Art Journal Pages

Still working on trying new techniques....

On this spread, I tried focusing more on my writing...making THAT the interesting focal point of the spread. As you can see, I tried to go for a more "graffiti" style. The yellow page is really one of my new favorites!

Oh. This page. I decided to try and do a prototype of an idea I got from Traci Bautista, a Graffiti Wall. I bought a large (18x24)!! canvas to do this for my room. What am I, crazy?! I think so. The largest thing I've painted on is a 9x12 piece of watercolor paper! The idea of a grungy, colorful, messy painting to hang on my wall really entices me though.

A few things I learned practicing it in my journal.

1. MAKE SURE you use a permanent marker. DUH. I had bought this new calligraphy marker (that barely dispenses any ink) and used it...only to find out it wasn't permanent and spread with my addition of gel medium.

2. THINK ABOUT COMPOSITION EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE! I mean, seriously. I am trying to let go, and enjoy the process of making art..except I just go a little too crazy and come out with stuff that isn't well composed.

3. Focus more on values in color. I realized about 2/3 in that the blue and purple were both dark, and therefore there wasn't any contrast in my painting. I tried lightening up the purple, but I'm still not 100% satisfied.

4. Even though I put "I am An Artist" on these pages...I don't really believe it.

So...the spread, I don't hate...I don't love. I did learn some things, and that is always good, right?

In a down swing

Sigh. I don't know if its this time of year, just a "down" time creatively, or depression rearing its ugly head--but I have NOT felt like creating for the past week or two. I spent most of this past weekend in bed watching bad Lifetime movies. I didn't pick up a single art supply. Tonight, watching Glee (Who LOVES Sue?!), I decided to decorate one of my half-finished pages in my Experiment journal. Its messy, and filled with angry strokes...because that is how I felt at the moment.

What sucks is that I have to finish this painting for my mom by Christmas. Its been sitting un-finished for a few weeks now. I have another friend who wants me to paint something too! At this rate I will never get it done. Oh well. I hope soon this lack of creating will LEAVE ME ALONE!

A sneak peek of my mom's painting

 

Experiment Journal: Pages in Progress (I still have Art ADD)

I am AMAZED that I am STILL feeling creative!!! Its been like two whole weeks! This is amazing for me. *Rock on!!*

Here are a couple of pages I have in progress....

Zentangle-like doodle in my tracing of my hand. I am using Micron pens...boy do I love them.

 

I first tried a spray of acrylic paint + water. It didn't quite have the effect I intended. I was trying to replicate spray inks...but my straw on my spray bottle doesn't reach to the bottom, and I don't want half a bottle filled with one color for just a few sprays! I like the mottled effect, just needs to be tweaked. The papers glued down are some of the paste papers I made.

The Experiment Journal

Remember Teesha's Journal I made?

I have decided to label the journal "Experiment." Obviously, it is self-explanatory. I want to use these 16 pages as an experiment to open my mind with paints. Here is the first page.

 

Making the journal Teesha's way gives fun little flaps throughout. The green matches the cover, and part of the pink/red page. This is probably the closest match to the real colors on the page.

The colors are all different between the three pictures. I don't know how to fix that!

Some detail.