THE WRITING PROMPT | Out your window. Car window, office
window, bedroom window - choose one or more than one. Point of view. What do you
see every day? What do you really see every day?
GO DEEPER | A task to consider: each time you round the
corner (in your house, in the office, as you go for a walk), ask yourself what's
your current view? What's beautiful about it? Is it something you see every day
that you've never really taken the time to really see? Focus on opening your
eyes and potentially seeing something new in something that you might see all
the time already.
Remember, tell
me more.
WRITING TIP | This is a prompt that can go so many
different ways. I could have written about all the different things I see
(similar to the "watch" prompt). To differentiate it I chose to go deeper and
focus on one specific view and investigate, through my words, what's actually
meaningful about it to me.
THE PHOTO |
Something right in front of you. A computer screen. Your children. The view from
your bedroom. Your desk. The kitchen sink. The view down a hallway or road.
Welcome to Week 4!
We feel like everyone involved is gaining momentum and ready to make bigger
bolder statements. This week's spread is all about having fun. It's loose,
bright, and perfectly random. Make sure you pull out some things you
love...colors that you absolutely live for...images that capture the essence of
who you are. There aren't any rules...but these are the "rules" for this week:
Make your pages personal. Say what you want to say. Make them YOU.
Who's ready to have
some FUN?!!
As with last week's class, we made a video slide show. Of
course on it's own it only gives an idea of each step, so we included full
detailed instructions for you to follow along. In the upper left corner of each
photo in the slide show you'll see a title. In the instructions we've titled
each step with those same titles so that you'll have an image to match each
step. You can view the video once, or twice, or more...pause where you'd like,
rewind, fast forward...watch it here on the blog, full screen, or on
youtube.
gather your elements. It's great to have an
arsenal of favorite things. Scrapbooking papers, bits of vintage wallpaper,
stickers, trims, old photos, etc...But the real fun starts when you start to
gather the few things that will define your spread.
prep your pages. We're working in a Moleskine, so the pages are thin and
need to be bolstered. We actually covered both pages with Kraft paper and then
coated one page with gesso. To do the Kraft paper (or postal wrapping paper) Just cut a
piece that's a tiny bit bigger than your page and adhere with decoupage medium.
Rub until all the wrinkles and bubbles are gone. Let dry. Once dry then apply
a thick coat of gesso to one page. Let dry. After your gesso is dry run a piece
of masking tape down the seam of the journal. This actually does reinforce your
binding and it makes for a smoother transition from page to page.
apply gesso with a palette knife. On the page with the
raw kraft paper we knew the focal point was going to be in the center of the
page so we were only interested in putting gesso in the center. We were going
for a messy, piled up look so we applied a thick coat of gesso with a palette
knife. This textured effect worked even better because we used gesso by Deco
Art, which is super thick and heavy.
crosshatch your gesso. simply run your palette
knife through the gesso on the page in opposing directions. I did vertical and
horizontal strokes. You can also go diagonal. Do this to your desired effect.
grab a stamp. We like to vary the ways that we
bring pattern to a page. Patterned papers are great but you want to add
variety...sometimes stencils are called for...and in this case we used a big
stamp with a polka dot pattern.
stamp a pattern. We went for a messy, spotty,
sketchy look. Haphazardly brush paint onto your stamp in varying shades. Then
stamp down in an equally haphazard manner.
repeat on other page. When switching to the
opposing page we changed from tan paint to aqua.
speckle. We use a #6 round brush...load it with
the watered down paint...hold the brush a few inches above your page...and just
tap the metal end with your index finger. Do it to your desired effect. We love
speckling for it's imperfection. It's messy and haphazard and perfect in it's
own way.
adhere papers.After selecting papers and choosing where they'll
go on your spread, then it's time to make your final tears and cuts and adhere
them to the pages. To adhere papers brush on decoupage medium and lay the papers
on the wet medium. It's better to be generous with the medium. If you apply too
little you won't get good adhesion. Smooth and rub to eliminate ripples and
bubbles.Now that the pages are dry, apply a sealer coat of matte gel
medium. I use Golden brand. Let dry.
more speckles & gluestick dots. Again,
speckling is no exact science. You'll see all sorts of drips and spots of paint
on these pages. I even loaded the brush with watered down paint and then
squeezed the bristles while holding them above the page, forming tiny puddles of
wash on the page. Be careful to hold the book flat if you don't want the
speckles to run. Blow dry from a safe distance to speed up the drying. Also,
once again I dipped a gluestick in paint and made spots wherever necessary.
cut image in half. I chose a large flower from a
piece of scrapbooking paper and cut it in half. I did this because I wanted the
image to come on and off the page, thus spreading out the floral
theme.
adhere to top & bottom of page. Just line up
either straight edge with the edge of your page and adhere onto opposing ends of
the page.
trace circles. We used a clear cap from a can of
picture hanging brackets to trace circles onto the page. Trace wherever you
think you need a big spot of solid color.
paint in circles.We used a #6 round brush
to paint in our circles with aqua and pale pink paint. It only took one coat
because it was quality paint. You might need two coats if you want a solid
look.
washi tape time! Washi tape is a great way to add
color and pattern wherever your layout is lacking.
apply tape to seam. When working in a moleskine or any bound
journal,I always add washi tape to the seam. It's just my personal
preference. To me it just looks right.
adhere papers.After assessing the pages more I decided more
papers were needed. Adhere them where necessary, let dry and then apply a sealer
coat of matte gel medium. Let dry.
distress edges using paint. We love to "distress"
the edges of our pages with paint. This process is very imperfect. Just dip your
thumb or finger in paint and rub the very edge of the page.
add paint wherever it feels right! As I said above
with the speckling...add more paint wherever you think a pop of color is needed.
And experiment with methods. There are no rules.
pause to show that we are creatures of habit.
Midway through the process we realized that our pages looked exactly like
our living room. But in a totally indirect abstract manner. Each element is
mimicked by another element. And this was totally unplanned...total coincidence.
grab your Sharpie pen! I've said it a million
times...Sharpie pens are great for Art Journaling. Little bits of black are
always welcome in my book and fine line details add another layer of
texture.
doodle some words. We wanted one of our pages to
feature one big statement in clear bold letters. A font like this is easy to
do...take a look at it, give it a try...I'm sure you can do an equivalent. Write
it in pencil first on watercolor paper. And once you've got it right, then trace
over your pencil lines with Sharpie pen. Then cut out each
word.
cut out your main image. We adhered our pic of Lia
Lane's painting to a piece of watercolor paper, let dry, and then cut it out
with decorative edged scissors.
adhere. Adhere it to your page, creating a large
focal point image. We pressed down the image using a clean dry paper towel, just
to be careful not to mess up her face with our bare, could-be-sticky
fingers
adhere words. Words are a great focal point
because they can be spaced however you like...do whatever works for the page.
needed white speckles! Yes, just when you thought
the speckling was over...we just needed a pop and splash of
white.
sequins! We had this black sequin trim but we only
needed a few single sequins...so we just pulled them apart.
add sequins. Sequins are great when you've already got a polka dot
theme going on. They add texture and shimmer. We adhered ours with little dots
of plain old Elmers glue.
gold stars! I told Aaron to look for some gold
star stickers the next time he went to Staples. Sure enough, they had 'em, in
the teacher's section. I love a gold star every once in a while...it bolsters
the self esteem.
gold stars & sequins! It really is the little
things that make all the difference. These silly details give the spread it's
mood...it's attitude.
looking good! It is looking good...but another
layer seems necessary.
add some trims. That's what was missing...fabric.
This tiny bit of lace trim...a little rick rack...and that itty bitty strip of
leopard print paper! They make all the difference. To adhere the fabric bits we
dabbed the lace and the rick rack with Elmers glue.
Hooray! This is a bold spread. It shouts but
doesn't scream. It's big and fun...with oversized images and tiny
details.
Supplies used on these pages:
Papers used:
black and white floral - Hambly "garden party"
aqua damask - Hambly "mini brocade"
leopard print - me & my BIG ideas
pink and white stripe -
*there was a piece we had and couldn't find the name but
if you'd like a paper very similar try: Echo Park "Homefront Dots &
Stripes Collection"
watercolor paper
kraft paper or postal wrapping paper
photos of personal art collection, artist Lia Lane
We're beyond
excited to have all of you back for our third installment of Art Journaling with
Jenny & Aaron! We have so so many plans forfuture classes that will
cover a wide range of techniques, mediums, and tools. In these initial classes
we're hoping to cover the basics and get everyone comfortable in creating mixed
media pages in your journals. If you've been participating since week one you'll
begin to see a specific pattern in the way we like to put things together. And
of course, all of these tips and steps are never meant to be seen as "rules".
Art Journaling is meant to be a very free art form. Our role here is less
teacher, and more helpful-well informed-cheerleader. We're sharing some of our
favorite methods because we know that these things work for us...and hopefully
they'll do the same for you!
So now that
it's week number three, we have successfully created spreads in three
separate journals. First we used Aaron's marble composition notebook, then
Jenny's moleskine, and this week's pages are in Jenny's Strathmore Visual
Journal. We'd like to say that we did it this way strictly for our student's
benefit, solely to show you guys the range of possibilities no matter what type
of journal you own. But we also did it for our own selfish reasons ; ) Because
we wanted to work on pages in each of our books...simply for our own bit of
fun!
So, without further
ado...let's get to class # 3, in Jenny's Strathmore Visual Journal. It's got a
larger page size ( 9 x 12), a ring binding (no need to reinforce with tape), and
heavier stock pages (no need to reinforce with papers).
As with class 2, we made a video slide show. Of
course on it's own it only gives an idea of each step, so we included full
detailed instructions for you to follow along. In the upper left corner of each
photo in the slide show you'll see a title. In the instructions we've titled
each step with those same titles so that you'll have an image to match each
step. You can view the video once, or twice, or more...pause where you'd like,
rewind, fast forward...watch it here on the blog, full screen, or on
youtube.
gesso your page. Brush a
thick coat of gesso onto your pages. We used Blick Artists acrylic gesso. Let
dry.
choose spray colors. On one
of our pages we're using a stencil and some acrylic mists by Mister Huey. These
are a really cool product because they blend right there on the page. We often
spray a couple of colors over our stencil to get the desired color on our
pages...like mixing a blue and a green to get the perfect aqua tone.Just
spray one color and then the other.
lay stencil. I knew I was
only looking to get the stencil pattern in the middle of my page so that's why I
weighted down the edges of the stencil with butter knives (the butter knives
elicited an eye roll from Aaron). You can use little bits of masking tape to
hold down your stencil. You just want it to stay pretty flat while you are
misting. I wish I knew the brand of this stencil but there is nothing on it to
indicate the brand. I got it years ago at Michaels. It's really just a laser cut
foil-like paper...but I use it like a stencil. Definitely lay down some
newspaper behind/around your journal...there is a lot of overspray.
mist. As I said, I'm mixing
colors...so spray one, and then spray the other til you get the mix you
desire.
dab. I'm not looking for my
pattern to come out perfect...I'm going for a more watercolory, hazy patterned
look. Dabbing it right through the stencil while it's still wet will give you
this effect.
remove stencil. Removing a
stencil when using Mister Huey's is easy. It's a lightweight mist that isn't
drippy at all. So you can just lift the stencil and reveal the magic beneath.
Let dry.
mix a wash. Just add a bit
of water to some acrylic paint. I'm using a brown tint to give my pages an
antiqued look.
apply wash. With a 3/4 inch
brush apply the wash to your page...thin the paint to your desire. I was able to
brush the wash on the entire page before having to dab it due to having coated
the page with gesso earlier. If you'd like even more "open time", you can
seal your pages prior to doing a wash.
dab wash.
Dab with a clean dry paper towel to achieve a mottled, parchmenty
look.
add more wash. Again, I'm
not looking for a perfect stencil pattern. In fact, I'm going for a
deconstructed, beat-up, and worn feel. So I brushed the wash around the edges
and crept into the middle section just a bit. But I didn't want to totally
deconstruct it. Mister Huey's will smudge right into nothing unless it is
sealed...so only brush the wash in places where you want the pattern to smudge
away.
dab & blot wash. I
dabbed and blotted, turning some of the aqua pattern into an antiqued blur...but
I left the center untouched so that I'd retain some pattern. Let
dry.
seal your pages. Now that
the pages are dry, apply a sealer coat of matte gel medium. I use Golden brand.
This will keep your stencil pattern intact and keep your antique wash just the
way it is. Let dry.
adhere papers. After
selecting papers and choosing where they'll go on your spread, then it's time to
make your final tears and cuts and adhere them to the pages. To adhere papers
brush on decoupage medium and lay the papers on the wet medium. It's better to
be generous with the medium. If you apply too little you won't get good
adhesion. Smooth and rub to eliminate ripples and bubbles.
let dry. We never brush
right over top of papers that we just adhered to the page. We find that you get
much better adhesion if you decoupage them down and then let them fully dry
before applying a sealer coat.
seal papers. When dry, apply
a thick even coat coat of matte gel medium over your spread.
mix gesso wash. The same as
a paint wash. Just water down gesso until it's the consistency you desire. In
this case I'm looking to simply "cloud" the colors and patterns of my spread. So
it's just a skim milky type of wash.
apply gesso wash. With a 3/4
inch brush apply the wash over desired areas and dab away with with paper towel.
mute papers.
Some papers and patterns I wanted to soften a lot, so I applied a thicker
gesso wash and didn't dab as much of it away.
back photos with watercolor
paper. To back it with watercolor paper just brush decoupage medium onto
watercolor paper, lay the photocopy down on the wet medium, and smooth out just
like you did when applying your papers to your pages. Let Dry.
cut out photos. Cut away the
excess watercolor paper.
adhere photos. Now adhere
the photo in the desired spot using the same method as above. We often use a
clean, dry paper towel to press down photocopies just so our possibly damp
fingertips don't muss the picture. Let dry, and then apply a sealer coat of
matte gel medium. The sealer coat will protect your photos etc. from the
speckling and washes in the next steps.
mix speckle
wash. Our speckle wash is dark but that doesn't mean that we used more paint
in the water to paint ratio...we simply used a darker color. The wash is
probably the same consistency as our previous washes.
speckle pages. We use a #6
round brush...load it with the watered down paint...hold the brush a few inches
above your page...and just tap the metal end with your index finger. Do it to
your desired effect. We love speckling for it's imperfection. It's messy and
haphazard and perfect in it's own way.
bottle cap
rings. Again, we love the messy, imperfect look that bottle cap paint rings
provide. Just apply paint to the rim of the cap and then press down on your
page.
glue stick dots. We seem to
always add messy, randomly spaced polka dots. We do this by either dipping a
glue stick into paint or the eraser end of a pencil. Just dip your round tip
object into whatever paint color you like and press dots onto your pages in
areas that might need a little pop of color.
add sepia wash. This whole
spread has a time worn, sun faded appearance. After getting to this stage, with
a lot of our imagery in place, we felt it needed an overall sepia wash. Tan
paint, brown paint, some water. An easy way to get that tobacco stained, aged
effect.
brush around images.When you brush the sepia wash around your imagery you are able to age the
overall page and still keep some of the images a bit more vivid or bold. And
again, blot and dab with a paper towel.
distress edges with paint.
We love to "distress" the edges of our pages with paint. In this case we used
colors that gave an antiqued feel...browns and tans. This process is very
imperfect. Just dip your thumb or finger in paint and rub the very edge of the
page.
add fun bits. Adding fun
bits is the fun part. These bits of ephemera are what will set off the look of
your entire spread. Ribbon trims, ticket stubs, date tags.
grab your sharpie pen.
Please get well acquainted with your Sharpie pen. In fact, make it your best
friend. It's an invaluable tool for any Art Journal. It's a way to personalize
any spread...not only by adding personal details...you personalize it because
it's your imperfect hand that's doing the rendering. Your doodles are never the
same twice and can't be bought in any store.
add faux
stitching. Faux stitching gives any "store bought" detail a hand rendered
effect.
more stitching. And vary
your types of faux stitching..."sew" each piece on using a different type of
stitch.
add washi tape.
Washi tape is so great for Art Journaling. It's often one of the very last
elements we'll add to a page. It's great to add to the corner of a photo...gives
it a taped in, scrapbooky feel.
accent elements with pen.
Now, beyond your doodles...this is more about taking the imagery that's
there and accenting it with your sharpie pen. In this case we made the roses
stand out a bit more...pulled them from the background into the foreground. Even
if you cannot draw per se...it'll look like you can if you just follow along
with the lines of the image.
outline elements with pen.
All of those glue stick dots look better if you give them a little outline.
They will pop more and again, they look more hand done...especially if you
purposely don't do a great job at outlining them...purposely make your lines
start and stop instead of one fluid stroke.
handwritten words. Instead
of writing directly in your journal, grab a piece of watercolor paper and write
out a phrase or two. We used a Sharpie pen but went very bold and big with our
letters. Then cut out each individual word, or even each letter if you'd prefer,
and adhere them into your journal. Your words will pop more and you'll add
texture and interest...and the bright white watercolor paper stands out.
consider your pages. You
might be done...or maybe not. You've been working on your pages for quite a
while so it might be a good time to take a break for a few and then look at your
spread with fresh eyes.
more faux stitching. We did
exactly that. We thought the page was done...but then we saw that the bottom of
the page needed more of a human touch. Up top has all that stitching on the
scallops, so we balanced it by adding faux stitching to the big polka dots on
the bottom of the page.
do you need to add anything?
Look closely...
feeling good! Are you happy
with it?...
do you need more washi?...
more doodles?...
more dots?...
is there
anything else you'd like to say?
looking good! hmmmm...you
just might be done. It's totally possible.
Thanks so so much again for joining us! We had a
lot of fun with this third installment...mainly because we've been seeing how
you guys have been following along and implementing a lot of the tips and tricks
into your own Art Journals. When we put these pages together it felt like you
guys were in the room with us. Honestly...and not in some corny way...this feels
like a group effort. There will be a lot more nitty gritty details in the weeks
to come. Please grab the badge above to share on your page and please link up
below to share your Art Journals with us. Blog about it like crazy...we wanna
see...and everybody else wants to see too!
Let's get right to
the fun stuff!! Thanks for being here!
As with class 1, we made a video slide show. Of course on it's own it only gives an idea
of each step, so we included full detailed instructions for you to follow along.
In the upper left corner of each photo in the slide show you'll see a title. In
the instructions we've titled each step with those same titles so that you'll
have an image to match each step. You can view the video once, or twice, or
more...pause where you'd like, rewind, fast forward...watch it here on the blog,
full screen, or on youtube.
(There is a delay
on music editing...Youtube assures us it will be tip top in a bit)
You probably
noticed right away that the pages you see here are not from my Strathmore Visual
Journal. I did this spread in one of my other books of preference...a moleskine.
I have only a few blank pages left in this one and I really wanted to finish it
off. The pages are thin in a moleskine so you might want to reinforce them in
the same way you would a marble notebook. You can glue in some heavy weight
paper like card stock or kraft paper, or even collage layers of regular weight
paper and then gesso or paint the pages. In the case of my book, the backs of
these pages are already filled up and adorned, so my pages are already sturdy. I
just needed to prep them with a coat of gesso.
prep pages.
As always, I taped the seam with masking tape.
gesso pages.
And then applied a coat of gesso.
light
sanding. We received a couple of comments about certain brands of gesso
being chalky or gritty, or the brush strokes are heavy. A good solution for this
is to give your gessoed pages a light sanding with some fine grit sandpaper.
(totally optional)
mix a wash of
color. We watered down some pink paint.
paint! We
brushed the page with the wash...and don't worry about being neat. This is just
a base coat.
lighten w/
gesso. We wanted the center area of the page to be lighter than the edges,
so after the pink wash was dry on the page we then watered down some gesso and
brushed it over the area we wanted lighter. let dry
gather papers.
Get an idea of colors, patterns, and generally just pick some stuff you'd
like to see in this spread. Most times we barely have a clue as to where the
spread will end up.
draw shape.
I often like to put my focal point image within an arch or an oval. In this
case I wanted my cake in an arch. So I cut an arch out of some vintage baking
book pages. It's great when the ephemera has a link to the imagery. Play around
with shapes...find what makes you happy.
cut
out. As you can
see, there is no science to my drawing and cutting...it's a decidedly primitive
affair. Aaron raises an eyebrow quite often over my shoulder at how non precise
I am.
adhere.
Brush decoupage medium onto your page, lay down shape, press down and rub
out wrinkles and bubbles. let dry.
lay papers.
Make decisions as to where you want to put your selected papers. It's good
to lay them down and move them, and move them, and move them...eventually you'll
like what you see.
adhere papers.
Adhere papers using your usual decoupage method described above.
lay papers.
I usually give my arch a base. In this case I just so happened to have the
perfect paper for the job. This aqua chevron print from Heidi Swapp's Sugar Chic
collection.
adhere. Adhere papers using your usual decoupage method
described above.
paint shapes.
I'll deliberately leave blank spots on my page knowing that I'll fill it in
with some painted shapes...some doodles of paint. This scallop/cloud shape is a
go-to for me. Again, it's about color and vibe...not precision painting.
seal &
lighten. Make sure everything is dry. Apply a sealer coat with the medium of
your choice. I used matte gel medium by Golden. Let totally dry. As we did last
week, I watered down some gesso to make a wash which I then brushed over any
"loud" areas...to quiet them down, or mute them.
dab gesso wash.
Using a clean, dry paper towel I then dabbed the wash. Again, apply the wash
and dab to your own desired effect.
add color
outline. Outlining your shapes with paint is a great way to add color and
texture...as well as drawing attention to your focal point. I hand painted the
shape of the arch using a #10 round brush. For me, there's hand painting and
then there's "art journal hand painting". In your Art Journal the rule is to
loosen up and have fun. In the place of precision, instead go for bold fluid
strokes.
more color!
Have fun with it. Do what feels right. Again, since it's "Art Journal hand
painting" I didn't worry about one color going right into the last color.
speckle &
splatter. To speckle you'll have to water down the paint in your palette
the same way you did with the wash. We use a #6 round brush...load it with the
watered down paint...hold the brush a few inches above your page...and just tap
the metal end with your index finger. Do it to your desired effect. We love
speckling for it's imperfection. It's messy and haphazard and perfect in it's
own way.
distress edges.
We love to "distress" the edges of our pages with paint. We use colors that
contrast well. Darks against lights...lights against darks. This process is very
imperfect. Just dip your thumb or finger in paint and rub the very edge of the
page.
bottle cap
rings. Again, we love the messy, imperfect look that bottle cap paint rings
provide. Just apply paint to the rim of the cap and then press down on your
page.
cut out
stickers. We used our
very own stickers from our Scrapbooking and Art Journaling sticker
collection. We designed these ones specifically for projects like this...they're
left black and white so you can color them yourself. Of course you can use
actual photos in place of these...a photo of a real cake...a pic of your own
adorable little face ; )...or a black and white drawing that you can cut and
paste.
color them.
We used a small detail brush, round # 4, and using color washes we just
simply filled in the images. You could always use color pencils, watercolor
pencils, or your favorite markers.
stick them.
Ours were stickers, but we actually didn't use them like stickers. We did
not peel off the backing. We adhered them with decoupage medium because we
wanted more thickness and opacity so that the background wouldn't show through.
Similar to how we backed imagery with watercolor paper last week. After adhering
with decoupage medium, wait about a minute for it to dry and then seal it.
water color
pencil. Sometimes when I use pink paint I like to accent it with some red
watercolor pencils. I just scribble willy nilly along the edges of the pink
paint.
add water.
"Activate" your watercolor pencil with a brush dipped in water.
dab. Much
like with a color wash just dab with a paper towel until you get your desired
effect. It's super easy and if you correctly sealed your pages earlier then this
step can be very forgiving. Take away or add as much color as you'd like.
draw a bubble.
I like the idea of a wonky thought or dialogue bubble. I drew this in pencil
on a piece of watercolor paper. You can also use card stock.
paint &
speckle. I applied a coat of aqua and I didn't even worry about staying in
the lines. When the aqua was dry I then used a speckling effect.
cut &
adhere. Cut it out and adhere using decoupage medium. Wait about a minute
for it to dry and then seal it.
washi tape time!
Washi tape is a great way to add color and pattern wherever your layout is
lacking.
add to seam.
When working in a moleskine or any bound journal,I always add washi
tape to the seam. It's just my personal preference. To me it just looks
right.
more tape!
Wherever you think you need a pop of color and pattern.
add a word!
The word hooray happens to be made from vintage game tiles that I placed on
my scanner and printed. Think outside the box!
grab your
sharpie pen. I've said it a million times...Sharpie pens are great for Art
Journaling. Little bits of black are always welcome in my book and fine line
details add another layer of texture.
sharpie pen
time! Again, it's not about perfection. Doodling and outlining the shapes
and dots around the page is a great way to add more interest and texture.
faux stitching.
These are the little details that make your pages special. Use a sharpie pen
to create faux stitching around shapes for a sewed on look.
tiny date tag.
I think it's great to date pages. I never name a specific day...usually just
month and year because I know I'll come back and mess around with a
spread.
a cupcake
sticker! I thought that this would be a fun pop. It's actually from a
sticker and stationery collection that we designed and were sold at Michaels
craft stores. I layered it on top of a paper punch and a gold foil
sticker.
hand written
bits. Write some words and phrases on card stock or water color paper, cut
out, and adhere using your usual decoupage method.
journal spot.
Now is when you add your "deep thoughts" to your thought or dialogue
bubble...much like my love of french fries, chihuahuas, and coconut ice
pops!
Hooray! Ok,
this spread was busier and messier than last week's. And I thinks it's totally
fitting that it's in MY journal.
If you have any
questions please leave a comment. We are so excited to see what you guys take
away from this class. We'd love to see and hear about your art journaling, so
please make sure to link your blog post back to this post so we can all visit
and cheer each other on. Submit your link at the end of this post and please
grab the below blog badge! We hope you enjoyed this week's class. We will be
back next Thursday (much earlier in the day). Happy Art Journaling!
Oh my gosh, we have been working like two nuts
over here. First, let me tell you that this was a learn-as-you-go sort of thing.
We considered doing the class as an actual moving video, but it just seemed as
though you really don't get perfect shots or lighting, and the narrating thing
could be awkward. So we decided that the best angle of attack would be with lots
of detailed photos put into a video format! Of course on it's own it only gives
an idea of each step, so we included full detailed instructions for you to
follow along. In the upper left corner of each photo you'll see a title. In the
instructions we've titled each step with those same titles so that you'll have
an image to match each step. You can view the video once, or twice, or
more...pause where you'd like, rewind, fast forward...watch it here on the blog,
full screen, or on youtube. We definitely think that this was the clearest way
to get our points across and give you crisp, bright images for you to
reference.
We also went back and forth over whether we'd
use both of our journals or just one journal. We decided to collaborate on one
spread in one journal. If we did two spreads there would be like 200 photos! And
we already kinda went photo crazy...which is another reason why we needed to go
with a slideshow in video format. It's exciting that this has forced us to jump
into using our youtube channel! eeee! This could get nuts! Just a warning. I'm
thinking some vlogs could happen too.
This week we decided to use Aaron's journal. So
he had the initial choice as far as color scheme. But the singularity stops
there. This was definitely a full on collabo. So much so, that I'm wishing this
spread was in my journal! Haha is that weird?
( in the first steps below we're using Kraft
paper, but you can substitute it for any paper at all. Use all the same methods
described but change the words Kraft paper to whatever you like. These steps
simply describe how to add a paper base to your pages. You can use a full sheet
or even torn or cut scraps. Jenny often uses phonebook pages to thicken up her
moleskin pages.)
reinforcing with kraft paper. Since
marble notebook pages are flimsy we like to reinforce them. In this case using
one of our favorite supplies, Kraft paper. Just cut a piece thats a tiny bit
bigger than your page. You can trim off the excess later. And even if you aren't
using a marble notebook Kraft paper is still a great base to work upon. You can
glue it into any journal.
brush on medium. With your 3/4 inch
brush, brush on a thick layer of decoupage medium. You'll notice the notebook
page rippling quite a bit but don't worry, the Kraft paper will solve
that.
lay kraft paper down. Once you've got a
nice thick coat of medium then lay down your piece of Kraft paper. Every time we
teach a class we'll see that people like to lay the paper down and then
immediately brush medium on top of it. We don't not subscribe to that
method...brushing wet on top of wet will add bubbles and ripples. As described
in the next step we smooth out the paper with our hands and let it dry and fully
adhere.
smooth paper. With heavy hands smooth out
the Kraft paper, eliminate any ripples or bubbles. Keep on rubbing until you
know that it's fully adhered.
crease edges. To make sure that you get a
nice adhesion all the way to the ends of the page run your thumb or finger along
the edge to crease it.
flip page and trim. If you have excess
paper turn the page so you can see the excess and trim it off with a
scissor.
gesso pages. For this spread we decided
that one page would be Kraft paper and the facing page we'd reinforce, or
bolster, with a thick coat of gesso. In this case we used Americana brand gesso.
It's super thick and when it's dry your page will almost feel like vinyl. We
really like this.
reinforce seam with tape. After your
gesso is dry run a piece of masking tape down the seam of the journal. This
actually does reinforce your binding and it makes for a smoother transition from
page to page.
select papers and elements. Think about
what type of color scheme you'd like, what types of patterns, bits and pieces.
This is the fun part. We wanted to go with a tight palette...a more masculine
feel being that it's Aaron's journal. He has an affinity for the letter A and
the number 9.
tear and cut papers. With a bit of an
idea of where you'll place things start tearing and cutting your papers and
elements.
play around with layout. Before gluing
anything down it is always a good idea to play around with your layout. Just
place things on the pages until it feels right. There are no rules.
adhere papers with medium. To adhere
papers brush on decoupage medium and lay the papers on the wet medium. It's
better to be generous with the medium. If you apply too little you won't get
good adhesion.
smooth papers. Just as you smoothed and
rubbed the Kraft paper, do the same in this step. Eliminate ripples and bubbles.
But be gentler than you were with the tougher Kraft paper.
consider your design. At this point your
pages will start looking like something. Take time to pull back and consider
where you really want to go with the spread...like where you might place writing
spots...or photos...or doodles later on.
finish adding elements. Add the next
layers of stuff. The details like our letter A and number 9. The scrolly writing
spot. Your points of interest. All of ours are adhered with the same decoupage
medium.
trace shapes. We used a couple bottle
caps to trace circles onto the page. Why? because we thought a couple of white
circles would look good right there. And later we could add some text
maybe.
paint in shapes. We used a #6 round brush
to paint in our circles with white paint. It only took one coat because it was
quality white paint. You might need two coats if you want a solid look.
seal pages. After all of our papers that
we adhered were dry and after the painted circles were completely dry we then
sealed our pages with a coat of matte finish gel medium by Liquitex...we also
recommend Golden brand. When sealing pages be sure to apply a thick even
coat...and get FULL coverage. Later on, if you apply washes etc...if you miss
any areas with this sealer coat then those areas will be "vulnerable"...meaning
washes will totally screw up any raw sections of paper. So just be sure to apply
a nice even coat.
make a color wash. We used a tan paint
that sorta matched the Kraft paper, but you can use ANY color you like. With a
#6 round brush we dabbed some water into the well of paint on the palette. It's
not an exact science...you just want to water down the paint a bit.
brush on wash. We thought the white was a
bit stark so we "aged" it a bit with the tan wash. Just brush it on the areas
where you want the wash. And start small and light until you get a feel for it.
Don't brush the wash on a giant swath of page because you might have trouble
working with it in the next step. The key is to go little by little. Maybe like
4 square inches at a time.
blot wash. With a paper towel blot the
wash that you've brushed on. Again, one section at a time.
blot and dab wash. This is pretty much
the same step but we made it into two just to emphasize the blotting and
dabbing. You're just doing it until you get your own desired effect. We wanted a
parchmenty, tobacco stained feel. You can do your whole page or just
accents.
speckling. We did speckling in two
different colors...black and pale aqua. To speckle you'll have to water down the
paint in your palette the same way you did with the wash. We use a #6 round
brush...load it with the watered down paint...hold the brush a few inches above
your page...and just tap the metal end with your index finger. Do it to your
desired effect. We love speckling for it's imperfection. It's messy and
haphazard and perfect in it's own way.
crosshatch with DIY stamp. Last weekend
we made some stamps by wrapping yarn around a wood block.
Here we applied paint to the stamp and created a crosshatch design. We really
only wanted an accent up in the corner of the page...bet you can stamp all over
the place if you want.
gesso wash to mute areas. Sometimes you
want certain colors or patterns on your page to be less bold. In this case we
watered down some gesso on our palette...the same way we made a wash with paint.
Then brush the gesso wash on the areas that you want to mute and blot or wipe
off with a paper towel. Again, do this to your own desired effect.
gesso and paint wash. This is pretty much
the same as the previous step but we added some of the tan paint to our gesso
wash. We just wanted to carry over some tan to match the Kraft paper on the
opposite page.
consider your progress. At this point
you've accomplished a lot and your pages are really starting to look like
something. Now is when to consider some fun details...the little things...maybe
add small pops of color and texture...doodles...heck, even glitter. Pull out
some supplies.
"glue stick" paint dots. We seem to
always add messy, randomly spaced polka dots. We do this by either dipping a
glue stick into paint or the eraser end of a pencil. Just dip your round tip
object into whatever paint color you like and press dots onto your pages in
areas that might need a little pop of color.
bottle cap paint rings. Again, we love
the messy, imperfect look that bottle cap paint rings provide. Just apply paint
to the rim of the cap and then press down on your page.
"distress" edges with paint. We love to
"distress" the edges of our pages with paint. In this case we used colors that
contrasted well. Aqua against the Kraft paper, and white against the aqua polka
dot paper. This process is very imperfect. Just dip your thumb or finger in
paint and rub the very edge of the page.
backing photocopy with watercolor paper.
We knew we wanted to add an old photo to this spread, and we knew it was
gonna be placed right on top of those bold stripes. Since the photo was a
photocopy we had to first back the photocopy with watercolor paper. This way
those stripes won't show right through the paper when we adhere it to the page.
It also bolsters the photo a bit. Adds some texture to your page. To back it
with watercolor paper just brush decoupage medium onto watercolor paper, lay the
photocopy down on the wet medium, and smooth out just like you did when applying
your papers to your pages. Then cut out. Again, we did not brush medium over the
photo.
adhere photo. Now adhere the photo in the
desired spot using the same method as above. We often use a clean, dry paper
towel to press down photocopies just so our possibly damp fingertips don't muss
the picture.
faux stitching with sharpie pen. These
are the little details that make your pages special. Use a sharpie pen to create
faux stitching around shapes for a sewed on look.
outline paint dots with sharpie pen.
Again, it's not about perfection. Doodling and outlining the shapes and dots
around the page is a great way to add more interest and texture.
add bits of washi tape. Washi tape is so
great for Art Journaling. It's often one of the very last elements we'll add to
a page. In this case we wanted some metallic gold to set off the vintage photo.
Even though Mr. Moustachio is securely adhered already, the washi tape gives him
a scrapbooky feel.
Hooray! Yes, you now have a dazzling
spread. For this very first class we wanted to take our pages to the step right
before you write in them. Adding text is a very fun step and you might fill in
your pages with words right away...or you might take your time and wait until
you have your thoughts in order and you can really make your Journal statement.
We have so so many pages that are at this stage...just waiting for text.
Ok guys, this was our first week. As you can
see, there are so so many steps and the text takes up a lot of space. This is
why we went with the slide show video format instead of trying to squeeze the
photos and text into one post. That would be a whole lot of scrolling. If you
have any questions or suggestions...please please send them our way. We would
love to hear from you and see your results. Below is a link-up that is reserved
specifically for this class. So if you have a blog and you are participating in
Art Journaling with Jenny & Aaron...This link-up is for you. We want
to hear all about it and see all about it! Whatever you do this week...call it
"homework" if you want...or if that conjures bad memories...call it something
else...just try make it a point to come back to this post and use the link-up
below. It will be so much more fun for ALL involved...getting to see and hear
about your own Art Journaling.
Again, our pages are an example...it's just what
we do...our style. Don't for one second think that there is one ounce of
rigidity in Art Journaling. Do what you want...How you want. We just hope we can
offer a hand.
Also, we'd love for you to grab the button
above and put it on your page, spread the word, all that good stuff. This
was really fun for us...and if we've added even a smidge of creativity to you
life then we are as happy as can be!
