The Creative Process Deconstructed
This post aims to deconstruct the/my creative process. The creative process can refer to any period/series of actions/thoughts that lead to the production of anything and in some cases nothing…
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.
Love Your Pet Day February 20 2022
Pets are great for our mental health. They can make each day brighter, can be comfort during sad times, can add to the hilarity of good times, are great on camera and they tell no lies. Generally they are fluff balls of love so who wouldn’t want to love their pet? Sadly there are too many instances of pets not being treated well. Today is national Love Your Pet day to help us celebrate the joy they bring but also to serve as a reminder to take good care of them.
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.
Progress not Perfection Art Journal Page
This post is about week 1 of my upcoming course "Art Journal Quotes" which will take place in Flint library, North Wales. The page is made around the quote: "Progress not Perfection". I think this is an important thing to keep in mind especially for people recovering from mental illness or dealing with it on a regular basis. It is also very relevant to artists who can often feel their work isn't good enough.
Colourful flowers lift the spirits
The Joy of Flowers – Flowers Improve Mental Health
This is just a short and simple animation to show how flowers can effect mood. The appearance of the first flowers in Spring has long been celebrated within our culture, in the U.K. Daffodils being a prime example in Wales and in Japan, the cherry blossom. But in my animation I have used simple shapes to represent the flowers, suggesting that even just the idea of flowers can lift the spirits. And images of flowers can be found everywhere, from graffiti to home decor to fabric to jewellery to art, showing how important they are to our psyche.
Art Journaling in Self Isolation – Take THAT, Coronavirus!
Skip to art journal page about coronavirus The idea of self isolation has been a difficult one for many people. Older people in particular struggle with isolation regularly. I think…
Romantic, dreamy colour mood
The Effects of Colour on Mood
Psychotherapists are, according to this article about colour, sceptical about using it to influence mood. And there is little scientific research to encourage them. However, colour has been very important to many cultures and, importantly, colours have different significance across cultures. So how is colour useful to us …? In my opinion, colour choice is very personal – from a very young age children will have their ‘favourite’ colour. For some children it will change regularly but for others, like me, it stays the same. I was very drawn to red as a child and I can’t remember there being any red in our decor at home. Maybe it was this scarcity that made me think ‘Wow!’ when I saw it …? I
Owl collage art journal page
Art Journaling by Email FREE Course
Art journaling has been such an adventure and healing process for me that I really want to encourage people to try it. And not just try it, I want to…
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…