Tag Archives: Journal

Art Journal Thursday #15

I am happy to announce that my latest Art Journal Thursday post is now up on YouTube!

The supplies I used this week were:

Golden’s Fluid Acrylic Paint: Teal
Delat Ceramcoat Acrylic Craft Paint: Pop Pink, OJ
Decorated deli paper, and cardstock
Golden’s Matte Light Gel Medium
Golden’s Matte Medium Bodied Gel Medium
Palette Knife
Balzer Designs Stencil: Blazonry
M Graham & Co Full Bodied Acrylic Paint: White Titanium
Hero Arts Artsy Circle Border Stamp
3 miscellaneous circle stamps – I don’t know brand or name
Stabilo Black Pencil
Paint Brush
Black Pilot Multiball Pen
Uhu Glue Stick
Dylusions Ink Spray: Calypso Teal

If you watched today’s video, you will already know that I did not have any kind of plan for today’s layout. I just knew that I had three or four colors in mind when I first started and I wanted to just let the page take me where it wanted to go!

I also knew that I had some leftover deli paper and cardstock pages that I had decorated using a Gelli plate that I wanted to see if I could somehow incorporate into today’s spread.

After getting all of my colors on my layout the way that made me happy, I then decided I wanted to use one of my previously unused stencils, to overlay all of the bright color with some white – to help tone it down!

Then I created black marks with my Stabilo pencil, and black doodling pen, and I must admit this page was turning out to be a very happy spread!!

I know that this week’s sentiment is very close to the sentiment from a few weeks ago, but this message just kept popping up in my head over and over, so I just went with it, and put it down! I am so glad that I did! 😉

I am just loving how bright and colorful this spread is!

Yep, it’s official – this spread might be my favorite to date! 😉

What do you think? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this week’s art spread!! 🙂

Also, if you have any ideas, or techniques that you might like to see me try in one of my future layouts, please let me know in the comment section and I will see what I can do to be accommodating! Also, I really do LOVE answering any questions you may have about art journaling, mixed-media, or anything you might have seen me do here! Please feel free to ask questions in the comments, and I will try and get back to you in a timely manner!!

Until next time!

Here is to a BEAUTIFUL Creative life! 😉

If you want a different life, live differently!

Weekly Art Journal Video #3 Posted!

Good morning!

I am happy to announce that my new weekly art journal video has posted! I would love for you to check that out here:

Materials used:

Acrylic paint colors:
- Americana: Carousel Pink (DA274), Turquoise Blue (DA268)
- Folk Art: Wicker White (901)
- Apple Barrel: Canary Yellow (20586)
Black and white papers from Deco Page
2 miscellaneous scrap book papers (unknown source)
Golden’s Matte Medium
Black medium point Sharpie
White Signo pen
Black Stabilo pen
Black Scarlet Lime Pilot pen
#2 pencil
Inexpensive 1 1/2 inch paint brush
1 inch brush
Aleen’s tacky glue
Wood mounted letter rubber stamps
White card stock
Black Archival ink
Punchinella

As usual, I went into this journal spread without any real idea about what it was I was wanting to journal! I did, however, know that I wanted to use the color pink.

After I had gotten a wash of the color pink down, all I could think was “This page is VERY Pepto Bismol”! I knew it was time to pull out some more paint colors to add to the mix! Thankfully, out came my turquoise and Canary Yellow! After those colors were laid down, I was much happier with where this spread was heading!

Every week, I try to change things up just a little by adding a newly discovered technique, or a new product to the spread! This week I had added marks using a black Stabilo pencil! I LOVE this pencil!! I now want to find one in brown!!! It sounds like it writes on all sorts of surfaces, but for my art journaling page, it writes like a charcoal pencil, but add water to it, and it smudges up nice and dark – as you might have noticed in the video. I noticed when I dried it with my heat tool, it did dry a bit more transparent than what I had expected, but overall I still really love this product!

This week, I really wanted to grunge up my spread a little more than normal, giving it more of an antique-ey/aged looked. I did this by adding various marks with Stabilo pencil, black ink with a pen, and a #2 pencil! I really like the way that this turned out and I am thinking that this technique is going to stick around!

I also really like to add highlights using my white Signo pen, especially when you want something to pop off of dark areas of your spread! 🙂

You may already know this, but while I am doing my weekly spreads, I make it a point not to try and stay in quiet so that I can hear what message my soul is trying to tell me, so that I can share it on my journal spread. This week was no different! I also added some of my words of truth throughout my spread in various places using my Scarlet Lime Pilot pen, and then I heard this message loud and clear, and just new that I needed to share this as my main message for this week:

“For an authentic life, remove anything that does not honor you.”

This is a thought that I have been trying to consciously implement in my life over the past 6 months!

As you may have noticed, I LOVE adding words to my spreads using rubber stamps, Archival ink and card stock, which are actually recycled business cards – I bet you didn’t know that!! 🙂 Anyway, this week I wanted to change that up by adding some of my own handwriting! I don’t normally like my handwriting, but I thought I would ’embrace the messy’ and just go for it!! I like the way that it turned out!

This week’s art journal spread is my favorite so far! I am really loving this weekly challenge that I have placed on myself, and cannot wait to see how my technique evolves over the next few weeks!! If you would like to follow along, please subscribe to this blog, and my YouTube channel!

I would also LOVE to hear anythings thoughts, comments, or questions you may have!! Maybe we can learn more together!! 🙂

Here is to a FABULOUS day!! 🙂

~Chrissie 😉

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!

Weekly Art Journal Page Video Series!

Good afternoon!

I have been “retired” since the 4th of July of this year. These past 3 1/2 months have practically flown by.

I have been spending my time taking care of myself, catching up on some much needed sleep, getting back in touch with friends that I hadn’t had time to spend time with before, watching copious amounts of artist’s videos on YouTube, arting with friends in town, and playing up in my art studio. Yes, I know I am a very VERY lucky girl!!!

Those of you who have been reading my blog might know that I really love arting, but in the past 3 /2 months I have discovered that all things mixed media and art journaling have become quite essential to my sense of happiness. That really shouldn’t be surprising to me, but it really has been! Because of my newfound love affair, (hee! hee!) I have been trying all sorts of new products, mixed media techniques, and all sorts of new art ideas and projects to help me explore this new creative outlet!

Although I wouldn’t change a thing about the past 3 1/2 months, I think that it is time that I stop frittering away my time, and put all of this arty goodness to use, at least in some small way! So, as my first act of artsy bravery, I have decided to start sharing my artwork with the world…er…well, at least anyone in the world who might be interesting in seeing it! 🙂 To do this, I thought it would be fun to start my very own YouTube channel!!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm4Of6Y-cX-foVyd-upZKbQ

I am so excited to also announce that I have started a weekly Art Journal Page video series, and I am very happy to share that I have already uploaded my first two videos! Last week’s video took such a long learning curve, that I couldn’t seem to muster the strength to have a blog post accompany that video, however I will get it together enough to post today’s video details now! and, I will work on getting last week’s video info up tomorrow!

Here is this week’s Art Journal Video info!

I went into this spread with no idea on what was going to come out on the pages. I just picked a few colors I thought might look good together and went for it! The background stamp that I chose is one of my favorite stamps! I find that I use it often in my journaling projects!

I also thought some drips would be nice, I have seen a lot of my favorite artists do this and thought it would be easy to do, which I am sure it really should have been, but as you might’ve seen…it was a little trickier, and messier than I had expected!! At least I didn’t get any of the red paint on my beige carpet!! WHEW!!! Can I also mention how much I love my new fineline bottles??? I just love how easy they are to use. I have one bottle for my white paint, and one for black! I highly recommend them!

The green that I added to this page was purely a gut reaction to wanting to go in the absolute opposite direction from where the page had gone at the get go. After putting the red drips down the page, it just looked like the scene of a bloody massacre!! LOL! I think the green turned out rather well, and felt the need to make sure to spread the green all throughout the design.

By the time that this spread was completed, I was a very happy girl!!

Not only because I was able to salvage this design and turn it into something that looks like I had planned it that way on purpose, but because I got some much needed guidance on some questions that I had been mulling over.

While I am arting, I do so in silence. I do that so I can hear my soul tell me what I need to hear, or teach my what I need to be taught. This page caused me to reflect on how amazing this past 3 1/2 months has been. It has been amazing, but it has also been a dream that is not maintainable…at least not yet. Even though my sweetie has given me a free and clear to continue on like this for as long as I want, I want more. I want to be earning my keep, making a living.

Living a life that is bigger than just me.

I really don’t know what all of that will look like, but I know right now, this first step of sharing my art with you is my first start! I keep hearing, “You don’t have to see all of the steps in the staircase, just see the first step, and all subsequent steps will appear at the exact right time!” That is what this is. My first step!! I can’t wait to see how my staircase unfolds!! 🙂

As for my YouTube channel and videos, I would LOVE it if you would watch, thumbs up, subscribe, and share any comments or feedback you might have! That would be EXCELLENT!!

So here is to putting on my big girl panties and taking that first step!! 🙂

~Chrissie B.

If you want to have a different life, live differently!

Tutorial Tuesday: Convert a Book Into an Art Journal

Good evening!

Welcome to my very first ever tutorial Tuesday!!

YEAH!! WHOO!! HOOOO!!!! APPLAUSE!!!! 😉

If you saw yesterday’s post, you would have seen that I am in the habit of writing Morning Pages every morning. I do those Morning Pages in a leather bound book, that has grid-lined paper inside of it. I like the fact that it is not just regular boring lines, in case I want to doodle or draw in my journal, I feel like the grid-lines support me in thinking outside of the box.

However, I am also a big fan of art journals, and today I want to show you how to convert any regular book into an easy and inexpensive art journal of your very own.

What you will need:

A book – I have found that hard covers hold up the best

Paper tape – this could be any kind, but what I enjoy using is the paper tape that you find in the first aid section of most any pharmacy

Paper tape found in first aid section of pharmacy

Scissors (optional)
White gesso

A wide paint brush to use with the gesso

To convert your book into an art journal:

The first thing you will have to do is to create room in your art journal so that all of the fun elements that you might want to use to decorate your art pages, such as decorative papers, buttons, beads, lace, fabric, broken jewelry, pictures, etc, have space to go.

To do this, count the first three pages of the book, then count the next three pages of the book. Tear out the second set of 3 pages. Otherwise leave in pages 1, 2, and 3, and carefully tear out pages 4, 5, and 6. You will want to tear the pages out as closely, and as carefully to the spine as you can get, but remember perfection is not necessary.

Count three pages, to skip.

Tear out the next 3 pages.

You will keep repeating this step over and over again until every other set of three pages have been removed.

Once you have torn out every other set of three pages, you will then want to reinforce the remaining sets of 3 pages that you have left.

To do this, you will go back to the beginning of your book, and gather the first set of three pages. Using your paper tape, you will want to either tear, or cut a piece of tape that measures the width of your page.

Once you have the correct length of tape, carefully lay it across the bottom edge of the book, with half the tape hanging off of the edge

Cover bottom of page, with tape letting 1/2 of the tape hang over the edge

Cover bottom edge of page, with tape letting 1/2 of the tape hang over the edge

Once that has been smoothed into place, turn your set of three pages (treating as if they are now one page, because they essentially will be), and then fold the overhang of tape up and over the back side of your new page.

Turn 3-page set, and fold up the remaining tape to create one new page out of your original three pages.

Do this to all three sides of your new page: bottom, top, and side.

Do this to the bottom edge, the top edge, and the side edge of your new page.

Each set of three individual pages will now become one thick page per taped bundle. This reinforces your pages, and makes them sturdier for any kind of media or technique that you might want to use to decorate your journal pages with.

Repeat these taping steps for all of your sets of three pages.

Once you have your pages reinforced, you are now ready to prep your pages for arting on! WHEW!!! 😉

To do this, you will want to use your paint brush and apply a thin layer or two over each page of your new art journal.

Apply a thin coat or two of gesso to each page and let thoroughly dry, so your pages don’t stick together. As you can see I don’t mind some words showing through.

If you are impatient like me, you may want to use a hair dryer, or a embossing heat gun to speed up the drying process. Please note, if you do use an embossing heat gun to dry your pages (like I do) make sure not to leave the gun pointing at one spot for too long, you do not want to accidentally burn your gesso. Not fun, and kinda smelly!!

Once your pages are gesso’ed you are ready to get arting and customizing your new art journal in any way you would like!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments section of this post! I am always happy to help!

Keep an eye out for more tutorials in the future, including many ideas and techniques on how you can decorate your new art journal! I can’t wait!

If you haven’t already, please follow This Artsy Life by hitting the “Subscribe” button on the right. I would really appreciate it!

Here is to a FABULOUS evening creating!! 😉

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Beautiful Creatives

Empowering your juicy life!