Little cuties
Creative Mixed Media Jewellery Range with 4 Materials
This new range of creative mixed media jewellery has been really fun to make. I have developed it because I was asked to run a jewellery course for Flintshire Wellbeing…
Everything is hard before it is easy
Easy Art Journal Page with Effective Stamp Masking Technique
This easy art journal page is fun to make with Inktense pencils, gelatos and a cool stamp masking technique. This is another page I have created to give an example of a response to a quote on one of my courses. The quote that I chose was:Everything is hard before it is easy.and I chose it because I find it a good thing to remember on difficult days. It applies to learning a new skill or understanding a concept or even getting over a bereavement or even a breakup. Arguably some things never get easy but what I take from this quote is that there is the possibility of something being easy eventually. I hoped this would also give a sense of hope after working on this idea.
Every moment is a new beginning
3 Fun Watercolour Techniques to add to Brilliant Washes
In this post I will share 3 fun watercolour techniques you can combine with washes of brilliant colour. The quote that inspired this page is:Every moment is a new beginningThis quote doesn’t immediately conjure imagery so I had to think of what imagery could represent this idea. What came to mind was a game we used to play as children which involves picking dandelion seed heads and blowing on them whilst counting 1 o’clock, 2 o’clock, etc. In this way the dandelion represents moments going by. Every moment can be a new beginning as they are all seeds which may grow into new plants.
Add Some Art Journal Pop Up Fun
It’s time for some art journal pop up fun . . . Pop ups are a great way to add some fun to your art journal and I will show you in this post how to make a pop up ‘booklet’ from a page in your journal. When you start thinking of pages in a 3 dimensional way it hugely expands the possibilities for creativity. You’re no longer limited to getting your feelings across in a flat image but can now employ movement, surprise and height to show your thoughts about a topic.
Graphic mosaic drama
Exuberant Art Journaling with Mosaics
Art journaling with mosaics is always fun and means you get to play with your lovely patterned papers. So the quote for this art journal mosaic page is:[br]
Keep facing the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you ~ Walt Whitman[br] I think this a lovely, positive encouragement and I wanted to illustrate it in a bold way. After sketching a few ideas I decided on one that showed the visual metaphor most clearly. I just knew that working graphically with mosaics was going to be great way of depicting the sunshine versus the shadows.
Fun Wabi Sabi Inspired Art Journal Page
The quote for this wabi sabi inspired art journal page is: "You are never too old to set another goal or dream another dream" ~ Malala Yusafzi
Why Wabi Sabi?
As I understand it, wabi sabi is an aesthetic perspective that sees beauty in imperfection and applies not only to physical objects but also to moments and experiences.
Magnificent Mechanical Memories – Steampunk Art Journal Page
My, inspired by steampunk art journal page is a foray into the world of ‘makivity’ (a word my son came up with at an early age to describe his cardboard creations). For steampunk is not just an aesthetic style but a whole culture around unique mechanical self built objects. The steampunk universe stretches over art, illustration, statues, sculptures, film, music, stories. [br][br]When I came up with my quote:[br][br]
I’m Possible, not impossible[br]for the first week of my next art journaling course I was reminded of the steampunk ethos. Rather than focus on the impossibility of the things we can’t do, think of ways we can make them possible. I give the example of flight; for humans it is impossible - unaided. But with the help of machines we can fly and this is where my thinking about possibility and steampunk came together. Why not a mysterious flying machine steampunk art journal page? Exactly I thought, so that’s what I did.
Be the reason someone smiles today
3 Gorgeous Fluorescent Colours You Need to Use in Your Next Painting
Fluorescent colours are such fun but the paint normally fades in prolonged exposure to sunlight so an art journal is a great place to play with them as the pages are protected. [br][br]
Choosing Fluorescent Colours in Paints
You can get fluorescent colours in:[br][br]- pigment
- paint - claim to be lightfast too which means they should not fade from exposure to light.
- pen - a whole page of different types of pens.
- screen printing ink
- acrylic ink - I find these to be very thin.
Creativity Requires Courage
This journal page was inspired by the quote [br]
Creativity requires the Courage to let go of CertaintyI think this is never more evident than in the layering process in art so I made this page with layers, letting go of each by adding the next. It's so easy to get attached to a layer that's been added, especially when it's full of colour and serendipitous texture.
Tea time
Unplug and Recover Now Art Journal Page
I love this quote; to me it means disconnect from everything and rest and then you will be able to start again refreshed. [br][br] I often tell my students that an art journal is a great place to try out ideas and even get new ones. That was the case with this page. Having made the page I thought it would work better as a gif which could show the before and after of being unplugged. My concept of a cat being plugged in by its tail could probably use some work but it was a fun idea so I went with it.