Art Journal

As I mentioned in my last post, starting an art journal is something I've wanted to do for a while. Once I got all of my stamps, stencils, inks, paints, brushes and old books (to use the pages) all in one spot- I was ready to go. It was well worth the time it took, because once an idea hits, everything I need is all together.

I started with a journal made specifically for Mixed Media (meaning the paper is perfect for acrylics, water colors and stains and spray inks. The cardinal page was my first page. The journaling has been in my head for a while: "Dear Mr. Red Bird, I love hearing your springtime song." I used Tim Holtz's Distress stains to color the background, the leaves and the bird's nest. I have a bird book that I looked at to first sketch the cardinal before painting it. I used regular watercolors to paint him.

I used rubber stamps for the top and bottom background, using Ranger's Archival ink. It's waterproof, so perfect to watercolor over without worrying about the ink bleeding. To make the leaves and bird nest, I cut the shapes from music sheets that I found at Goodwill. I added a half of a paper doily and the red chipboard piece is from Crate Paper's "Story Teller" line.

I used alpha stamps for "dear mister red bird" and with a black waterproof marker, I free-handed three wavy lines and then wrote in cursive, with the exception of the worh "hearing" which is also stamped.
I'm really happy with my first page. But, I've done a page or two since that I'm not super excited about. The truth is, I have no idea what I'm doing- I'm actually pretty "technique-challenged" when it comes to Tim Holtz's distress inks and stains. This is the best way to figure it out- just get your supplies out and play. If you don't like something you make- don't feel discouraged! Every artist have both hits and misses. An art journal is the perfect place to play and practice your art- there's no commitment...if you really dislike a page or mess up, just tear the page out and start fresh!