Night-time Art Journalling

I am going through one of my phases of irregular sleep at the moment, so I've been getting up in the early hours and working on my art journal pages in the quiet of the night. I started this page at about 3.30am on Thursday morning. I actually felt fresh and inspired at the time, but the tiredness always hits the next day.

Soldier ATCs

Haven't done any ATCs for a long while so took a break from the art journals to make this simple trio. I did make more than three but I didn't like the busier/fussier ones.

Week-at-a-Glance Journal Page Spread

I don't normally write that much on my pages so I'm trying a bit of a diary-type approach for a change. I chose just one thing from each day that I did/saw/felt/noticed. There wasn't much room left for any images so I just stamped and doodled a bit (well, a lot). Very different from my usual style, where the focus is always an image or two.

Step-by-Step Journal Page (for J)

Had a request for a step-by-step tutorial, so here we go... (Here's the finished page...obviously!)

Ingredients: Paints (I used liquid acrylics this time), lacepaper for stencil, handmade and patterned papers, alpha stamp set, watersoluble crayons, pablo pencils, fancy trim. (Oh, and grubby kitchen towel - that's crucial! Sorry - I should have tidied up before taking photos!)

I started with a patchy turquoise wash, then used a darker colour to stencil and outline the page.


The stencilled pattern didn't really match the image though, so I used gesso to tone it down to almost nothing, then added the collage elements, including stamped journalling. I stamped onto mulberry paper, which goes semi-transparent if you use wet glue to adhere it, so it blends into the background colours.



I brought it all together using watersoluble crayons and pablo pencils to scribble around and over everything, to create that scrappy/arty look. The final touch was a bit of turquoise trim, to add dimension and texture (and just because I really like it!)

You need to scroll back up now to see the finished page (seemed a bit pointless to post the picture twice).

Step-by-Step Journal Page Technique

I meant to blog this when I did it I'm slow to get round to things! I started with a photo, altered to increase the brightness and contrast, and printed onto heavyweight sketchpaper. Then I framed it with a layered border of handmade and patterned papers. Next I painted in the scene using watercolours, and finished off by outlining all the detail with a fine black pen. Voila!

Paint Techniques for Journal Pages

After a few of my background paintjobs went a bit muddy I decided to try a lighter touch with watercolours, to keep the white of the paper showing through (like proper watercolour painters - my Mum will be proud!) Here's the paintjob - which I was pleased with. It all went slightly downhill after that though, so I'll leave the finished pages to your imagination!

The background washes and 'feather effect' were done very wet, and the stencilled shapes and lettering added as it dried.

Moroccan-inspired Journal Pages

I really love these bright strong colours and patterns so it was a joy collaging with them. I used some Lace Paper as a stencil for the paint effects. It got quite soggy but dried out OK after!

Smaller Art Journal

A few months ago I started a new, much smaller journal (A5) but didn't really give it a chance. I've gone back to it now though and I'm absolutely loving it - it seems to suit the way I work much better.

I finished the pages I started months ago, and did some new pages this week.

Doodletastic Friday!

Oops! I accidentally doodled the day away! The entire afternoon disappeared in a swirly haze of flowers and flourishes!

Black/White/Red ATCs

Back to my favourite high-contrast style here.
Looks a bit like the tv's on the blink, but I love
it!

Cheerful Art Journalling

OK, so I'm back! After six art-free months I have finally picked up a paintbrush, cranked up the CD player and kicked my creativity into action. I've eased myself back in with a bit of art journalling and a few ATCs to start with. Midsummer light and breezy is the mood here.

Red, Gold and Collage

Altered photo, acrylic paint, collage, ink, gold foil.

New year - time for some new techniques and a fresh, bold new attitude! I'm working a little bigger at the moment, and trying to develop some new layering effects, starting with acrylic paint effects.

I might change the photo for another one if I find something I like better, but I'm pleased with the background.