I did take advantage of this miserable weather to work on a journal project. I love journaling because it allows me the freedom to experiment with my art. Lately I have been working with mixed-media in an effort to branch out from traditional painting. I decided to use my journal to explore mixed-media. Rather than using a traditional art journal, I am using my Medici Lion journal for my art work. This journal was originally intended for writers not artists and contains lined paper. the only draw back of using paper intended for writing is that the pages will tend to curl if the page gets wet. However the journal is refillable and both Barnes and Noble and Amazon sell sketch books that will fit the leather cover.
I often find journaling difficult. When I stare at the blank pages and wonder where to begin I often think of the quote by Vincent Van Gogh: "Just dash something down if you see a blank canvas staring at you with a certain imbecility. You do not know how paralyzing it is, that staring of a blank canvas which says to the painter: you don't know anything." I painted the pages with a thin coat of light blue acrylic paint and let it dry. Now I had blank blue pages staring at me. I wanted use following your dreams as the theme.
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| Follow Your Dreams journal entry. |
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| Close up of page. |
I had read in Sommerset Studio magazine about using modeling paste and stencils as a way of adding texture to art work and decided to incorporate it into my page. I layed the stencil on the pages and covered it with a thin layer of modeling paste. I used a palette (painting) knife to work the modeling paste into the open areas of the stencil and then smoothed the modeling paste across the top of the stencil, scraping off the excess. Think of icing a cake, the process is similar. Remove the stencil and let the modeling paste dry overnight. Wash the stencil with soap and water immediately, other wise the modeling paste will dry on the stencil making it difficult to remove.
This was a fun project once I got started. This project would also work well on canvas.
Directions for Follow Your Dreams:
Scraps of colorful scrapbook paper-for balloons
Golden Modeling Paste
Pieces of hemp or string-for balloons and black card stock
Scraps of brown card stock- for balloon basket
Light blue and white acrylic paint
Huey's Masks Circle Mask
Hero Arts French Verse stamp
Brown ink pad
Tim Hotlz's Distress Ink- Shaded Lilac
Small craft sponge
Color Box cats eye ink pads-blue, purple, green and orange
Eiffel Tower die cut
Gold beads
Faber Castell green gelato
Smooch apple green
Painting knife
1. Paint journal pages with a light coating of light blue acrylic paint. Set aside to dry.
2. Arrange the Circle mask on the page and apply modeling paste. Work the modeling paste into the open areas of the mask and then smooth the paste over the mask until a thin layer of paste covers the mask. Lift the mask straight up. Repeat on the next page. Wash the mask immediately with soap and water. Let the pages dry overnight.
3. Randomly stamp the two pages using the cats eye ink pads. Stamp over the raised circles created by the modeling paste.
4. Apply the brown ink to the French Verse stamp and randomly stamp around the edges of both pages. Lay the Eiffel Tower die cut on the left side of the right page and cover with black water color, thinned to a watery consistency. Work the water color into the open areas of the die cut. While the Eiffel Tower dries, cut balloons out of the scrapbook paper. Cut one large and two small balloons. Cut one large and two small balloon baskets out of the brown card stock. Glue two small pieces of hemp to each balloon and glue the other end to the baskets.
5. Apply small amounts of white paint to a small craft sponge. Randomly apply the paint to the top of the pages to form clouds. Arrange the balloons on the pages. One large and small balloon on the left page and one small balloon to the right of the Eiffel Tower (on the right page). Glue the balloons in place.
6. Load a small paintbrush with water and paint across the top of the green Gelato to pick up the green paint on the brush. Paint the green Gelato under the base of the Eiffel Tower. When the paint dries add grass accents with the Smooch paint.
7. Randomly apply the lilac distress ink to the clouds to give them depth.
8. Type Follow Your Dreams in Microsoft Word, using the font of your choice, at approximately 36pts. Print the verse on parchment paper and cut out. Mat the verse with black card stock. Glue the verse to the bottom of the left page, below the balloons.
