Expressive Art Journals

1. Intro: You want to create visually intriguing Art Journal pages that express your experiences, ideas, and emotions through texture, rhythm, movement, unity and more than look no further, you've come to the right place. With expressive Art journaling, you will explore a variety of techniques and materials that will help you achieve that goal. And after taking this class, you will have the competence and the know-how to begin and maintain your own Art Journal. Course is for anyone who has an interest in journaling Art, we're creating visual representations of their day to day experiences and no previous know-how is needed. I will walk you through at all. I am jenn Jordan, international artists educator living in the vibrant city of Warsaw, Poland. And I'm so excited to share with you some of my favorite ways for making and creating an Art Journal. Art has always been my passion and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share it here with others. My own Art journaling began during COVID with isolation, two small children, unlimited workspace and his desire to keep making, I needed to find an outlet. And journaling was my answer. Journaling is a way to document, process, and share personal experiences and a visual way. In this class, you will begin to unpack some of the tips and tricks that I've discovered to create an expressive Art Journal will explore eliminating White Space, adding texts and images, and so much more. My goal for you is to become more comfortable with creating small visual representations of your memories, feelings, ideas, and experiences. I know that the techniques that you will explore here will allow you to feel more confident in your journaling process. Are you ready? Let's get started. 2. What is an Art Journal?: So what is an Art Journal? Many of you may already be familiar with Art Journals. You may have even created one yourself. But for those of you who haven't, an Art Journal is a personal creative diary that combines visual elements and written Expressions. They serve as a versatile platform for artists, hobbyists, anyone interested in self-expression Art Journals can be in the form of sketchbooks, notebooks, or even digital format, allowing individuals to explore their artistic abilities and emotions and a unique and individualized way. And then Art Journal, individuals have the freedom to experiment with various techniques, such as drawing, painting, collage, and Mixed Media. And they have the opportunity to use Art supplies like pens, pencils, markers, Paint, or even incorporate found objects and materials 3. Materials: Here's a really quick overview of some of my most favorite materials to use while working in my Art Journal. First and foremost as craft paint. This painting is great because it's super cheap. You can get it pretty much anywhere. And it lasts a really long time. So I like these little craft acrylic paints. Something else I really liked that I got really lucky to find are these little rollers. These are test rollers that I found for Paint at my local hardware store. So this is something that I really love using. And the best thing about it is that the rollers come off and you can wash them and then you can put them back and save them. You can also refill these, so you can refill them with new paint colors once your current paint color has run out. Of course, brushes are really important. You're gonna be painting, you're gonna be doing the background. You need to have some X-acto names. I like to have a variety of X-acto knife. So this is a swivel tip that I like for when I'm cutting small, intricate shapes. Mod podge is really important. It's what I used to glue down all of my tape Transfers and to make sure that they adhere properly so you see up mod podge or even something similar, you could use that acrylic matte medium would work, or acrylic gloss medium would work. A glue stick for all of your paper stuff. So I like to have a glue stick, Scissors, magazine pages, of course, stencils and punch and Ella, this is called punch in ELA if you're not familiar with it, this is what sequence are punched out of, and this is the leftover and these are really, really great for adding seats. Then the last thing that I really like to use is thread and a string because I like to do embroidery and I like to do a lot of stitching and then include that in my Art Journal as well. So here are a sample of materials and tools that you can use for your Art Journal. Of course, as mentioned, you can use anything that you have at home and you're materials might be different or you might have different favorite materials than I do. And that is what is going to make your Art Journal so amazing? 4. Eliminating White Space: I often begin my journaling by evaluating how I'm feeling and what experiences I've recently had. But also, I think about colors that are speaking to me or image and phrases that I hear, see, or read in my environment. And those helped me to formulate my overall visual representations for the day. But I don't always have a specific idea about what to journal when I began and staring at a blank page can be really overwhelmed, whelming, sometimes even leaving two artists swap. One way that I've overcome this, beginning with eliminating White Space. Eliminating whitespace in your artwork can be a helpful strategy to remove the pressure of getting a project started because it creates a sense of progress and reduces the fear of the blank page. The colors I choose for this stuff often give me a sense of direction for my journal entry and allow my ideas to flow more easily. If I'm selecting darker colors, I might reflect on something more heavy that I'm feeling. Whereas if I use lighter colors, reflect on something that's more positive, uplifting, feeling nostalgic and energize today. And you can see here I'm representing that by the colors pink, teal, and gray. I'm going to begin by applying paint to the paper and randomly calculated areas and sharing. I create a sense of visual balance along the way. I want to wait of my colors to feel cohesive and in harmony as this is the foundation for my work. Take a few minutes to consider how you are feeling today and choose some colors that represent that mood. Use your own painting style to apply the paint in a balanced way on the entire background. Making sure to leave space for layering and overlapping. Once you have filled the entire background, let it dry completely before moving onto the next step. 5. Tape Transfers: One way that I like to add images and texts my Art Journal is through the use of tape Transfers and stenciling. Let's begin with tape Transfers. A tape transfer involves using packing tape to transfer inkjet printed images or texts onto another surface. To apply this technique, you begin by printing or selecting your desired image or text. Next, you've covered the printed area with packing states, ensuring it adheres firmly to the paper. Once the tape is applied, you soak the paper and water until it becomes saturated. As the water loosens the paper fibers, you gently rub off the wet paper, leaving the ink behind on the adhesive side of the case. Finally, carefully position the case onto you desired surface using the adhesive of your choice. I personally like to use mod podge. However, glue, sticks and pens as well as acrylic medium, we're also work well. So use the adhesive of your choice. By using the tape Transfers techniques, you can incorporate texts and images into your artwork with ease. Now it's your turn. Take a shot at using the tape transfer technique to apply images or texts onto your journal. Make sure to snap a picture and share your results in our project gallery. 6. Stenciling (Adding Texture): The next technique stenciling serves two primary purposes and my Journals. The first is to create visual texture. On the second is to add emphasis to my main idea. Stenciling is an easy way to accomplish mode. In this case, I'll show you how to use punch in ELA or the remanent scraps leftover from punching sequence and letter stenciling. Each can both be easily found on craft websites and stores. If you don't have these materials at home, don't worry. You can also handwrite your text for use other objects and materials such as fruit bags, feathers, feeds, or toothbrushes to get some interesting stenciling results. Here, you can see that I'm using punch in ELA to create a frame around my composition. These textual elements add depth and dimension, as well as highlight areas of emphasis in my journal. In this example, I'm using a letter stencils to add words that connect to or draw. Focus on my main idea. This is helpful when combining many elements and you want to ensure your focal point doesn't get lost. Adding texture to your journal entry and a way that creates emphasis. Highlight your main visual or I give I creating texture around and leading to your focal points. Or by adding words or phrases that connect to it. Make sure to take a picture and share your results in our project gallery. I can't wait to see how you decided to use stenciling and add texture and emphasis to your journal? 7. Adding Stitches: Adding Stitches or sewing is another technique I like to use to add unity and visual interests in my Art Journal. Stitches added to a work of Art can significantly enhance its visual and conceptual impact and can introduce and connect narratives and storytelling elements. It is with this in mind that I used to work in my Art Journal. To begin your stitching plan, your path or pattern, determine which did she will use. I most often use a backstitch or a straight stitch. Pretty poke your holes with the needle that you will use for threading your string. Complaint your Stitches. Higher knots. An optionally, you can hide your knots by blowing on an extra page to the backside of your paper when you're done. In order to incorporate your Stitches, it's important to have a clear idea of what and how you want to include them. This example, you can see that in stitching, a trail from the phrase outlay is too late across the page behind the skull and to the bird. Now it's your turn. Grab a needle, some thread, and get started on sewing some decorative and textural elements to your Art Journal. I can't wait to see what you create 8. Closing: Thank you for joining me for this class about expressive Art Journals. I hope that's an introduction to my process and the step shared have helped you to envision how you can use expressive Art Journals in your life. In addition, I hope that through this practice, you have developed the confidence to explore and play while creating in your own journal. Art Journals are wonderful additions to our journaling life as they combine the visual with the written to formulate a powerful documentation of our experiences through eliminating White Space, Adding stitching and applying tape Transfers, as well as painting, drawing and collage. Art Journals become expressive of you and your everyday life. And how cool is it to see and look through a finished Journal and know where you have been and where you want to go. I would love to see what you've created during this class. So make sure to post a project and share your results with me. And until next time. Happy Creating