Art Journal Every Day - Week 4 Check In

I went over to Balzer Designs today and found a great post about how to work through the week and do some Art journaling each day. Even though this is only for me and I am only really accountable to myself, I was relieved to see that prepping pages, cutting out images, etc. were considered part of the making of the art journal. I sort of thought I was cheating myself by considering those as part of my practice.

I spent some time actually making pages and I also signed up for the month of February for Art Journaling Every Day.

It's funny but the more I play around with images and do work in these journals, the more I want to do it. I think it is a great way to be in the moment - you can't really be thinking about other stuff while you are doing it. I'm just looking for the right colors and how I like the images and the materials. I sometimes put some music on, but it is really background noise that I'm not paying much attention to as I work.

I'm posting the pictures here, but I will be posting them on the Art Journal page (see the tab at the top of the blog under the banner).  I'm not 100% happy - one of them didn't turn out the way I wanted, but I think I will mess more with it and do some pen work or something. I'm not sure.  Right now, I'm just working with templates from one of the online classes I took. I'm trying not to worry about the end result as much as the process and using the templates.

I think that these seem unfinished. I guess because I started out with Teesha Moore's style, I feel like I should be messing with the pictures more - adding more doodling and art and penwork and changing the images. I think for a journal, it is okay not to change the images, but it is what I'm used to doing, so it feels like I forgot to do something. I tried to combine methods for a little while, but it was too complicated for someone like me who is working as a novice on all of this. I figure I would try a couple of different things, but keep the styles pure until I get the hang of it.

I also don't have a variety of materials - I think I need some more tapes and things that will help add variety to the pages. There just seem  to be these very specific places on each page where I feel like they need something.  I will get the hang of it eventually. It just takes practice. And I'm enjoying the practice, for sure.

Art Journaling Check In - Week 3

I am disappointed that I haven't kept up with the Art Journal Every Day. I have spent more time finding images than anything else. That's important, too, but I haven't been putting anything to paper until this weekend. Finally, I was able to spend some time doing some work.

First, I decided to explore a little bit - I went back to my classes with Kelly Kilmer to try to get a handle on myself. JUST DO IT, Jean! That's what I was telling myself. I went ahead and watched a couple of the videos that are included in the class materials and that helped a bit. Then I went ahead and did a couple of pages from the templates she provides. I had limited access to my art papers, so I wasn't as happy with the pages as I would be if I had a full spread of colors and papers to choose from. Generally, I'm happy with the work because at least I did it. That's enough for me today.

I was going to work on some lettering practice, but I couldn't find the book I had on different styles, so I ended up doing some Zentangles. I like doing them, but they certainly take longer than I think they will.  This is the first time I have done any in ink. They look much better with the dark black ink than with pencil shading. Sometimes when you are trying to get a uniform look, the pencil has too many gradations - they are subtle but they don't have the conformity I was looking for.  So here are the two I did.  I'm still working on the second one but I had to stop because my eyes were tired.  I made some mistakes. I think I should just practice the designs for a while before I put them all together to make something.

It was good to create something, even if they aren't as "art-y" as I would like. Practice, practice, practice.  That's what I really need. I get too impatient with myself, so this is good for me.

Art Journaling Update

I took today to go through some of my papers from the online classes I have taken for Art Journaling. I printed up all the materials and I haven't really organized or started either one of them, so I decided that's what I would do.

I didn't get to the art part today as I was organizing and cutting things out of some magazines and organizing those pages and pictures and phrases.  As I was doing it, I also looked at the two different kinds of journals I have been working in and thinking about what it is exactly that I'm doing.

I thought maybe I could do both or mix it up a little, but I realized that there are two or three issues that are really the things that stop me from moving forward.

1. Teesha Moore style art journaling and visual journaling with collage for a journal are really different.
2. I'm not sure which one I'm looking for so I haven't been able to pick a style or even to do both.
3. Perfection rearing it's ugly head again. It comes in a lot of forms but mostly, when it comes down to it, it is me judging myself against some external standard. On the face of it I can see it for what it is - um, HI.  I'm not doing this for money or a grade. Why does it have to be perfect? Try it.  But there are still the little niggling doubts. 

Anyway, that's where things are at tonight. I was hoping for some art-a-palooza this weekend, but it just didn't happen. Obviously, there is still tomorrow, but I did work on some stuff. Getting things ready just means I won't have to spend that time another day.

Another project:  Set up my art space so that I don't have to set up and take down EVERY TIME I want to do something. That takes up so much time, by the time I get everything ready, my time is up or I'm not in the mood any more.  I need a dedicated space to make it easier. I guess it would take away an excuse not to have made a page or done something artful other than the prep work.  

Art Journaling Catch Up

I am proud to say that I have worked in my art journal daily since the beginning of the year. I didn't necessarily date all the things I did because I have sort of been doing a mix of things - I haven't been working in my 16 page journals - I got a journal from a friend on New Year's Day and have been decorating that. It is a totally different style of work for me and I'm not sure if I have a preference. I have just been trying to put less pressure on myself to be perfect, so this is a good start.

I love this picture...I have seen it several times in Vogue magazine...I will probably use it several times in some of my journals...

The quote says, "Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live. - Dorothy Thompson"

One of the best book titles ever.

I haven't completed ANY of the pages, but I am working through the journal. I don't know what it will end up looking like...This journal has a lot of pages, which I'm not really used to since working with the 16 page journals. I also know that some of these images I will keep as they are because they are just too beautiful to mar. I think this visual journal may be more diary-like with writing augmenting the images and then my 16 page journals will be more art-full.

Happy Blogaversary to Me and Giveaway!

Hey all!  Today is the 3 year anniversary of the start of my blog.  It has certainly come a long way since the beginning - from diary to ...blog!  A lot has happened and culminated with the crashing of my computer, so I haven't even had a chance to look back on the year to reflect...

There is also a giveaway!  Leave your comments by midnight tonight (there was an announcement about 37 or 38 days ago...) and I will pick a winner from anyone who left a comment between the day it was announced and midnight. I might even pick - 3 winners! One for each year of the blog! 

Thanks for reading, commenting and caring! 

Today's art journaling will be accomplished when I am home. :)

I Have an Owie

Well, folks, I am extremely sore from my adventures in performance interpreting last week. My side and back on my right side are sore and I am moving V - E - R - Y    S - L - O - W - L - Y.

Just thought I'd keep you posted. On a public computer right now, so not a long post. :)

I have done Art Journaling every day, though. Pictures to come when I get the computer back on Saturday. Fried motherboard.  I have carbonite, so all the stuff is safe. Whew!

Blogging offline for a day or two

My computer crashed at home, so I will be doing some manual posts and some Art Journaling and adding it to the blog when I get back.

Last night, I did some RENT stuff in the AJ but I didn't love it, so I think I will cover up some of what I did.

Anyway, more later.

Halfhearted, but Committed

I wasn't really feeling it tonight, but in an effort to combat perfectionism and to stay committed to my Art Journal Every Day project, I did a page.  I am pretty tired and my back is still hurting, so I didn't do anything really outstanding. I used a stencil and then I had to look for some song lyrics. I was not feeling inspired by anything, so I selected an old standby - "Children Will Listen" from the show, "Into the Woods".

I plan on adding to the page sometime this week, but for now, I'm done.

Art Journal Every Day: Defying Gravity

I have always been a fiend about song lyrics. When I was 8, my parents bought me "An Evening with John Denver" (the one with the brown cover) and I would listen to it for hours. I believed every story in each song. I even borrowed my sister's oil pastels and her pad of paper to illustrate "Annie's Song" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown".

Fast forward to New Year's Day 2011 and I found the phrase "Songs of the Soul" and used it as part of the cover for my new journal. What better place to write down song lyrics that have some meaning for me?

Tonight, from "Wicked", I give you some of "Defying Gravity".  This was an experiment and I didn't plan the lettering well enough to get the whole song. I may finish it on the next page, but my arms were tired and my back is hurting tonight, so I stopped after about 45 minutes.  I chose green in honor of Elphaba. It was fun to play with letters and to NOT BE PERFECT.

Note to self: "Sleeper" Buffy Season 7

Recuperation and Relaxation, 2011 Style

Back to real life tomorrow, so I spent today recuperating, relaxing (i.e., sleeping late and doing art) and redesigning the blog. I can't get it right, so I finally gave up for a while. I wish I either knew enough to make the blog design what I want or knew nothing so felt satisfied with the templates available to me. I haven't found either to be true so far.

I posted a beautiful video on my video page - if you have about 4 minutes, you should watch it. It is the first one at the top. My friend posted it and it really moved me today.  The phrase that stuck with me was, "Don't be scared, you are free." I promptly wrote it down in my new journal.

Here is the work I did today and some additions I did on the cover:

I added some embellishment to the cover that makes it more unified.

This is the inside cover. I wanted to write the quote "Don't be scared, you are free" on something. I decided it was to me, not a general quote. Obviously, anyone can take that quote and use it, but I was really talking to myself.

Ringing in 2011

Today was a good day. I went to my friend's house for brunch, played Apples to Apples, ate french toast (on Texas toast bread) with bacon and a wonderful fruit salad. I had a mimosa and we laughed and laughed. It was good medicine.

My back and neck are still stiff and sore from my "Hair" incident on Thursday - I liken it to being in a car accident. How long does whiplash last, anyway?

One funny thing that happened was that my friend, B., had made some hand-bound books and left them in storage at her mother's house. Her mother wrapped them up this year and gave them to B.'s partner. They didn't really have anything to use them for, so they gifted them to me, along with a beautiful red, yellow and pink scarf (photos of the scarf later - it is beautiful).

I knew immediately that I would use the new journal for a starting place this year. I have been looking for a way into art journaling again. I have struggled so hard to get back to it - wanting to, feeling the weight of perfection and expectation from myself. I decided to join the Art Journal Every Day Challenge/Project and this is perfect for a start.

I can't sit and look down too long, so I only worked for about 35 minutes tonight, but here is the cover of my first 2011 journal (I will have several, I'm sure.

My first 2011 Journal cover. Made by BJB.

While I was working on the journal, I put in "Yentl" and listened to the brilliance of Barbra Streisand's amazing movie and music. I love this movie. I can't believe it has been so many years. I think it has been 26 or 27 years since the movie was out.

Happy New Year, everyone!  I'm looking forward to 2011! Many good things are headed our way. I can't wait!