Tuesday Tips and Techniques: Add More Pages!

Are you working in a "page a day" journal and need more room to work on a given day? 

With a little decorative tape and previously prepared background papers, you can have additional, accordion fold pages in a flash!

 Here, a strip of animal print Duck Tape cut creatively, binds my accordion fold pages to today's page in my journal.

Now I have 9 pages to work with today - that's plenty of room to experiment with ideas for the Skull & Skeleton show upcoming later this fall.
 

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE

Weekend Journal

I haven't done a lot of posting, but I have completed a lot of pages in my art journal during the past month.  Here's a sampling of what I've been doing.

Intuitive art journaling offers fascinating insights into the subconscious.  I wasn't the least bit surprised to see this mask and armor appear as I approached each day like I was "headed into battle". 

I'm in a skull and skeleton gallery show this autumn, so once again, it's no surprise to me that a skeleton would make himself known to me.

When I'm working in my art journal, I like to begin by writing thoughts, phrases and words.  Sometimes I just use a regular ink pen.  Sometimes I use a brush and craft acrylics.  Often times, I'm listening to a lecture or music while I'm working, and that's where some of the phrases and words come from that I use in my work.

An art journal is the perfect place to experiment with new media.  I recently purchased a set of Inktense pencils (which I LOVE!).  Experimentation is all about the journey and not the end result.

What better place to determine how acrylics, Inktense pencils, and Neocolor II water soluble crayons interact with each other than in my art journal?   The 9"x12" portrait landscape is perfect for me.

It seems that I was channeling Klimt for this page!

I threw some oil pastels into the mix, and how much fun were those?  It's great to pull out those art items that have somehow gotten pushed aside.   It's easy to get into an art journaling routine.  It's a trap!  Rotate your supplies periodically.

I hope you enjoyed the tour through some my "experimental" art journal pages.   Remember the smaller, "Winter" journal that I made?

I'm happy to announce that I haven't missed one day of art journaling in this page a day book!  I'll be showing you these pages in the near future.

I hope that you're new year has gotten off to a happy and creative beginning, and I hope that you're creative muse is bursting with new ideas for you to explore.

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE

January Journaling Prompts

Happy New Year!  Here are your new journaling prompts for January 2012.  As always, CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE.  Happy journaling!

Monday's Mandala

Mandala No 9 in a series of 24

Can you believe 9 weeks have gone by since I began my Mandala Journal?  Neither can I!  

Today's Photo

First snow accumulation of the season!  Photo:  Keith Thompson

Maybe the cold, snowy Saturday we had 2 days ago prompted my use of cool blue and green for today's mandala.  We received about 3 inches of snow, but it has now vanished without a trace.

Weekend Journal

Well, it's the week before Christmas and all of the final preparations and festivities have been kicked into high gear.  The tree is up, the lights are lit, and somewhere the aroma of cookies baking in the oven fill the air with that holiday aroma.  Personally, I haven't baked one cookie yet, but the tree is up and the lights are lit, so in the words of Meatloaf,  2 out of 3 ain't bad!

I've been working feverishly on a painting that needs to be finished before Christmas Eve, so there hasn't been a lot of art journaling.  I have, however, gotten a good start in my 2012 daily art journal, by prepping some pages with left over paint.  Here are some of the pages that I have prepped with paint.

I just chose pages randomly throughout my journal and using a one inch brush, I randomly smeared my left over paint across the pages in no particular fashion.  I don't know why or how it works, but I do know that when I get to each of these pages, they will be perfect for what I want to express that day.  Synchronicity and intuition are marvelous creative tools!

I did find a few minutes to play with some backgrounds that I had in a smaller journal that I've been working on the last couple months.  I finished the backgrounds intuitively using left over paint from the painting I've been working on and a couple markers.  They were a lot of fun after a tiring, structured day.

I'm teaching myself piano, so it's no wonder to me that I see musical notes wherever I look!  These journal spreads are nothing to write home about, but when you're creating at an intuitive level, the outcome isn't the goal.  The goal is to let your inner child come out and play.  Have you let yourself create some pages in this fashion?  Do you let your inner child just play with your paints, markers, and inks?  

2010

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at what I was doing this time last year, so I took a look through all the images I have stored on my computer.  I noticed immediately that it looks like we already had some significant snow.  We really haven't had any significant snowfall this year although it is lightly snowing as I type this.

I was doing a lot of walking at the beach, and I have to say I really missed it this year.  I was so devoted to walking in 2010.  It's sad that it only took four cold, snowy months to get out of the habit and loose the devotion.  We'll see what 2012 brings.

Here's an intuitive painting from this time last year.  Apparently, "intuitive" is popular with me this time of year!

I did find some time for experimentation though.  I noticed a lot of birds in my pages from last year.  It seems like there were many more birds here then.  I'm realizing that I haven't seen any birds in a couple weeks now, and I miss them.

Take a look at what you created in 2010.  How does it make you feel to look back at what you were creating a year ago?  What new techniques have you tried since then?  Do you feel like you've grown artistically?

I hope this post finds you in the holiday spirit, and I hope you're on your way to making lots of cherished memories with your friends and loved ones.  I hope you're feeling happy and healthy, and I hope you're finding plenty of opportunity to "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"

TODAY'S PHOTO

A snow covered Headlands Beach - December 2010

Weekend Journal

Journal Pages

It's been a while since I've posted some journal pages, so I thought I'd share what I've been up to in my journals.  I haven't been journaling every day, because as you know, the holiday season is filled with special activities and events that require lots of preparation and time.

Sometimes, less really is more!

I found this abandoned lottery ticket in a puddle of rain.  One man's trash....

Keith has been out of town on business, and I stayed up ALL NIGHT Thursday.  Crazy? Yes.

I'm missing my hubby, but he comes home today.  YAY!

A tad schizophrenic? Uh.....maybe.  But it was great fun.  This might be a Tuesday Technique!

Remember this page from the challenge?  Almost finished but I need some graffiti on my wall.

MOLESKIN FUN

Playing with my new birthday supplies - Pentel Brush Pen & General's Pastel pencils.  LOVE them!

I finished my pages from Tuesday Tips & Techniques using the die-cut waste.

Paper Beads

We're doing a themed Secret Santa gift exchange in my Thursday Art Journaling class.  Week one was paper so we made   shaving cream/food coloring background papers in class.  We had a blast!  This week, the theme was "Beads, Baubles and Buttons".  Making paper beads was the class activity and that was a lot of fun, too!

It's easy to make a plethora of beads in a short period of time.  Look for the technique in an upcoming Tues . T & T post.

Copy paper with Pitt Pens and Sharpies

Holiday Gift Wrap

Scrapbooking Paper

Magazine Paper

I hope all of you are having a great time with holiday gatherings and the fun things that go along with them.  If you can't find time for journaling during this busy time, keep your mementos in a safe place for journaling in January.  

Have a wonderful weekend, and whether you're shopping, baking, or partying, remember to "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"

TODAY'S PHOTO

Happy Holidays from my ceramic house to yours!

Tuesday Tips and Techniques: Use Die-Cut Scraps!

It pays to do some housecleaning from time to time.  When I was sorting through my many years worth of gathering and hunting, I came across these metallic alphabet charms.  I  decided to remove the charms from the card and put them in a baggie, and the card scrap was just too good to toss into the garbage.

"So here you go again", I thought to myself.  "You don't want to throw it out, so what are you going to do with it?"  Well, my muse thought of multiple ways to use this wonderful bit of metallic goodness!

I can use it as a stencil to add texture and pattern to backgrounds with acrylic paint.  I could also press it into gesso for added texture.

I can use it as a template with pencils and markers.  I could even use it as a template to mark binding holes in a junk journal.

And speaking of junk journals, how fantastic a page would be?  I can tie ribbons or fibers in the end holes, or I could also weave fabric or fiber through the whole sheet.  I can easily attach tags, keys, or anything my muse desires.

Take a look through your art and craft materials.  Do you have any die cut materials that you haven't used yet?  Don't forget to take a look at the scrap that's left over - you just might be able to rescue it from the trash bin!

"Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"