Work in Layers in Your Art Journal

Beloved Wonderful, Creative Yous:

Ane of the problems I hear almost often from art journaling students is that they take no idea what to do with their backgrounds. My solution to this problem has always been to make certain periodical pages don't experience too "precious," equally this creates force per unit area and invites the inner critic to berate you, tell you to get to work, fold the laundry, or end "wasting" time and money on fine art and creative self-care. To open up up your fine art journaling practice, why not approach it as a process-oriented practice? Work in layers in your art journal.

Most of the time, I don't try to force, control, or program my periodical pages. Whatever happens with those first marks becomes layer ane. Layer 1 might hang around for an hour, a day, or a year before I render to it. In that location's no guilt, this is an art journal afterward all, not a painting for the National Gallery of Art. I think we sometimes need a reminder to let our art be a reflection of ourselves: a messy, imperfect piece of work in progress. There'due south beauty in imperfection.

Have a look at the journal page below. Information technology's the same page that I used to create the title epitome for this post. This is not a page I would call pretty, and I don't know if it ever volition be, but I'm working through some messy emotions on it, and if I become that out, the page is a success. It will go through more layers and transformations, and I have no thought how it will expect in the end. I'll take other pages for something pretty. This one has purpose.

[bctt tweet="Emotions are messy and imperfect – your art journal can exist also. #artjournals" username="amymaricle"]

Why Create in Layers?

I would invite you lot to outset thinking about your art journal as an evolving process rather than a series of planned, perfected pieces of art. Aren't we doing art journaling considering it'southward fun? Aren't nosotros creating considering information technology'southward a nifty outlet for our feelings? While you might not like every single piece when y'all work in layers in your art periodical, it's more expressive, more fun, and I'm guessing you'll gain more skill, because you open up to take more chances artistically as you let become of perfectionism.

Making Layers on Your Fine art Journal Pages

You tin combine these techniques in whatever order: Offset with text, and so draw a design, and and then add a layer of paint. Experiment wildly. Shut your eyes and point to the list three times to randomly choose techniques and the social club in which to exercise them.  Remember, this is for you lot, and so have fun with it. Effort a combination of these techniques on the aforementioned page, not necessarily all in one 24-hour interval:

• Tissue paper bleeds are a super playful way to create the first layer of a journal folio. Learn how to do tissue newspaper bleeds here.

• A "messy background" is one of my favorite page starters.

• Finger paint like a badass three-year former!

• Make your own manus-cutting postage and cover your page with it. I'll show you how in this video tutorial.

• A uncomplicated hand-drawn blueprint  such as  straight-ish lines  or the shell pattern you meet in this periodical flip through video are fun for layering.

• Writing nearly your feelings is a natural way to utilize a journal page.  You can run into my fine art journaling process in this piddling video. I'm working with writing, drawing, and layering pigment. This folio stayed the way you see it in the stop of the video for a month or ii, and so it all of a sudden it seemed undone to me, and I transformed into the page below.  If you look closely, you can meet the text under the thin layer of high period paint and Neocolor crayon on the right-hand side. Work in layers in your art periodical and I believe you'll detect so much more than.

If you'd like some more guidance on how to take an intuitive approach to art journaling, check out Art Journaling 101. It's swell for beginners, or artists who want to get back to nuts and re-learn to create in a free, not-judgmental way. If you find that your inner critic is preventing you from really creating in your art journal, you might attempt the guided exercises in Freeing the Muse to aid the inner critic take a back seat so yous tin can fire up your journaling practice. And if you want to make a Fluid Fine art practice that weaves tiny fluid fine art paintings and patterns easily into your life, check out my class, Fluid Art.

Tips for Working in Layers

• Create many pages in ane sitting.
• Open to a random folio in your journal, don't work front end to back.
• Don't plan.
• Let your art journal pages be abstract.
• Let pages evolve over time naturally.
• Mix and match writing, painting, doodling, and stamping freely.
• Make space for experimentation and less of a "right or incorrect" arroyo, this helps the inner critic calm down and let you work!

[bctt tweet="Art is a reflection of the states: a messy, imperfect piece of work in progress. #artjournaling" username="amymaricle"]

I hope you love to work in layers in your art periodical as much as I do! If you haven't already, sign up for the Mindful Art Studio community mailing list for more tips and inspiration, and you'll also receive the Free Guide to Creative Self-Care.

Creatively Yours,

Amy

P.S. If you loved this mail service, please pass it on to someone who would as well love it! Thank you!

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