Art journaling | Aisling's Diary

1000 Journals Project

Recently, having misplaced my own copy of the 1000 Journals Project book, I ordered another.

Seeing it again, after all these years, was astonishing.

Even now, it feels like that being part of that art journal/project was a “right time, right place” moment.

Even more bizarre, I received it at 9/11, and – a few days later – journaled in the book, describing that important moment in history. (The photo above shows part of my two pages. On the left, that’s an art journaling collage I created. On the right are my handwritten notes.)

This journal started as a round-robin project.

That is, it was a series of blank journals, sent from one person to another. Each of us contributed a page or two, art journaling in it. (See someguy’s page about this project, book, and documentary.)

It’s something we did, back then, within the arts community. That is, we mailed things to each other. (See my “Art in the Mail” category for info.)

Frankly, the internet isn’t a substitute for seeing art in real life, and even having it in your hands.

That’s why I encourage you to find a copy of this important book, so you can see it in real life. It’ll give you a wonderful overview of what we were doing, and a chance to see art journaling examples.

Your public library may have a copy. Or, you can order one at Amazon, etc.

I won’t pretend that all of the entries are meaningful, or that the art is consistently wonderful.

That wasn’t the purpose of this project.

It was about life and creative expression, at that moment in time.

Here’s my Amazon review, seeing this book again after 20+ years.

This is still a remarkable book, and part of a project that aspired to include 1000 people in round-robin style art journals.

I’m a little biased because I was one of them, and I just happened to receive the mostly-blank shortly before the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster. So, my two pages in the book are from that exact day.

(Note: I received no payment for my work. None of us did. And I have no commercial interest in this book, either. I’m just honored to have participated it in.)

The pages in this book represent art journaling and mixed-media art by a wide range of people. Some may have considered themselves artists, and many probably didn’t. We were just using journals – sometimes written or decorated artistically – in the style of Julia Cameron’s “morning pages.”

For that, this is an important piece of history, representing the cultural trends, informal art, and sentiments of that extraordinary space in time. In a way, it’s a before-and-after look at how we thought and expressed ourselves, before and after 9/11 changed everything.

In my opinion, this is a vital book that belongs in art and history courses. And, for those who love “outsider” art, it’s a peek into those who can’t NOT express themselves visually.

I’m giving this five stars for this “right time, right place” project, and the importance of documentation like this.

If you’d like to own a copy of this book, here’s the link.

(Btw, that’s an Amazon affiliate link.)

Another Journey – Mixed Media Collage

Yesterday, when we arrived home after lots of errands, I felt like I needed to create another art journaling collage in my daily series.

The problem was, I was tired and cranky, and in perfectionist mode as I worked.

I think it turned out pretty well, despite how much I got in my own way.

I knew I wanted something that was a segue connecting to yesterday’s collage, the Journey one. So, I used another 1853 dictionary page.

This one focused on the word “Expedition,” which I’d planned to use – as a bold, text word from a travel brochure – but abandoned that bit of paper part-way through this process.

Nevertheless, that word is the entry below the word “Journey” on the right page of this two-page art journaling collage.

Over that page is the Hogwarts train from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. That’s among our favorite attractions at that park… though we didn’t go there nearly as often as we visited Walt Disney World.

Next to that is a bit of shell – mother-of-pearl – from a recent stroll along nearby Fortunes Rocks Beach, Kennebunkport, Maine. (The Yes!Paste I use as collage glue seemed to hold the shell securely. A little bit goes a very long way.)

The feather on the facing page is also from there, adding creative continuity aligned with the previous art journaling collages in this series.

The stairway is about travel but – more importantly – internal transformation… rising above where we’ve been in the past. And, again, I highlighted that with another “Journey” word at the top of that stairway.

Finally the vintage-looking bits came from a few resources.

The brown, horizontal tape is from a 10-roll washi tape set with vintage themes.
Some of the other sticker elements are from the Emmoolife book of stickers (tricky to peel off, but otherwise wonderful).
And also a weird assortment of Vintage Scrapbook Paper.
Finally, the little map is from a tiny, 366-page book, Draupnir vintage collage ephemera. (It may be the vintage image source that amuses me the most.)

I intend to review all of those resources, separately… as soon as I have time.

I like this collage. It’s about travel – time and space – as well as rising above… finding where our next adventures will take us.

Art Journaling Supplies – What’s on Your Desktop?

When I sit down (or work at my standing desk), I like all of my art journaling supplies tidy and well-organized.

If I have to interrupt my creative flow to search for a particular brush, or paint, or adhesive, or collage element, it can take far too long to get back “in flow.”

Here’s what’s on my desk as I gather inspiration for my next art journaling collage.

Details of Aisling's collage supplies on her workdesk — My art journaling collage supplies, by the numbers.

My art journaling collage supplies (see the numbers in the photo, above)

Here are the art journaling supplies I’m using in late 2022:

1) A container of bits of paper, often leftovers from previous collage art. I’ve saved them because I love the colors or subjects of those images. They’re too wonderful to throw away; I’m likely to use those bits in later collages.

2) Currently, those are pieces of a failed mixed-media painting. I’d created it on canvas. Then, about halfway through the work, I realized I didn’t like it. It was the wrong background and the wrong scale for my torn-paper art.

So, I’d cut up the canvas and now the pieces are sitting in front of me, in case there’s a way to use them – whole or further cut/torn – in a future work.

3) Vintage paper and stickers that look like vintage paper elements. In my current art journal, I’m phasing from art that’s very vintage, to partially vintage, and – eventually – all contemporary elements. That’s to convey a sense of time.

Well, maybe. I’m not sure… yet. This kind of art evolves. When I’m art journaling, I don’t always start with a clear vision of what I’m creating.

4) Sponge brushes for applying adhesive to my collage elements. I look for sponge brushes with a lot of support inside the sponge part. I use those same brushes for painting, too, and I’m scrupulous about washing them to get at least four or five days’ work out of them.

5) A very damp, folded paper towel. Every time I pick up a collage element that has adhesive on it, my fingers get sticky. The damp paper towel makes it easy to keep my fingers clean as I place each element in the artwork. No more unintended sticky spots on my collages!

6) Yes! Paste, which replaced the gel painting medium I used in my art journaling collages in the 1990s and early 2000s. (Thanks to Nancy Hansen Connolly and Milan Merhar for recommending Yes!Paste. It’s pricey, but – in actual use – is worth every cent, and it lasts a long time.)

This paste is easy to work with, rarely causes the paper to buckle, is repositionable, and easy to clean up.

It actually holds somewhat heavy (non-paper) items on my mixed-media works, too. (For example, the feather in my art journaling page of 5 Nov 2022.)

So, yes, I’m sort of a cheerleader for Yes! Paste. It’s made art journaling collages and mixed media art so much easier for me!

7) I’m currently working with a series of 30-page blank journals. They’re designed as travel journals, but – for me – they’re perfect for daily art journaling collages. And, at a price of around US$1.25 per journal, I’m comfortable being impulsive with them; if one turns out badly, it’s not as if I’ve ruined a fancy, leather-bound journal.

8) A Speedball Deluxe Soft Rubber Brayer, used with wax paper, to smooth the elements as I paste them in place. My brayer has a 3.5″ wide roller, and it’s just the right size for my torn-paper collages.

9) Miscellaneous papers:

Torn-paper elements – words and illustrations – selected ahead of time because they sort of “sing” to me. Sometimes I use them. Sometimes I don’t.
Junk mail, to go under the collage elements as I smear Yes! Paste on the back of them with a sponge brush. I keep turning and folding each page of those sale flyers and mailers, to get the most from them before putting them into the recycling bin.
Wax paper, to go on top of the collage element but under the brayer, so the element is smooth on the paper (and well-adhered) without making a mess.
A few extra magazines and tourist brochures/booklets, for images and words to use as I work. (Tip: Tourist booklets often have the best, most upbeat words for this kind of work. I keep a huge bag of them by my desk, and pick up more every time we’re near a tourist visitors’ center.)

So, those are the art journaling supplies that I work with. It’s how I’ve created my collages for over 20 years, and it’s a system that’s worked well for me.

You can see more of my collages from the past year or so, in the Gallery section of this website and at my Eibhlin.com website.

(My real name is Eibhlin, pronounced “Eileen.” I’d adopted the “Aisling D’Art” pen name in the 1990s, when few women were online, and it seemed prudent to protect my privacy. Then, when the Aisling name became associated with the art journaling movement, I kept using it.)

The Journey – Mixed Media Art Journaling Collage

Earlier this week, I decided it’s time to resume daily art journaling. So, I created this collage:

The next day, trying to work on another mixed media collage, I realized that the art/studio side of my home office was a mess.

Okay, maybe not a total mess, but I needed to create order and space to then create my art “in flow.”

That led to rearranging everything in my home office.

Three times. Over two days. I’m not kidding. (It had to be “just so.”)

And now, more daily art journaling collages?

Today, I decided it’s time to resume this project. Get back in the habit of daily art journaling collages.

(Yes, it really is a habit. In some ways, an effortless one, but – right now – it’s essential to carve out time and mental space for it.)

Here’s what resulted. I think it’s a good art journaling example, and expresses where I’m at, right now.

The Journey – An Art Journaling Collage

This started with the word “play.” It’s on the page from an 1853 dictionary, on the right side of this two-page spread.

Note: The dictionary was coverless and in rough shape when I found it at a flea market. Giving that book’s pages fresh life in art seemed right.

Next, I took the word “Plan” and pasted it just above the dictionary entry for “play.”

Meaning: I need to plan to play.

Not “planning” in an excruciating, controlled way, but just create an opening in my daily schedule… for play.

After that, there’s the torn image of a set of chairs at a table. I wanted the image split, like someone had pushed back from the table. Making a different choice.

So, the word “escape” made sense in this collage, as well.

The photo is my own, taken at a pond in Maine. Over it, the feather came from a walk along Fortunes Rocks Beach, near Kennebunkport, Maine.

The finishing elements were the blossom and the word “Journey,” which inspired the title of this art journaling piece.

Art journaling supplies used in this mixed media collage (Links will take you to Amazon.)

One of 21 notebooks in a travel journaling set. I love the size of these, and how well they lend themselves to journaling and collage art.
A page from an 1853 dictionary. There’s something wonderful about old books, whether they’re originals or digital copies.
Bits of paper – photos and words – mostly from travel and tourism brochures & booklets. They’re among my favorite resources for collage art.
A feather found nearby, at Fortunes Rocks Beach (Maine). After using this, I got “pink eye” from rubbing my eye, and learned to sanitize feathers in the future.)
Yes! paste, used in all of my recent collages. It’s now one of my favorite art supplies.