Talk about hitting two birds with one stone.
I am finally doing Art Journal Every Day again, and am wrapping up my first entry for the month. It’s been very slow in that department but I am just glad to have finally started. (Click here for my own Art Journal Every Day page here on this blog.)
I picked up an old, old magazine I had in the house which was heading for the trash can anyway and while in the car on the way to work, I started doodling with my cannot-live-without fine point v-ball signpen. For some reason “ONE DAY AT A TIME” stuck in my head.. I wanted to write about positive messages and words to keep my creative juices flowing. I picked one layout for each word and doodled the word and cut them, after which I assembled them in my art journal. I sort of ran out of space, hence TIME ended up in a different orientation which actually worked out quite well, even if it ended up on the fold of the notebook.
I had already decided to focus on zentangling again whenever possible, so I drew a checkered border around the wordart and I was just so happy with the way it came out. I like working with watercolor and watercolor pencils, but the novice that I am, it is such a struggle and takes too much time for me to pull a decent or workable layout together. Already, my gesso remains unused since the last time. Maybe when I move on to acrylics.. ambitious!
Then a bright idea hit me to create a different card altogether using the same word art (copied in color and resized accordingly) and zentangled on the front face of the card. Happiness. =) (Let me warn those unfamiliar with zentangling that this is actually a more refined medium or way of drawing with pen and paper than what I produce, but I’m just your average crafter, trying-hard artist.)
I picked out a midweight good for card stock, but smooth to draw on because of the zentangling. If you’re into zentangling like me, you can just print out the phrase or sentiment (which can be as simple as “HI” or “HELLO”) on a square sheet, cut the desired size, and trace the outline of that wordart as a placemaker on your blank card front. I like putting in a border on the inside and the outer edge of the layout to help me keep my zentangling within. Then I doodled and doodled to fill in the empty space. Don’t you just love the way the reds and oranges of the wordart actually pop out from the middle of the whole layout? Another way to come up with the word art is to cut out words or letters from your soon-to-be-discarded magazines. (Saves you the time and agony of doodling your letters.)
Inside, I cut a sheet of light colored paper slightly smaller than the card, and glued its back left side to the middle of the card to position it, and there I wrote my letter to my friend. The envelope was likewise handmade, (no instruction needed there!), addressed, stamped, and the card is now off on its journey..
Now back to my Art Journal Every Day project.. I’ve started the journaling but haven’t quite finished the whole spread as you can see in one of the smaller pictures above. I’ll post the finished product here, soon as I get it done. It doesn’t need much embellishing except to fill in the spaces really.
Meanwhile, I’m already beginning my next card and my next Art Journal Every Day layout which will be two separate layouts this time around. I’m beginning to like collage work.. it’s a new experiment for me. And it’s no fancy-schmanzy collage.. just bits and pieces of paper being glued together.
I sat in my work corner last night trying to come up with a piece or two but it was one of those nights when the inspiration just wasn’t there. Perhaps tonight.. =) Maybe, too, it’s art journaling time for me this time around.
Pinay New Yorker 