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Category Archives: Art Journaling
a Retreat with Dina Wakley & Dyan Reaveley
I am so excited to be hosting this fabulous retreat with my friends Dyan and Dina
I hope you can join us
Do something you have never done
A couple of weeks ago I started working on this page in my Moleskine journal
I colored the background with NeoColor II crayons over white gesso and stamped the girl stamps onto dictionary paper and old maps. One of the dresses is from a Gelli Print. The border is also from some Gelli Prints that I had previously done on Deli Paper. About a week later I added some rub ons. That is one of the fun things about working in multiple journals, you can always go back and add a little more to each page while you are waiting for another page to dry.
here are some of the close up detail shots
I will continue to work on the page before I add my journaling.
Supplies Used: Neocolor II Crayons, Dina Wakley’s Stamps set – Scribbly women & Textures, Dina Wakleys Stencil – Affirmations, Black & White Gesso, Rub Ons – Tim Holtz
Beware of the shadows
This was a clean up page on my large Dylusions Journal that just came together by itself.
The blue in the background was a stencil clean up from a previous page and the black silhouettes were a Dylusions Stencil clean up of Distress Paint. It was just a serendipitous accident, I added a little teal and lime colored NeoColor II crayons to add some more color to the background and then added the words using a combination of handwriting and 7 Gypsies stamps with Archival Ink.
and of course here is a close up:
In Order to Fly
This is a Journal Page using Dylusions Inks for the background.
I used the new Rebekah Meier Stencil from The Crafters Workshop, I love all of Rebekah’s stencils in this release. I once was fortunate to look through one of her fabric books, what a stunning piece of work.
This is in my large Dylusions Journal, the sprays work fabulously on this paper. They are so vibrant and Dyan Revealey’s ghosting technique works wonderfully.
The words read: In order to Fly, you must leave the corner. Words that resonate with me and something I struggle with daily as I have always felt more comfortable in the background.
Here are a couple of close ups
Color changes your world
I think color changes everyone’s world.
I love vintage pieces and natural patinas but, there is something fun just working with bright vibrant colors, it just makes you a different kind of happy.
Last year at Everything Scrapbook & Stamps we got the new Hero Arts Neon Daubers
Bold and bright with a sponge dauber top for easy application these inks coordinate with their stamp pads.
I made this Art Journal page with 3 of the ink colors above and allowed the inks to blend together to get some custom colors on the background. Once dry they are permanent.
The brushes were stamped onto map paper and the “world” was cut with a die.
The letters were a variety of letter stencils from the Crafters Workshop. I used Inktense pencils to color the word “Color” and black gesso to paint the other words. When I have black words on a page I tend to use Black Gesso as I like flat color instead of the reflective quality of most paints.
All stamp images are from Impression Obsession.
Here are some close up images of the page.
art journaling on a clean up page
I am Art Journaling again, this time I am working on a clean up page in my large Dylusions journal.
If you haven’t done any clean up pages, you really should try it, it can yield some fabulous results.
Here is how you do it:
Whenever you are using a stencil and it is dirty, wipe off the ink or paint onto another page using a wet wipe . . . . . or stamp the rest of the ink off a stamp you are using (before you clean it) on the page or wipe the excess paint off your paintbrush, run your journal through the leftovers on your craft sheet. It yields varied results and at some point in time you add other media on top of it and you can make some interesting pages.
another Art Journal Page
here is another page I am working on, this one is in my small watercolor Moleskine journal
Art Journaling Pages
I have always experimented with crafting supplies in some way, I have always stuck my fingers in paint, ink, glue or whatever was around to see what it would do.
The last few years I tend to do more of my experimenting on paper or in my Art Journals.
Although I work on bits and pieces of a page all the time, I am never sure that they are truely finished. . . . and maybe that is the fun part, that I can always go back and doodle or add some gesso or make a mark somehow.
Anyway I thought it would be fun to show you some of my pages in progress as I go. Just a short post with what I am working on at the time.
Here is a piece I worked on today in my Dylusions journal.
It has been a crazy few weeks.
I don’t think I have stopped running in the last few weeks. (don’t get confused it was NOT the exercising kind of running) . . . . just a lot of things happening in life.
First, at the beginning of March we went on a Paper Muse Cruise to Cozumel and Belize aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. It was a wonderful time and during the “at sea” days I taught mixed media classes.
In the first class we constructed an Art Journal using a number of fun techniques on watercolor paper.
The 2nd class we created a canvas using Tim Holtz Distress paints and beeswax.
Whispers of Your Art
Here are some of the different canvases that everyone made. They were just absolutely fabulous
The third class was the Mariner’s Box
we left two compartments open so that we could get souvenirs from the cruise. I managed to buy a beautiful shell and some Worry Dolls that will go in mine.
and the fourth one we continued with more techniques in the Art Journal
Here are some of the photos from our Art Days.
we had 38 in our party and we were able to get the whole side of the restaurant reserved for us, although trying to get everyone to wave at the same time was impossible.
In Belize some of us booked a private tour through NCQ Adventure Tours. If you go to Belize I highly recommend them.
These are some images of Belize
We went to Altun Ha which is the most extensively excavated ruin in Belize and was a major ceremonial center during the Classic Period, as well as a vital trade center that linked the Caribbean shores with other Maya centers in the interior. The ruin consists of two main plazas with some thirteen temple and residential structures.
The “Jade Head”, representing the Sun God, Kinich Ahau, was the most significant find during Dr. David Pendergast’s excavations. At approximately six inches high and weighing nine and three-quarter pounds, it is still to this day the largest carved jade object in the whole Maya area. The Jade Head is locked up in a bank vault so we did not get to see it, but, the ruins were amazing.
Two of our group were teenagers and they decided to climb the first ruin we came to:
this was taken from far away. Up close it is quite steep and tall!!
Apparently I mistook myself for a teenager that was in shape and I decided to climb up as well.
Half way up and I am still smiling
The girls were watching me and saying to each other “what an idiot I am”
When I got back down I was told that this was the ruin that was not recommended to climb as it is quite treacherous. Nice of them to tell me AFTER!!
After we had explored this ruin we went to the Baboon Sanctuary where we had close encounters with the Howler Monkeys. It was amazing to hear them howl to each other. I loved my time spent with them.
Nacho and his wife who gave us the tour were so nice and provided us with water, sodas, tons of local snacks (yummy), took us to lunch and to a local grocery store so we could stock up on spices and then dropped us off at a market after giving each of us gift. They are very knowledgeable about the history of their country witch they obviously love and we had a fantastic time with them.
Next stop the cruise ship made was Cozumel where we were treated to some street dancing and enjoyed shopping and lunch at a local eatery. The dancers were incredible and their costumes amazing.
During the cruise my Dad unfortunately suffered a stroke, I did not find out till I was in Cozumel and had phone service. So once we docked I ran to Orlando. (Luckily my Dad is expected to make a full recovery but, I thought I was going to have a break down when I found out). Two weeks later I flew to Connecticut to teach an Art Journal Class at one of my friends stores and from there I went to Framingham, Ma to attend a retailer event. Then I flew back to South Florida to host an amazing Mixed Media event with DJ Pettitt. I brought a horrendous cold back with me and I am now just starting to feel like a normal human being again. . . . . So it does not seem like I have stopped to breathe this year. Anyway stay tuned for my recap of Connecticut, Framingham and DJ Pettit.