For the longest time I've been wanting to find a place where I can post about my adventures in this particular community. I've had about 50 journals come my way so far and still more en route. I've been wanting a place to post the entries I made, talk of other peoples' entries and just plain talk about/share it. : )
I finally decided that maybe it's time I start so here I am again *waves*
What is 1001 Journals for those who don't know? It's a community in which people all over the world circulate their art journals. They make their entries and once done the journals get mailed on to the next person on the list and so on and so forth. Some journals have successfully made it back to owners, some are still traveling and others unfortunately have gone missing : (
This is where my creativity and such got started...a long time ago when I first got an LJ I stumbled on a community titled "alternate_books". It was the same basic concept and I created journals as well as recieved many others. I had a blast doing it but sadly the interest for that particular community died so I scoped and searched for similar places. I found 1000 Journals and was sad to see no journals were open any longer then I found 1001 Journals and joined. After that I started getting others journals and even circulating some of my own. I then scanned what I did because you can for the site but due to having so many scans I started deleting them off my hard drive and found it so sad that there really was no other place to share what I had done with them and what others had so an idea formulated to work on this newest online journal knowing/planning to eventually get to this post. Now that I'm here I'm ready to share a bit. : )
For those interested in looking into the 1001 Journals site here's the link:
1001 Journals
And now I'm off...but plan to be back soon. I'm not entirely sure how I intend to share these scans and such but getting this post up is at least an official start.
: D
06 October 2009
02 October 2009
Hooray for Experimentation!
So as I said in the previous post experimentation seems to be my new word. :)
Trying a new technique for me is an adventure in itself because sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's a miserable failure and other times it leaves one with amazing results. With this second Chicago journal I have found I'm not so hesitant, not so afraid to try something new, try something different. I have also noticed that I don't seem to get angry when some experiment turns out to be a complete and utter failure. Instead I find that I'm enjoying the simple process of creating and attempting to create. I've taken a completely different approach to art journaling with this newest journal and am finding the journal to be quite rewarding.
When I first started the journal I kept saying it would never work out, it would be a complete disaster, and I had no idea what days I'd be journaling where. I like order and organization, and I always (in the first Chicago journal) did pages as I did entries. This journal is a wee bit different in that I just went with my gut instinct having no idea what I would be journaling where. The end result has turned out to be a reward in and of itself that has me squeeing as I stare and say "I did THAT?"
Yeah so I'm finding the fun and enjoyment in experimentation and am loving every minute of it...it's almost like playing : )
And now to a share a few more pages of my newest journal...
Oddly enough this second journal picks up at the tail end of the sci-fi convention I attended. The first page is what you saw in the previous post. The second and third pages are painted pink and just have journaling on them. The fourth page is a photo op I had taken with one of the guests Joe Flanigan and that is where my experimenting for this journal began. The end result?
So here what I did? I played with ink pads and scrapbook papers. I'm not one to use stamping much in journaling. I just haven't really developed much of a desire to fiddle with them, but I do so love those distressed inks by Jim Holtz. They look awesome when used correctly but for me that can be a challenge in and of itself. I'm not a stamper yet I found myself fiddling with it a wee bit here. The background paper is simply a special design sheet for scrapping. Due to the color of the background paper I thought of making it look kind of antique... I ended up using the "vintage photo" ink and rubbing it over the edges then just glued the pic on top. The end result? I love it!
The facing page is the start of my journaling on the Chicago Art Institute and again I wanted to stick with the vintage/antique look since the pages are side by side. I used a different scrapbook design sheet for this one and used distress ink again this time the color? Walnut stain. Not one of my favorites though in books I've looked at I love the results...it's just a bit too dark for my liking. The end result is this page...ended up looking kind of neat when I chose the photo I took. The photograph is a shot down Michigan Avenue. You can see the two lions that sit right outside the Art Institue. I'm fiddling a lot with photography lately too and deliberately took this photo for the angles and such. I'm very happy with the end result! : )
The pages that follow this page are inside the art institute. Well one is. It's a drawing that's on the top floor of a cat. I took a picture of it then cut it down to include in the journal. The second page is a scan of my ticket stub and a picture of the brand new "Modern" wing of the institute. The journaling was done with glitter pen in hopes that it would be readable over the background decoration. What's the background decorations made of? More distress ink this color weathered wood. How I made those little designs? You'll never guess... Did you ever try crumpling up a piece of aluminum foil wrap and using it to stamp on a page? Neat effect indeed...at least I thought it was : D
I think I may continue posting pages to this journal and doing a little chat about what I put into each page in case I'd like to try the same thing in the future or someone else might find it of interest. Hey it doesn't hurt to document how you do something, especially if you can't remember everything...I seem to have issues with that : D
Trying a new technique for me is an adventure in itself because sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's a miserable failure and other times it leaves one with amazing results. With this second Chicago journal I have found I'm not so hesitant, not so afraid to try something new, try something different. I have also noticed that I don't seem to get angry when some experiment turns out to be a complete and utter failure. Instead I find that I'm enjoying the simple process of creating and attempting to create. I've taken a completely different approach to art journaling with this newest journal and am finding the journal to be quite rewarding.
When I first started the journal I kept saying it would never work out, it would be a complete disaster, and I had no idea what days I'd be journaling where. I like order and organization, and I always (in the first Chicago journal) did pages as I did entries. This journal is a wee bit different in that I just went with my gut instinct having no idea what I would be journaling where. The end result has turned out to be a reward in and of itself that has me squeeing as I stare and say "I did THAT?"
Yeah so I'm finding the fun and enjoyment in experimentation and am loving every minute of it...it's almost like playing : )
And now to a share a few more pages of my newest journal...
Oddly enough this second journal picks up at the tail end of the sci-fi convention I attended. The first page is what you saw in the previous post. The second and third pages are painted pink and just have journaling on them. The fourth page is a photo op I had taken with one of the guests Joe Flanigan and that is where my experimenting for this journal began. The end result?
So here what I did? I played with ink pads and scrapbook papers. I'm not one to use stamping much in journaling. I just haven't really developed much of a desire to fiddle with them, but I do so love those distressed inks by Jim Holtz. They look awesome when used correctly but for me that can be a challenge in and of itself. I'm not a stamper yet I found myself fiddling with it a wee bit here. The background paper is simply a special design sheet for scrapping. Due to the color of the background paper I thought of making it look kind of antique... I ended up using the "vintage photo" ink and rubbing it over the edges then just glued the pic on top. The end result? I love it!
The facing page is the start of my journaling on the Chicago Art Institute and again I wanted to stick with the vintage/antique look since the pages are side by side. I used a different scrapbook design sheet for this one and used distress ink again this time the color? Walnut stain. Not one of my favorites though in books I've looked at I love the results...it's just a bit too dark for my liking. The end result is this page...ended up looking kind of neat when I chose the photo I took. The photograph is a shot down Michigan Avenue. You can see the two lions that sit right outside the Art Institue. I'm fiddling a lot with photography lately too and deliberately took this photo for the angles and such. I'm very happy with the end result! : )
The pages that follow this page are inside the art institute. Well one is. It's a drawing that's on the top floor of a cat. I took a picture of it then cut it down to include in the journal. The second page is a scan of my ticket stub and a picture of the brand new "Modern" wing of the institute. The journaling was done with glitter pen in hopes that it would be readable over the background decoration. What's the background decorations made of? More distress ink this color weathered wood. How I made those little designs? You'll never guess... Did you ever try crumpling up a piece of aluminum foil wrap and using it to stamp on a page? Neat effect indeed...at least I thought it was : D
I think I may continue posting pages to this journal and doing a little chat about what I put into each page in case I'd like to try the same thing in the future or someone else might find it of interest. Hey it doesn't hurt to document how you do something, especially if you can't remember everything...I seem to have issues with that : D
Expanding My Horizons
Breaking out of the mundane...
Recently I completed my first full Chicago journal, well it's not fully completed yet but I'm at the end of it. : )
The Chicago journal is a journal that I started several years ago on the city of Chicago and all the trips I have taken to the wonderous city through the years. I like to label the journal as my "official" first art journal (well personal art journal), but other than drawing and doodling in it, journaling a bit, painting a few pages and adding a few pictures from said trips I didn't really do much else with it.
Now I have officially started my second Chicago journal and my exploration with art has kind of...exploded I guess...in a way that I never would have ever imagined.
I remember searching for the perfect journal to continue my Chicago trips in. It had to be easier to keep flat (my other journal is hard back and way wider than it should be :D ), and it had to be durable also, one in which each page would be relatively easy to work with. With trepidation I settled on a small spiral bound hard back journal not sure if it would be a good choice or a horrible mistake. I always worry that with spiral journals the pages will tear to easily out thus a major reason why I've not used many in my artwork.
Once I got the journal home and debated a bit I just started to decorate it not sure where it would lead, if it would hold up, if I could make the journal work out, if it would be better or worse than my first one...
Now? I've decorated approximately 10-15 pages and am going back to add in the additional pics and journaling that will complete each page. I did the same thing in the other journal but with this one... Well, let's just say it's become what I have always envisioned an art journal should be and I absolutely LOVE it!
Each page of this journal is decorated differently some with paper, some with paint, some with tissue paper and some with stamp pads. The end result? The journal looks great to me and I'm so loving it! So why did I just have to post and squee a little about this??
Because I just had to!!
I don't know when it happened, where the official "transition" actually occurred but somewhere along the way I took a basic starter art journal and have progressed into a pretty, fancy decorated one. My confidence and enjoyment in toying with paints and such have literally exploded. Where the transition happened I don't know, but I'm loving the end result! : )
Recently I completed my first full Chicago journal, well it's not fully completed yet but I'm at the end of it. : )
The Chicago journal is a journal that I started several years ago on the city of Chicago and all the trips I have taken to the wonderous city through the years. I like to label the journal as my "official" first art journal (well personal art journal), but other than drawing and doodling in it, journaling a bit, painting a few pages and adding a few pictures from said trips I didn't really do much else with it.
Now I have officially started my second Chicago journal and my exploration with art has kind of...exploded I guess...in a way that I never would have ever imagined.
I remember searching for the perfect journal to continue my Chicago trips in. It had to be easier to keep flat (my other journal is hard back and way wider than it should be :D ), and it had to be durable also, one in which each page would be relatively easy to work with. With trepidation I settled on a small spiral bound hard back journal not sure if it would be a good choice or a horrible mistake. I always worry that with spiral journals the pages will tear to easily out thus a major reason why I've not used many in my artwork.
Once I got the journal home and debated a bit I just started to decorate it not sure where it would lead, if it would hold up, if I could make the journal work out, if it would be better or worse than my first one...
Now? I've decorated approximately 10-15 pages and am going back to add in the additional pics and journaling that will complete each page. I did the same thing in the other journal but with this one... Well, let's just say it's become what I have always envisioned an art journal should be and I absolutely LOVE it!
Each page of this journal is decorated differently some with paper, some with paint, some with tissue paper and some with stamp pads. The end result? The journal looks great to me and I'm so loving it! So why did I just have to post and squee a little about this??
Because I just had to!!
I don't know when it happened, where the official "transition" actually occurred but somewhere along the way I took a basic starter art journal and have progressed into a pretty, fancy decorated one. My confidence and enjoyment in toying with paints and such have literally exploded. Where the transition happened I don't know, but I'm loving the end result! : )
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
