{X} X-acto knife: carving stamps and cutting stencils

Stamps and stencils, as you may have noticed, can be an invaluable tool in your art journal kit. When I started out, I used to scoff at the HUGE variety of stamps and stencils that are available in the market. In fact, I still think that if a design is special use only, it is a waste of money to buy a stamp or stencil – it’s far better to learn how to draw that design, or better yet, create a custom design for your personal use.

All you need to invest in is one tool – an X-Acto knife – and you’re pretty much on your way.

Stamp carving 101Continue reading→

{W} Wabi-sabi: Adapting the Japanese philosophy into your art

wabi-sabi-philosophyWabi-sabi is a Japanese philosophy, like Kintsugi, that embraces imperfection. Wabi-sabi, which is the art of finding beauty in imperfection and revering authenticity above all, emerged as a reaction to the 15th century aesthetic of rich ornamentation and lavish opulence. It is characterized by asymmetry, roughness or irregularity, simplicity, austerity, modesty, and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes. The concept is derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence – impermanence, suffering and emptiness.Continue reading→

{V} Veering away from the journal page

Making_art_cards_full_sheet

This was done on a roughly 18 by 22 size, 300gsm watercolor sheet. Let’s play! {Click image to enlarge}

Human beings are social creatures. As you start to get your art groove on, chances are that you will want to share your art with your friends. And by share, I don’t just mean flooding social media with your art work – I mean sharing a small piece of what you do with the people you love.

So today, I invite you to move out of the book and onto a lose sheet of paper. Continue reading→

{U} Upcycling: re-purposing thrash into art

Stamps. Stencils. Ink pads. Die-cuts. Distress paints. Silk glaze. Crackle paint. Dylusion spray inks. Color bloom ink spray. Washi tape. Collage sheets…

The world of supplies is huge and crazy. There are tons of art products in the market, with more introduced almost every day. With so many beautiful supplies to choose from, things can get a bit overwhelming. Not to mention hard on the pocket.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/66464892/knit-hand-carved-rubber-stamp-for

DIY stamp Image courtesy

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{T} Technique Saturday: A few of my favorite videos for your viewing pleasure

Sometimes seeing is the best way to learn. So here are two of my favorite videos that really helped me when I was starting out on my art journal and mixed media journey.

Christy Tomlinson‘s beautiful mixed media canvases really inspired me to start drawing faces in my journal. Just watching her create can spark multiple ideas…that’s the best kind of technique video in my book!

Roben-Marie Smith creates beautiful, layered art journal pages. Watch her process video below for some inspiration.

Enjoy!

{S} Step-by-step: How to draw a whimsical face

whimsical_faceBack in 2014, when I first started art journaling, if someone had told me that I would be drawn to portraits, I would have laughed until my stomach hurt! Drawing and me just didn’t go hand-in-hand. And faces? Out of the question! I remember trying my hand at drawing funky flowers – which didn’t even have to look realistic! – and melting into a puddle of tears because I couldn’t even draw simple shapes like teardrops and leaves.

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{R} Rule of thirds: A brief introduction to composition

Rule of three: An odd number of hearts makes for a more effective spread than if there were 2 or 4.

Rule of three: An odd number of hearts makes for a more effective spread than if there were 2 or 4.

Composition – or how various elements are placed in a work of art – is key to the success of all visual arts. Being a photography enthusiast, I have an innate understanding of some of these rules {such as the rule of thirds}, but when it comes to art, I’ve had to be a little more deliberate about composition. More often than not, however, art journal spreads are not planned – we often wing it! And that’s when we stumble upon problems of achieving balance and white space, depth and an overall pleasing composition.

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{Q} Quill and ink: incorporating the written word in your art journal

Let’s switch our focus from art to writing today. We’ve covered a fair bit on the art aspect of art journals. But the other part of an art journal, is the journal, by which I mean writing.

There are many ways in which you can incorporate the written word in your spreads to give them even more meaning. You can start with a layer of writing – pen down your thoughts, confusion, doubt, gratitude – anything on the page and then cover it with paints and mediums. That’s certainly one way to go about it – and it is something that I do very often.

creative_lettering_art_journalContinue reading→

{P} Paint over collage

Paint over collage is a very interesting technique – especially if you’re afraid to draw or are unsure about shading a face, for instance, and it yields some amazing results. The technique does take some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really a lot of fun!

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