Imagine - Mixed Media Art Journal Page

Hello lovelies!

I just love how chunky my art journal becomes with each completed page! I had intended to complete my vintage-style art journal by the end of last year, alas, other things took priority. There are maybe ten pages left to go - I don't always start a journal front to back, sometimes I first create pages in the centre, especially if I intend to add tags or flaps etc.  

I kind of got stuck on this spread that I had started a while ago. It features several layers of stencilling, collage and washi tapes in pinkish tones. I didn't exactly know where to go from here. Then I came across printable images from The Graphics Fairy and I thought these would complement my pages. 

I printed out the images and decided to color them in with watersoluble crayons. Once dry, I cut them out and used a glue stick to adhere them on the pages. I also added a sentiment to each page. Finally, I made a few dark pink splatters with ink to liven up the page. It's a simple art journal spread, but I think it turned out quite nicely. 

Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Mixed Media Art Journal Page with Collage Fodder

Hello lovelies!

Today I'm sharing a beginner-friendly art journal page with handmade collage, stencils and stamping plus using one of my ready made collage clusters as a focal point. In the picture below you can see a small selection. These are really fun to make plus you have the added bonus of using up those tiny paper scraps.

I've decided to create this page in my large square journal and I have taped off the edges, as I wanted my finished work to have crisp edges. 

Step One

I started by randomly stencilling a dot pattern and then proceeded to tear up some papers, mostly my handmade gelli prints and some old book pages and sheet music. I always like adding the latter, because the musical notes carry their own unique pattern. I adhered them with gel medium and brushed on a thin layer on top not only to seal the papers, but to prepare them for additional layers.

Step Two

While the collage itself looks pretty, I wanted it to "melt" into the background and unify the pieces. The best way to do this is to either brush on a layer of white gesso or in my case I used acrylic paint in titan buff and a brayer. 

Step Three

Once the paint has dried completely I played with some crayons that matched the collage colors and also added some stamping with black ink.

Scroll down to watch the full video tutorial.

Step Four

Finally, I removed the tape and grabbed some of my collage clusters. I wanted to try out different sizes and shapes before committing to one. 

I went with the bird cluster, as I felt the colors harmonized well with the background. I also added a little sentiment. Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed this simple collage work and if you watch the video, please kindly give it a thumbs up ♥

Click to watch the YouTube tutorial:

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Art Journal Spread with handmade Collage Fodder

Hello artsy friends!

On most days I like to make some art, even if it's just 20 minutes of enjoyable art play in my handmade junk journal. One such session resulted in this colorful and messy page! The papers in my junk journal already have some color on them, so this gave me a nice starting point to create a background. I did some mark making with my creamy crayons and added a few bits of collage. I stamped my text stamp in a few places for interest and texture. As a finishing touch I adhered some colorful leaves as a focal point on each page as well as a title.

Here's a step-by-step:

Step 1 - There were already some blue marks on the pages, so I spread some more blue - a bright sky blue - on both pages. 

Step 2 - I used my fingers to spread the color on the pages to get a unique "messy" look.

Step 3 - Next, I added acrylic ink in burnt sienna and used a small brayer to spread it around.

Step 4 - I spread some more ink around - in bright pink. I also grabbed my creamy crayons and made some random marks. Colors used: black, light orange.

Step 5 - I grabbed some paper scraps and collaged them in some areas on the spread.

Step 6 - using my text stamp to make marks in some areas for interest.

If you would like to know how I made this junk journal, check out this video:

Finishing touches: I glued down colorful leaves and a title to each page.

The point of this mixed media art play is not to create a masterpiece. It's to simply enjoy putting down colors, making random marks, using your favorite tools - yes even your fingers - and since it's done in a junk journal there's no need to be precious about it. Just make art the way that pleases you. I guarantee you will feel re-energized afterwards :)

Here's a quick video on how I made my collage fodder:

I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

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