Go Ahead - "Scrapbook" Your Art Journal!
An art journal is simply a journal, or diary, that is illustrated by its artist. While art journals have been around for centuries, they have recently enjoyed a revival and are gaining popularity every day. Previously kept mainly by professional artists, who often used art journals to jot down ideas for future work, in addition to random sketches of things that would strike their fancy and poems or quotes that popped into their heads, today art journals are an enjoyable "art-for-art's-sake" release for anyone who desires to create and to express themselves. Perhaps it's something that you have wanted to try, but have been intimidated by all the magazines and books that imply that you must master all sorts of fancy mixed media techniques in order to be successful in art journaling. Nonsense! If you can scrapbook, you can journal in a creative, artistic way.
Here's an Art Journal that I started this past January to celebrate the birth of the New Year:
I used a simple moleskin-type blank book that I covered with a pretty paisley adhesive-backed cloth. I chose a notebook that was a comfortable size and had a sturdy cover as well as strong pages. Painters who keep art journals often strengthen the pages of their notebooks by brushing them with Gesso (allowing it to dry) before they paint over them. I'm always intrigued by learning the techniques of other artists, especially those who work in different mediums than I do, but as a scrapbook and papercrafts designer, my love affair is more with paper than it is with paint at the moment. And although I do paint in my art journal from time-to-time, my real passion is released when I take out my beautiful paper collection and my scrapbooking supplies. Here's the first page:
That's me of course, with the silly New Year's hat, and in this entry, I surrounded the image of myself with all the intentions I had for 2010.
I usually use inexpensive all-purpose paper to print out the photos that I intend to place in my art journal, because the intent is more for self-expression than preserving memories. The light weight paper melds into the rest of the collage and receives ink better than glossy paper would.
As you can see, I collected a variety of elements that inspired me at the moment and suited my mood. There were clear ideas that I wanted to express and the challenge was to find as many stickers and images as I could in a few quick inspirational minutes to allow me maximum joy of expression. (It's sort of a treasure hunt with intention among one's stash.) Then I just let loose with scissors, markers, glue, and imagination.
The journaling itself seems to come as naturally as the artwork. Once the images are applied, it is really fun to write all around them and through them and over them, as my fancy dictates. There is an instant release of pure joy upon the completion of a page. Just stop when you are satisfied with your work or when you are satisfied with the emotional release you feel.
This is the right side of a double-page spread that I did to express my intention to create something every day in the new year:
I especially love writing with metallic pens in my art journal. Somehow using inks that are not commonly used for other projects makes writing in my art journal even more fun and special. So I do recommend acquiring as many different thicknesses and colors and varieties of pens and markers that your pocketbook or storage area allows.
On this page I used pieces of an old wallpaper border and glued them on to my notebook paper then let loose with the embellishments and the journaling. Perhaps what I love the best about illustrating my art journal with "scrapbook" paper rather than paint, is that there is no annoying drying time to deal with.
I find that journaling is most satisfying when it flows in a stream of consciousness, without too much planning or forethought. Unlike journaling in a scrapbook, when placing an entry in an art journal, the author is writing for herself, and not for future generations. Generally, art journals are meant more to be enjoyed in the moment and not necessarily ever read by anyone besides the person who wrote it. So there is no pressure to be eloquent or clever or to punctuate properly. The entries are made for the individual's pleasure and satisfaction -not for that of others. -So there is an absence of the need to please and an abundance of freedom of expression.
Here's an entry that I made by pre-painting the background paper -something I usually don't have the patience for.
I was a little anxious when I wrote this. There was a lot going on in my life and it was a particularly busy day as I was getting ready to celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings in early January by throwing a couple of great dinner parties on the same weekend. I just quick-scribbled all my frustrations and concerns all over the page and then covered over my ramblings with my photo and other images. I think the technical term for this is "layering", but for me it seems to happen when the writing is a form of purging, as it often is in an art journal, and falls into the background of the artwork. I also like the way some of the words show through the skin of the image.
Sometimes when I am desperate to express myself, but the entry is personal to the point that I really don't want anyone else to read it, I either cover over my words, or better yet, I write my entry in Hungarian and then cover over it. There are times I enclose parts of my entry in an envelope that I glue into my art journal (sealed or unsealed as I see fit) using a similar technique to the "secret journaling" we practice in scrapbooking.
Some artists use water-soluble ink when they are in one of these angst-ridden moods and then brush or spray over the words with water to smear the words and make them illegible intentionally. (The point was to write it down, not to have the ability to read it later).
Perhaps my favorite entry of this art journal is this double-page spread entitled "This is my Tribe". I was expressing a sense of belonging and celebrating the glory of girlfriends. I used several scrapbooking techniques and embellishments and was inspired by the blueish tone of the photos that were the result of my printer's color cartridge running low on ink.
I hope that I have been an inspiration to someone out there....
Dare to "scrapbook" your art journal if it suits you. There is no mystery behind art journaling, and for heaven's sake, THERE ARE NO RULES!
Express yourself in the way that it feels best to you, not by following some imagined dogma. An art journal is meant to delight its creator and no one else. Do it for yourself.
Something else you can do for yourself: Have a cup of Yogi Stomach Ease Tea after dinner. It is delicious and aids digestion.
HOT YOGI STOMACH EASE TEA: Bring fresh cold water to a boil in a tea kettle and pour over tea bag. Allow to sit for 10 minutes (I cover my cup to maintain temperature) and savor!
