Progress in the Art Journal

Our concept of beauty is greatly influenced by the society we are immersed in...and how expressive just the eyes alone can be! How pervasive the western ideal of 'painfully thin' models can be... and how necessary it is to resist the stereotypes; find your own beauty within yourself.

A Beginning

The beginning of a new spread in my little watercolor art journal... this background was intentionally left plain white for a black and white composition. I don't know where this is going yet, maybe a quote about 'beauty.' This doesn't show quite the whole space as it wouldn't fit on the scanner, and the right hand page also has a folded flap that is about 5 inches wide. It will be quite a lot of space to fill. Waiting for additional inspiration...and a block of time to work!

Art Journal

New page in the watercolor journal. Watercolor background, scraps of painted paper, fabric, Sharpie drawings and colored marker. The face, hands and tree are drawn in crayon, then tempera paint applied over them, creating a 'resist,' then torn from the original paper and collaged onto this page. Can you meet yourself coming and going?!

French Fashion Exhaustion

Doodle/drawing from an old sketchbook, 2007. (For a larger view, click on the image.) Phrases were lifted from a Vogue magazine, and sketches drawn from the same magazine.Includes ball point pen, purple permanent marker and watercolors. This sketchbook is square, so I wasn't able to get all of the image on the scanner. You can't see all of "intensecolors express who you are" and the phrase "Extremely Cultured." You can see that some of the women's heads were drawn on lined notebook paper, then torn out and collaged into my sketchbook. Not exactly "high art" but it still makes me smile for some reason! Hope you enjoy it...

Poetry on Paper

Collage on recycled cardboard (from a cereal box) painted with craft acrylic paints and collaged with scraps of painted papers and scrapbook papers. My favorite Sharpie extra-fine pointmarkers will not write on this paint, so I used a Zig Memory System marker that is a scrapbook product. It writes and draws smoothly but is not waterproof, so it must be used at the end of the process, after all water media has dried. I also shaded some of the edge decoration with chalk pastel.THANK YOU to Elizabeth of the Altered Book Lover blog for featuring me on her website! I am honored to be her friend and fellow artist. Elizabeth does a very informative and inspiring blog, where you can follow her experiments, challenges, artistic creations and endeavors in mixed media. The very first "swap" I participated in was hosted by Elizabeth, and she made it so fun and enjoyable! Welcome to all who are visiting from Elizabeth's site, and those who haven't met her yet, stop by for her celebration of Earth Day.

Come Sail Away...

Collage and watercolor in my watercolor Art Journal. (Teesha Moore's amazing 16 page journal from one sheet of paper) The top image is a flap that unfolds, and is connected with the bottom image as one spread. Created using watercolors, hand-painted papers, scrapbook papers, stickers, copies of my Moo cards, white gel pen and Pigma Micron marker. I wanted to try something different from the "border around the outside & writing in the middle" lay-out...

Black and White Art

Collage created from magazine and clip-art images, a scrap of the inside of a security envelope, and fabric.White gel pen and Pigma Micron pen.Surrounding doodles inspired by Dover clip-art, and handwritten script is a portion of an Edgar Allen Poe poem.

Trees in my Art

Pen sketch in my art journalWoodpile under snowJan. 2009You can see the Maple tree in the background,along with Pines and a Pin Oak...

Watercolor done while painting with a friend.Portion torn from practice page & mountedin my art journal, 2009

Pen drawing inspired by Klee's art,especially the "Twittering Machine"2007

My first ever "Tip-In" for an altered book swap!Watercolor and collage2005

Watercolor in my art journalLake Erie park2005

Pencil sketch from a Chinese art scrollby Dong Qichang, Toledo Art Museum.Watercolor added after returning home2005This scroll was housed in a glass case, andthe lights came on in the room as you entered, in orderto minimize light damage to the colors. As I stood and sketched,the lights went out because I hadn't moved much, so I had towalk around a bit every few minutes to keep the lights onwhile I sketched!

Pen and colored pencil in art journal,from a National Geographic magazine photo.2003Ruins of sculpture (South America or Mexico?)

Pencil sketch done in my sketchbook/art journal, 2001Camp Avery Hand, Ohio (a Boy Scout Camp)Had to darken the scan a bit...Trees are a recurring image in my art.I am intrigued by their variety of texture,shape and personality. Bare winter treesare even more interesting to meas they have a sculptural qualitysilhouetted against the sky.Dawn asked if I have different journals for different media. I actually work in a journal until it's full, so the different media are all mixed in one book. It usually takes me a couple of years to fill a sketchbook/art journal.(So I am not terribly prolific!) I have one main art journal at a time, but might work in other smaller journals sporadically. This blog has served to inspire me to make something to post at least once a week!In looking at my older sketchbooks, I did a lot of note-taking about composition, media techniques and ideas to be explored. I also enjoy collecting quotes about visual art, music and creativity, so those are also found in my journals. I believe an art journal should be whatever you want it to be, so pretty much anything goes. I have been known to glue in brochures from museum visits, write in notes from the exhibits I saw there, or paste in magazine clippings that I like or think might inspire some artwork later. The art in my journals reflects where I am in my development as an artist, so my older journals tend to have more drawings & watercolor work in them. As I've experimented with mixed media and combining elements of painted papers, drawing, fabric, and hand-carved stamps in collage, that is reflected in my art journal as well. Inspiration can be found almost anywhere. I hope you will act on that inspiration and create some art!

Art Journal Page

5 1/2" x 9" flap in watercolor journalBorder made with scraps of fabric,painted papers & scrapbook paper; drawing in permanent marker.Quote written with calligraphy marker.

Play is Knowledge

Work-in-Progress completed, for better or worse...Recently watched a late-night talk show,and Yo-Yo Ma, the famous cellist,was the guest.This statement that he made struck meas very important, not only for artists but as any human being who wants to experience joy and renewal.

When we have children and grandchildren,we get to re-experience life as they discover things, grow and learn.As artists, we follow a path of creative discovery...in color, emotion, expression...have a creative day!

Watercolor Art Journal

Created a little Art Journal from Fabriano watercolor paperusing the instructions posted on Teesha Moore's blog.Mine is 7" x 9" instead of the 8" x 10"that Teesha made. This journal is simple to make andso much easier to scan than my thickerhardback journal. Teesha posted videoson her blog explaining her process.

Watercolor background withscraps of hand-painted papers, fabric,stamping, scrapbook papers, & found images.Chalk pastel, Sharpie extra-fine point marker,and white gel pen for added depth.

Collage in Art Journal

Magazine images, scrap paper,drawing in Sharpie extra fine point marker

Art Journal Pages, part two...

Completed journal pages with Sharpie permanent marker, bullet-tipand extra-fine tip, purple highlighter andSigno Uni-ball white gel pen.Journaling inspired by a poem entitled"Roads" by Rachel Field.

Funny that of all the places and typesof Art that I mentioned on this page(and of course I didn't cover them all)I noticed I didn't mention museums...I love museums and the inspiration they provide,but I guess I think of Art as a more"living " entity...integrated into our verylives and culture...and I know I should pay more attentionto the rich diversity surrounding me...where is the "road" leading you?

Art Journal Pages

Watercolor & CrayonThings that make me smile...cartoons, sketches, polka dots, quotes,and silliness!Click on the image for enlarged view.If you can't quite read the quotes, hold downCtrl key and press + key untilimage enlarges enough to read...

Pages in progress...watercolor & mixed media,vintage image clipped from a magazine

bits of fabric, hand-painted papers,hand-cut stencil, scrapbook paper,Sharpie marker & white gel pen.The watercolor background does notblend well as this is a dry medium sketchbook,and the paper doesn't absorb water media well.Hope to try making a little art journal fromTeesha Moore's instructions on her blog.It takes me at least a year to fill my art journal,and it's fanning out, stuffed with mixed media.Hope the binding holds up...!

Art Journal Sketch

Sketch done in my art journal, drawn from a National Geographic photo. Masai bride in her wedding finery...her expression is sad as she is dressed toleave her family for her "arranged" wedding. Her large beaded collar(which I chose not to detail in my sketch)is made from small beads arranged in color blocks and stripes...wonderful artistry. The geometric background is notnecessarily authentic but suggestive of tribal African designs. Ball point pen, permanent marker, black paper

Retrospective: FACES

2009, collage on recycled cardboard, above.Scraps of painted papers & cardstock,hand-carved stamping, acrylic paint,Sharpie drawing over pieced collage.

2009, Collage on recycled cardboard, above.Cardboard cut into profile shape and collaged.Watercolors, scrapbook papers,hand-carved stamps, magazine words,negative & positive shapes utilized.

2009 crayon drawingglued into my art journal--I colored right along witha 3-year old...

12.26.08 Blue Facesa "use up the paint on the palette"painting, in acrylic

2009 pen drawingof African mask,in my art journal.

2008 "Botanical" collage.Magazine images, drawing offemale face in Sharpie, columnar paper.

2008 "Flower & Face"acrylic paint, painted cardstock, fabric,sticker, hand-carved stamps,magazine image, in myart journal.

2008 "found poetry"and drawing in art journal...'strata of rocks' theme resurfaces...

2008 pen sketchafter DaVinci..."Why does the eye see a thingmore clearly in dreamsthan the imagination when awake?"

2007 pencil drawing inmy art journal--self-portrait in reading glasses.

2004 watercolor in my art journal--Muslim woman's face.

Playing with collage and paint,2004 art journal page.

2003 matte acrylic painting froma magazine photograph ofa Mayan sculpture & glyphs--in my art journal.

My 2003 drawing from a magazine photoof a Mayan artifact that wascarved from bone."In painting or anything, you cannot have hate. If you have hate, you destroy the picture and yourself. You can have hunger, you can have thirst, you can have great feeling for texture, you can be sensitive to touch, you can be sensitive to color, but for the head you've got to be sensitive to love. Otherwise it will not work...Now, that love won't change the shape, but it will add something...this radiates out from the person...it's in the air between myself and the object I'm looking at."- Ivan Albright, painter

Art Journaling- Disorderly

"One of the adventuresof being disorderly isthat one is constantlymaking exciting discoveries!"-- A. A. MilneArt Journal pageon watercolor paper.I spent a lovely afternoon with friends making art. We made "art journal pages" on watercolor paperthat can be added to an art journal or altered book.

The process:

• Quickly brush on a watercolor wash in one or two colors. Keep it quick and simple so you won't feel guilty about covering up some of it with collage! Let dry (you can use a hair dryer to speed up the drying if you want to)
• Collect and sort through magazine clippings, fabric, collage sheet images, painted papers, stickers, rubber stamp images, and any ephemera that you like.
• I try to go with a color theme when choosing which images to use. The images won't necessarily "go together," but the color combination and shapes please me.
• Place images around border of the page. Try several arrangements of images before gluing down. Overlap images, and also leave some spaces.
• After gluing down, add shading, cross-hatching, or additional color with colored pencils and artist's pastels
• Finish by drawing in textures, doodles, swirls etc. with a Sharpie marker
• Last, add the "journaling" part: your thoughts, what happened that day, philosophical ramblings, bits of poetry or an inspirational quote that you like. Write it in marker in your own handwriting. It's ok if it's not perfect like computer-generated lettering! Hand-drawn makes it uniquely you! (Pencil it in first if you must, but it's not necessary)

I like to use the "Rule of Odd Numbers"--repeat an element 3 times or 5 times. I also like to repeat shapes, colors or lines of the collaged elements, in the drawings that I add.The look of the finished page is determined by the colors and images you choose. If you find certain images or themes often creep into your work, embrace and explore them! I am inspired by Teesha Moore's journal pages, and if you want to see her work, click on her link in the blog list on the right.