Light As A Feather...Journaling with Julie 13

Time again for another installment of Journaling with Julie, in which my sister in Jersey and I in Ohio recreate the art journal projects from the Tamara LaPorte book, Create Your Life Book. This lesson includes thinking of something you've done that you're not thrilled with and then letting it go and forgiving yourself. You write some things on the page, collage and paint and then draw a feather.

I'll share Julie's first, since she finished first. 😅

Julie used homemade ink (rubbing alcohol/food coloring) for the background, collaged some napkins and a teabag for texture. She drew the feather with a Micron pen and used Tombow markers for depth and color to the feather. Then she used a white Posca pen to add dots and details to the feather and added arrow washi tape. Finally, she wrote in some positive phrases such as I am strong, I can do this, and there is a reason and purpose for everything.

For my piece, I used Distress Oxide spray inks in blue and pink, added white acrylic paint marker (cuz I didn't want to drag out the acrylic paints). I used flower and leaf stickers and some butterfly and woodgrain scrapbook papers. I used my white marker for details on the feather and wrote in some words like trust, breathe and love. My washi tapes are some great patterned ones from Dylusions.

Again, I recommend this book if you're looking for some fun projects that also make you think.

Happy Friday!

Chark

Free Your Mind...Journaling with Julie 12

Today I'm posting the next lesson that my sister, in New Jersey, and I, in Ohio, each worked on from the Create Your Life Book art journaling book by Tamara LaPorte. While life took some twisty turns, we took a break from art journaling together/apart, but we're back, baby!

For this lesson, you were to write something in pencil that was bothering you about your art and then you bury it on the hill and move on. Julie chose the belief that her art wasn't good enough and then buried that thought under decoupage, paint and stamping. She used watercolor on her angel/girl face and a micron pen for the outlining. The collage pieces were acrylic, watercolored and alcohol ink painted papers. After that, Julie added scrapbook papers and a little waxed paper for texture.

After adding Tombow markers for the dress and tights, Julie added the Wonder stamp on the dress. Additionally, Julie added more stamping, stenciled the air swirls for movement and used dabs of acrylic paint with her fingers and a cotton swap. She added white acrylic paint to tie it all together and Micron pen doodles finished it up. I think the stamping and the swirls are the perfect touches. And I like the dark paint on the bottom, it really grounds that part and makes the air look lighter.

My girl took a bit of time too, though I did no stamping or stenciling. I wrote my belief to bury—that creating is essential to my well-being but feels more like selfishness—and collaged and painted the heck out of it.

I used pre-printed papers, music sheets and some text paper for mine and then added some gelato crayons over the papers. 

I used white thinned down acrylic paint over all the colors and papers to unify and then used a Pitt Artist Pen big brush marker in yellow for her dress.

After a ton of doodling with white and black pens, I also added the words I Matter to her dress. At first, I outlined the flowers on the hill but then decided it took too much attention from the angel girl, so I repainted them.

Now I can't decide which is better. But once I put a project away, I don't revisit it, so this is how it stays!

Hope you can bury the negative thoughts that get in the way of you making art...'cuz art is important!

Happy Friday!

Chark

Home Sweet Home—Journaling with Julie 10

My sister, Julie, and I continue to make art from the lessons in this fab book from Tamara LaPorte and today is our tenth lesson to share. This one was about your home and childhood and used words and collage to create a little home of your own. A lot of these lessons call for introspection and help you address some things you wished were different. 

I used some washi tape, some glitter-look papers, some text paper and some paper I had stenciled on to create my house. I added flowers, stars, hearts and a bird as my symbols. I toned down all the chaos with some watered down white acrylic paint and used a silver and black marker at the end.

And I drew me peeking out, with a crown on. Julie and I decided I look a little like D.W. or another character from Arthur. It was unintentional, but what do you think?

I was an insecure kid, full of worry, so I added the phrase "you will thrive and be surrounded by love" because really that's all I wanted. In addition to my sisters and mom, I had a lot of people in my life who loved me. I'm lucky to have found my hubby when we were 16, lucky to have two wonderful kids with him and lucky because he's crazy perfect for me. If my little kid self could've known how well life would turn out, she could've calmed the hell down. 😃

From Julie: "Here’s the outside of my house. I collaged some of my painty papers for the sky, the grass, and the tree trunk and I put a magazine picture of a fall tree for the upper tree part. I used scrapbooking papers for the roof and the front of my house and I used two buttons for like the door knobs and a string for the closure.

I stamped some shapes on the outside of my house and along the edges and outlined some of those with a black sharpie. I use a little bit of white acrylic paint to finger paint all over the picture to kind of unify it but it doesn’t show up very well. On the inside of my house I put pictures that I love now and as a child. Two elephants, googly eyes, ice cream, colorful balloons, Sesame Street characters, a lighted candle, a girl sitting on a bunch of books she’s reading, and finally a cross intertwined with a heart. So the things that I loved as a child and as an adult are represented here: favorite animal, treats, my love of reading, and finally love and faith. On the inside of the doors I used ton of different markers and just scribbled all these colors because it’s one of my favorite designs really."

I love that she went large with her project, I cut corners a little and went smaller, while she went for it. I felt like I should redo mine, because I didn't even read all the directions (by accident, I swear) but she assures me it's dandy and no need to redo. As I'm essentially lazy, this worked for me.

Hope you find some time to be crafty this weekend, and think about picking up this book, it's really fun. And nope, there are no affiliate links, just sharing.

Happy Friday,

Chark