Category: Art

Stag Beetles in June

Stag beetles can be seen in the South of England between May and August. Typically they emerge in June from their underground homes where they lived for 6 years as larvae munching on rotting wood. The males stag like mouth parts are much bigger than the females and are used for fighting off rival males. […]

Art Therapy or Art as Therapy?

In this post I take ‘art’ to mean the creation of visual representations either digitally or with traditional media. I see it, in this context, as distinct from craft based activities such as sculpture, knitting, ceramics (although art can clearly involve any of these processes). I am not referring to fine art or a need […]

Urban Sketching at Flint Castle

Flint Castle is situated on the Dee estuary. The site was chosen by Edward 1st, during his war on the Welsh, as it was close to sea routes for trade. He had workers from around England forcibly drafted in to populate the new ‘town’ of Flint in order to build the castle. It was the […]

5 Inpiring Bloggers Who Art Journal

Sometimes I hit a slump with my art journaling. I might feel like I’ve been using the same techniques for ages or my subject matter has become boring. When this happens I like to hunt for inspiration from the art journals of others. This is when the internet is really my friend because it brings […]

Top 5 Art Journaling Prompts to Use and Reuse

When I first started art journaling I was always looking for ideas to inspire my art journal page spreads. I used poems, inspirational quotes, a word of the day and public holidays. These alone can give a lot of variety but can take a bit of digging to find something that is meaningful on a […]

My Top 10 Art Journaling Supplies

Everyone has their favourite supplies for art journaling. It takes practice to find out what will give you the effects you like best. Here is a list of suggestions to help you get started. Art Journaling Supplies Table Supply Notes Link Gesso Great for sealing the surface of the page – stops media being absorbed […]

3 Ways Art Journaling Improves Mental Health

I don’t like to dwell on the past – it’s important that to avoid negative thought patterns. For me, doing somethinng positive is the best way to stay well. That is what has led me down the path to create a course on art journaling linked to mental wellbeing. Because of the improvements I have […]

3 Ways to Celebrate Primroses You’ll Love

I saw my first primrose yesterday, a sure sign of Spring. I love their delicate yellow flowers far more than the related garden primulas that can be bought. They have a number of medicinal properties that the Celts used them for, including treating arthritis, as a skin toner, as a sedative and for treating bladder […]

Celtic Hawthorn Mixed Media Spread

From the superstitions, the Celts would appear to have had a contradictory relationship with Hawthorn. On the one hand children were scolded for bringing it into the house for fear of causing a death while in other lore it was used to protect a house from witches. Witches were also believed to make their broomsticks […]