In my art journal this week

Instead of "copying" something, such as a portrait or still life or landscape I wanted to surprise myself and create something new. I used a drawing technique I learned from Milliande. She calls it a free  form investigation sketch.

Here is an example:
















It's fun . When I start I don't know what it is I am painting. I love the fact that slowly something comes to life.
This week my doodles became a moondance, a composer and a statue. The statue isn't finished but I wanted to show it anyway.

I really want to learn to tell a story,  not just copy something. I want to find my own style and meaning. This is my favorite technique to learn just that.

In my art journal this week

Today I spent a quiet afternoon sketching. This week I have been reading The Artist's Journal by  Cathy Johnson.
So this week I felt like sketching! I made these sketches using my non-dominent hand.
I like the way my sketches have become more "loose", less precise.

In my art journal

                                                                   Show me the way

Embarrassed

                                                                  Daydreaming
                                                                   

Sometimes I feel embarrassed when I look at something I made.
It looks so simple and yet I like it.
I feel as if someone is about to tell me: 'Is that all? You really think that is good enough?'

Art journal every day

Yesterday I created this postcard. It's a size I haven't used for a while. I used left over bits of paper because I really needed to clean out the tray on my desk! Last week I cleaned and reorganized the rest of my desk. It looked wonderful - until I sat down and started working......

I sent the postcard to Jane Davies. She is trying to increase the volume of mail that comes through her little post office in Vermont, now the postal service will review their activity.
Here you can read more: http://janedavies-collagejourneys.blogspot.nl/2013/01/the-post-office.html


The post office in my hometown was closed years ago, I still miss it...

In my art journal this week

A poem:

high time                                                          concerned

restless                                                              feeling

a daughter
of the old woman
waiting

the uncertainty                                                  to control

how foolish                                                       in vain

Art Journal

I like using dark backgrounds for art journal pages. It's a quick way to create depth.

 Tormenting questions

I used a dark page from a glossy magazine , put something with texture underneath and rubbed with nail polish remover ( acetone).

My favorite texture? Shoes!
Just look underneath your shoes, boots and flip flops...
I first saw this technique in this video by  Katie Kendrick.

This is the background I finished yesterday:

I don't know what I am going to do with it, but this year I promised myself I don't have to finish pages!

Mixed media collage

 

I finished this mixed media collage today.
I used to old small collages, pastels, white acrylic paint, paper scraps, image transfer, glue, acrylic medium and a tea bag.
Because of the word 'index' I put it on top of the right column.
I love the colors. I noticed most of my collages recently have these vertical lines.
I am happy with it.

Old stuff

I have been scanning older pages in my art journals and some collages.
I didn't like these collages much at first, but after a few months now I find I do like them.
Sometimes it helps to forget about something and be able to have a fresh look.

 Soon I began to enjoy the freedom.

 leaning on me.  like a source of power. a pillar of strength.

 To start with it feels good to forget useless stuff

I was inspired by an exercise I read in Jane Davies' book Collage Journeys.
You start with creating an all over collage . Then use a viewfinder to select small compositions.
I cut these into ATC size collages. ( Artist Trading Card: 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches (6cm x 9 cm or 64mm x 89mm )
It has become one of my favorite ways to create backgrounds.

Art Journal every day

My art journaling this week has been mostly abstract.
I was inspired by a documentary of one of my favorite photographers.
She creates beautiful almost abstract pictures.
Her name is Friederike von Rauch.

Here are some of the collages I made this week.
I used the same paper for all of them.

 

Maybe I will add some lines with a black marker later, I'm not sure.

Dream time

I finished this page in my art journal.
It was inspired by animals I  dreamed about when I was ill.
A snake shedding it's skin, a giant bird that took me to a mountain top, a scary prehistoric looking fish and a tiny black leopard that was hidden in a small box.
For my little totems I wanted a cave painting look and I was inspired by Aboriginal art.
It seemed appropriate for my dream theme.

For the colored dots I used a nail, for the white dots (budget tip) a correction fluid pen.

google aboriginal art images

This week in my art journal

December colours

Opera

I didn't get to do much art journaling this week. My 86 year old father had to be taken to the hospital with an allergic reaction, so things have been chaotic.

He's fine now and things are slowly getting back to normal.

 I did notice a change in my use of color recently. Instead of bright blues, yellows and greens, my colors have  become darker, warmer. It must be the season, I guess.