Art Journaling in my Trader Joe's Grocery Bag Journal

I often write a journal entry on a piece of lined paper as part of my art journaling page.  Making pockets to tuck these folded pages feels like play!  The above pocket design is created with book pages & watercolor paper decorated with Indanthrene Blue & Burnt Sienna watercolors and India ink.

I recently was inspired to try intuitive painting after watching this YouTube video by Jackie Schomburg.  When I finished, I realized my painting represents how I feel about the autumn and the coming winter -- a last celebration of the summer sun, warmth & color.  

Yin & yang.

Sometimes, I doodle in my art journal. 

I picked up some watercolor crayons in an art supply swap I held in one of my Osher classes, and played with them on gesso-covered pages.  I love the rich, bold colors and the way they blend with a wet brush!

An art journal is your space to explore whatever you desire -- from a new set of paints to the thoughts and feelings within you.  I hope you get a chance to play with art supplies just for self care soon!

Upcycled Art Journal from Trader Joe's Grocery Bags

I'm a big fan of Trader Joe's grocery store.  I love the staff, and the food! 

Over the last few years, I amassed a collection of their sturdy paper bags.  Determined to recycle them, I turned them into a journal.

I got the idea for creating a faux leather cover from an idea I saw in a YouTube video.  

I cut my paper bags into pages, wet them and crinkled them for some extra texture. 

After letting the pages dry, I sewed them into a journal and added a cover.

On the pages that have print, I gesso and paint over, or simply collage. Here I've used music sheeting and old book pages, acrylic paint, homemade stamps, and Sharpies.

I copied a wonderful "permission slip" from The Unexpected Gypsy.  It's helpful to write down your intention in a journal, and to remind yourself that you are allowed to create without judgement.

I love the brown craft paper surface of the unprinted pages. I can use white paint pens and black ink to contrast. I've sewn in a string of battery-powered lights to this page to remind myself that nurturing myself helps my inner light to shine.

The beauty of upcycled materials for me is that I've saved something from the landfill, so it feels like there's no pressure to make anything "pretty." 

A beautiful way to slip past perfectionism.

Why not create your own art journal from materials around the house?

Canoe Painting

One of our favorite ways to spend a summer afternoon off is to rent a canoe from the nearby state park, and paddle up the small lake. The peace of nature, the calming influence of the water and the adventure of seeing the woods from the water put me in a happy mental space.  

Sometimes, I take my nature journal and watercolors, and paint quickly while David paddles me slowly up the lake.  Having very little time to complete a scene keeps me from getting precious with my artwork, and I like the result. 

Now that we're entering fall, I treasure this little watercolor sketch -- a taste of sunshine and warmth to return to in the coming winter.

Transatlantic Crossing Travel Journal: Dreams for the Future

Back to being a full-time landlubber, I find myself dreaming of visiting the UK again.  I love the friendliness and kindness of the British people, and the beauty of the countryside.  An artist I follow lives in Glastonbury, and speaks of climbing the hill to the Tor in her YouTube videos.  

I Googled Glastonbury and found photos of the town and the Tor to explore with my paintbrush.  My art practice extends my delight in traveling, even at home. 

I hope you'll get a chance to explore someplace you'd like to visit, even simply with your art supplies!

Red Geraniums

 

Back in June, I had a modeling job for a college class that finished at the peak of rush hour.  Rather than grind through the maddening traffic, I sat with my paints and a watercolor journal in a quiet courtyard, and let the roads open up while I splashed paint around. 

I looked through a cardboard viewfinder to frame my composition, then sketched in pencil and added watercolors from a small palette with a water brush pen.

Relaxing in the elegant space and focusing on the colors and shapes around me felt like a mini vacation.

I hope you can find little spots in your schedule to fit some art for self care!

Transatlantic Crossing Travel Journal Part II: On Board the QM2

 

We awoke in Southampton England on August 21st and looked out the window to see our ship, the Queen Mary 2, in port.  By 1 pm we were on board this magnificent ship.  As we waited in our stateroom for her to embark, we looked out our balcony (Deck 4, port in the aft) to the ships bobbing around us. 

We spent our first few days prowling around the ship, finding outdoor observation decks to watch dolphins off the bow of the ship, and 

The QM2 has the largest library on board any cruise ship, and David and I both made use of it.  Inspired by the Art Noveau style the ship is decorated in, I checked out a book of Gustav Klimt's paintings, and made a master copy of an ink sketch.

I made a copy of Cicely Mary Barker's Columbine Fairy from A Flower Fairy Alphabet, one of a set of her fairy books I bought while in Southampton.

I thought I would paint and draw more while on board the ship, but we kept busy exploring the various decks, the museum and library, watched the Captain and his crew from the bridge observation window, swam, and talked with a variety of people.  And of course, we dined on the most delicious foods three times a day. An amazing experience.

Transatlantic Crossing Travel Journal Part I: Arriving in England

This summer, my husband David and I did something we had dreamed of-- we booked a Transatlantic Crossing on Cunard's Queen Mary 2, the most romantic way to travel from England to the USA.

Before we left, I collected a small kit of art supplies: 12 Faber Castell colored pencils, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens in black, Sakura Koi watercolors and waterbrushes, a mechanical pencil, eraser, pencil sharpener, & a little water mist sprayer. It all fit into a small zippered bag I could stow in my backpack. I worked in a Strathmore Watercolor Journal (140# cold press). I found that sketching simple scenes while waiting for a bus, or at the end of the day helped me to slow down, deepen my experience, and have a record to look back on.

  

We flew into London's Heathrow Airport, and took a bus south to Southampton, the port where we would embark on our ocean journey.

The landscape around Heathrow & along the motorway south of London showed signs of the recent heat wave and drought, with yellow, dead grass.  The fields along the roadway had recently been mown.

Our hotel room in Southampton looked right out onto the port and the cruise terminal.  Every morning,we would awake to new cruise ships docked in the port, often 4 ships at a time.

We could open our window (no screen as they had no mosquitoes or biting flies!) and let the cool sea air refresh our room.

It was lovely to have a few days to sketch gulls and recover from jet lag.

Ocean Waves on the North Atlantic

When I booked a 7-day Transatlantic Crossing on the Queen Mary 2, I thought the views of the ocean would become boring & routine.  But the waves, the sky, and the ocean creatures kept me fascinated.  I could watch the ocean for hours!

I painted this scene while on board the QM2 with Sakura Koi watercolors in a Strathmore Watercolor journal (140 lb cold press paper) from a photo. I relished exploring the variety of blues -- from deepest indigo to light cerulean and aquamarine. 

What everyday scene or element of nature would you like to explore?  I encourage you to give yourself time & space to sketch and play!

Watercolor Lessons with Yelena Lamm

I've long admired Pittsburgh area painter Yelena Lamm, and recently I've been taking watercolor painting lessons from her.  I want to learn how to paint with the intense, fresh colors I see in her work.  

Above is a sunset scene painted after my first lesson. I worked from a photo I took in May on my farm.  Yelena helped me to approach painting in a new way, focusing on the general impression of the scene, working quickly with a wet edge.  She reminds me to plan my painting before putting brush to paper.  

September always inspires me to learn something new.  If you'd like to try something new artistically, I invite you to join me for a class.  You can find my CCBC classes here. Click on "Arts."

I hope to see you in a future class!