Art JournalS

I love finding new techniques for making journals. Here's a new one. There are 8 pocket pages, of which 4 have file folder tabs. This was from a kit from Pink Monarch. I learned how to use book binding tape--so exciting! It's about the size of a deck of cards, so I can fill the pockets with Artists' Trading Cards.

I made two birthday cards this weekend.

Our local little free art gallery was getting hungry, so I made these mini collages that are also paper clips and dropped them off.

The long weekend gave me a chance to organize my desk and supplies. Ahhh.

Back to work yesterday, I reached for my mini file folder journal, Madam Butterfly.

"Do it now! Today will be yesterday tomorrow."

This angry Madam Butterfly makes me laugh.

I remember when I used to listen to opera on my commute

home from work. Whatever challenges I had faced during the day

paled when I listened to the melodrama! And the characters were

singing about it!!! Sometimes I would try to sing about the "melodrama" in my life. 

That really made me laugh!

 

Mini File Folder Art Journal

In my junk journaling journey, I've discovered mini file folders. Think file folder for 3 x 5 index cards. After watching some tutorials this week, I embarked on making them into a new art journal. They allow me to pursue the junk journal techniques I'm learning--making pockets, "belly bands", tucks, tags, tabs, collages, etc.--and to use my own art rather than the pre-made kits. This journal began with some printed mini file folders from The Graphics Fairy. The theme is Madam Butterfly. There are 5 folders, so 20 pages.  (I love the feel of this journal in my hands. It has a high holdability score!)

NB: Some people wonder what you do with these little journals. I wonder, too, sometimes. I have different handmade journals from years past. They sit together in a cubby of my dad's--now my writing desk. Sometimes I take them out and enjoy seeing what I've done. I don't have a lot of wall space, and don't like a lot of clutter. These little journals feel manageable and organized.

Here are the first 5 pages. 

2 pockets with one collage card in the larger one.

A collage pocket with a journal page tucked inside

A collage pocket with a collage and Zentangle card inside

My art work before the collage and distressing

Zentangle and collage card that flips open

Zentangle background

Collage card and belly band

One last picture of some 3D mini folders I made this week to stash some collage elements on my desk. They fit nicely into a repurposed decorated cracker box.

Happy and joyful creating!

A mixed bag

A little mixed media, a bit of Zentangle, a touch of origami.

Here's what happened:

"For absent mothers. For absent children."

The cover of my "Sistars" photo book, from CZT AE2023.

This lesson was by Lisa Hoesing, CZT.

A photo page from the "Sistars" photo album.

The squares behind the envelopes are a 1-inch grid. These are for collage pieces. Or tiny letters!

 

Fits and Starts

Monday was Art Day! A day of play, exploring, learning, trying and failing and trying again! I like to have a day every week for this, but it doesn't often happen. Honestly, I get caught up in producing something I can use here, even it's not something I love. Monday I spent several hours messing around. I wanted to try the embossing ink as a resist. I came to the conclusion that I am resistant to resists! (Embossing ink on paper is supposed to resist any water based color.) Sigh. I had several 3 x 4 inch pieces of heavy cardstock, so I decided to just keep trying different techniques. I drew, stenciled and stamped with the stuff, with disappointing results. But my goal was to try new things, so I succeeded! Here's one piece I managed to use for a collage:

Here's another, in a larger format. The embossing doesn't really show.

4x6 inches

This piece was inspired by a Mother's Day card tutorial on The Graphics Fairy.

When you need to rest

This week has been teaching me to rest and listen to my body, so I don't have a lot to show. 

"Ankh: The Key of Life", a CZT AE lesson by Rashmi Agarwal, CZT, had me drawing on vellum again. I created a papyrus-like texture on the "back" of the tile and added the ankh symbol on the front.

Gelly rolls and pastel pencils on the back

Microns on the front

Can you see the additional blue I added on the back?

It represents the Nile. The egg represents birth/life and the arms represent

the earth, with papyrus and the blue lotus flower.

I recently purchased some lovely papers from Pink Monarch Prints. They inspired this mixed media art journal page, which had my head spinning. I lost my sense of up and down! When I caught my upside down text, I covered it with an arrow pattern called Schway (as in "which way?"). I had to put it aside before I could finish it. I like the text on top.

Everytime I looked at, I heard Maria saying, "There's no

up or down in Zentangle!" Grateful for this tenet of the Zentangle Method!