Art Journal

After taking Christy Tomlinson's "She Art Workshop," I decided to sign up for her art journaling class.  It has been so much fun!  If you are interested, you can still sign up.  Since it's an online class, you can go at your own pace and you have three months to complete it.  Click here for more information.

I've had quite a few friends ask me what an art journal even is.  So although I'm new at this, I will try to explain.

Art journals are not a new thing.  They have been around for years.  Think of if as a diary with art in it.  Basically they can be used a few different ways.  You can use it as an outlet for trying new art mediums and techniques without worrying about messing anything up.  Some people create a page that is very symbolic to them but don't necessarily include journaling.  Others incorporate their art into a journal and record their thoughts and feelings in words and art.  There's really no right or wrong way to do it.  Just create what feels right for you.

You can use many different types of books  and any size to create your art journal in.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Artist's sketch book (hardbound or spiral bound).
• A mini album with paper, chipboard, or canvas pages.
• An actual book (like an old novel or something from the thrift store).  You can glue 2 or 3 pages together to create a stronger "canvas" to work on.  Then you can paint, mod podge, and layer over them so you never really end up seeing the words on the pages of the book (unless you want to). Some people have actually glued several pages together, then cut the center out to create a "window" of sorts.  
• Again, there's no right or wrong...just get creative!

The thing I've loved about this leap into art journaling is how imperfect my pages can be.  As a scrapbooker, I'm a huge perfectionist and sometimes agonize over a small detail here or there that I feel is going to make or break the whole page.  But with Christy's art journaling class, I feel like I have been given "permission" to just get messy and creative.  It's so much fun and I'm having a blast NOT being a perfectionist.

In Christy's class, I have also learned how to use many, many art mediums (some I had never even heard of before).  For example, she has demonstrated water color pencils and crayons, different acrylic paints, pan pastels, liquid acrylic inks, distressing inks and stains, gelatos, paintsticks, pens, brushes, sprays, etc., etc. 

OK...enough talking about it.  Here are a few examples that hopefully will give you a visual of what art journaling can be.  Keep in mind, I'm very new at this and am definitely not an expert.

My first page was very simple.  I used watercolor crayons for the background, then used paint and glimmer mist over a few different Crafter's Workshop templates for the background:

 I didn't do any journaling on this page, but it's symbolic of the relationship between my husband and I.  Our initials in the center of the heart were clipped from a magazine.  I stamped 4 birds on a wire representing our family.  I stamped a "friend" definition in a couple of the corners since he is my best friend.  

By the way, that huge heart stamp is by Donna Downey and quickly becoming one of my favorites!

 I clipped the word "Perfect" from a magazine.  Although my husband and I are total opposites, he is perfect for me.  :)

The blue heart is cut from an old book.  I painted liquid acrylic ink over it with my finger, then stamped white ink over the top with bubble wrap.

I found a whole stack of these tickets at the dollar store.  I highlighted the "Keep this Coupon" part to symbolize our eternal marriage.  Kind of fun, huh?  :)

OK...next:

On this page, I used a lot more mixed media stuff.  The background consists of various patterned papers, a dictionary page, a piece of piano music (I purchased a piano book at the dollar store), and some leftover butterfly squares from another project I made earlier this year (glass tile pendants for my Young Women's group).

 The tree trunk was cut from a magazine.  The tree top is a paper doily I sprayed with Glimmer Mist.  I painted around the edge of the page with watered down acrylic paint.  When everything was finished, I stamped some texture around the edges.

 I purchased an old dictionary at the thrift store for $3.  It was kind of hard to tear it up, but that's what I did for the "Faith" definition.

Again, the hearts were cut from book paper.  I also found the phrase in the book which I cut into strips and layered along the edge of the tree trunk.  As a side note, I love how mod podge crinkles up magazine paper.  I think the texture is cool!

Here's a page I did tonight.  I love how it turned out!

 The paper with the clocks was pulled from a magazine as well as the piece with the birds.  I mod podged those in along with a piece of music and a Webster's Pages journaling card (the one that has "Listen" on it).  I printed the "Time Flies" phrase on my computer and highlighted the edges with paint, Glimmer Mist, and a border stamp.

 I stippled over a piece of puncinella to create the dots.

I cut a heart from a piece of cardboard and peeled the top layer away.  Then I painted the edges and sprayed some glimmer mist on it.  The acrylic wings are some old Heidi Swapp ones I had in my scrapbooking stash.  The yellow heart is cut from patterned paper and highlighted with a Faber Castell Pitt pen.

I stamped over the corner of the bird picture with a foam stamp from Michael's and white acrylic paint.

I made this a two-page layout so I could journal on the left side.  Once the journaling is done, I might end up adding a few more things...we will see.  :)

I hope this helps those of you who were asking me questions about art journaling.  I'm really loving it and have tons of ideas floating around in my head! 

My First "He Art" Canvas

A few months ago, I won a spot in Christy Tomlinson's "She Art Workshop."  I was so excited to start but life kept getting in the way.  Most of May and all of June I was consumed with planning and carrying out a youth conference for teens in my area.  It was an amazing experience!  However, it left me with no time at all to be creative and I have missed it a lot.  So this week I decided I was just going to do it and I'm so glad I did!  

I ordered a few art supplies online that Christy suggested, but they hadn't come yet and I was too impatient to wait.  So I decided to gather up what supplies I had on hand at home and I was so surprised with what I was able to find.  Part of Christy's objective is finding miscellaneous items that can create texture and add dimension and interest to the canvas.  I was able to see things in a new light and that might have been the most fun part about this class for me!

I was totally going to start with a girl on my first canvas, but when I sat down to create, I decided, "Why not make one for each of my boys?"  So here is my very first attempt at canvas art:

 There's lot of symbolism in this canvas.  The background consists of copies of a story Cam wrote, his sheet music, Yu-gi-oh cards, Harry Potter memorabilia, and a heart he drew.  Most of it got covered up, but we know it's there.  :)  I painted over the heart again, which you can see along the right edge.

 One of the things I love about Christy is the way she creates art so freely without worrying about whether or not it's perfect.  She layers paint, ink, paste, rub-ons, stamps, and doodles and it all ends up looking fabulous!  I really tried to not think about what I was doing and just go for it.  It was actually very liberating!

 Lots of stamps and rub-ons here.

 I wanted to add something meaningful with the phrase.  This describes Cam to a T.  He's so friendly and gets along with everyone.

 Last week we lost our Sadie dog who had been part of our family for nearly 14 years.  She was crazy and spastic and often in trouble, but we will miss her dearly.  Cameron was especially broken hearted.

 I really wanted to add some freckles, but was a little scared to.  I still might do it...

Well, that about sums it up.  I'm going to make one for Taylor next and then we will see what else pops into my head.  I have lots of ideas!  :)  Thanks for looking!

Photogenic Family

My niece and her family are so photogenic!  I swiped these pics from their blog and added them to my latest class kit for Lucky Lark Designs.  They dragged her mother's settee across the street to the park (which I think makes a wonderful setting for some family photos).  Love it! 

 I'm in love with these "Bloomer" style flowers.  They are so soft and feminine and make a wonderful accent on a page.  And after being squished in a sheet protector, they still just pop right back up.  :)

I heat embossed the "Family" title with black powder as well as a couple of other accents of the page.  I've had the Scenic Route papers around for awhile just waiting to create something with them.  They are so bright and pretty and remind me of summer.  (I *think* I remember what summer is like...)

Thanks for looking!  I have some fun Echo Park layouts I've been working on and need to get them posted soon.

3-D Layered Flowers

October Afternoon has posted a wonderful tutorial for making this gorgeous 3-D flower.  Check it out here.  So pretty!

Christy Tomlinson's She Art Workshop

Guess what?  I am soooo stoked!  I just won a spot in Christy Tomlinson's She Art Workshop!  I have been eyeballing this class for a few weeks and watching her free videos about altered canvases.  She amazes and inspires me!  I love how she creates with such freedom and abandon and doesn't worry about things being perfect.  For those of you who know me, I am a perfectionist and sometimes drive myself crazy that I can't just go with the flow.  I'm hoping this class can help me embrace a little of that freedom. 

Class started today, but it's not too late to sign up if you are interested.  It's all online, so it's easy to catch up.  If you aren't familiar with her work, take a few moments to check out her blog.  Christy owns Scarlet Lime and has started selling mixed media supplies in her online store.

I will definitely make time for this class and share my creations with you here (as long as I can get past the perfection part).  :)

Accordion Folded or "Lolli" Flowers Tutorial

I've been on a "Lolli" flower making kick lately and thought I would share with you how to make them.  They can be made easily from any size strip of paper.  It's a great way to use up some of those scraps! 

Start by cutting a 1" x 12" strip of paper.  (You can make them wider or thinner than 1".  The diameter of the flower will end up being a little more than double the width of your paper strip). 

 Next I scored the strip every 1/4" using my new Martha Stewart Scoring Board. 

(I have to say that having a scoring board makes this process SO much easier!).  Scor-Pal also makes a scoring board. However, I decided to purchase the Martha Stewart one for a couple of different reasons.  First, it has scoring lines every 1/8" while the Scor-Pal seems to have more random measurements.  Second, the MS board was much less expensive, especially after using a 40% off coupon at Michaels.  Third, the MS board has a handy little add-on tool to help you easily make envelopes.  There are many You Tube videos comparing the two if you would like to take a closer look. 

After the entire strip is scored, fold back and forth like a fan.  

NOTE:  I wanted the green side of the paper to show after the flower was complete, so I made sure the first fold was pointed down.  This way, when you get to the end of the flower, it finishes off nicely.

This is what is should look like when it's all folded up.

Next, use a strong glue along one edge as shown.  

(Use something like Diamond Glaze, Red-Line Tape, etc.  Glue dots don't work so well.  They can't hold up to the tension the flower causes once formed into a circle).

Glue the two ends together and hold for a minute or two until dry.  

(You could also hold it closed with a clothes pin or office clip).

 Punch a 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" circle from any color paper.  

This won't show as it will be attached to the back of the flower.

Add strong glue to the circle, but not enough that it will squish out of the sides when pressed down.

This is the part where you sometimes need more than 2 hands.  :)

Flatten the flower, top side down.  (The orange that you see is the back of the flower). 

While holding the flower in place, attach the circle glue side down, to center of flower. 

Press down for a couple of minute while it dries, or place a heavy object, like a book, on it.

The back should look something like this when done.

Flip it over and embellish with coordinating paper, buttons, brads, ribbon, string, rhinestones, etc.

Another fun way to jazz them up is by using a border punch along the edge first.  Then instead of scoring every 1/4", score in between each scallop.

Here's an example of a completed flower with the scalloped edge.

Here's a peek at some completed layouts I recently used Lolli flowers on:

"Eggcellent"

This small pink flower started out as a 1/2" x 12" strip.

"4 is my Lucky Number"

Thanks for looking!  If you have any questions about making these flowers, there are tons of tutorials on You Tube that show you a few different methods.  Give them a try!

Lots of Layouts to Share

Wow!  When did life get so crazy?  I mean really, really crazy? It's all good...I'm just staying busier than normal. 

So here is one great big blog post about some of the projects I've done in the last few weeks.  Ready?

2010 YEAR IN REVIEW

This layout was inspired by Jana Eubank on 2 Peas using My Mind's Eye "Fine and Dandy" collection.  I love how there is so much room for journaling but the photos are still the main focus (14 tiny photos, in fact)!  I don't have any close up shots of this layout, so hopefully you can pick out the details.

EXTREMELY WONDERFUL

Can I just say that I love, love, love this color combo?!  Maybe it's because I'm so tired of seeing white snow everywhere I look, but this layout just makes me happy.  :)

The title is printed onto a transparency.  And notice the fun paint splatters?  Those are some stamps I picked up at Michaels.  Oh the possibilities!!

A little chipboard makes the perfect accent.

Have you ever tried stamping with bubble wrap?  Well it's fun and almost as addictive as popping it.  I painted a little acrylic paint with a foam brush directly onto the bubble wrap.  Then "stamped" it onto the journaling block and a few other places on the layout.  So fun and grungy looking!

IT'S A GOOD THING YOU'RE SO CUTE 

This is my latest layout for Lucky Lark Designs. It's pretty simple, but I like all the details.

(Can you believe that mischievous baby boy is now 10!!!  Where does the time go)?

I was having a hard time finding the "right" paper for this layout, so I decided to make a simple modification to something I already had.  I cut the ledger paper into a bracket shape, then thinned some acrylic paint down with a little water.  I painted a border around it without worrying too much about it being perfect.  It added a little splash of color to break up the red/black/white theme I had going on.

  I love texture on a layout!  Adding tiny details, like the hand-stitched star, can make all the difference on a project.

Ahhh...time to dust off the ole' Silhouette machine again.  The ticket design really caught my eye in their online store and I just couldn't resist!

Well, I still have more layouts that I made for the "Grandkids" album for Christmas.  My goal is to have those posted this week.  For now I think I'm calling it a day.  Thanks for looking!