Handmade Backgrounds
A blank page can be intimidating whether in a
journal or a canvas and can often put a stop to your creative flow. There are
many ways in which you can set up your surface to avoid feeling fearful and
jump straight into enjoying your creative process.
I prepare my pages beforehand and the way I do
that is by using up excess paint that I am using in a project on these journal
pages. Over time you build up these
layers without even thinking about it as you are only using up excess
paint. There is no judgement of these
pages as they are just the foundation.
When you are then ready to work on the surface you already have a
stepping stone to work from gorgeous layers of paint or collage, inviting you
to play.
Check out the video of my process for creating backgrounds. If you put 'backgrounds in the search, it will also pull up some of the other videos I have created.
What can you try?
Next time you are working on a piece do not
discard your excess paint, but find another canvas or papers, or art journal
that you can apply the excess to the surface.
If you want to create a background from scratch you can also start by gathering your favorite materials: paints, old papers, tissue, glue, stamps, and stencils. Consider using unusual tools—cardboard, a sponge, or the edge of a credit card. There are no rules here, just layers.
- Begin with paint washes or collage pieces. Let the layers dry between steps so you can keep building. Add text, stamps, or rub-on transfers. Try using a braye in the paint, scratching into wet layers, or applying gesso to tone things down and then reintroducing bold marks.
- There’s something meditative about creating backgrounds. You’re not trying to “finish” a piece—you’re setting a mood. This frees you up to experiment.
- Keep a stack of these pages ready. They’ll become the foundations for journaling, focal images, affirmations, or quotes. Think of them as planted seeds—creative soil waiting to bloom.
- Sometimes, backgrounds become the main event. If you love how a page looks, leave it, you could also photocopy the page for further use.
- Let go of needing each page to become something right away. Let the joy of creating be enough.
Takeaway Nuggets:
- Backgrounds create momentum and break
creative blocks.
- Every layer you add is a whisper of your
voice.
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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey
Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .
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