So a while ago I got this cute little journal from TJ Maxx, though I wasn't sure what exactly to use it for. I had seen some pins on Pinterest about art journaling, and I thought it seemed like a cool thing to do. Finally one day when I was feeling all creative, I brought out my little journal with an idea in mind and did the first page.
My idea was to pick a random word, write it at the top of the page then below write the definition of the word and a bible verse that had that word in it. I planned to do one page a day and I stuck with it for a while.
Pages 2 & 3.
Pages 4 & 5. (Sorry about the crappy quality of the pictures. My iPod needs to take a class in photography)
Anyway, I did 5 pages like this and then I just kind of lost interest in it. A few months went by and I didn't do any pages, then a couple weeks or so ago I started looking at more creative and art journaling pins on Pinterest, and finally just a few days ago I brought my journal out once again, this time deciding to be much more artistic with it!
Pages 6 & 7. I stuck with the same idea, but the style is much different! I used watercolor paints to add some color to the page, stamped a leafy branch stamp a couple times at the bottom, then stamped the word "Believe" at the top. For page 7 I also used watercolor paints, stamped the word "Sun" then glued a little paper to the left side of the page which says, "Let the sun shine brightly on your face. Your shadows will fall behind you." I liked this look much better than the old one! (And as you can see I did two pages that night!)
Pages 8 & 9. I don't think I like these pages as well as 6 & 7, but I wanted to try out some different techniques, and that's what art journaling is all about! Trying new things and not being afraid of ruining the page. Just let your imagination run free! The day I finished page 9 I decided to write down a whole list of inspiring words or words I wanted to use at some point in my journal, then I cut them out and put them into an envelope to draw out a word each time I go to work on a new page instead of just coming up with one. I find that knowing the word beforehand helps with knowing what to do on the page.
Pages 10 & 11. I'm happy with the look of 10! I used watercolors once again, stamped some leafs on the page and glued a piece of patterned paper to the bottom. For days now I have been trying to find the acrylic paints that I KNOW we have around here somewhere, but no luck so far! Hopefully I'll find them soon so I can try them out instead of the watercolors.
But anyway, that's what I have so far in my little art journal! (I do have one more page ready but I'm waiting until the page next to it is done to post the picture) I hope you enjoyed this first post and hope that it even inspired you to be artistic and creative and possibly start your own art journal! You can use any size journal you want. Mine is 5 x 7, and I think if I did another I'd like one that is a bit bigger, but the little one works fine too! You could also just use a regular old notebook or sketchbook if you wanted. Also, you wouldn't have to do exactly what I'm doing in yours, that's just what I chose to do for mine. Any form of art works! Painting, sketching, doodling, stamping, taking clips from magazines or whatnot and gluing them to the pages... Okay, so anyway, please feel free to follow my blog and leave a comment if you wish! :) Until next time!
