Is this Love?

I wasn't sure what to do this week.  That's what happens when a good resolutions meets up with bad planning.  It is one of the reasons New Year's resolutions never make it very far.  Carried on the wave of excitement and anticipation I made a decision but didn't put a lot of thought into what that decision was going to mean in real terms.

It is a testament to my dedication that I not only made it through week three but that I have every intention of going froward from here.  But I cannot ignore the fact that I only made it this far with some help.

Stuck for an ideas I went trolling through my favourite source of ideas...the internet.  This weeks page is a reproduction of Limor Webber's mixed media Friday art journal page on YouTube.  You can visit the thread HERE.  This particular page was inspired by THIS VIDEO. 

I used different colours and since I didn't have the templates she did, I either made them for myself using cereal box card.  The repeated print pattern on the (handmade) envelope was made by pulling stamps from different stamp packs that fit the theme onto an acrylic block and stamping them as a single image.

The Creative Path - Cover

This is the first page of my art journal for this year.  The step to create it were relatively simple.

I used a piece of cardboard-box card (can't remember where I got it from but it was 12x12in).  I covered the back in fabric to reinforce it and give it some interest.  Once that was dry, I trimmed the whole to be an A4 size (8.25x11.75in) with an additional 1in tab.  I'll be using A4 sized paper for most of the projects.

I covered the front with gesso primer and let that dry completely.  I drew my image with pencil and painted it in using acrylic paint.  I finished by adding the silver embellishment with "The Creative Path" embossed with a stylus, punching out the three holes on the side and putting in the three binding clips and adding the lettering.

The final product...and the start of my creative journey:

Inspired

I bought Taking Flight: Inspiration And Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings by Kelly Rae Roberts some time back and have been reading it like a novel – all words but no action.  After the funky week I had and the challenges of Art Every Day, I realised I not only needed some direction but also some inspiration.

This is the outcome of some mixed media and mixed source inspiration.  I did the background out of cloth on paper like I have seen on some altered books then added the painting in acrylic over it.  In keeping with the idea I stencilled in the word INSPIRED and voila.

I’m back on the learning curve.

Flowers and Butterfly stamp

Got a little more use out of the art stamp and I love how this came out.  Would never have thought a repetitive pattern would do this well but I'm still totally taken by the joy of hand made stamps working so well.  Perhaps I should practice with less perishable goods.

Take a Chance

take a chance 8.5 x 8.5 in mixed media

I have made a life out of being cautious to the point of failing to do anything at all.  Taking risks, taking chances or even considering that there are things out there I might want to know about makes my heart skip a beat...then stop.  I thought I could be less afraid if I started a blog and told other people what I was thinking and what I was doing.  I realised that I only show the safe things...the good things.

Relax, I;m not about to start washing my dirty laundry out in public and making everyone slightly uncomfortable.  But maybe I will take a chance and try out for an open mic night or do a painting that isn't safely classified as an art journal page.  Who knows, I might get back to my writing and actually try and get something published.

So many risks to take and so little heart to do them in.  I'm going to have to face my fears.  I just wish that wasn't one of the many chances I have to take.

Luscious

I got really lucky with this image from an old magazine I had tucked away somewhere but had a little trouble with the writing. I wanted it faint enough to let the image stand out but not disappear completely. I'm not sure but I'm claiming this one as a success. With mixed media coming to my aid one more time, I think I'm starting to really love what comes into my head...and how well it eventually shows up when I put it one the paper.

Beautiful Background

I love this background and there are editions of it waiting for me to stain them with words of wisdom, rhyme and song. I can hardly wait. But there is a part of me that wonders what would best describe the wonders of a beautiful human. Could I follow the path of those caught in the net of physical beauty? Can I ascribe to a greater depth and what makes good people good and many more of them truly beautiful. I have work to do...and the pleasure is all mine.

That Girl

This is my first sojourn into real mixed media collage. I've always bought magazines to read them so defacing any of the pages to remove images was unheard of. Every time an art exercise asked me to find a magazine and tear out the pages, I always skipped it or went in search of internet photos I could print instead. (That's how I discovered stock photos and the likes of www.gettyimages.com) But as much as I liked the idea of 'saving my magazines' I realised I was keeping too many and the growing piles were becoming too much to deal with.

So armed with a pair of scissors and an eye out for anything that might speak to a desire I found what I was looking for. And so it begins...

Once again...with no plan and a vague idea of what I wanted...I started something that surpassed all my expectations. I love art journaling. I think it rocks.

Mish-Mash

There was no plan. There was a You Tube challenge. There were interesting looking stickers from some box of things I bought ages ago and never used. There was acrylic paint and a piece of unused card stock. Together they made this page. It's a little bit of everything...and it is all true.

Leaping Lizards

I've never been one to use collage. It's mainly because I usually have a vision of what I want and getting a picture to fit with that is a little difficult. Then I realized it wasn't about getting the picture to agree with your vision but rather getting your vision to agree with whichever picture you've got. I now have a collection of images and stickers from different magazines and I hope to put them to good use. Collage...here I come.

Axis of Joy

As a fledgling art journal keeper, I have had to find inspiration wherever I can. I love the thousands of books available on the subject and have only started collecting mine...beginning with '1000 Artist Journal Pages' and the works of Danny Gregory: 'Everyday Matters' 'Creative License' and 'An Illustrated Life'. But while a book can give you some great ideas, I have found most of my practical inspiration from [wait for this...] You Tube.

Just by typing in 'art journal' I've found hundreds of pages...some useful and others not. Regardless, it has helped me learn more about the practice and techniques and given me a little more confidence.

This is my version of a challenge placed on one of the many videos (unfortunately, I do not remember the exact one but I'll keep checking until I find it). I think it came out really well and I was happy with the final product. I'm thinking about framing it and putting it up where I can see it all the time. It will remind me that anything is possible...and it's always best when I feel good about whatever is happening.

My First Art Page

I like art and I like that it doesn't matter my level of skill as long as I keep at it. That is why I started making art pages even though I wasn't very good at it. Now, I've decided to share. It's not because my skills are suddenly stupendous and I can wow an audience with everything I imagine but because I really want to share. So, this is the first page I made:

I like that my initial idea was pretty sound but the execution was lacking. A gesso base with water colour on top was great but I discovered (by accident) that nothing really goes on top of oil pastel even though it gives a wonderful textured finish. I had to scrub it off in places I wanted the words to stick but it wasn't as good as I had hoped anyway.

The haiku was written as part of the years 100 Haiku Challenge while the blurry lyrics are from a song by Celine Dion. I'd have to say it wasn't too bad…for a first attempt.