Tag Archives: Art Journaling

Abstract art journaling tutorial for beginners: Embrace the pause

Join me at the art table as I show you how to paint a textured mixed media intuitive abstract painting in your art journal

Abstract art journaling tutorial intuitive and expressive abstract painting for beginners

I had filmed this expressive abstract painting at the end of 2020, and forgot all about it! But it was fun to go back and listen to my musings on struggling with the pause between one year and the next as I created this abstract acrylic painting, and to see how much better I have become now, at the start of 2022, with embracing the pause!

Though I am working on a small piece of mixed media paper, you can easily follow along in your art journal.

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Here’s how a daily creative practice can support your wellbeing

Some thoughts on approaching your creative practice as an act of care and restoration

art as therapy with a daily creative practice

On this episode of the Art with Soul podcast, we talk about art as therapy, about how we can use a simple daily creative practice as an act of restoration and care. I share an expressive arts exercise from my own creative practice, plus many suggestions for creative practices that you can adapt, adopt, or tweak to suit your own preferences.

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100 days to finding your art style

A creative reframe of the 100 day project and how you can approach it to develop your artistic vision and style.

How the 100 day project can help you find your own art style

On the first episode of season 4 of the Art with Soul podcast, we talk about different ways to approach the 100 day project; discuss process over product; and see how a gentle reframe of this popular challenge can help you develop your own visual language and style.

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What May Sarton taught me about embracing solitude

What I learnt from May Sarton on embracing solitude

“Solitude, like a long love, deepens with time, and, I trust, will not fail me if my own powers of creation diminish. For growing into solitude is one way of growing to the end.”

– May Sarton, The House By The Sea

The world isn’t designed for introverted, solitude loving people. For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me, what with my hermity tendencies and my need for pockets of quiet time, especially after I’ve peopled.

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How information overload hampers your creativity

On the infinite scroll, inbox overwhelm, and the importance of conscious consumption to creative living

On this episode of the Art with Soul podcast, we talk about information overload, how it impacts your creativity and your art, and how to create healthy boundaries around how much information you consume vs how much you create. Let’s get into it!

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On my art table: Urban jungle

An abstract urban landscape painting and a prose poem

Abstract painting urban landscape

What a miracle you are
sweet little pea
pushing your way resolutely up
through that sidewalk crack.

There’s no one quite like you
in close vicinity —
you look around you
at all the sidewalks
and all the sidewalk cracks
as far as your eye can see.

You realize that you’re all alone
oh no, not alone — unique
swaying with the slight breeze
that swirls around your tiny leaves
beaming up at the sun
as it kisses your tiny petals
at the dog who walks around you
wondering at this tiny, fragile thing
that stands there so sure
so delighted at the simple joy
of being here
of being alive
of just being

Follow my art on Instagram!

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On my art table: Finding beauty in the darkness

finding beauty in the darkness art journal page

There is beauty in the darkness, if only we are brave enough to find it!

But how often are we willing to even acknowledge our bad habits; our insecurities and fears; our anxieties. How often do we stop and reflect on our inner voice, and on how mean it can be sometimes…oftentimes? How often do we justify our bad behavior by blaming someone else for the way we may have acted out? We have a choice in every moment: we can choose anger or acceptance; irritation or flow.

This does not mean we have to put up with bad behavior – it simply is about how we choose to react to it. We can respond to situations by ranting and raving; acting out in anger or irritation…and often, that is our default. Or we can calmly address the problem at hand, or assert our boundaries and simply walk away from someone else’s drama.Continue reading→

On my art table: Constellation of Hope

art journal techniques abstract art constellation of hope

I’ve been experimenting with abstract art recently, and it has been fun – challenging too, but fun. I find that I tend to slip back into slightly familiar territory when I am painting abstracts – adding in leaves, plants, flowers, or figures as a focal point and to try and bring everything together.

In this latest piece that I did, I was determined to keep it completely abstract, using only lines and shapes and color to tell a story. And what a story it turned out to be!Continue reading→

On my art table: 2-minute art journal page

You’re busy, you have NO time, and you have NO space. You have NO art skills and NO supplies.

{Don’t you think there are too many NOs here?}

Anyhow…. I am here you to tell you that YOU CAN STILL CREATE ART!

I painted this piece in a tiny 3.5×5″art journal using only watercolor pencils and some white paint and yellow acrylic ink in the last step to bring it all together. And I love how lose and abstract it looks.

I created it as part of a 7-day speed art Instagram challenge hosted by Eli Trier. Her original idea was to have challenge participants do each prompt on a different sheet of paper, as an exercise in learning how to loosen up and get over the fear of a blank page. I decided to combine all the daily prompts on one page {without even knowing what each day’s prompt would be}, and it turned into the perfect summer art project {you can see it evolve, step-by-step, on my Instagram account}.Continue reading→