Are you art journaling with mixed media and ephemera? Do you struggle to collect and organize collage photos, papers and ephemera? Here’s the system that works well for me. It might help you, too. Art journaling – and mixed-media collages – can require lots of images. And, to remain “in flow” as you’re creating a…
Author: Aisling
Composition Book Artists Journals
A composition book art journal is any journal that’s kept in a composition book. Those are generally school-type, saddle-sewn (along the crease) notebooks with cardboard covers… similar to exam/test booklets, but a little more permanent. Composition books are inexpensive, so many people like them especially for informal journaling. It feels less intimidating to use a…
ACEOs – Production-line shortcuts
I’m trying some oil paintings as ACEOs. (That stands for Art Card limited Editions and Originals, a kind of artists’ trading cards.) Because traditional art cards (including ACEOs) are the same size as other trading cards (like baseball cards, etc.), the 2.5″ x 3.5″ ACEOs can be tricky to work with if you’re painting with…
Why Art?
Why art? Really, why would anyone take the time to create art, unless he or she is a full-time artist? The answers are clear to anyone who’s independently created art of any kind. Even if it’s a scribble or a graphic note in the margin of your class notes, if you’ve ever expressed yourself visually,…
Sewing Onto Your Journal Pages
You can sew embellishments onto your paper journal pages. You can use any page in a book like fabric (to sew on, for example) by using iron-on interfacing on the back side of the page. Yes, just iron it on, the same as you would iron interfacing onto fabric. It won’t always stick 100%, but…
Foam Brush Notes
Paintbrushes are important for many artists. I have lots of them for all purposes. I use bristle-style brushes for my oil and acrylic painting. Also, I’ll use soft, hair-type brushes when I’m painting with watercolors. However, for me, one-inch foam brushes are most useful for art journaling. How I use foam brushes When I’m creating…
Artists’ Journal RR #2b – Debbie O’s pages
The following two journal pages are glorious examples of work by Debbie O. of our Yahoo Group, ArtistsJournals. They’re wonderful mixed media journal pages with fabric elements, and they’re full of personal insights and juicy imagery. These continue the journey of Round Robin #2b (a larger blank journal) as it traveled across the U.S. and…
Alley Hauldren’s Journey to Winchester, TN
After arriving in Tennessee from Arkansas, it was time to continue Alley’s journey. During the final phase of Alley’s adventures, she reached Winchester, Tennessee. That part of her trip inspired the next two pages in this round robin artists’ journal. This transformed this journal into a true mixed-media artists’ journal, as Alley included actual cotton…
Alley Hauldren’s Third Journal Pages
After Arkansas, Alley and her husband were on their way to Tennessee. The map in this collage shows the route that she and her husband took as they headed toward Memphis. Paper ephemera illustrates their journey. Here are her journal pages, larger: Click here to see the last two pages of Alley’s section in this…
Alley Hauldren’s Second Pages
From Texas, Alley’s adventures continued through Arkansas. That part of her journey was documented on the next two pages in the round robin journal from the Yahoo Group, Artists’ Journals. Here are those pages, larger: Click here to follow Alley’s next step of the journey, as she and her husband drove from Arkansas toward Memphis,…