Creating in My Art Journal Step-by-Step

I find it helpful to see another artist's process step-by-step, so I thought you might also.  Here's the beginning of an art journal page-- a blank, clean space in my board book.

I was thinking of a visit to the summer camp where I worked in my youth as I pulled out a collection of collage papers from my basket.

When I have extra watercolor paint at the end of a painting session, I often splash washes of color on scrap paper and stick it in my collage basket.

I laid out some papers and spread some Yes! paste down with an old cruise card.

With the base glued down, I worked out what I wanted for the next layer.

After I glued it down, using a glue stick and Tombow Mono Aqua glue, I decided I wanted a little sparkle.  I drew with the pen tip of the Aqua glue, and then dusted the page with some vintage gold leaf dust.

I let the glue dry.

After the glue dried, I dusted off the excess gold powder and felt that the spread needed a bit of contrast.  I rubbed ink pads --black and vintage photo color -- along the edges of the pages.

I felt the page spread still needed something... so I added a few hearts and the word Camp.

When I'm art journaling, playing with little embellishments like the hearts, the glittery gold dust and the stamp pads deepens the process.  It's all play, and there's no wrong answer.  If I decide I don't like some element, I can paint or collage over it.

When you create in an art journal, I hope you give yourself this same latitude.  Create freely, on a whim.  Don't wait for perfection -- it never arrives!  Listen for that quiet, little nudge from your intuition and have fun!

Happy Creating!

Upcycling a Board Book into an Art Journal

I got the idea to upcycle an old board book into an art journal from this YouTube video by Ceri Griffiths. 

https://youtu.be/XijpQxrfh_8?si=7RH4uvZHCJKXcnuS

Ceri walks you through the process of removing the printed surface of the book to create a blank board book to journal on.

Inspired by Ceri, I thrifted a board book at my favorite Goodwill store and prepared it for art journaling.  Then I dug through my painted papers and other collage scraps, pulling out bits that appealed to my artist's eye.  I didn't use them all, but followed my Intuition, that tiny voice within, and started gluing down papers, adding text, drawings, tissue paper, whatever!

  The brown "calligraphy" below on the left is from a Wanderlust 2024 class with artist Eugénie Bilotte.  You can find Wanderlust - a year of classes in art journaling -- at Everything Art (https://www.everything-art.com/). 

The fern on the right is a gelli print on a book page.

I love black print on earth-toned papers -- from tea bags to old book pages and cardboard.  On some page spreads, I simply created a background of collaged papers.  I can add more later as the inspiration strikes.

Other pages came together with a focal point and a theme, like this bluebird & nest page about the revitalization & nurturing I receive from time spent in nature.

My favorite page of the entire book so far is this one, reminding me to follow my Intuition (rather than my inner critic, the Hobgoblin).  I mingled collage, hand-cut stamps, gold acrylic ink and ink pens.

The beauty of creating in an art journal is that you can use any medium you have, from pencils and ballpoint pens to bits of paper from your daily life, to stencils, stamps, paints ... anything!  

And if you find you don't like something you put down, you can paint or collage over it, shaping the page in a new direction.  Just listen to that quiet little voice -- your Intuition-- and follow what it says.  

I find my Intuition never leads me astray.

Happy Creating! 

Heart-Themed Weekly Planner

I love making valentines, and this year, had extra painted hearts leftover from my card-making.  You can see my Valentine's cards post here.

Needing a new weekly planner page, I gathered up a fistful of hearts, a few pens, some painted papers and a glue stick to create a collage page.

When I collage, I lay things out on the page, and when it looks sort of pleasing, I glue them down.  I used to try to make perfect collage compositions, which we all know isn't possible.  Sometimes I would abandon a collage creation without gluing things down.  I eventually learned to listen to my intuition, lean into the imperfections, and my creativity flowed naturally.

Now I know that when a piece looks imperfectly pleasing, it's time to glue it down.  

That's what I did in my planner page.  Then I added the days and events.

Following a process, even if your inner critic doesn't believe you're doing it right, helps to get the creativity flowing.  Step-by-step, you make something based on your intuition; something unique and beautiful.  Something that reflects your own inner beauty.

And starting with a low-stakes activity like making a weekly planner page can help you to build your art-making skills and try out new ideas.

Here's my step-by-step process for making a collage planner page:

1. Gather a few materials that catch your artist's eye -- they only have to be interesting to you.  You don't have to use them all.

2. Tear or cut out some shapes or pieces of the collage material and move them around on the page.

3. Listen for that weird little voice inside you (your Intuition) that quietly says "Yes." or "no" or "turn this piece upside down."  I've never heard my Intuition shout.  It speaks softly, gently, and often surprises me with unexpected ideas. 

4. When the collage pieces look sort of interesting or pleasing to your artist's eye, glue them down with wild abandon. If this feels scary, remind yourself that you are allowed to paint over anything you don't like with acrylic paint or gesso, or simply cover over it with more collage.

5. Add any other elements you'd like -- a wash of watercolor or ink, some colored pencil, whatever appeals to you.

6. Add in the days, dates, & appointments.

7. Step back and admire what you've created, with the option to add something else if you like.

8. Enjoy your days, knowing you started the week with creativity!

Happy Creating! 

My Finished Collage Sketchbook!

Recently, a friend and I had a winter sketching session at Phipps Conservatory, an indoor botanical gardens in Pittsburgh, PA.  I made special collage sketchbooks for us to use, and have just finished filling mine with art from that day.  Here's the video showing a flip through of my completed book!

If you'd like to see how I made the journals, check out my earlier YouTube video, 

Collage Sketch Book

https://youtu.be/Fwd8SNEjU-I?si=tFIzVyOsGbP0pSy5

 I hope this inspires you to make your own collage sketchbook and to fill it with art!

Happy Creating!

Collage Calendar Page

After creating a stack of green painted papers for my collage sketchbooks, I had loads of leftovers.  They made wonderful elements in my weekly planner.

 The thing I love about collage art is that I never have to hone the artwork to a place of "perfection" as there is no perfect.  I pick out a paper that interests me; I get an idea of somewhere to place it; I try it in that spot, and either I like it or I don't. 

If I feel the glow of liking it, I glue the paper down; otherwise, I try something else. 

It's a wonderful game I play with my intuition.  You might think of it as a meditation on listening to your intuition, and that having an artwork at the end is a bonus.

In the dreary gray of winter, playing with colorful pieces of paper can really brighten your spirit.  I hope you'll give collage a try!

Happy Creating!

Collage Sketchbook

I was planning a visit to Phipps Conservatory with my friend, and wanted to make a special sketchbook filled with painted pages for each of us with splashes of green paint. 

I've been enjoying videos by artist Rebecca Chapman like this one about making collage papers to use in her vacation sketchbook.  She reasons that having painted papers helps to circumvent fear of the blank page and help her make more art.

Above is a video describing how I made the collage papers, with a flip through of each book. 

I hope you try this technique!

Weekly Planner: Collage Papers

A friend recently gave me some beautiful art papers. For this week's planner, I combined some of them with a test piece of watercolor paper that I had used to try colors out on.  

I love the wild & free splodges of colors on test papers, and try to reuse them in other projects. The colors on this piece of paper matched the art papers I had chosen.

I love how laying out the colorful papers immediately transforms the blank page!

My advice when working with collage is to quickly pick out a few papers that appeal to you.  Don't overthink it!  Then lay them out and glue them down when they start looking interesting to you.  Don't try for perfect (it will never happen!).  

I glued my papers down with the heavy duty Yes! Paste, but you could use a glue stick or your favorite paper glue.   All that was left was to add the days & dates.   

 

I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it!

Happy Creating!

Book Report: Good Mail Day

As a long time letter writer and upcycler of funky paper bits, I was drawn to this book about creating your own envelopes & post cards. The book is chock full of photos for inspiration and how-to information.

Here's what I created after reading it:

Collage is one of the quickest ways I've found to fall back into the habit of creating.  Don't think too hard. Simply gather bits that fascinate you and start gluing them down.  I used Yes! paste to glue bits down, then sealed the envelopes's surface with acrylic matte medium.

I collaged bits onto an 11"x18" piece of lightweight paper. You could use anything -- an old paper bag for instance.  After everything dried, I cut out an envelope from a template I made out of a standard greeting card envelope.  The book provides a template for the smaller (polka dot) envelope design.

This is a fun way to turn trash to art.  I hope you try it!

Happy Creating! 

The Magic of Mixed Media!

I recently discovered artist Wendy Solganik of Willa Wanders on YouTube. 

On her website, https://www.willawanders.com/, I found a wonderful and free tutorial on making funky, artful cards from a larger piece.

Her activity is called the Mixed Media Madness Mother Board Project and you can find it here: https://www.willawanders.com/resources

The project begins with loose collage bits glued onto a larger piece of heavy paper.  I used a 11"x 15" piece of 140# watercolor paper, and glued on papers with Yes! paste.

Then, following Wendy's instructions, I added layers of stencils, stamps, mark making, etc. 

Finally, after everything was dry, I tore the paper into postcard size.  Looking at each postcard, I added a few words cut from old books and some final marks.

Each postcard took on a personality & message of its own, and the whole process was uplifting and easy.

These were delightful to send to the people I love.  I tucked them into envelopes to protect all of the little paper bits from being peeled up by postal machinery.

You could frame favorite ones, turn them into greeting cards, or just prop them on your desk to help you feel inspired.

I hope you check out Wendy's tutorial and give it a try! 

Happy Creating!

Worms Inspire Art!

In spring, my thoughts turn to gardening.  I've wanted to set up a worm composting bin for ages, and finally made it happen.  

When the UPS package of worms arrived, I assembled all the parts, added some vegetable scraps, and then created this art journal page about my vermicomposter (worm bin). I used collage, colored pencils, ink, and alphabet stamps.

The page shows the thrifted tote I punched drainage holes into the bottom of and used as the worm bin, the shredded paper that became the worms' bedding, the mortar pan to catch water drips, and the worms that I dumped on top of the bedding.  I can't tell you how exciting this is for me! 

I had a worm bin years ago when I worked as a park district naturalist.  Setting up my new worm bin brought up feelings of nostalgia and happy memories from those days.

Celebrating the things we love in our art journals is a way to deepen our enjoyment of them. 

Happy Creating!

Collaged Journal Cover

I bought this small, lined journal at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse for 50 cents, and am using it as a writing journal.  

The cover had a corporate logo on it I didn't want to see, so I personalized it with my own art.

 A rummage through my collage basket turned up the painted papers I used to create this simple design.

The blue piece of paper is from an old shorthand text, painted with acrylic paint.  I love the texture that out-of-date textbooks create with shorthand, type and music notes. Thin layers of acrylic paint allow the text to show through, and provide their own brightness.

The papers were glued to the journal cover with Yes! Paste.  When the glue dried, I painted on a layer of acrylic matte medium to protect the design.

Quick, simple art projects like this can buoy your spirits in the gray winter.  Here are some tips for creating collage designs:

• Don't wait for the collage to be 100% perfect.  Get it about 65% of the way there, and glue it down.  When you step back, you'll see the beauty that caught your eye when you first selected your papers.

• Gather papers with a shared color palette.  Here, the repeated scarlet swaths on the blue paper, and in the heart connect the papers and lead your eyes to dance happily around the composition.

• Pick a focal point, even something simple.  Here, it's the little, red heart.  You could write a word, select a small image, or pick some other bit of collage that's meaningful to you. Help it stand out by creating contrast around it -- light on a dark background, bright color against a white background, etc. Here, the white music sheeting and the blue background paper help the little red heart to stand out.  Your artist's eye is likely to do this naturally.

• Above all, be experimental, and allow yourself to play!

Happy Creating!

 

Mixed Media Concertina Sketchbook

My cat, Grover, kindly posed for sketches in my latest accordion-fold sketchbook.

I love to read in the evenings, and have been delving into Jane Stobart's Extraordinary Sketchbooks, where I got the idea to make a collaged sketchbook like architect Karen Butti.

I used a base of 140 pound watercolor paper, and glued on painted papers & old maps with Yes! Paste. 

Below is the cover of the sketchbook, decorated with music sheeting that's been painted with several thin layers of acrylic paint.

 

 The surface of these papers is slick, which would make it difficult to draw on top of them with graphite, charcoal or colored pencils.  I applied clear gesso over both sides of the sketchbook to add a layer of grit without obscuring the designs underneath it.   

My cats were hanging out in the studio when I started sketching, so they fill the first pages.

I love that I can sketch with rich, black charcoal and white pastel pencils.  The painted paper underneath adds another layer of pattern and color.  It feels exciting to have a new sketchbook with a variety of colorful papers

The songbirds hunting seeds in the flower box outside my studio window fit perfectly on the map of Glacier Bay, Alaska.  

Dark-Eyed Juncos scratch on the earth for seeds, so I put black oiler sunflower seeds in my flower beds for them. It's a protected spot, and it brings them closer for me to draw.

Collaging colorful papers onto a plain sketchbook adds a playfulness and imperfection that invites doodling.  If you're feeling anxiety facing the blank page, maybe a collaged page would help you push past that feeling and make drawings.

The beauty of drawing in a sketchbook is that your artwork doesn't have to be "pretty" or "perfect."  Truly in this world, there is no such thing as perfect, so try looking at drawing as an exploration, a voyage of discovery. Every drawing teaches you something.

Happy Creating!

Weekly Planner: Collage & Hearts

Another week, another planner design.  

Collage is a great way to get back into creating.  You don't need to find perfection, just gather some papers that feel sparkly to you, and piece some of them together loosely.

Remember, you're not going for precision.  Try for 50% chaos and 50% control, as my friend Ryan McCormick says.

 I like to use the tiny leftovers from card-making that would normally end up in the trash.  They get a new life as art, and I get interesting shapes.

Happy Creating!

Weekly Planner Page: B & W Collage

A weekly planner is a wonderful place to experiment with new ideas and designs.  There's no pressure to make something impressive.  You're just playing.

And creating with collage is a great way to play.  I recommend collecting a pile of paper scraps and images that you like.  They can have a theme, like these did, or just the theme that you like them.  I selected black and white images on old paper.

Pick out a collage bit that interests you, and try it out in several places.  If you get a tingle of "That's interesting..." glue it down!  Don't wait for "That's perfect!" because perfect never happens (in my experience).

I started with some collage bits, then added a few more, and penned in the days and dates.

Sometimes, your collage choices will tell you something about your inner thoughts.  I was drawn to the  photo of the train in the mountains as I've been reminiscing about our trip to Alaska, especially about our journey on the White Pass Scenic Railroad.

A bit of collage can add adventure to your week!  I hope you give it a try.

Happy Creating!

Collage Style Weekly Planner Page

This weekly planner page was so much fun to create!  When you work with collage, nothing is precise or perfect, and embracing that relieves you of so much stress!

You can gather papers that catch your eye, and then slap down whatever seems sort-of right.  Don't wait for exactly the right thing; go with the layout and materials that seem fun and sparkly to you.

Here, I used a label from some British baked beans, an old Ball canning lid box, and a variety of book pages and papers that were rust stained.   You can find out more about the process of rust staining in this post.

I used paint pens for the dates, and white gesso over a couple of the pages to make it easier to write on them.  Watercolor crayons provided a splash of color in the margins between papers.

I hope you try creating your own weekly planner collage page.  You can use whatever you have on hand.  What sorts of papers draw your eye?  Do you have favorite color combinations?  Why not start gathering a handful of papers and a glue stick to play with?

Happy Creating!

Rusty November Planner Pages

Inspired by a recent Wanderlust 2024 class, I chose rust-decorated paper to collage for this week's planner. 

The process began with layering rusty pieces of metal, vinegar water and a variety of papers in an enamel pan, and leaving the whole mess for 24 hours or more.

The rusty metal imparted its rich colors -- siennas and ochres -- much like the dead meadow grasses and oak leaves still clinging to the trees outside my studio window.

The mingling of earth tones with black print and creamy old paper have a beautiful appeal to my artist's eye.

I tore pieces from some of the papers without thinking about it too much, then glued them down with Yes paste, a thick, archival paste I use for a lot of projects.

All that was left to do was to add in the dates and appointments with black ink pens and a Pentel India ink brush pen.

I love starting the day with art!

You can find more information about Wanderlust 2024 here:

 https://www.everything-art.com/p/wanderlust-2024-artjournalingcourse 

Happy Creating!