Oh, it feels so good to dive into my journal again! While working in my digital art journal is fantastic and fun, I still adore the feel of an art journal in my hands, my fingers running over the textures, the way media can be unpredictable when mixed. I really wanted to play with my new Pan Pastels, but found myself grabbing more and more favorites as I sat down to create. Working on pages with a paper background and one made with my Gelli Arts gel plate, I got into the groove of simple creation -- of not over-thinking, just letting my instincts and mind guide my hand.
One thing I am committing to this year is to take better pictures, and more in-progress shots. I set up a little photography station in my studio space to test out lighting, and took a bunch of practice shots -- and they came out great, so you can see a little of my progress from yesterday! These journal pages are still unfinished, but getting close to completion. The girl above was drawn from blots of paint that formed her wild hair, and I focused on emotion and shape rather than technical skill or drawing out arms, shoulders, etc. One thing I've learned from working digitally is to loosen up, to engage my imagination, and trade detail for emotion.
Materials used: Stabilo Pencil, Pan Pastels, Journal Girl Stamps, Hand Carved Stamps, Washi Tape, Molotow White Paint Pen, Versa Mark stamp pad, Gelli Arts Gel Plate, Pam Carriker Stamp, Black Gelly Roll pen, Crafter's Workshop harlequin stencil
I also worked on this. Going to CHA (which I will recap tomorrow for you....as I'm still getting my thoughts together!) really exposed me to a lot of awesome mixed-media ideas I probably would have scoffed at a couple years ago as being too "scrapbooky." But I'm really loving some of the new products out there, and want to adapt them for use in my journals. I rarely take self-portraits or let people take pictures of me, something that was pointed out while I was in California, so I decided to make a little page just for me.
It's time to Live My Adventure. Oh, so much has come from my trip, and this is just the beginning.
Materials used: Amy Tangerine Thickers, Washi Tape, silver embroidery floss, tag, new colored Scotch Tape (thanks, 3M!), Gimmie Glam i-Rock tool (thanks, too!), Teresa Collins paper, Miss Caroline paper, gold Color Box ink pad, Crafter's Workshop stencil, and a nice complicated art journal background!