Thanksgiving is only a week and a half away, so I thought this would be a good time to share some more of my art journal. I’ve been doing daily art journaling; focusing on one good thing that has happened every day. It’s strange- for the last week or so, I’ve been struggling to forget the bad and remember the good. I don’t know why, but I’ve just felt a little down off and on lately. Just another reason why this blessings journal is such a… well, a blessing. Making sure to write down something that I’m thankful for every day has helped me to feel better.
Part of the reason I began this journal was to experiment with different techniques- to find out what works and what doesn’t. I’ve learned a lot so far, from using alcohol ink for the first time (use the felt pads on the inking tool- the foam ones soak up too much of the ink), to figuring out that I prefer to use distress inks on plain paper as opposed to paper that’s been gessoed first. It takes too long to dry and smears far more easily when you use it on top of a layer of gesso.
I’ve learned that not all acrylics are created equal, and that your fingers get raw if you do too many image transfers. Still, despite the fact that not every page turns out as well as I would like, keeping a daily art journal is well worth the effort.
If you are struggling with overcoming fears concerning your art, this a perfect way to combat that. You should make a habit of daily art journaling, so you won’t be able to spend a lot of time on them. Some days you’ll have more time than others, but even if you have just a few minutes, you can do a quick doodle or use your favorite stamp. Don’t be afraid of making a crappy page- you’ll have tons of individual pages by the end, so use your time and talents to try new things.
Daily art journaling means some pages won’t be great, and that’s ok…
- Set a goal for the time you want to spend on your page, and then set a timer so you don’t exceed that time. Push your limits- see what you can create in just 20, 15, 10 minutes.
- Choose specific tools to use, and don’t use anything else on your page.
- Go through your stash and find something you’ve been hanging onto for a long time, and design your page around it.
- Pick a shape, and decide how to work your page using just that shape.
There are endless ways for you to stretch yourself though keeping a daily art journal. Try it for a month and see where it takes you. :)
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
such a sweet soul and precious shearings that I visited your site more than once. I am entering caustic artist and have enjoyed watching your additions overtime. Just wanted to tell you what a great job your doing. Your adorable.
Wow, thank you Melissa!! I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself- I’d love to see some of your creations if you’re an artist, too!