Stepping aside can let the muse in later.

I did a new technique for me on my art journal page. It's torn strips of paper that was on Mix Media Morsels 11 by Cat Hand. I had taken some Manila folder and printer paper that I painted with left overs from previous projects and tore them into irregular strips. Then glued down and covered the strips with matte finish Mod Podge. After it was dry I stamped with black archival inch with Tim Holtz mini stencil collection letters and numbers. Then I stopped, couldn't think what else to do so I stepped back and let it alone for a few weeks.

So then while looking through magazines, the muse hit me with an idea! I went to the computer for owl images, found one I liked, so I printed it out then fussy cut part of it. Drew some tree limbs and it looked good. I think owls are so adapted to their environment and so cool that I wrote what I thought about them on printer paper using black Pitt pen. Shadowed with walnut brown Pitt pen.

I believe you don't need to finish an art journal page in one day, sometimes stepping aside will let the muse in!

Copy doesn't make perfect! Dyan Reaveley's journal block technique.

Copying another artist work doesn't always go well. I didn't copy her work per say but a technique she used. I'm talking about Dyan Reaveley, and her use of the journal block. I don't have one but I make my own copy but cutting a manila folder as a template In Dyan's journal, she cuts the borders of a couple of pages with the block in graduating lengths.

As you can see I tried to be clever and didn't cut each page the same. There really isn't any theme to each page, I just let my muse take over.

 On this page I think I mainly used Tim Holtz distressed paints, twisted citron, fossilized amber, and mustard seed, and salty ocean. I used the butterfly stencil from Faber-Castell. Doodled with black and white Pitt pens. I also used some ordinary acrylic paints.

On this page the background is in Tim Holtz distress spray stain, cracked pistachio, mermaid lagoon, and abandoned coral. The pages didn't have a gesso prime on them so the sprays really absorbed into the paper. I also used Faber-Castell gelatos, blood orange from the Diner collection. To color in the branches and leaves, I used a brown Pitt pen, white and green gelly pens.

This is my favorite page with the background of Faber-Castell gelatos metallic(silver ice, iced rose, and squid ink) and Ranger's yellow liquid pearls.  For the ocean, I used various markers too. I need to write these down while I'm creating! I drew the fishing boat and the birds with a black Pitt pen. I love this page that I didn't have the heart to write on it.

This page was in honor of the Great American Brew Festival that is held every year in Denver, Colorado. I cut out images from a post card for GABF and their logo from the Internet. I had some business cards and stickers from those breweries and bottle caps lying around. I can't remember what I use for the background but I do know I used white gesso to prime the pages. I used Tim Holtz Ideology rubs, which I came to realize I don't like using them. It's really difficult to get the imaged rubbed right.  I stenciled the GABF with individual letters. Stamped with clear stamps from Inkadinkado. The stamps were on sale from the planner aisle at Michaels.

It turned out pretty good for trying our something new. I'm still new to art journaling so I try to keep track of the art supplies I used.

Travel page, York Brewing

Last August I went on holiday to the UK and one of the excursions was to York. One of the places we went to was the York Brewery. I wanted something that would say brewery to me so I decided to make a beer barrel.

I sorry but I didn't write down what paints I used, I'm still new at this and forget the details. I mixed together a few colors of acrylic paints together to get the right color I wanted for my barrel. I had a 4 pack bottle carrier that had the York Brewery logo on it so I cut it out and glued it on the barrel.

The next page I tried to make a beer that I drank there, Imperial Stout on cask. I like looking past the glass and only seeing the beer.  I'm still not happy with it...
I didn't want to write on it so I taped a York Brewery coaster on the edge of the page and wrote on that.

It's Sweater Weather, first day of Fall.

I have been walking around the neighborhood and notice that Fall is here. So I did this art journal page with the season it in mind.

Here I used Tim Holtz distress paints, mustard seed, barn door, and fossilized amber.  I used black archival ink from Ranger to stamp the dandelion seeds from Stampendous. But I though it looked too bright, I used white gesso to tone it down.

I had an old napkin from a Thanksgiving dinner that I cut up some individual leaves which I glued down. I also cut strips that were glued as a border.   I had cut up some pictures from a magazine and one piece got glued by accident so later I cover it up with Aspen tree leaves and various leaves I found on the Internet.

I also drew in some Aspen trees using white acrylic paint and a black Pitt pen to add detail. I then added my phrase and added some shadowing with a brown pen from Prismacolor.

With today the first day of Autumn, it will become sweater weather soon enough.

creating something out of yuck

I have been working on a piece for a few weeks now and it still looks like yuck to me.

I started out gluing some tissue paper that I had used to wipe paint and ink on. Then I added acrylic paint, used modeling paste over a brick stencil, and added dot stamp with ink. This is what it looked like, yuck.

I pondered this page for awhile thinking how to liven it up. I stenciled some flowers with Tim Holtz Ranger distress paints: twisted citron, fossilized amber, and add salty ocean for a sky effect. I also used some white gesso for some clouds. Next will be to add some text, but I will think on it.

My first art journal

I just started this art journal after traveling to New York City and it is definitely out of my comfort zone. I used to journal in high school but that's been years ago. I watch many tutorials on art journaling but I still find it difficult to express myself.  So you will witness my progression or digressions in this blog.
I make my journals from old books that I alter by replacing the contents with drawing papers and watercolor papers.  I must say I enjoy bookbinding. I will blog about my journal and art in general.

My first art travel journal, made from an old book.

Excerpt from my vacation to NYC.