Crayons are awesome. They smell nice and can be layered. Love me some crayons.
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(More videos after the break, having all the videos load at once was making the page load slow.)
Rubber and foam stamps are awesome, especially when you carve them yourself.
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Gouache is one of those things no one talks about, or isn't talked about often for art journals. Some of us love our gouache, I'm one of them. Gouache is a watercolor-like paint that is opaque and can be layered like oil or acrylic to achieve a different sort of look from watercolors. It has a chalky finish that distinguishes it from watercolor.
It's often used (or was often used, before the advent of computers) by graphic designers to lay down a swatch of color that photographed well for ads. It's lovely matte finish lends itself to being photographed. When artists use it, the look can be totally changed.
It's a great tool for use in the art journal, and one of my favorites.
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(More videos after the break, having all the videos load at once was making the page load slow.)
Oil pastels are inexpensive and loaded in color. They are a quick way to get bright, intense color onto your page fast. Eventually they will dry but it does take a long time.
If you have issues viewing the videos here on my blog please click the title of the video on the upper left of the video and it will open up in YouTube for your viewing pleasure.
With the above video, if you put acrylic over oil pastel, it will scratch off, or peel. It will stick better if you use watersoluble oil pastel. Just a word of caution. A very neat effect though. (You could do it with water colors in place of the oil pastels.)
(More videos after the break, having all the videos load at once was making the page load slow.)
Watercolor is one of my favorite thigns to use in my art journal. They are capable of brilliant or dark colors and are able to adapt to just about anything. Watercolors are simply a great tool to have in your art journal kit. They can open up a simplicity that can break open your practice and allow you to explore a different type of art journaling- faster and looser. Free in a way that acrylics and huge layers can't be.
If you have issues viewing the videos here on my blog please click the title of the video on the upper left of the video and it will open up in YouTube for your viewing pleasure.
I have been asked again and again about drawing face. How to do it, what to do, what media, etc… I wrote a post with tips on faces and while that holds true, this post is about solid techniques you can use to draw faces.
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No joke, I love to draw in my art journal. Sketches, doodles, all sorts of neat stuff can go in there. But what to sketch, how to sketch? Hopefully, these videos will help give some guidance.
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One of the best things I ever decided to do in my art journal was to devote myself to drawing. For about a year I devoted 20 to 30 minutes a night to drawing in my journal. I drew ewverything and anything from stacks of bottle caps to used tea bags to every piece of fresh fruit that came into the house. Sometimes in the 20 to 30 minutes I'd make 5 or 6 quick drawings othertimes I'd work on one. Anyway, contour line drawing does something in the brain (we aren't sure what yet) but it's been linked to all kinds of good things. (Check out Grandma Layton.) Take a moment when you are watching TV to go draw something. *
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I love compostion books for all things note taking. I use them in school for class notes, ideas, and doodles. Their sturdy stitching lets them live in my bag and survive. These make great art journals. Here are a few videos to give you some ideas on what you can do with them.
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I'm a huge fan of printmaking and printing things. Years ago I took a monotytpe/print class and I was addicted to the process. However without a press true monotype is impossible. I learned about making gelatin plates at some point over the years and Jane and I tested it out a few years ago. SO MUCH FUN. While this post isn't specifically about gelatin printing (gelli is a brand name of a product) it's about printing in all it's fun filled glory. Oh what fun can be had with a brayer and some paint. Or some plastic sheets and ink.
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Found this lovely vid via Diana Trout's amazing blog.
Of course no post on art journaling and printing would be complete without a few videos by the amazing Traci Bunkers. She has an awesome book.
Make your own permenant gelatin plate aka gelli plate.
You don't need to have a "gelli" brand plate to print. You can make your own perma-gelatin or you can try a silicone sheet or foam sheet. I picked up a couple of silicone sheets (Used in lockers as message boards) at staples and they work VERY well for gelatin printing. You could also get smooth silicon baking sheets and use them to print. Ther are MANY possibilities.
You can plan out a gelatin print as well.
Printing can also be done by making your own stamps.