Art Journaling, Collages, Vision Boards, Mind Maps, Story Boards
Do those words peek your interest or do you think you
can't do anything so creative and artsy?
When it comes to putting a paintbrush or even crayons to
a blank piece of paper, I've always admired what others create but couldn't
imagine that I could do the same kind of thing. I'm mostly a color inside the lines sort of artist.
I've heard a
lot of talk about art journaling lately so a trip to the bookstore was in
order. I sat down on the floor in
front of an entire shelf of possibilities. They are all pretty and full of ideas but most were kind of overwhelming.
Then I found the one for me.
Journal Spilling by Diana Trout is an inspiration for
even the most reluctant artist.
She says things like, "just spill some paint..." and "take pride in messy, murky
process pages." Unlike the voices
in my head that demand perfection, her words and pictures give me permission to
start washing the page with color and writing over it. Then I glued on some pictures from
magazines collage style. (Or you can write on the pages first and then cover up the secret parts!) The order doesn't matter.
There's a photo of my first attempt over on my blog and
you can see it's no work of art. But now I have the confidence to keep
going. Each chapter introduces you
to new techniques to try. Go forward in the book or double back to
practice. It doesn't matter.
The important thing is to just do
it.
She shows how to make little books, cards and sweet
memory pieces. And she describes
all the possible pens, markers, and paints you can use. I found some watercolor pencils on sale
for $4 and love them -I can color a design and then wash over it with a damp
paintbrush. The result makes me
look like a watercolor pro!
I highly recommend her book to get you started. Or check out her inspiring blog at
www.DianaTrout.blogspot.com for lots of ideas and great instructional
videos.
Happy coincidence - she
lives about 10 miles from me and offers workshops! We're planning a studio
class later in the spring - let me know if you're interested.
You can order her book on my web-site or buy it at your local bookseller.
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