Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Art Journals

Art Journaling

I think art journals are so much fun. One of my inspiration journals I started years ago was really a form of art journal.  To me it was just a fun book where I could cut and  paste, decorate with colored pens or crayons, and write a few things.  Now I've come to find out it's some sort of big deal art form. That means I can now obsess whether mine is "good enough."  Aren't we silly creatures sometimes???

If you keep a notebook filled with decorating ideas and inspiration, you're already doing a form of art journaling. Some of the decorating notebooks I've run across are "works of art" (not to be too obvious!)

I think art journals would be a wonderful project to start with children.  Just think - every rainy day when the kids whine, "I'm gored bored", you can look over and say, "Let's work on our art journals." 

One of my favorite sites for inspiration is Kelly Kilmer.  Kelly is both a very accomplished artist and a busy instructor.  In addition to her blog she has her artist's website where you can check out where she may be having a workshop. 

Isn't this page beautiful?  





And if that isn't enough she also has "A Prompt a Day" online classes. I'm planning on signing up for November.  Her site is also a wealth of great links to places selling great pens at super low prices, and links to her favorite paint sources.

Check out her finished Prompt a Day Journals from January to October....Wowzaa!


Another fun and inspirational site is Aimeslee at   Paper Paisleys.  I've exchange some emails with Aismeslee and she is just delightful and full to bursting with creativity.  Aimeslee not only does art journaling but all sorts of paper projects.  I don't think she's ever met a piece of paper she didn't love.  Here's what Aimeslee says about herself:  "paper hoarder... art supply collector... paper craft hobby artist... I pretend I'm an artist and make pretty things..."

Aimeslee's  journal page from her post Bad Hair Day, Life, and Art School Update.




Now that you've seen some really gorgeous stuff  let's take a look at mine.  No laughing allowed!!!


My cover: 


This is an art book I had laying around. Did I mention my love for notebooks? I have a whole box full. It's an obsession!







This is a page that I gesso'ed (big mistake), then tried to use water color (another big mistake - I HATE working in water color- what was I thinking?By the time I got to the lettering, I was soooooooooooooooo out of the mood.  I also couldn't find my glue gun and on and on. But I had fun and  guess what? I know what day I harvested the lavender this year and my book smells divine!!





More on Art Journal's:



Aislings Art Journals:  How to create and keep an art journal (this site is chock full of fun stuff!)
Teesha Moore:  Teesha's Circus Teesha is another well known artist and journaler

5 comments:

Kelly Kilmer said...

*thank you* for such kind words.

I LOVE your pages!!! Fabulously heartfelt work!!! Keep it up!

MightyMom said...

I kept a 3" 3 ring binder for years and years full of magazine clippings that moved me. and a pile of mags that were freebie catalogs to cut from....the thing weighed about 45lbs all told and nearly destroyed the picnic basket I kept it in. Then I quit glueing stuff into notebooks until RECENTLY when I went and bought me some pretty notebooks and pens for jornaling those things circling my brain.

now I've bought a package of FIVE GLUE STICKS!! and printed off several pics from the web that I fell in love with and soon will sit with scissors and pens and PLAY!!

But I like your lavendar page much better than those others you showed. The others were too busy. on a page as well as in a quilt the eye must have "a place to rest" a non busy place to look or things are too overwhelming. it's actually the reason why I've only recently gone with a pretty template...and what I don't like about my template. If I could I'd widen the edges of the page without widening the printing about 1/8" on each side...just to give a bit of "rest space" there. but oh well, I just couldn't pass up those beautiful symmetrical buttons donchaknow.

aaahhhh well, forgive the book-comment. kinda chatty tonight huh?

Aimeslee Winans said...

Oh my gosh, lol, my husband just said, rest this. What I say is thanks for remembering me. And I love what you did with your own journal. I see you found Kelly - do you understand more what I was talking about with the paint layers now? You definitely will once you do her class. xoxo

Adrienne said...

Aimslee and Kelly - My puny little page next to you guys - almost blushing!

Adrienne said...

MM - I've always liked to cut and paste. Have the kids start journals. I think they would love it!