Good Morning Everyone!! Today for my Susan K. Weckesser design team post I want to share something a little bit different. I want to share with you a
page from my private art journal and give you a tiny peek into my art
brain and to describe a little bit about how my creative process works. But
before I share my page with you I want to share the two guidelines I have made
for myself that have made my Art Journaling so much easier and a wonderful journey at the same time! First I am allowed to use only what is on the counter
in front of me (otherwise I become paralyzed with too much choice!) and Second I have to DO whatever my first thought is... NO
THINKING... Otherwise I over think. I worry waaaay
too much about what is "right" or what looks good or what the rules
are.... so I made a rule for myself that in my Art Journal ... No Rules
Apply and no thinking! And this applies to what I write as well... I
put my pen down and write whatever comes into my head... No Matter
What. Follwing these two rules have taken all the pressure off me when I sit down to "do art" and I love
seeing the end result of what comes
out of my heart and soul when I am not paying attention!
I
started the bones of this page a while ago using a stencil and pushing some
modeling paste through it and letting it harden - and there it sat until I was surrounded by scraps from
the last layout I created for my Susan K. Weckesser post. I also had in front of me - all my dylusion
sprays including my new White Linen opaque spray and a cup full of gel
pens from my doodling journal. I sprayed the page with pink and blue dylusions inks and then added
a few spritzes of water to soften the colors, letting it run where ever
it would. Mostly it ran into the cracks of the stencil pattern which
was just fine with me!
Next
I glued down all the leftover bits from my last scrapbooking layout without thinking
too much about where I wanted them... if it felt right I glued it down.
The word scraps "Beautiful Daydreams" and "Bouqet" are actually the title strips that I cut off the SKW patterned papers I
used... Cool huh! I drew in the word CREATE, and colored it in blue
gel pen, but it was too bold for my taste so I faded it back by doodling
patterns in white gel pen all over the letters... the end result looked
so good I just had to accent it using my liquid glass.
At this point the
top of the page started looking a little empty so I stamped some more
words in pink ink but again these words seemed too bold for me so I sprayed
the entire page with my new white linen dylusions ink and blotted off the excess - it worked like a charm - fading back the too bold words to just where I wanted them.
And
finally I just HAD to use this house I had created from Susan's Le
Mason stamp, stamping it on three different patterns of paper, cutting it out and
reassembling it in colored paper - but if I glued down the house Where would I put my journaling?
and then the AH-HA! moment occurred... I would make it a hidden journal
box... behind my house...BRILLIANT! And I LOVED it... using some duct
tape for strength covered over with some washi tape for decoration this "Journal Flap" will stand up to all the flipping I can give it!
And
just when I thought I was done my brain said "Spatter! You want some
white Spatter!" To get this wonderful solid white splatter I used some
watered-down gesso...
it really, really works. And as aways (for me) the final touches with
my stickles and a black pen finished off this soft and pretty page.
Well
I hope you enjoyed this little trip into my "Art Brain"... and maybe you want to try adopting my little rules to help you take some pressure off yourself and allow you
to follow your own artistic instincts and start your own Art Journal! Just DO IT!
Cheers!
Scrapbook Lynne Mizera
On this project I used Susan K. Weckesser's Bouquet paper and Le Mason Unity Stamp
Now, just for all of you, my blog followers I will also share my private journaling... this is what came out of my pen as I wrote without stopping to think or analyze what I was writing...
It says: "I love how my art life is progressing and how much I am learning to trust my instincts. I am constantly AMAZED at how much I know! I am learning to embrace MY art and to not compare myself to anyone else and to JUST DO IT!"
You my friend are an amazing artist with a more amazing heart. I love your style and grace.
ReplyDeleteOh Dawn... You made me go all teary! Your support and comments mean more than you know! (and RIGHT BACK AT YOU GIRL!)
DeleteWow, wonderful article and brilliant page! I tend to over-think to the point I throw things away. Don't know how to stop that, very frustrating sometimes. Love how you used the sprays and appreciate the tutorial on your layout! The journalling behind the house is so cute and clever! :)
ReplyDeleteJennifer - Thanks soooo much for the lovely comments. I was REALLY nervous about sharing my process but if it helps even ONE person to break through that CRITICAL VOICE barrier it will be worth it! and here is what I learned about art journalling - if you are hating what is happening it means that you don't have enought layers yet! I have pages I HATED that I ended up LOVING after I kept covering up the stuff I hated! You should TRY IT! (smile)
DeleteThis is beautiful and I love your little rules for creating. You have an amazing art brain. Enjoy the ride. I am on the same journey right now and love it!
ReplyDeleteLer-Anne - thanks for your lovely comments... I can't wait to see some of your journey in ART!
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