I hear ya – you’re busy, what with work, home, socializing, blogging…all the other roles, responsibilities, and activities that make up your day. Where and how will you find the time to make art, you wonder?
What if I told you to take out just 10 minutes a day? You know you can do it – after all, we spend a lot more than that mindlessly scrolling through our Twitter and Facebook timelines!
But can you really create an art journal page in 10 minutes a day?Continue reading
It’s the guide I wish I had when I started art journaling!
Art Journaling 101 is designed especially with the beginner in mind. The eBook is geared towards those who have or prefer to work with limited supplies – or are suffering from art supply overwhelm and want to simplify their stash, if only for a while!
A Zentangle tile that was gifted to me recently
Yes, it’s a real thing! The Zentangle® method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction, and an increased sense of personal well being. And all you need to get started is paper, pencil and a black pen.
There’s something beautiful about texture, isn’t there? The look of a wrinkled background, peeling paint, raised designs – it creates an extra dimension of oomph to an art piece. Now just because you’re creating in a book, it doesn’t mean you have to give up yummy texture! Absolutely not!
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
Stamp carving 101Continue reading
Wabi-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
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
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.
DIY stamp Image courtesy
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!
Back 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.