Some Thoughts on Art Journaling
This month, as part of my year-long exploration of creativity and move to selfhood, I'm focusing on art journaling. I have over a dozen complete art journals - some focused on a theme, created as part of a class, but most with pages about whatever I felt moved to create on that particular day. I have about half-a-dozen incomplete journals. In many of those, I have some backgrounds and half-done pages. As I start to re-immerse myself back into art journaling, I find myself making fresh pages and working on existing backgrounds and completing half-done pages.
I like to use Strathmore Watercolor 140 pound cold press spiral bound paper pads for my art journals - I have them in lots of sizes (9x12 is my "go-to", but I also like working in the 11x15 when I want to work larger, and I also enjoy the 6x9 size). I also have two 6x8.5 artist books with cotton rag paper and a huge road atlas that I'm working in, as well as a few sketch pads that double as art journals.
My initial thought about art journaling is that it's different than scrapbooking because I don't have a set project that I'm trying to organize and accomplish. Instead, I am simply . . . playing. I'm creating and seeing where the process takes me. Once again, I am really happy that I have a small art store in my studio and have everything I need to happily create art journal pages. Right now, I'm finding that my subject matter is very introspective (thinking about who I am, how I got there, and where I am going). I'm interested to see where else my art journaling takes me this month.
I think we're all interested to see where it'll take you.
ReplyDeleteAnd your comment about how you approach it compared with scrapbooking jumped out at me..interesting! with scrapbooking I just play about and see where it'll take me.
That's why I love art journaling - it is just PLAY... no expectations... no story to tell, no album to fill, no project to complete. It's just me and my art supplies having a good time and seeing what comes out of it!
ReplyDeleteVery impressed with how many you have completed. I think taking the intuitive art class has freed me and more art journaling is in my future.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how we can leave a page with which we are dissatisfied and come back to it later and make something of it! Looking forward to seeing how it develops this year for you.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the first spread--the colors, the design, and the subject matter!
ReplyDeleteI have found that art journaling isn't for me.....I found it hard work rather than play.....like Sian I 'play' with scrapbook pages.
ReplyDeleteI love how you are taking one art each month & working with it and analyzing how it fits into your life! Sounds like you are enjoying the play in your art journals!
ReplyDeleteLove the contrast in colors on your first pages! I agree that it's different than scrapbooking, it feels more carefree and sometimes that's exactly what we need. :)
ReplyDeleteI can almost sense the excitement of you art journaling Rinda! For me it is a kind of release - a letting go and deep satisfaction of seeing something develop on the page that almost put itself there. Like you I have a number of journals, different type and sizes, and I also do backgrounds and half finished pages. I am increasingly doing more of this and I love the fact that anything goes...
ReplyDeleteI noticed the Eiffel tower on both your pages... I look forward to seeing where else this takes you.