Journal Spilling

So, I've been playing and sketching in my journal every day. Perhaps I've missed a couple of Sundays, but most days I write in my handwritten journal and sketch something or someone, usually several someones. But I finally had a chance to read the book that arrived just before Christmas, Journal Spilling by Diana Trout.

Well, I've got to say, you can't possibly read this book and feel uninspired. I just itched to pull out a page a play with paint. So, I did one of the exercises in the book. I grabbed some collage images and words, tore them out, glued them down without thinking about where they went. I spread paint about the place and, yeah, just played. It was fun and I even did this with the family around. They chatted with me while I played and I still felt relaxed at the end of it.

I let the page dry and did some more to finish off the following morning. I can highly recommend you do the same. The image above is the end result.





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Generosity

A sketch from my own journal

If there is a word for the art journal community this year, it has to be generosity. I'm sitting here overwhelmed with the free stuff you can learn and be part of just by having a computer connection. Take a look at the Strathmore Visual Journal online course. With Pam Carriker kicking things off in the first month, Linda Blinn in the second month and Roz Stendahl covering March, there's plenty to keep you busy.

If you fancy something every day, there's Millande with her fun Art Journal January 2011. Prompts and videos every day, and the fun community to join in with even if you don't create anything each day.

Or check out the Sketchbook Challenge, with a monthly theme and randomly selected prize winners for each theme if you share you pages on the flickr group.

I don't know about you, but I think that's incredible. I won't even bother to mention the loads of other people who share their talents, time and tutorials with anyone with a youtube or ustream account. Seriously, you couldn't be stuck for inspiration or ideas this year. So, go to it. Create, journal and share about it if you do.


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Word for 2011

Yeah, I'm probably a bit slow when it comes to beginning things others do all the time. But perhaps I haven't been ready for choosing a word for my year until this year. I've been reading Christine Kane's blog. Whilst reading the list provided in Resolution Revolution the word presence leapt out at me. I finished reading the list, in case another word did the same, but, no, presence let me know I needed to chose that word for this year.

I downloaded the Word-of-the-Year Discovery Tool and plan on having a journal session about the word presence, hopefully this afternoon. But right off the top of my head I feel perhaps the word is appropriate for me because I haven't exactly been present in recent years. There's been a lot happening and one of my coping mechanisms is to withdraw and retreat. While this isn't a bad thing, I feel perhaps it's time I came back out and allowed my presence to do what I know is in my heart.

By nature I am an encourager. I love nothing more than to help people discover things I have also found to inspire and help my own artistic endeavours; be that writing, art, jewellery design, or whatever it is I'm currently creating. I know that I need to bring my presence back to where it will be felt. Look for more on this in the next couple of days.

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A Sample of My Art Journal Pages

Well, life likes to throw stuff at you just when you aren't expecting it, at all. A couple of weeks ago I took my husband into emergency at our hospital. His back pain had become completely out of hand. He was dragging his foot through the pressure and pain in his back. Enough was enough and we went and sat and waited for him to be seen. It's times like this I'm glad we have some kind of a health system at all. Anyway, they decided on surgery, but now he'll be in hospital, yeah, I different one to where I took him originally, but in hospital for anything up to six months.

So, that's the short version of a rather long tale. For now, I will simply say I'm really glad for the extreme journal course I've been doing. It has given me something to focus on instead of thinking about how bad things seem right now. I've been sketching, painting, drawing, and immersing myself in visual mixed media. It's been rewarding and just plain fun. Most importantly it has given me a wonderful distraction and a place to put all my angst.

Juliana Coles has a great way of getting me to loosen up and just create art. I love it, because I often get caught up and frozen from anticipating that this must be great, somehow. Creating visual journal pages is very theraputic, which is clearly what I need at the moment.

Anyway, I've decided to share just a few of the pages I've created because of the course.

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How Excitement

Well, I'm fully into this art journalling since starting the course I won with Juliana Coles. It's like a switch flipped and now I just want to draw and make art, again. There's something that excites the little kid in me when it comes to art. I can always remember the sheer joy of splashing paint around and seeing the way it stained the page. It's something I always treasure, yet forget to go back to until I'm prompted. Like winning the course. I was given a massive shove back towards art. It's like coming home.

So, whenever I come across something good I like to share. In my recent art journal adventures I've met Willowing, who is a lovely and generous artist living in the UK. I've been hanging out on her ning website, watching her youtube videos and enjoyiing her whimsy. She also sells art journal workshops, which look very cool, and DVDs. But right now you can join Willowing, otherwise known as Tam, as she gives a free online art journal course called The Heart of Art.

The course runs for four weeks, has videos to download and lots more fun to enjoy with other people from all over the world, but the best thing is, it's free. Of course, you may donate money to her for offering this course, but if you can't pay anything, please share with others about the free course. I've signed up. The course officially begins on October 18th, but there is a full description of the course and a supply list available to download once you join the group.

I'm sure it will be loads of fun. I hope to see some of my regular readers joining in and creating art, too.

Heather

Art Journal Fun

Since winning a lovely little prize from Creativity Classes on Extreme Journaling with Juliana Coles I've been getting into my art supplies, old and new. It was time to pull out the stuff I haven't used in ages and to build up my supplies with some fun new things. I added paint pens to my stash, those are fun. I also purchased some lovely washi masking tape from a place on etsy called washimatta. I only just ordered those, so I'll give you an update once they arrive.

While reading iHanna's blog today I noticed she had an entry on washi tape, too. It always pays to read the comments on blog entries. So I was pleased to find a link left by another crafty blogger, Julie K, on how to make your own faux washi tape, which I will be giving a go at some point, too.

Anyway, I've been filling pages in my art journal with gesso, getting them ready for the art I have yet to create. Also, I'm collecting things to stick in my journal, like menus from Fast Eddy's and whatever else appeals to me at the moment. I'll keep you updated on more about my adventures into art journals soon.

I had been waiting on approval to use some photos from other people, but this is my own photo taken just a little while ago, of my washi stash. I just can't wait to play.

Heather
Photo my own
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Hey, I Won!

How lucky can I get? I won the prize for yesterday's draw on Creativity Classes. I'm really rapt, too. The prize is a class with Juliana Coles called Field Notes: A Book of Reminders! It looks to be an exciting change of pace for me, as I've gotten out of touch with all my visual journalling habits. I'm sure this will be one way to excite those skills again. You can check out some of Juliana's artwork on her etsy store Me & Pete's Land of Enchantment Outpost.

Heather - photo used with permission from stock.xchng
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