I was experimenting with ways to illustrate plaid in this journal spread. The bag's colors are muted, so I tried simple layering of colors. The pale yellowish lines in the sett were drawn first with a colored pencil, which I though would act as a resist -- it did not work so I redrew the lines on top.
Then with the cap, I wondered if I could capture the feel of plaid using just ink lines.
Vicky... I just popped over to your blog (after spending WAY too long looking at journals on Pinterest) and, for a second, I thought the bag was a photo you'd cut out and placed in your journal. Seriously, you did such an outstanding job with this, it LOOKS real. Utterly amazing.
ReplyDeleteI've been kind of frustrated about my journal lately. I work very hard on mine. It's not just a place where I can scribble notes and dashes of color, it is more like, well, a portfolio, as it were. Each and every spread I do in my journal is created carefully and passionately.
Then I read books and go on youtube and see things like "Just throw scraps of patterned paper anywhere and glue them in where they fall!" And I wonder... am I even doing this right? So many people use their art journals to just play and experiment, and here I am, creating spreads that I work diligently on for days on end... I just don't know.
Your journal is your own! It should only reflect you creating in the way that fulfills YOU. I personally don't have any patience for adding glued bits of paper or other scrapbooking techniques. But if that's what others enjoy, fine. There is no right or wrong way -- just your own personal way.
ReplyDeleteI watch Kate sometimes as she creates a journal spread in such a free spirited way, capturing exactly what our day has been. I'm not like her. I often still use a pencil first, even lightly penciling lines for where my text will be and lightly penciling in the words -- then I clean it all up when inking it in later, leaving out the parts that were unimportant after all and erasing the pencil. I usually spend 2 or 3 days on something.
The above sketch was done over 3 or 4 days, changing my mind here and adding just a bit there. I seldom have a plan in mind at the start; it sort of develops as I go. I'm still not completely happy with the bag's plaid sett but decided to leave it as is.
Look at what others are doing for inspiration, try some things out for yourself, then keep what works for you and throw out what does not. God has created you totally unique and what you in turn create will reflect that uniqueness.
Thank you so much. Art journals, just like art pieces, are personal. I don't know why I was getting frustrated that I wasn't conforming to the "right way" to create in my journal... it's MY journal :) Thank you Vicky! God bless you!!! By the way, have you heard about Nick Vujicic?
ReplyDeleteNope, I've never heard of Nick Vujicic. Kansas is a L-O-N-G way from New York!
ReplyDeleteLOL he's not in NY- he actually lives in CA but travels all over the world for Jesus. I just posted a spread I did in my journal about him on my blog. His music video is particularly beautifil- he has overcome so, so much. He has no limbs.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I didn't mean he would be from New York, I meant that in "small town, KS", we don't really hear of anyone who is popular out there. Very small minds locally, not willing to listen to anything new. I noticed the same thing when we returned to Kansas after living in California for a few years.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to check out your blog, then look him up on-line. Thanks!
Anytime! :)
ReplyDeleteKansas? Wow. Here on Long Island, all the news stations had on a few months back was Hurricane Sandy, yet many of my Christian friends from around the country had heard very little about it. I suppose that sort of thing happens a lot.
I heard quite a lot about Hurricane Sandy, but I usually hear major news on CBN / 700 Club. They tell more about it because they are involved in relief efforts. I have often wondered how badly you personally were affected by the storm.
ReplyDeleteThank God, we only lost power for approximately a day. We were very, very (& still are!) blessed. A tree came down and crushed our landlord's pool. People 2 blocks over were out of power for more than a week. And still, that's nothing compared to much harder-hit areas.
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