Vintage Style Art Journal Page

Hello everyone!

for as long as I can remember I've always had a diary to express my thoughts and feelings - sometimes with words, other times with loose sketches - a place to take refuge at the end of the day. I suppose my art journal is an extension of that, and it's become more than a creative outlet. For these past six years my journal has been a faithful companion on my art as well as life journey. 

As mentioned in a previous post I didn't quite complete this journal within the last year, on account of being a slow journaler. I like to contemplate each step in the process, often guided by my current emotions and let the story unfold intuitively. Some of the steps can be seen below:

I often start by journaling with a watersoluble pencil and then give the pages a good spray with water to let the color flow. Most of the journaling will be covered with collage, but it felt good to express my thoughts. I did leave a few words and some of the pale mint colored paint that had already been on the pages peek through here and there. Once I was satisfied with the collaged layer I pushed it back with white paint. At this point I took a break and came back to the page the next day. 

One of the things I enjoy is adding sentiments from word snippets that I collect in a small box. I have them in different sizes and fonts, which adds a whimsical touch to the page.

At this stage I know I am nearing the completed spread and usually add some marks, lines, and splatters as finishing touches.

I chose this image from The Graphics Fairy as my focal point. Before printing it out, I processed the image to match the colors in my spread. Then I used gel medium to adhere it to the page along with a stamped leaf image. It was very satisfying to complete this spread. 

Thank you for visiting and I hope you have a wonderful day ahead!

Artist Trading Cards with Watercolor Background

Hello lovely readers and followers,

Perhaps my subconscious was longing for spring, because I found myself creating these artist trading cards in decidedly spring-like colors!

This project gave me the opportunity to pull out my watercolors, a supply I have been endeavoring to use more frequently. 

Watercolors are great for covering large areas quickly, such as this master board. A master board is usually a large sheet of heavy weight paper with a simple background design. It serves as a base for artist trading cards (ATC), bookmarks, tags, greeting cards etc. and saves time, since you don't need to start from scratch.

I divided my sheet in half, so as to have one side in warm and the other in cool colors.

I kept the background simple, as I would be adding more layers to my ATCs later on. I stencilled one side, and stamped the other (not shown).

You can watch me create this watercolor masterboard in the video below:

I cut two ATCs from the masterboard - one from the cool and one from the warm side.

Below you can see how I built up the layers.

For my focal point I stamped a flower image onto leftover gelli prints, fussy cut them out and adhered them to the cards along with a sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Please pin / share this easy project:

 

Monday Moodboard

Hi everyone,

Garnet is January's birthstone and the theme of today's mood board. Garnet symbolism is rich and varied. It is often associated with love, friendship, commitment and protection. Enjoy my picks and happy Monday!

Click on the links below for more info on the items.

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