Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Round Robin Journaling

What a fun idea. Start a page, pass it to the left. Take the page passed to you and add some fun. Then pass it on.
We may try this in a future class. Try it with a friend, try it with yourself. We all have an alter ego.

Check out this blog.

http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2014/01/art-journal-every-day-art-journal-round-robin.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=handmadeart

Journaling When Traveling


Spring is here and so are spring vacations, day trips, summer vacations and family cookouts. How can you keep a journal with so much happening?

  • Take a small journal or notebook everywhere. Have at least one pen or pencil attached to your journal for quick notes and sketches. Add impressions, note colors, jot down ideas.
  • Assemble a small bag, zip lock, makeup bag, or gift bag full of several pens, colored pencils, a marker or two, an eraser. Look into a small set of watercolor pencils, Crayola has a set for very little. Add a paintbrush, and you can add water at anytime to create washes and add color. Or just use the pencils as pencils and add water later. Don't forget glue dots or glue sticks. Maybe a roll of patterned tape/washi tape to liven things up.
  • Tuck a small envelope in the journal to hold ephemera. Tickets, pressed flowers, flyers, candy wrappers. Whatever will remind you of the day or location.
  • Take snapshots of things you want to sketch later. You can either use them as reference or add prints to your pages to draw around or incorporate into a collage.
  • If you are too busy when traveling, jot down at least the place, a word or two about your feelings, an impression or color that struck you. This will help enhance your journey and help bring back the moment.
So have fun journeying and art journaling this season.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Week someting! Must pick up that journal again. Spring has arrived.

The weeks go by so fast when you are busy. Lots of crafting and lots of singing, seldom at the same time though. My journaling is more sketching ideas for dolls, cute monsters,  fabric journal pages, prayer flags and decorated puzzle pieces. Fun items, but hardly the satisfaction I get from finishing a page.

I have more paper bag drop cloth backgrounds and I want to get out my gel plate again for more mono prints. I love having papers ready to cut up and add to any project.

Next week is our final class and I am thinking of Spring! Warmer air, blustery winds, soft rain, early spring flowers, crocus, snow drops and daffodil spikes pushing up. The grass is even beginning to green. And have you noticed the blush of red in the trees. You see it start to cover the hills and woods with a light red haze.

Sketch that first flower you see. Use the colors of purple, yellow and white, the dominant colors of early spring flowers. Draw the words that enter your heart when you breath warm fresh air. Enjoy.