Art Journal, Handmade Background Paper, Canabalising old sketch pads

Homemade background paper for journal with a little bit more paint and ink

Acrylic and oil pastel experiments

Quick colour sketch at Glen Brittle, Skye

I think I was considering turning it into some kind of stained glass - always make notes beside sketches

More attempts at learning to draw

Pulling the sketch pad apart - i like this shape

Starting point for my 2011 Art Journal

I was feeling a little better yesterday and decided I was going to start work on creating an Art Journal for this year - nothing like musing about art journals and thinking you can give it a go. In between bouts of hallucinations last week I had been surfing some of my favourite art journal sites (will put up links to these on another post) and decided I had to give it a go.  I came across Julie Kirk's Notes on Paper and found out about a journal challenge on UKStampers and this seemed like perfect serendipity. As a total art journal novice I like the fact that prompts are given each week to get you going and I finally know what I can do with all these background papers and paper experiments I have created and not used.
As usual I launched into the thing without reading the small print and began to take apart various old sketch pads to use as the paper and recycle some paper pad backs - hence the pics at start of this blog which I found in pads. I really need to make notes on what I am thinking when doing this and I really need to start drawing again every day as I've forgotten how.

Handmade paper background

I did this a couple of months ago when I felt like experimenting. I took plain white card and painted over it with watery blue acrylics and then sprayed pva glue over the paint. Finally I took some metallic spritz and sprayed it everywhere. I also did this in an orange colour way. I liked t he effect but like many of my experiments wasn't sure what to do with it.

The challenge is ideal as it asks you to use a handmade background paper, photo and 3 goals.

I decided to tear up the paper along some of the glue lines to see what shapes I could get.

I couldn't stand the look of the bare paper underneath so took Shabby Shutters and Broken China Distress inks to page. I haven't got an ink tool applicator thingy yet but it is on my list as all the demos with distress ink use this - at present I use paper towels and fingers... Still seemed lacking so adding versamark chalk turquoise gem ink. How to stick down? Mod Podge of course but am not sure if this is the right way to go - will need to ask around the forums.

Liberal application of mod podge

Once this was dry I took out some Blonde Moments suet pudding paint and began to highlight different shapes with different size dots. I wrote in Goals at what looks like the top of a hill/spike to me and the numbers 1 to 3.  I was then too tired to do much else.

I took a photo of me in Paris and decided if I cut it out and gave it a border it could become an arrow pointing to my goals - the border and arrow base were doodled with a sharpie and I added more paint and chalk ink.

I was going to do more today but having just blogged about the stuff so far am so tired. This flu has a lot to answer for... Progress so far below.