Art Journaling For The Senile

I have adored art journaling from afar for far too long. I keep telling myself I'll start - and I have bought a million art journals that sit blank in my studio, mocking me.

There are a million reasons I haven't started:

• I am scared of blank pages.
• I like to create art in small spaces - that's why I like cards. 
• There are too many pretty art journals out there for me to make an attempt.
• I haven't found the "right" journal yet.
• I don't have good handwriting.
• I have nothing to journal.
• I love France Papillon and no way can I make anything like what she makes.

Well we've been chatting - the reluctant art journalers - in the Mixed Media Forum on Splitcoast and we have decided to quit putting it off. So earlier this week, I took some books to sell at Half Price Books - and I got $26! That's unheard of at Half Price. I guess old Slavic Linguistics books never go out of style!

I spent about $1.50 of my haul on two books I thought would make good candidates for an art journal.:

Oh - book worshipers - avert your eyes! These books are going to get arted! Sorry if you're already on the way to your therapist.

Today, after class, I decided to get started, with some nice bright colors to combat our horrid grey skies. Homegirl needs to see the sun - STAT!

I decided I would do art journaling for the senile. Traditionally, people do two page layouts - I thought since I do like the smaller space of a single page, that I'd do one page, and keep color notes on the other page in case I stumble on a combo I want to recreate.

First, I coated both pages lightly with a credit card and American Journey Gesso - I love this gesso because it's the only one that was made to work with watercolor - traditional gessos don't work with watercolor very well. I dried it with my heat gun. I made sure to let the original book page show through - I like that the soul of my book will still be there, although the book worshipers will not be mollified by this.


On the right, I stamped the image from the new Sale-A-Bration set - A Happy Thing - in Yellow Citrus Chalk Ink. Then I painted it with a combination of Golden Fluid Acrylics (I love these because they behave more like watercolor), Lukas watercolor, acrylic paint and graphite (all paints listed below.) I dried it all with a heat gun, and stamped the greeting from Hello Life on top.

On the left is the senility map. I took an old gift card, cut it into three long strips, and used those as palette knives to swipe cool colors I used upward, and warm colors downward. As I used them on the right, I added them on the left. When I was done, I labeled all the colors with a Pitt Pen.

I think this method will work for me because it's more of a technique journal than a book full of diary entries.

I really enjoyed it and completely forgot about the cold rain and grey air outside.

Here's a list of the things I used on this spread in case you can't read my writing:

• American Journey Gesso
• Golden Fluid Acrylics - Hansa Yellow Light, Green Gold, Indian Yellow Hue, Quinacridone Magenta, Hansa Yellow Medium
•  Faber Castell 9000 Jumbo 6B pencil (I shaded around the lemon and rubbed this with my finger)
• Lukas Aquarelle Watercolor - Cyan
• Liquitex Titanium White Acrylic Paint

When I was done, I glued each page to the page behind it with Liquitex Matte Gel medium. That makes them sturdier and flatter. 

 So it's no France Papillon, but I like it, and I STARTED! The rest is easy.

 Fun way to spend an afternoon.

I'll be back tomorrow with my class projects and the WINNERS of my Season's Giving drawings - some of you are going to be very happy!

Loveyameanitbye.