Five Shadows

I’ve been oooh-ing and aaah-ing over several blogs this past year that are all about art journaling. The journals all look so lovely. There are so many types and techniques shared in blog land, that I finally decided to just take a deep breath and jump in! First, I bought Dawn DeVries Sokol’s DVD Art Journaling, Pages in Stages. I bought watercolor paper and have painted a book full of background pages. I really like her DVD, easy to listen to and follow her directions.

Other ladies I’m watching are  Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and the group she has going called Art Journal Every Day, Mary Ann Moss, Diana Trout, Kelli Perkins, Lenna Andrews. Each have their own personal style and all share ‘how to-s’ on their blogs. And since I like sewing, I keep an eye on the fabric journals too. Gals like Sue Bleiweiss, Terri Stegmiller, & Rebecca Sower.

With so much inspiration, I’m trying my hand at several techniques, playing around, and hopefully finding what will be ‘me,’ what I’ll be comfortable with to make art journaling a part of my everyday life.

Here’s what I’ve been playing with so far.

Two pages, in their various stages from the DVD Pages in Stages, coming along just fine I think.

Another Pages in Stages, layering just beginning -

Playing with sewing on to the page -

The next two are from ideas shared on Art Journaling Every Day. Creating a background on watercolor paper. I used watercolor pencils.

And the last two pages are my attempt at sewing shapes along the edges of watercolor paper. I will add watercolor pencil in or around the sewn shapes. The first page also has a fabric strip sewn down the edge. I really like the shapes on the second page.

So you see, this is just a beginning. I’ve got lots to learn and more to try.

As it turned out, I did not work much at all on the journal this final week. Flipping through it the only new page I find is the doodle on the envelope page. So maybe that is kind of a closure – sealing up the envelope with all its pretty and strange contents and setting it aside for another time. I had a silly little project in mind, but the week was taken up in other activities. So here is the doodling …

Thanks for the awesome journey fellow wreckers! Thanks Jamie for hosting the Next Chapter. I have so enjoyed visiting all the blogs and getting to know each of you! Blessings to each precious one in what your future holds!

This week I found myself spending more time on just a few pages. I added to the ‘circle’ page while working on a quilting project with my daughter. Then I rearranged the ‘white things’ page and added more to it. I got out the pinking shears to do something destructive to the ‘sudden destructive’ page. Oh! And my husband dug up my ‘composting’ page while planting some ferns in the garden! He gave it back to me and I rubbed it on the ‘rub here with dirt’ page! That was a hoot! And last for the week, I added more stickers to the ‘fruit sticker’ page. Then I watched Jamie’s video – (our Wreck This Journal host, you can still join in if you want!) – and saw that she is also taking more time on some pages! How about that!

But there are some pages that are proving to be more difficult for me. I have been pondering what to do with them. I keep skipping over them – like the ‘ugly drawing’ page, the ‘write carelessly’ page, and the ‘angry word’ page. Jamie – any words of wisdom for tackling the hard-to-me pages?

Here are a few pictures of this past week’s destruction.

Newly revised circle page.

Improved white page. I like the flower pot collage on the left side.

I’m heading out on a road trip this week. So I think I’ll mail the journal home while I’m away. But can I part with it?

See you all next week!

Doodling over the copyright page with watercolor pencils and then spraying it with water now has my journal cover and first few pages popped wide open. All the more ready for more wreckage! Happy July everyone! For those of you in the States, I hope you have a great celebration on the 4th!

Writing backwards was not easy for me.

Lint from pockets and the dryer.

Some doodling with watercolor pencils.

I’m late signing up for this week but I have been wrecking. Funny that Jamie suggests we swap our  favorite page on her post this week as I have several that I am really liking now! Which one would I part with!? I’ve decorated the edges of the journal as you can see in some of the pictures, I’ve added lint, white things, random items, four letter words (with the help of creative friends!), smeared lines, dripped chocolate and other fun wreckage.

I used water color pencils for easy line smearing.

Friends helped with the four letter words. Aren't they creative!?

These random items did not come from my couch! They are just random found items!

I’m joining the “swap please” – - are you?