Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Art Journal: My First REAL Pages (Yay Spring in Missouri!)

Art Journal first pages

This day is delicious. It is warm and sunny, really feels almost like summer. It was winter here just a couple of days ago. Seriously.

I decided to start my “real” art journal today. My two previous “attempts” were following some prompts from an online class about doodling. This one today is me, just an expression of how I feel today (or at least as close as an art journal page can express…).

For my jounaling (art and otherwise), the page needs to reflect something about the meaning of the day, to me.

Art Journal first pages journaling For the background, I used my new Dylusional Spray Inks (five of them). On the pages you also see Faber Castell Markers, acrylic ink, stencils, oil pastels, water color crayons, and Hero Arts stamps. The book text represents the first time I have ever in my life intentionally “harmed” a real book. I have an old (as in my gifted teaching years, 1980’s) paperback of Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. It is yellowed and in very bad condition. I like the idea of using book text, but it needs to (again) have meaning. I rationalized that recycling this book into art journal pages would really not be harming it, but rather would actually be bringing it back to life. Sounds good to me anyway.

Yes, I am out of my comfort zone. For one thing, this whole art journaling thing is very messy. I make a huge mess. And cleaning up the mess is not nearly as much fun as making it. But I must clean it up so that I can get to the table to make my next pages (I’m caught up with scrapbooking for now, you see).

6 comments:

Dana said...

Love your pages and I'm so looking forward to Spring in the PNW... we had snow this morning which is somewhat unusual. I also like all the different techniques you used on your pages. I also am taking the same doodling class and find it out of my comfort zone but it is something I needed to do for me. Keep at it.

texasbarb said...

You're ahead of me. I haven't gotten any of Dyan's spray inks but want them badly.

Love what you've done...keep it up...the good, the bad and the ugly are all a part of learning...and you can re-do the ugly and turn it into something else.

Kate Burroughs said...

I often go to thrift stores or library book sales to get books to use on journal pages. I figure I am just recycling or some people like to call it upcycling by incorporating into art. Don't fret, it's OK to recycle these books, even when you tear out all the pages. I often recycle the book board for the covers of my homemade hand-stitched art journals. I just try not to destroy anything that might actually be a collector's item. I have some of Dyan's sprays on order. Can't wait for them to come!
Aloha, Kate

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

Thank you! And thank you hugely for this inspiration! You truly ate amazing...you can do it all...and you've just begun! God broke the mold with you...you really do inspire!

Marjie Kemper said...

Looks terrific, Barb! You are really on a roll. I love the colors and all those beautiful flowers.

ROC REV said...

Very neat!