Our Art Journals are Returning!

We are bringing back our Art Journal challenges. Each issue will challenge you to a new foray into the world of art. The two articles below, our original beginning challenge pages will give newcomers an idea of what we are doing. The link below these two articles has a list of precious challenges you can go look at. (You may remember our journal mascot, Art. He's a funky piece I picked up somewhere along the way. He loves art and does his best to show it. I can't wait to see what he does with the pink and green paints!)

Our original Art Journal Challenge...

A new challenge…The Art Journal Challenge.

An art journal. You have seen them online. Sometimes done in an old book, sometimes in a new blank journal. How you start your journal will be up to you.

First, decide what format you want. As mentioned above it could be an old book or a new blank journal. It could be done a page at a time and secured together when you have finished. The choice is yours.

I am currently away from home but have a wonderful new journal I plan on using in this challenge. (I will add a photo of it and purchasing history when I get back to the beach next week.) It’s a huge, hand-bound, hand made paper journal that I got for a song. It was love at first sight!

For this challenge, which will last until the end of 2020, I will give you one new challenge every issue. It could be to paint or draw something with a certain theme or it could be to write a poem or a sonnet. You can choose which challenges you would like to do. I will encourage you to step outside your comfort zone on occasion.

The idea is to enjoy what you are doing and to expand your artistic horizons.

So for the first challenge...go get your book. Choose the one that works for you!

All photos Credit Pixabay.com

Part. 2

In our last blog, I introduced a new challenge. One that will last a year, 3 times a month.

Your assignment was to choose a journal. Wow...this past week I found out just how many different journals there are to choose from. I looked in my own private stash, of which there are a LOT! I had already decided I wanted to use the huge new journal I had gotten at Christmas time. Then I thought, maybe I should look at others. There are so many, with so many different paper choices...it is a daunting task. So I decided to work this challenge on a few different journals.

Below in the second set of photos, you see the huge journal I mentioned, full of handmade paper, it is from Sugarboo & Co.I purchased this at their kiosk at an event in Florida but they do have a shop in Disney Springs. They also have a website but I could not find the journal listed, although they do have quite a collection. Perhaps an email could get you the information for the book I purchased. Laying on top of the huge journal is one I found at Michaels. I took advantage of a coupon so it cost me $5.00, it has very smooth pages. The other three journals are from my stash, the one on top is from Michaels, the other two were gifts and I am unsure of their origins. AS we continue this journey I am anxious to see how the different papers work.

Below...Sugarboo & Co.'s Artisan Book.

Below...Traveler Notebook by Recollections, Michaels.

Got your book? Next, we will look at some of the supplies I plan on using. While I will list what I use each issue, you can use whatever you have on hand.

Possible supplies include but are not limited to...

1. acrylic paints

2. assorted brushes

3. specialty paints... mixed media, watercolor (pencils), etc.

4. assortment of pens and pencils

5. rubber stamps

6. stencils

These are just a few of the things I hope to try. I'm also open to suggestions. Let me know what you would like to try.

Next issue we will work on our first page. Get ready to start our journey...

A link to previous journal challenges...

https://www.paintingworldmag.com/blog/search/journal