Art Journaling, ATC's, and the Meaning of Color

I've been watching loads of Youtube "how to" videos on art journaling and ATC techniques. Actually I've been looking at any mixed media technique videos. I've finally got a hot iron along with a block of beeswax for doing some encaustic stuff. I just found some old coloring crayons that I'm going to use for color. So of course I watched some "how to" videos on how to do encaustic art, it looks like so much fun. I've done it once in my mixed media class, though they did it with pre-melted wax in cans and brushes, then you could use the iron to smooth out the wax. But that is a little too much for the space I have, so I'm going to just put the wax down in little chips and melt it with the iron, it seems to work ok. I've even seen people use encaustic in their art journals and I've done it a little bit in mine.

I'm having a hard time finding direction with my art and I'm also having a hard time creating something with meaning behind it. I tend to just create haphazard with out any direction or meaning. I guess it's more from the soul and the feeling of it, then thinking it out first. But working in an art journal has got me thinking more about the meaning behind the art and what I'm going for when I create it. Another thing I've never really concentrated on is colors (I know, I should have been all along). I'm finding how paying attention to colors and what colors I put together can really make or break a piece. I've always just put colors I like together and colors I felt or was in the mood for at the time, but then I would have this glob of colors that didn't go together and muddied my piece. I accidentally put the right colors together in my most recent art journal entry. Who knew? Yellow and a light purple went together nicely. After doing a little research and looking at a color wheel I see that those colors are great together. So now I want to get a color theory book. I heard about a really good one but I can't remember the name of it, I'll just google it and find it that way.

I found this artist blog by Lori McNee. Her blog has loads of tips and help for fine artists. She did a particularly good blog on color called "Use The Hidden Meaning of Color In Your Art" that I find very helpful. Her blog is very helpful for artists just starting out or those who just need a little help in a certain area. I definitely recommend checking her website out! She is also on facebook and Twitter, see her website for the links.

I picked up a couple of really good magazines recently. The first even comes with sample papers (I think my sister told me about this one), it's called: Somerset Studio: The Art of Paper and Mixed Media. And the other one is: Cloth Paper Scissors: Collage Mixed Media Artistic Discovery. They both have really good "how to's" and tips and recommendations. I'm very impressed.

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~BOOKS I WANT~


"Journal Spilling: Mixed Media Techniques for Free Expression" by Diana Trout
$22.99 (Amazon sale price: $15.63)
October 9, 2009
Color photographs
Paperback: 127 pages
Publisher: North Light Books (October 9, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1600613195
ISBN-13: 978-1600613197
Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches

[Here is a review by Christen Olivarez from Somerset Studio magazine]
"As an avid art journaler, I'm always on the lookout for new techniques to incorporate into my journal pages. Thankfully, there are fantastic and inspirational books out there like Journal Spilling by Diana Trout. The second I picked up this book, I wanted to run and get my art journal so I could try some of these new techniques.

"Spilling" is the perfect word to describe this book. Diana encourages readers to let emotions and art just spill out onto the page. I particularly love her "Warming Up" section, in which she provides the perfect jump start to the journaling process. She also expertly shows you how to use what supplies you have on hand, as well as provide instruction for any new tools and materials you may want to work with.

This is an all-around terrific book, whether you are a seasoned art journaler, or new to the outlet."




"Collage Unleashed" by Traci Bautista
$22.99 (Amazon sale price: $15.63)
May 29, 2006
Paperback: 127 pages
Publisher: North Light Books
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1581808453
ISBN-13: 978-1581808452
Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches


Amazon Product Description

"The funky, colorful projects in Collage Unleashed encourage readers to turn off their inner critics and tap into a childlike sense of wonder and imagination. With projects that range from art books and fabric journals to mixed-media paintings, this book:

-Showcases three of the most popular trends in papercrafting--collage, altered fabric and journaling

-Features a wide range of techniques for crafters at every level, including crayon transfers, funky embroidery, freestyle hand lettering and creative book binding

-Combines paper, fabric, beads, dyes, paints and more in unexpected ways

Everyone from collage artists and book-making enthusiasts to papercrafters will want to put this title at the top of their personal wish lists."

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Art I've been working on:

Art Journal 5-23-2010




ATC - Dragonfly


ATC - Bee Yourself