July Challenge!2013

Here is the challenge that I posted on www.artjournaling.ning.com

Challenge!2013

Something many of us seem to do when we first explore art journaling is watch videos.  That is how I found art journaling.  I was a scrapbooker and watched Scraptime with Christine Urius podcasts.  I found her blog and followed that.  A few years back I saw a tag on the side of her blog that said “Art Journal Every Day” .   Followed the tag and was hooked.  I started out slow.  Watching videos and making backgrounds, collecting supplies.  But then I was stuck.  All these journalers and their videos.  They all seemed to have a style.  How could I find my own style.  So I continued along making backgrounds and doing some doodling.  I felt like I couldn’t really follow along with the videos because I would be copying.  I felt like what I put in my journal had to be my own unique work.  One night I was watching Mixed Media with Journal Artista, Paula Phillips, she was doing a valentine page.  I liked the colors and her process and started to follow along.  I followed along partially till I thought the page was done.  I didn’t copy completely so I was ok with that.  I call it my Paula Phillips, Betsy Johnson page.

Time passed and I still was not comfortable following along.  I joined Art Journaling.ning and found this challenge group.  This was a big step for me because I finally finished some pages.  I found this challenge group very motivating and inspirational.  Several months ago I found some more art Journal shows on Ustream and Youtube videos.  I really liked the process and the finished pages these journalers created.  I finally broke down and started following along with the live feeds.  How could I learn new techniques if I didn’t practic?  I looked at these videos as my art classes and worked along and figured out what techniques I liked and didn’t like.  I started completing more of my own art journal pages. 

So my challenge for you is to find a video of an art journaler you enjoy and work along.  Try something new, either a technique or product.  I’m going to suggest yellow for a color.  It is summery and a color I don’t use often in my art.  You can use yellow or if there is a color you shy away from use that.

-Use a video for inspiration of someone you enjoy watching

-Try a new technique or product.

-Use yellow or a color you tend to shy away from.

-If you want, share with the group if you like to follow along or just watch for inspiration.

It will be great to see what videos other people watch and find new ideas.

Here are some examples of videos I’ve followed along with and the finished work.

Mixed Media Mondays with Tracy Weinzapfel         

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAPl15VuLkk  this piece was titled “Express Yourself”.   I followed along closely and ended up using a charcoal pencil which I had never used before and really liked it.  I’ve used it several times since.

Inspiration Wednesday with Donna Downey    
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUMMJBcKFFM       This time I followed along and drew a face.  I had never drawn faces in my art journaling before.

Both of the pages were done in my left over journal.  This is a journal I only use to clean my brayer, stencils or any left over paint.  I got this idea from JournalArtista Paula Phillips and here is one of her videos detailing her left over journal.  You can view the video on her blog dated April, 18, 2013.   http://www.iamjournalartista.com/

Combining Things I Love

I have to say I get so many great ideas from Mixed Media Mondays with Tracy Weinzapfel.  She has been doodling lately.  Unfortunately Ustream was not cooperating on Monday night and she was unable to be on air for more then several minutes.  In that short time she showed some of the doodles she had been working on.  They looked great.  Everyone who watches is so supportive.  Someone suggested, I think Sandee, that we should all doodle to post our doodles to support Tracy even though Ustream wasn't. 

I've been doing a lot of gelli prints lately and have been trying to figure out different ways to use them in my journaling.  I looked down at the most recent print I had done and it was perfect for doodling.  I would have never have thought of this had I not tuned in to Mixed Media Mondays.  Thanks again Tracy for the inspiration.  Here is what I'm working on.

                                                                        Ghost Print

 

Original Print

 

 

Stencil Storage

I've seen lots of ideas on organizing stencils.  I used to keep mine in a box and they kept sticking to one another.  It was a pain to go through them and see which ones I wanted to use.  I had an old crop in style zippered binder that I wasn't using and lots of different page protectors for scrapbooking.  Here is how I organized all my stencils.

The 12 x 12's

The 6 x 6's

Odd sizes

Ones that I cut out myself.  I use Avery insertable plastic dividers.  I pull the extra plastic off the tabs and then cut them out with my Pazzles Inspiration electronic cutter.  They fit perfect in the binder without having to insert them into a page protector.

It's great because I can keep everything in one place.

This is my first time!

Ok....

Here is my June 2013 Dare - Your Powerful Truths

This comes from Mixed Media Mondays with Tracy Weinzepfel on  Ustream.  I found Tracy's ustream channel last February when looking for videos about art journaling.  I have been art journaling for a couple of years and Iove it.  But I have been wanting to push myself to explore more as an artist.  And that is a whole blogpost in itself which I'm sure I will write about later.  Today I just want to get my dare posted and my first blog done.

I was watching the show last Monday half listening to the hockey game when those circle things caught my attention.  I had recently done a background (one of thousands) and I thought those might look good on my page.  So I got out some flower stamps and added those to the background, made the circles and then went to look for some ink.  The only colors I had were  copper, some mustard yellow and white. Should I wait until tomorrow and go buy some black ink or some other fun color.  I didn't want to wait.  Plus I need to use my supplies. I got out another journal that I only use for cleaning my brayer, stencils, stamps and any other left over stuff.  I bought a gelli plate a couple of months ago so this empty journal is about full with yummy leftovers as you can imagine.  The gelli plate is so addicting.  But again, probably another blogpost for later.  The journal was opened to a page that I had used to clean one of my flower stamps off that I used for the background.  I started practicing drawing the circles with the ink on that page.  I had never done this with ink before.  I did three and they turned out pretty good.  I then did them on my journal page.  They turned out ok.  I then typed out the quotes that Tracy used because I really liked them.  I got those down, outlined, played around with the circles adding charcoal pencil.  I had a light bulb moment.  Wouldn't it be cool if the circles were shiney.  I looked through my cabinet and found some Golden clear tar gel that came in a sample box of six different products.  I had never used this one so I pulled it out and tried it and it was just what I was looking for.  I added the ribbon and inked the edges and my page was done.  Yea!!! another page done to add to my handful of actually done pages.

So now I'm looking over at my leftover journal and am really liking the colors with the copper circles.  I make another page.  And now I can't decide which one I like better.  The one I planned or the one that just came about from practicing and left overs. 

I'm finding that I'm completing pages in this leftover journal.  I will watch videos and look through this journal and a page will jump out at me that goes along with what I have just watched.  And that inspires me to complete a page.  I have been so happy lately that I have been finishing journal pages and now I have a blog.  Woo hoo!

Here are my June 2013 Dares - I've posted both because I can't decide which one I like better.