Enjoying the Art Journaling Experience

I was recently chatting with my local stamp store owner about the different types of ink she carries and the many different type of classes she offers.  I brought up the fact that I have recently started journaling and she said that they tried to offer classes in-store but her customers weren't interested.  She said they didn't see the point in it.  I remember thinking the same thing not that long ago.  A lot of her customers are scrapbookers.  And in a way, those are their art journals.  But that got me thinking about why I decided to play along with Terri Sproul for this series of classes. 

When I first started watching Terri's class on Tuesday she was doing a series on altered books.  I love books.  I worked in a library for 14 years and the thought of "destroying" a book just to make art was a little difficult for me to grasp.  But Terri teaches techniques and I can use what I learned in those lessons anytime.  I look forward to her classes and I've enjoyed Tuesday nights even more since I found her online.  And NCIS is on Tuesday so it already had THAT going for it! 

So, why am I making an art journal?

The first reason is that I don't have anything that I've created just for myself.  I'm a card maker so most of the art I've created gets sent away to friends, family and RAK* recipients.  I don't have anything in my own home that I've made for ME.

The second reason is that I really am trying to grow as an artist.  I'm learning techniques, of course, but I'm also learning to be more spontaneous with my projects and to give myself a break for imperfections.  And I've learned the importance of being patient and completing a complex project in stages (without fussing with it while it dries).

This was my second layout in Terri's series titled Plant Positive Seeds.  And what is that you see?  Book pages??!!  That's right.  I've also finally gotten over the idea that tearing pages out of a book is taboo!  I will admit that I held that book in my hand a long time before I could make myself actually rip out a couple.  When it was done, I took a few deep breaths and I was fine. 

The texture on this page comes from several different techniques, including folding the pages together and gently pulling them apart.  I've also made cards in this way and it makes a great textured background.  There are paint drips, stencil patches and a hint of journaling, which was done with mostly stamps.

So now I have art to share with my cards and art to keep in my journal.  Thanks for joining me in another step of my journey.  Now if you'll excuse me, there is some acrylic paint calling my name.

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* Random Act of Kindness