31 Days of Art Journals - Introduction

What to expect

Thought I would give you an idea of what you can expect over the next 31 days

• Insight into how each 31 journals were made
• Video flip through of pages on Youtube and
• Weekend roundup and tips
• Video of an art journal process ie 'backgrounds'

I love working in my art journals and over the years I have made quite a few over the years, I didn't like them all.  There is nothing quite like creating one of your own from start to finish, obviously you can go and purchase one, but once you start making your own there is no limit to what you can create. I thought I would share my love of art journals that I have created.  

For the next 31 days in October I will be sharing with you some of the art journals that I enjoyed working in, and still use.

Art Journaling is part of life

They come in all shapes and sizes, and have been used in a variety of ways, some are handmade, fabric, recycled, and shop brought.  I have much more than 31 so you are getting a taster.  Over the years I have found it a great way to get ideas down, express visually when you can't find the words and see how much you have grown in your creative walk.

Start somewhere

There is no right or wrong when you are making your art journal, once you learn the techniques you can take it where you want and have some great adventures.  There are revelations and gems dwelling within the pages.  

Art Journals fighting for their space

I will also be giving you a simple video flip through so that you can get a closer look at each one, the pages are a delight, and I love the texture that you can create with each one, mini works of art and  a masterpiece in its own right.

Art Journals come in all shapes and sizes

I will also be showing you the inspiration for some of the pages in the journals.  I really do encourage you to take the time to either make or use recycled materials to make your art journal, and then add to it using different textures to create a look that speaks to you.

Handmade Journals bring intense joy

So why not join me tomorrow and see what I have to share with you over the next 31 days of Art Journals.

Last but not least, I would love to have you join me for the online class in November that I will be teaching on called Hacking the Colour Wheel - Art Journaling for Creative Rebels.  I have one spot to give away on the course and you will have access to a range of wonderful lessons to inspire and motivate you.  You will also be learning a book binding technique to create your own art journal

31 Days of Art Journals - sneak peak....

I thought I would give you a sneak peak to 31 Days of Art Journals.  I will be sharing with you some of the Journals that I have made and give you a look through them, to inspire and encourage you to spend time making, playing and bringing life to your own.

From the 1st October to the 31 I would love to have you on this journey with me,  and I hope that it inspires you to look at different materials in a unique way and see how you can incorporate them in your creative journey.

Journals come in all shapes and sizes

The journals that will be sharing come in all shapes and sizes.  

I will also share some video hints and tips about working in your journal and will give you some ideas to play with in each journal that I share with you.

Come back on Sunday 1st October to see the very first journal I will share with you and stick around for the rest of the month to see the variety and get a closer look at some of the journals.

Leather beaded journal

One BADASS Journal Workshop - Week 3 - Explore, Dream, Discover

Week 3 of the One BADASS Art Journal workshop was called Explore, Dream, Discover with teacher Tracy Scott.  You can still sign up to this workshop as you get lifetime access.  Why not check out some of the other class bundles that is on offer.  You can check them out HERE 

For this painting I worked on black card and started out creating the flowers on the page.  I love creating faces with a story and so this character came through to tell hers.

I called the page Escaping to the gardens of the mind.  Working in an art journal can be very therapeutic and I find that the pages that I create usually have some bearing on either something I am working through or needing to put to rest.

An art journal can express many different sides to you, and those who have visited my blog from the 1st April to the 30  of April will see some of the different types of art journals that I have created in the blog series 30 Days of Journals that I am doing as part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

When you want to escape to a place that is nurturing you don't always have to go far, turn to your journal.  Sometimes I can be sitting for hours working on different pages in my journal, playing with color and different textures and expressing those things that I cannot yet put into words.

As I mentioned in last weeks post either side of the main page I will be painting corresponding images that pick up elements or sentiments of the main journal page.

Remember that the journal that you create or alter is entirely for your use, you decide how you want to use it and what you want to have in it, so dive in and have some fun.

I will be posting another page from my BADASS Art Journal next week Friday, but you will also see my A-Z challenge that is also being done in April, going to be quite a busy month, so do stop by, there will be something practically every day.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Toilet Roll Journal 2 - 31 Creative things to do with Recycled materials

So you got some more toilet rolls hanging around, lets see what else you can do with them.....simple...create another journal, a bigger one this time!

Toilet Roll Journal 2

Recycled Journal

In 31 Creative things to do with Recycled materials I have been showing you different things that I have made that you can try for yourself or a project with children, as a gift, that can impact where you live, your environment and more - you know it!

This journal came about in a very similar way to the Journal I showed you yesterday and you can see just how I put it together HERE.

On the front of the journal you can see that I used Quinoa to decorate the front, again using something that you may have in your home supplies that you might ordinarily throw away. Think about the different things that you have that can create texture or add something different to your project.

Front Detail - Toilet roll journal

back detail - Toilet Roll Journal

These pages were constructed differently to yesterdays one and I made it slightly bigger, and enabling me to increase the size of the tags that I made.  If you want to see how this one was made you can check out the post HERE

I think that these journals are so cute, remember if you are using foodstuffs to varnish it and seal it in well.  If you can come up with alternative uses why not leave a comment, let me know how you get on.

I will doing an ‘All About Journals’ Challenge on my YouTube channel where I show you how you can make your own journals from recycled materials such as catalogs - you can see what I did with a John Lewis Catalog, old books, and more – whether you are re-purposing, reusing or altering, you can make something that is unique to you. Sign up to my mailing list HERE and you will be notified when the videos go live.

Art Journal - 31 Things to Create with Recycled Materials -

John Lewis Journal

I picked up a while ago a John Lewis catalog after a visit to the store with my sister. I had also joined their loyalty program and received my complimentary tea and cake voucher, which they send out I think 4 times a year – which was yummy by the way (everything in moderation)!

Recycling can come in all shapes and forms and as you would have seen over the last few weeks if you can think of a creative problem or something you need to make you can probably use a majority of the things you have around you.

After looking through the catalog it sat around my house for over a week. I thought of some of the things that I could do with it and making a journal was what I really wanted to do, but I wanted the kind that you could use the background images as a place to start, and you could also completely go over the page with gesso and create your own image. 

John Lewis Journal - Recycled creatively

What I liked about the pages was the feel and the thickness, it holds gesso well, and it had some interesting images, and this allowed you to add to the image using art supplies. 

Page to add gesso to

So where you say have an image of a bed,

Were you allowed to jump on your parents bed?

I added to it and drew in children jumping on the bed, something we were never allowed to do as kids.  With each stage a part of the process you can enjoy the separate parts or the whole.  An enjoyable exercise was to block out some of the picture for the next stage, adding gesso and a bit of colour and then adding a figure

Here are some other ways in which I altered the pages, I enjoyed placing the characters within the picture and thinking about what their story was.

Some stories tell of hope and looking to the future.....

thinking about the past, and being present.......

So now I have a set of great pages at different stages that I can use when I have time to spend finishing off a piece

Why don't you check out your local store and their catalogs, you might find one that you will be able to use as your own journal. Here is my original post that will give you a closer look at some of the pages.

The Journey Within - Online Class In Full swing

The Journey Within - Click to Register and more info

Well the Journey Within 2016 is in full swing and we are coming to the end of the first month.  We are having a lot of fun, insight and much needed time in our journals.  It is great to be able to share with each other in the journey, and the journey has kicked off well with Vivienne McMaster, Kelly Johnson and Tiare Smith, along with some great journal hints and tips from Kiala our host.

You can join us for the year long journey or the class is also split up into quarters and the first quarter is from January to March - so you still have time to sign up if you want to get on board for either the year long or the first quarter.  There is no falling behind as you can take your time to work through the videos and dip your toes in and really make this journey count for you.  

You will be able to view my lesson in February and I can't wait to share some techniques with you, here is a sneak peek:

Sneak peek of my lesson for The Journey Within 2016

It was great hearing the interview with Vivienne and some of the classes that she teaches and the way that we see ourselves and the stories that form - especially through the camera, and I would like to spend more time for a while seeing myself from a different perspective, through the lens and document the journey.  

Kelly Johnson and Tiare Smiths had us working in our Art Journals, exploring and discovering.  Our session with Kelly we were encouraged to explore seeds.  I have moved recently and have been keen to start growing and planting, so this was an ideal exercise.  I am coming across a variety of seeds from unfamiliar fruit and finding out the different conditions that would make the seed grow and it has been a really good experience.  Just taking a closer look at the seeds their colours and shapes got me really thinking about the particular plants and where I would want to place them when they start to grow.

All these seeds I have potted up and waiting for them to grow.  I have had success with the Moringa and the squash which have sprouted up almost immediately.

The Palm seed above also sprouted and I have the makings of a small plant so far.  The others will probably take a few more days to germinate.  I really loved this way of documenting the seeds that I have found and all in all, I am quite pleased with the page and will share more of what I have been growing during the week.

For Tiare's class we were encouraged to play and create what she calls splatter, splotch and splash art. 

It is such a freeing exercise and I plan to do more.  You are playing with the paints, on the page and allowing the colours to take shape, loved it

 

I must say that the Journey Within online course is something that your going to want to take part in.  Already there is so many juicy techniques in the classes and so much more to come. Why not join us on this journey and you can be sure that by the end of the year you will have so many areas of your life impacted by taking part.  

To find out more information, click on the link above and join us for a journey of a lifetime!

The Journey Within: A Year of Handmade Art Journals

I am extremely excited to be a guest teacher in The Journey Within: A Year of Handmade Art Journals with book maker, Kiala Givehand and 17 other artists.  The class starts on January 1st 2016 and goes on for the entire year

Each month, Kiala will teach you how to make your own handmade art journal, give you prompts, tips and techniques for filling the pages and bring in guest artists to share their take on the themes and prompts and to share their art journaling process.

To kick off this amazing course, Kiala has created a book for December and asked each guest artist to give her a challenge to complete during the month  Today is my challenge. Here is what I asked Kiala to do:

Create a Journal page using your non dominant hand, so any mark making, imagery, shapes etc will be done with your least used hand

I recommend you try the challenge I gave Kiala, - I will be, If you decide to play along, let me know by checking me out on Instagram (@realityarts) and tag me. Use the hashtag #journeywithin2016 so we can all see your lovely work.

Here is the Blog Hop list - make sure you check out each artist on the blog hop.

December 1 — Mimi Bondi — MimiBondi.com
December 2 — Cindy Gilstrap — Junque Art Studios 
December 4 — Tiare Smith — TiareSmith.com
December 7 — Julie Baker — Creatively Onward
 December 8 — Amanda Trought — Reality Arts  - This is me 
December 9 — Andrea Gomoll — Cre8tive Cre8tions
December 10 — Nicole Piar — GhostKitten.com
December 11 — Lisa DeYoung — Mountain Mermaid Studios
December 15 — Kelly Johnson — Wings, Worms, and Wonder
December 17 — Sadelle Wiltshire — Tangle Vermont
December 18 — Barb Owen — HowToGetCreative.com
December 21 — Hali Karla — HaliKarla.com
December 22 — Yuko Miki — Honeyberry Studios
December 28 — Virginia Simpson-Magruder — Kentucky Girl Designs
December 30 — iHanna — iHanna.nu

What about you?  Are you ready to take the challenge?  Join us for this amazing adventure and have your most creative year yet. 

 REGISTER HERE to learn more and sign up for the class.

Dream, Create, Enjoy - Art Journal Video process

I created this page a while back for my Gratitude's and Celebration Journal, and thought I would share the video of how it came together.  The great thing about working in journals is that you can come back to a page if you wish and see it change and take on a new direction.  Much like life we have to be flexible and sometimes make changes to a plan that seems immovable.  But you never know when making changes or taking a new route will unfold something really great that you never thought possible.

With the pages in this journal the majority of them have some mark on them, where I have cleaned a brush off that had excess paint, or I just wanted to make some marks and spend a quick creative 5 minutes.

Don't be afraid to let your journals work how you want them to work and in the process much will be revealed and you will have much fun.  Hope you enjoy the video.

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 55 - Appreciation

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

This year saw me celebrate my birthday, it was a big one, and I felt a bit off.  I wasn't sure if it was the prospect of belonging to a different club, or thinking back over my life - warts and all and either being satisfied or totally dis-satisfied.  To be frank, I didn't know how I was supposed to feel.

At the end of the day, the age is just a number. What is more important is how you live your life, your contributions to the society that you live and the type of relationships that you nurture and that nurture you.

I embrace and appreciate that another year is apon us and as I reflect over the years past I want to be able to draw out the positive encounters, the moments that made me smile, looking at opportunities to see the gifts in the sad times, making the most of the years to come.

I am grateful and celebrate another year in love, peace and grace.

I look forward to the journey and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Gratitudes and Celebration - Week 40 - Triumphs and Trials

Trials will come, but then so will triumphs...

Life has its ups and downs, we have problems they are fixed or sometimes not, we ask for help, we find a way, solutions present themselves and sometimes we experience the grief of loss.

After losing my brother to cancer last year and my best friend to a brain tumor three years ago, while continuing to look after my mother with dementia I sometimes felt numb.   I still do feel numb at times, on automatic pilot, not wanting to believe that they are gone.  With the mother I thought was invincible and who seems to be disappearing before me I find that I busy myself in practical activities that ensures her health and well-being are taken care of.  

I am still going through what seems like a trial I never thought I would have to face, I have to learn to navigate the territory that comes with grief and sadness and at unexpected times my thoughts are consumed with the loss and the continued loss that dementia brings. But laughter exists, mums playful spirit prevails and in the midst of it she can bring joy to the situation.

As I deal with each day at a time I find comfort in being grateful for the small things that can bring a smile, as do reminiscing and sharing childhood antics.  I celebrate the gift of healing of what can seem like a broken heart that will come with time. 

What small thing can you find to be grateful for in the midst of whatever situation you are in right now? 

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

Have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Realityarts - Video of selection of Mixed Media Art work

Click on the image or click HERE to be taken to the video of some of my work, hope you enjoy, blessings for the weekend.

Gratitudes - Living your Life

It has been 2 weeks since my brothers home coming service, it was lovely to see so many people come out and show their love and respect for Robert.  We gave him a really good send off and everyone wore a touch of red which was one of his favourite colours.  It still feels unreal and I think about him non stop and it still feels like he is just a phone call away.  How precious his life was, and he leaves a legacy in his children and family, his love, warmth, passion, determination, peace and strength. 

I have been thinking about my own life, my journey, dreams and desires.  There are many things that I want to accomplish, I have still much growing to do in my walk as an artist - we all still have something to learn or a new technique to try.  I am reminded that I need to step out and ask myself 'what if anything were possible what would you do next, and then what?'  I have been working in the background trying to make sense of things and find my creative spark again.  When I feel sorry for myself I hear the many conversations I had with my brother and he would tell me to 'just go for it!

Well, that's just what I am going to do.  I want to share what I have been doing, in my art, do some videos of some of the processes, give myself some more challenges, write poetry, stories, photography, illustration, and just soar.  As I have said many times, we only have this one life to life, and we may as well live it to our best.  I will also be sharing what inspires me, and the work of other creatives, here on this blog, and on my wordpress writers blog.

Out of our pain and loss we have gained new insight into the life of those we love, those we have love and lost and the very meaning and purpose of our own existence.  It won't be easy and there might be some days where we feel like curling up and crying our eyes out, that's OK, its all part of our life that we acknowledge.  We don't have all the answers, but maybe I have a few that might be useful for someone else.   I refuse to hide and pretend that everything is OK or to brush anything under the carpet - that is not being real, I am greatful for each and everyday I get another chance to make a difference.  You will feel my story through my creativity and words, as I share we will go on a journey of uncovering together, sometimes you will get it, sometimes it could take a while or not at all, we all have our own 'stuff' to deal with.  What is most important though is that you show up ready to 'step out', accept the challenge, grow, laugh some days, cry if you want to, be inspired and be real to yourself.  What are you planning to do with your tomorrow?

Gratitudes - Art Journals

Art Journals - my visual adventure.  I try out new techniques, play, gain understanding, support and encourage myself to be the creative person I feel I have been called to be.  I am grateful that my art journal doesn't judge or remind me of my areas of immaturity but encourages me to be my true self and enjoy the journey!  What are you grateful for today?

Art and Healing Journal

Since reading Art Journal and Creative Healing I’ve been doing my own healing journal.  Many have seen the benefits of using art as a means of healing and you can allow the journal to carry all your private thoughts that can be worked though.  In Creative Interventions I share taking part in Art therapy sessions and dealing with my role as a carer.  

I always find that working in a journal allows your work to be transportable and flexible.  I used a fabric cover made from recycled clothing.  The interior pages were made with lining paper which comes in a roll for decorating and is really cost effective.. 

I have decorated the front page further with modelling paste both inside and out, and sewing a trim along the edges.  It is a work in progress and each change is part of the healing process.  I decided it would be a place where I would write down raw emotions, beliefs, and thoughts using the art as a way of addressing experiences that I might not have dealt with in any of my other journals.  Anyway, it’s another tool that we can allow ourselves the space to be expressive. 

Beliefs

Secrets page addresses secrets of the past and how they always find their way of coming to the surface.  We can often try and hid things from ourselves only to wonder why we respond in a particular way to something that might have been said.

Secrets have a way of coming out......

On this page I allowed myself to be totally honest about an event from the past and wrote it all down, how I felt, what I said and then once it was out, faced it and decided to move on.  I then painted over the words allowing some to show through, forgiving myself in the process and acknowledging that I am a different person now.  Sometimes we can let go of past things, yet still carry them around as baggage.  The worlds say ‘you did the best you could’ which is true for a lot of us as we try to move on and then beat ourselves up over our shortcomings that we perceive to being bigger than they are and let them rule our lives.

Value and self esteem

Self esteem/value page is about listening to the negative things that other people say which in turn lowers your self esteem, and what is most important is that you value yourself and show others that you do.

Using your time wisely...

I enjoyed creating and using this journal which has loads of pages to play in.  It is also a reminder to treat myself with compassion knowing that there aren’t any perfect people in this world,  we are all just trying to get on, live and be a blessing.  If inspired why not give it a go and check out Art journals and creative healing while you’re at it!

Join me every day this month for the   Ultimate blog challenge