in the light of the moon as they linger near the haystacks.  Tina did an effective job incorporating her memories into this technique.  She told us she still isn't finished as she has two more brothers to add into this scene.

Patti surprised us with this beautiful journal today.  It's a labor of love for her daughter's fortieth birthday.  I wish the photo showed how thick and textured the journal is.  She took the (Teesha Moore) 16 page, 1 sheet of watercolor paper technique inspired by the journals we made a few months ago, and made it her own.  She cut her sheet of watercolor paper down even further to make this 40 page, "Forty Ways I Love You" journal.  She used canvas paper for the cover and bound it together with ribbon yarn.  She's going to paint a yin yang on the cover.

Patti gessoed and colored every page in this journal before writing her heartfelt thoughts to her daughter.  What a lovely tribute to her daughter.  I know she's going to be thrilled to receive such a special gift.  

I can't tell you how much fun and sharing goes on in our class, and when I see the wonderful creations my students are making on their own, it's verification to me that I am most definitely in the right place at the right time.  Helping others unleash their own creativity brings me an immense amount of pleasure as I "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"

Come back tomorrow for "Thursday Journaling Class Part Two", where I'll share today's class assignment and classroom snapshots with you.  Don't forget to comment on this post below, and the posts from Tuesday and Wednesday for my BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!  (TO SEE THE DETAILS OF THIS GIVEAWAY, SCROLL DOWN TO THE "TUESDAY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES" POST.  The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

TODAY'S PHOTO

So I know you're all wondering what "The Princess" received for last night's gift, and the answer is, Bodhichitta Botanicals, Nurture the Goddess Bubble Bath.  It smells really great and contains lavender and sage.  Keith said he couldn't make up his mind  of which bubble bath to get me until he saw the word "Goddess"!  Did I mention I LOVE this man!?

Tuesday Tips and Techniques: Make a Themed Journal

THEMES
Summer is right around the corner, and the days ahead will be filled with all kinds of events.  There are weddings, graduations, picnics, family reunions, extended weekends, and family vacations.  All of these things are perfect for devoting to one specific journal.


I am going to make a journal specifically for my summer gardening adventure that is currently underway.  I have a new vegetable planter re-purposed from a crate used to ship a car differential to my brother, and this morning, I planted my small garden area behind the garage with cucumbers, carrots, spinach and lettuce.  What better way to keep a diary of my gardening than with a journal!

TEESHA MOORE INSPIRED JOURNAL
Those of you that have been following my blog from the beginning may remember the Teesha Moore inspired journal that I started.  I still haven't finished it, but I do work in it from time to time.  Here are some of the pages you haven't seen yet.

The Cover

This page is not completed - but close!

This page has just been started

I think this page is near completion

These journals are made from one sheet of watercolor paper with no waste, and they are a cinch to make.  Here is Part 1 of the 2 Part instructional video:







I watercolored all of my pages except the back cover before assembling.  That way, I can lay them all out to dry more quickly.   I arrange them afterwards.


Here are the watercolored pages for my gardening journal.  I actually painted these pages months ago and had a different purpose in mind, but the mostly earth toned shades will be great for journaling about veggies and flowers.

My luscious, yellow cover

I'm looking forward to working in this journal as the season progresses, and I'll be sharing my gardening journey with you as I complete my pages.   


It's great to have a journal ready for an event ahead of time, so I hope that you'll try this simple journal for the special events that you have coming up this summer.  Maybe you're having a big 4th of July event and want to design a red,white and blue themed journal.  Maybe you're going to a wedding and will decide to use the wedding colors as your theme.  Don't forget to include items like tags, receipts, place cards, placemats, maps,  brochures......the list is endless!  And most of all, don't forget to "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Approaching Storm

Mike and I headed down to Headlands Beach Park yesterday afternoon to watch the storms approach from the west.  We both enjoy weather watching and we were not let down by yesterday's show.

Something Old, Something New

Now that I have a YouTube channel, I've spent a considerable amount of time looking at other art channels and I have come across some wonderful eye candy and a wealth of information! I never tire of watching how other artists create their works of art and I always come away thinking, "Wow! I want to try that technique!", or "Wow! I have to get some of those!"

One such video that I came across was "Teesha Moore's Amazing 16 Page Journal".  Talk about exciting!  I was really drawn to making my own journal and she made it look so easy!  One of the things that impressed me most about the making of her journal is that there is NO waste of paper.  (I'm really big on not wasting art supplies or any other materials, food, etc.)  My almost totally right brain would have NEVER thought of using a sheet of watercolor paper in this manner.  Here - have a look for yourself!



Isn't that great?  Be sure to watch part 2 to assemble and she also has subsequent sections on her different layers: paint, collage and pen work. ( Just double click on the video above and it will open a new window direct to YouTube.)

I immediately headed out to my studio later that day to see what kind of watercolor paper I had.  I really wanted to try one of these journals and I am always looking for ways to refresh my work and nurture my creativity.  This project was screaming my name!  I found just what I was looking for as I rummaged through my sleeves of paper; 2 sheets of Lanaquarelle watercolor paper with beautiful deckle edges!

That was the beginning of my handmade journal, "Teesha Moore style".  I've had a great time playing with my journal using Teesha's techniques.  Here are a few pics of what I've done so far.  It's going to take awhile for me to complete so I'll post more pics as I progress.

This is my cover and the inside left flap.  The flap isn't complete yet. (click to enlarge)

These pages aren't complete either, but I like where they're headed.  As I'm working in this journal, I'm quickly realizing that I really don't have a whimsical spirit.  I see more of a macabre side emerging and I'm having a great time with it - I've even started assembling a second journal as I feel my own style meshing with this technique.

Like Teesha, I used watercolors for my backgrounds using only one color per page.  In the new journal I'm assembling, I've blended 2 and 3 colors per page.  In both cases, I applied the paint BEFORE I assembled my pages.  I did this because I'm impatient and wanted to be able to lay the sections out and paint lots of them at once.  This method is working great for me.  You'll have to determine which method works best for you.  Another thing I changed was the binding thread (I don't remember what Teesha used).  I used hemp cord because that's what was available to me.  It seems to be working fine but I'm keeping a close eye on the knot to make sure it doesn't work loose.  I know I can also add a drop of super glue to make sure it stays knotted!

I hope you'll try some new journaling techniques.  It's not about trying to duplicate the look of another artist but it's about stepping out of your comfort zone and keeping your work fresh.  For me, my normal journaling method is like eating a perfectly prepared 5 course meal; every bite savored and quietly enjoyed to it's fullest.  Teesha's method is like a food buffet to me; lots of choices and flavors to explore, a taste of this and a taste of that.  Both meals are enjoyable but a steady diet of either becomes boring and predictable. 

Step outside of your comfort zone and create in a way that's different from your norm.  Look through your supplies and see how you can take something old and use it in a new way.  Try making an "Amazing 16 Page Journal" and as always,  "Happy Creating!" 

To see more of Teesha's work, visit her website full of eye candy!