Art Journaling Fun

 I sure have been a bad blogger! You wouldn't believe how many times I've written notes about what I should blog about when I get home from work, but I never got to it...ah well, we all seem to be inundated with so many distractions these days. Namely Pinterest, lol! That site is the most addictive thing on the internet! but what a great source for inspiration! I have made several boards filled with colors and art I love, it's like bulletin boards but online.

Haven't been doing too much painting, instead I took a bit of a break to play with art journaling. I'm working in 3 journals, and am mostly practicing background technique. I never thought I would love it so much!Now putting words on my pages is a bit harder, as I don't know what to say,. so instead of forcing it, I will leave them alone until I feel the need to write something. Above is one of my earlier ones, and I wrote part of a poem on it. It's not the greatest page, but it was an experiment.
Below is another, this is a simple one, but I loved the oranges.

I did manage to get an owl ACEO done in time for an Earth day challenge we have going on over at the 7 card draw blog Leave it to me to wait until the last minute, lol! He's a little tree hugger :-)

On a random note, I couldn't believe that Doctor Oz talked about the 5 Tibetan rites! I wrote about these a long time ago on my blog, where I recommended them for everyone who wanted to have more energy, and to feel and look more youthful. I thought they were too esoteric for mainstream, but this is a good sign. People are tired of being unhealthy, and are looking for new ways to improve their lives.
Here is a site that explains them:  5 Tibetan Rites

Last week I even saw recipes for green smoothies on his show, which I've been doing since last summer (which helped me lose several pounds, which I had gained over the years). 
One of the recipes he had for a breakfast idea was very simple:  just take some almond milk, add a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds,  let it sit 15 minutes, then add cinnamon and vanilla. Instant breakfast! and so nutritious.

 that's it for now, sure felt good to get this blog post done!
thanks for reading friends
betty

First Journal book (almost) done, and a new friend

hi friends, Here is the cover of my first altered book which I filled with paintings of girls, and song lyrics  .I may add a bit more embellishment, because all I have right now is some baby pink pom poms on the bottom, lol! and I think she needs some more glitter.
I can't wait to start another one soon.  Using these recycled board books was a great way to practice my faces, with no worry about ruining a canvas. I was able to try different faces, and even paint a portrait without starting with a sketch first.
Now I also want to make my own journal. I've seen some artists with those really big juicy journals, with thick pages, and torn edges. I've been looking on Etsy hoping to find something similar, but had no luck.
However, I can make something similar, and the very talented Teesha Moore has a fabulous Youtube video, showing you how to make a 16 page journal. I love Teesha!

Last Saturday we finally saw the sun shine, yay! so me and my dad drove to a greenhouse to buy some flowers and vegetable plants for my garden. I wanted to go to this particular place since hearing they have animals, like chickens, goats, pigs, ponies,  and of course parrots. This cute little guy was hard to photograph, each time I would move back trying to get a good profile pic of him, he would follow me, lol! 
I used to want one of these birds since seeing one on the tv show Baretta,! does anyone else remember that one? I'm showing my age now, so I will stop :-)

thanks for reading! and have a blessed day

More rain, and art

hi friends. I hope you are having great weather where you are, because it's been crappy all weekend here. Friday was a gorgeous day, the first one where the weather was warm enough to go outside without a jacket. On my lunch break I sat under a magnolia tree. It was so filled with blossoms, that the branches looked like they couldn't hold them up. Of course I never have a camera with me when I need it! The scent of the blossoms was just heavenly. I enjoyed sitting in the sun, and letting the fragrance wash over me for a few moments. Little did I know it would start raining that evening, and hasn't stopped since.
I sure hope this is not going to be like 2 summers ago, where it rained the entire summer! 
Hey, at least it's a great day to stay inside and paint.

I managed to get a few little ACEOs done, mostly owls. There are several cards that turned out so bad, I don't think there is any way of salvaging them. Don't you hate it when you have a great idea, and it just doesn't work for you?

I am almost finished my altered book of girls and songs. Below is one of the illustrations,  and on the left side of the book are the lyrics to the song Wildfire.  My handwriting is so bad, I'm embarrassed to show it, lol!
Painting in a children's board book is wonderful! I will definitely be looking to pick up more used books to recycle, and to give new life to.  The pages are so sturdy, you can do anything to them and they won't warp.
Great way to experiment with mixed media techniques, without ruining a good art journal.

That's it for now, thanks for reading!

More art journal pages

hi friends. Well, I'd hoped to update my blog more frequently, but looks like I failed again, lol!
I guess we all go through phases where you feel like you have nothing interesting to say.  Since my last post, I continued working on journal pages. The above is more my 'style', and I attempted to paint a fox with the fairy girl. He didn't turn out too great, haha! but if you don't practice, you will never learn. So far I've been adding lyrics from songs I love with these pages, and I wasn't sure what to write with this one. I had some oldies music playing in the background and when this song by Marvin Gaye came in, I knew it was the perfect song to add. Funny how it's still appropriate today, in fact, even more so.

Now this girl gave me lots of trouble, I was trying for an innocent look but I think she looks more irritated than anything, haha!
I can't tell you how much fun I have had working in a recycled children's book.  There is no pressure to make anything look perfect, and it's a great way to experiment, and find your style. There are a couple more pages to go before I finish, then I need to paint something on the front and back, and maybe embellish it with ribbons, or lace. The entire book is simply girls, with lyrics to various songs on the other side.  I'm not happy with the 2 pages I showed  in my last post, and will go back and add more 'stuff' to them, just to fill up the pages. Do you know that there are dozens of art journaling videos on Youtube?? You could spend hours getting ideas, and being inspired! If only there were more hours in a day to fit in everything. I could never be bored :-)
thanks for reading, stay inspired ♥

Art Journal Work in Progress

I'm starting to think I will never be an art journaler. I've taken some workshops, and have really enjoyed them, but I find it hard to continue. The page you see above has been sitting in my art journal for weeks, waiting for some various papers and text to be added,  but I couldn't get motivated. Finally I sat down and sketched what came naturally to me. So maybe this is how my journals will look, since there really is no right way to do them.
She's not done yet, and I think I will add song lyrics to the left hand side, even though I have terrible handwriting, lol!
Not sure what else I will do, maybe some stamping in white would be nice. I love those foam stamps you can buy in Walmart or Michaels, they're great to work with.
Once this page is done I will show it here.

thanks for reading!

Olympics and art

 hi everyone. I haven't been around very much lately.  I wasn't feeling great the last week or so, then I got hooked on the Olympics,  lol! Now I wish I had seen more of the events, but when it started, I said I wouldn't be watching anything. Today is the last event, the men's hockey featuring the US and Canada. It will be great no matter the outcome. It will be nice to be back to normal after today though.

Artwise, yesterday I ruined another of my drawings on vintage paper....and believe me, I had some choice curse words about that! The drawing itself I liked, it was simple, kind of gothic, and then I went to spray a varnish protector on it. Well, I ended up with spots on the paper, and there is nothing I can do about it. I will keep it for myself since you can only see the spots close up , and will re-do it again.
So learn from my mistake folks...never use a spray varnish on paper unless you test it first!

This weekend I created a couple of ACEOs on black paper. I had done a bunch a couple of years ago which I liked, but it's amazing how much you grow and improve. These ones I think, turned out much better...this one is Caroline, the racoon we 'met' last summer which I blogged about here.

 I will leave you with one tip I discovered helps me in my art journaling... I have a very hard time working on my journal, as the whole process doesn't flow for me. What I started doing is prepping the pages in advance with color combinations I got from this fantastic book called the Color Scheme Bible.  Pick a color combo you like, and use it to put down colors. I do several pages at a time. Then I have a pile of clippings from magazines I just went through, so I pick images that appeal to me and glue them down on the page that I think they work with. Then, just journal. Write down how your day is going or any interesting thoughts you have.

I realised that if you don't write down your moments,  they are soon forgotten, and life really is lived in the moments. Why not put them down while they are fresh in your mind? Believe me, I have never consistently  done art journaling, but I will be making an effort now...I was hung up on feeling like the pages had to be artistic, or creative. The important thing is to just get your life down on the page.
Using a book with color ideas already planned out has made all the difference in the world, since color theory is not something I am good at.  The hard work is done by others who do understand color. Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can...the more you do, the more confident and creative you become.

Here is a page I did yesteday, and today I will be journaling on it.

Hi Fellow bloggers!
Thank goodness you can't see me... I'm in my fuzzy pyjamas, drinking coffee and watching the Vampire Diaries. I have a face mask on ( imagine making a batch of oatmeal mix for muffins, then smooshing it on your face, lol! then you will know how it looks and smells, ah, but it leaves your skin soft).

Work has been crazy busy! Some co-workers are off sick, so it's been hectic. I've been washing my hands until they're raw, so many people are walking around sick. I will not get the H1N1 vaccine though, there is way too much controversy over it. I will be taking my vitamin D, and C, and have a supply of Oregano oil just in case. Let's see if I can avoid this flu naturally.
I know some of you have caught it already, please take care of yourselves, and do whatever you can to make yourself more comfortable until it passes.

artwise, I've mostly worked on journal pages. I'm taking Kelly Kilmer's Prompt a Day class with hopes of being more comfortable with art journaling. I love it! I will show some pages a bit later.
I've started working on some ACEOs too, the girl below is one of them, and they are done on vintage book pages.

Are you all looking forward to Halloween? I bought a few packages of chocolates and chips to give out to the kids, unfortunately, I've opened the packages and have been snacking away on them - oops! So I will have to pick up some more tomorrow. Darn snacks, they are my weakness.
Have a safe and fun Halloween everyone! and don't be sneaking your kid's candy when they're not looking, lol!

Illustration Friday - Shaky

This weeks topic for Illustration Friday is the word 'shaky'. It took me a while to figure out how to illustrate this one, but eventually came up with this quick little drawing showing how some of us would feel if we didn't get our morning coffee.

I would recommend joining Illustration Friday, it forces you to stretch yourself artistically. This is out of my comfort zone, but maybe if I stick with it, the ideas will come much easier. It's also a good way to kick your butt if you find yourself in a slump :-)

More Journal Pages

I am happy to say I have kept up with my art journal pages. They are so fun and easy to do, that I look forward to them. Especially in times when I just can't get motivated to paint anything, like now. Since I love poetry, and have memorized many over the years, I thought I would add this one to my page. The colors seemed to suit it. I have a long way to go before my pages look half as nice as some of the others I have seen, but I am reminding myself not to worry about the outcome. Just get stuff down on paper, play, experiment, and have fun.

Today I am hoping to finally do a few more ACEOs for the Bounty Challenge on Etsy. It has been several weeks since I completed an ACEO, and I think it's time to add some new cards to my shop.

So after this post, I will make a cup of coffee, and move my materials to the kitchen, where the nice warm sun is coming through the window. My art room is in a part of my house that gets no direct sun, and unfortunately in the winter, can be quite cold. I have been known to paint while wearing a hat, scarf, 2 pairs of socks and 2 sweaters, lol! I kid you not :-)

My First Art Journal Page

Hello dear friends! I was so looking forward to this weekend, after a crazy and busy time at work. I woke up to a very dreary, gloomy day.

This didn't bother me though. I was quite happy, because I planned to work on my Visual Journalism class. I have fallen behind, and wanted to take the weekend to go through my notes, and finish some pages. What a fun class! So new for me, but this is something I can see myself continuing. It felt awkward, since I have never done an art journal before, but with Pam Carriker's step by step lessons, I felt a bit more confident. My page is not perfect, but I can honestly say I am happy with the end result.

We tend to get discouraged if our first try at something new doesn't look like what we think it should look like.
I always believe that in order to grow in anything, you must practice practice practice. The beautiful artwork I see online didn't happen over night. The artists worked at it, learning from each mistake. Well, I hope to make plenty of mistakes in my Art Jourals :-D

Nothing heals like art.
Here is a painting I started a couple of nights ago. I didn't try to plan everything out, I just let it flow, and am happy with how it turned out. It felt good to just paint, and not worry so much about the end result. Now if only I could do this every time.

As much as I love painting, I find I am getting too far behind on my art journaling classes. I think this painting should be my last one for a couple of weeks, so that I can work on my journal pages. There is so much to learn, and I am very impatient, so I tend to jump into too many things at once. Did I mention I also joined a doll class? There just aren't enough hours in the day!

Lets try that again...

Don't you just love the beginning of the year? So much possibility, so much potential. If you failed to reach your goals, it's like you have a fresh start to try again. One of my resolutions (although I don't like that word) is to be more organized. I am tired of being pulled in many directions. For Christmas, I received a whiteboard, and a large wall calendar. The whiteboard is on my fridge, where I write what needs to be done, and cross it off when complete.

I plan to begin to read a chapter of a book called 'Simple Abundance' by
Sarah Ban Breathnach. I remember starting this book many years ago when I first bought it and got 3 months in before laziness set in. I am already a few days late, but that is ok. I will start tonight.

Another habit I let slide was writing every evening in my gratitude journal. I have several books I have filled over the years, but the last couple of years I just stopped. It's not like I didn't feel gratitude, I mentally gave thanks during the day and before bed, I just stopped writing it in the book. Tonight I will promise myself to get back on track. Baby steps, that's all...

Art journaling is another discipline I would like to try. I am inspired by many artists who are taking the challenge to do a journal page a day. I cannot commit to this, but I can certainly try one page a week. I even signed up for class with Paulette Insall.
All of this is with the hopes of becoming more authentic, and having the best year ever.

What are you committing to for 2009?