Postcard #o3
Originally uploaded by virgílio

These postcards are amazing

boy
Originally uploaded by apples and ink

very cool page, love the dry brush page

Scattered Brains
Originally uploaded by Full of Wish

Great use of color in this one by Full of Wish on flickr I'd like to look close at the page and feel it's texture.

Check out this cool video by SDevi86 I love the use of paint in this journal.

“Stop thinking like the “little guys” for a start.” Hazel Dooney tweeted in response to my tweet.

Brilliant in its simplicity it goes back to something I’ve heard before, “Herger, think bigger.” Jim used to say this to me in rotation along with “Herger, get some bigger canvas for next class.” Perhaps for me working small goes along with thinking small. Sometimes it’s hard to think BIG when you have small amounts of time to work.

No offense to my DayJob but I’m really looking forward to my sabbatical during which I hope to focus primarily on art, the classes, an online sales solution and live sales solutions. I have no interest in being represented in a gallery. I don’t want to see 50% of the price of my paintings go to a gallery. I’m doing the work, why should they get 50% of that? Don’t give me the tired BS that they push sales and connect my work with buyers. Yawn. Perhaps I’m a control freak and want to know where my hard work ends up.

One of the few regrets that I have in life is that in 2001 when my art was starting to sell that I didn’t keep on making more of it. I should have stayed the course and continued to create and sell. Now I’m left picking up the pieces and recreating what was a hell of a lot easier when I was younger, jobless and without a mortgage.

The great thing about waiting to be where I am now is that technology has caught up with my ideas. I had the idea of doing online classes back in 2001 and 2002 but the technology wasn’t there. At the time you could create a private blog but UStream and the webcams available just weren’t good enough. Now they are and I’m able to do what I dreamed of back in the day.

During my sabbatical I’m looking at renting a space (perhaps with a few friends) and seeing if we can do a few shows in it. One to 3 months. It’s a simple idea. It’s a small step towards thinking bigger.

Wheels..
Originally uploaded by wil_freeborn

Again another fantastic series of watercolors (i think anyhow) from wil freeborn on flickr. This is great stuff on many levels but the great use of line and the terrific coloring makes me think of book illustrations. Don't take that as an insult, there are a lot of great illustrators.

"I'm old fashioned, but i don't mind it. ..As long you agree to stay old fashioned with me.
Originally uploaded by Cecília Murgel

Bright colors, lots of writing some sketches. love it

DSCI0032
Originally uploaded by align

Another stunner by align. Who hasn't been here?

21 Secrets is all kinds of awesome. 21 Amazing artists all doing classes together. I love to be a part of a community like this. It’s simply amazing to me. I’ve been cruising through the classes checking out what other people are doing and I’m loving it. Connie has created something brilliant. For 6 months you have access to some of the most creative minds in art journal, all for about $3 a class. Think about it 6 months $3 for one of my classes and then 20 other classes for about the same. It’s pretty friggin’ brilliant.

It’s the best value out there.

Period.

So let’s talk about how artist’s are getting paid. I get paid both if you click my link and if you click someone else’s. Granted I get more if you click my link and I’ll love you forever if you do but I won’t hold it against you if you click someone else’s link. In fact I won’t even know, when the artists get paid we don’t see names- just dollar amounts. Connie is the only one who sees names. that’s okay with me.

You see, it doesn’t matter to me if you pay me or you pay another artist the larger amount of money. I’m excited to have you onboard, I’m excited to have people learning more about art and this awesome artform I’ve been doing for the last 10 years. I want to get to know you, have you join artjournaling.ning.com and learn more about art journaling.

When I signed up for this I told my partner I didn’t care if I didn’t make a penny off my class, I was so excited to meet other artists and get to know all the people in the workshop. that remains true. So I ask you to follow this link to my complete information page about 21 Secrets and either click my payment link or follow a link to one of the other very deserving and awesome artists and show them some love. We’re all in this together and I want all the artists to know I support them 100%. And I want you to know just how damn awesome this series of classes will be

Community.

 I’ve been thinking about this simple term a lot lately. When I found the art journaling community 7 years or so ago I was in awe at the great sense of community I’d found, online in a yahoo group. (Aisling founded the online yahoo group.)  It spoke to all the great stuff I was doing in  my journal and inspired me to do more. You can thank Aisling D’Art for me doing what I’m doing now. I was doing some of it already but really she inspired me to do more with my art journal.

To me art journaling online is about that sense of community. I was never into the competitive art school twaddle.  So I’m always surprised when others are into it.

For me, my classes are not a competition. I do them first and foremost because I LOVE them. Seriously if there is one thing I want you to get out of my classes it is a love of and for art. The skills will come with time but that love of art, I want you to see that in me as I teach and I want you to feel it as you create. If you leave my class loving art, you will continue to work on your skills.

So yes, I do the classes as a business. There is money involved, I wouldn’t put money into the equation if I didn’t have to, a girls gotta eat.* But I don’t and won’t put money before the grand community of art journaling and art. I promote my friends because I believe in them. I suggest that my students do their own classes, because I believe in them. I believe in offering a hand up and holding on, because the stronger we build this community the stronger we all become.

Don’t get me wrong, if art journaling gets huge like scrapbooking, I totally want a piece of that pie, but I suspect I’ll take a route more independent of the big companies than others might. On that note, I’ll tell you I have big plans and it’s called: Art Habit.  Ohhh secrets.

Also go check out 21 Secrets, simply the best value in art journaling instruction on the net. It’s friggin’ awesome!!!

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