If you are new to art journaling, or still in the thinking-about-it stage, you might be overwhelmed at the thought of building your supply kit. (Or YOU might be excited, but your credit card might be a little hesitant). That’s kind of the boat I’m in. I’ve been a journaler for the past 27 years and during that time there was maybe a 2 year period when I incorporated other media. I mostly cut out pics and words from magazines, and used crayons and pastels to colour backgrounds or highlight important words. Lately, I’ve been feeling a pull toward using multi-media and learning some new skills at the same time.
For today’s #3ThingsThursday linkup, I’m sharing with you 3 of my favourite art journalers who spill the beans on their must-have tools. You’re welcome.
#3ThingsThursday is hosted by Pink Chai Living, The Write Balance and Love Laugh Mirch. If you want to linkup, just visit one of their sites and add your link!
1. A few years ago I met a beautiful artist, and probably THE most colourful person I know, Violette Clark. I don’t actually remember how we met, but we have gotten together for tea a few times and she introduced me to THIS:
www.violette.ca
I tried not to drool on the pages as she flipped through her work; paired perfectly with meaningful quotes and her own inner-wisdom were these images and colours that just blew me away.
I asked Violette what her 5 must-have tools are (and then I asked, “So, what do you DO with these?):
1. Pencil – to sketch out the drawing
2. Micron pens – to ink over the pencil (and then erase the pencil lines)
3. Copic markers – to lay down flat colour (eg. colour an entire face with flesh tone markers)
4. Watercolour pencil crayons (Staetler brand) – for shading or adding depth to an object (and if you add water you get a nice watercolour effect)
5. Folk Art paints – to create backgrounds (pro tip: scrape the paint onto the cardstock with a discarded credit card for a quick and easy way to get colour onto the page)
You can grab more tips from Violette on her site, YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
2. Near the beginning of my blogging career, I came across Amanda Fall (then of Sprout magazine, now of The Phoenix Soul). She featured me in the Creativity issue of Sprout magazine in which there was a beautiful how-to for creating inspirational cards. That article plus Amanda’s patience when I asked her a gazillion questions (like, what’s gesso?) led to the creation of my Make-A-Wave cards!
Here’s an example of her creative expression:
www.thephoenixsoul.com
Amanda’s 5 must-have supplies are:
1. Magazines for intuitive collage – for tearing out images and words that inspire or excite. Favourite magazines: O, Sunset, Travel & Leisure, Spirituality & Health, Afar.
2. PaperMate flair pens in bright colours – for scribbling words, arrows, circles, exclamation points, question marks and whatever else feels right!
3. Vibrant oil pastels – any inexpensive brand – for smearing loads of juicy colour, often finishing a page with big swoops and defining lines.
4. Notebooks – anything from Moleskine to less expensive versions – as a substrate
5. Scotch tape – a slapdash way to adhere collage bits!
For more creative inspiration, visit Amanda at her site, on Facebook and on Instagram.
3. Last but certainly not least is fellow Vancouver Mom Top Mom Blogger Joyelle Brandt. Joyelle was nominated a year after me and since then I have caught bits and pieces of her multi-faceted creativity on social media. She is a singer, writer, artist and speaker whose life purpose is to help others shine their light. Her story began with violence and sexual abuse and has shaped into a message of kindness, gratitude and hope.
www.joyellebrandt.com
Here are Joyelle’s must-haves for creating the beautiful work she does:
1. Acrylic paint – everything from Golden to dollar store craft paint.
2. Stencils – all different brands and some handmade.
3. Ephemera – random tags and bits of packaging.
4. Golden heavy gel medium – for collaging.
5. Various acrylic mediums, including molding paste and fibre paste – for adding dimension.
Read more about Joyelle’s story and be inspired on her site, on Facebook, on Instagram and on Twitter.
Hopefully these suggestions will get you started! I’d like to add my own two bits if I may – you will learn a lot in terms of technique from these lovely artists and others you find on the ‘net…but probably your most essential tool is your own authenticity. Be genuine about what you put on paper and your pages will shine.
What a wonderful collection of art journaling tips! Thanks for putting this together. I am also participating in the Three Things Thursday. I was intrigued by your bold PR personality. You’ve done a great job promoting your blog! What a great model for us. I’ve been thinking of getting into freelance writing, but just not sure how to go about it. I’ve done a little writing for free, but have never been paid for my work.
Hi Amy – thanks! Yes, it’s one thing to write a blog post and quite another to promote it. I think there’s always something to learn about PR – things change all the time and we each just do the best we can on that day. I’ve been a bit behind in checking out the other 3 Things Thursday posts but will get to them soon. There are several ways to get into freelance writing. For some basics, find the book Get a Freelance Life by Margit Feury Ragland (I found a copy at my library) and go from there! Shoot me any questions privately if you want, too!
Taslim, thank you so much for the honor! I’m thrilled to be here with Violette (one of my inspirations) and Joyelle (new to me; love her colors). Art journaling has been such a saving grace in my life, so I’m always happy to encourage others to try. The key for me is to focus on the practice/process itself, squeezing all the joy out I can without worrying what the end result will look like.
Hi Amanda! So happy to feature you on my blog! It’s difficult as a newbie to let go and not care about the end result. Especially when surrounded by incredible artists! One thing I find myself saying to myself as I try a new technique: “This is great, I’m learning something new. I can make this mine with practice.” It kind of reminds me of learning piano pieces. First I had to get the technique down, learn the tricky parts in isolation and then when I had practiced enough, I could let that analytical part of my brain go and turn on the emotion and flair.
I’ve never heard of art journaling. I’m not sure I’m creative enough… but looks like a lot of fun!
Uh oh…Reshma, did you just tell me you’re not creative enough? 🙂 You are creative ‘enough’ and this would be a good way to surprise yourself. These people who I’ve shared today make art often and have been doing so for years. Each have their own style, too. You have your own style and you can learn techniques or just do it your way. Hopefully I can share more to inspire you! P.S. I’ve checked out your blog and you sure have an eye for fashion! Thanks for stopping by, Reshma!
Those are beautiful journals! I didn’t realize it was called art journaling. I love the idea. It reminds me of scrapbooking, something I really enjoyed doing for trips (pre-baby of course.) So happy to have you linking up with these creative ideas! I always look forward to reading your posts.
I love linking up, too! Hopefully you can get back into some kind of art now that the kids have grown up a bit – even include them or have them do something while you get busy with your own project. Thanks for stopping by, Salma!
If you are feeling the pull toward mixed media and learning something new, I highly, highly, highly recommend checking out Donna Downey’s website. I participate in her Inspiration Wednesdays (there is a slight cost) and they are so fun. I think if you google there are examples but otherwise I blog about what I create in them sometimes. Her site though is a mixed media dream:)
Hi Renata! I really appreciate you stopping by and sharing this with me! I’m definitely going to check her out, and I’ll pop over to your site as well. I’m totally being called to expand my art and perhaps something regular like Inspiration Wednesdays is what I need!