Art Journal Page: Beautiful Leaves

Posted on 15th October 2019 by perfectly4med

It’s just about time for the leaves to fall… the weather is distinctly autumnal (read wet!) and the leaves are turning. This art journal spread started off with a Distress Stain Spray background that I hadn’t used up to now. Next, stamp some fallen leaves (Tim Holtz/Stampendous CMS097) in jet black archival ink. Fill in around them with black acrylic ink. They didn’t particularly look 3D until I added some shading with Black Soot Distress ink. I’m not entirely happy with the quote placement. I can always paint it out if it aggravates me next time I look at it!

Art Journal Page: Border of flowers

Posted on 30th May 2018 by perfectly4med

It’s my monthly art journal session on Monday evening, and this month’s theme is ‘Spring Spraying’. Spray inks, stains and paints are always a fun, and fast, way of making a background. Occasionally, the spray reaches the page… Using stencils and then embellishing with other media, such as white pigment pens, finish the page off nicely.

Speaking of finishing a page… There are some who ask, ‘when do you know a page is finished?’. Here’s an example. The first pic shows where I originally finished the page. It was only when I was editing the photo for posting that I decided I hadn’t finished after all. The second pic shows where I left it after a little more work:

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Art Journal: Gelli Tag Book

Posted on 25th July 2017 by perfectly4med

It’s been a while since I have played with my Gelli mono printing plate, and inspired by the work of Birgit Koopsen and the latest copy of Somerset Studio featuring tag art, I set to. Twenty or so monoprinted tags later, I had the basis of a new art journal – a Gelli Tag Book.

With a quick cardboard cover, book binding tape and a few quotes (and several days later) my journal is complete. Overprinting and underpainting, outlining hand drawn typography create a cohesive whole.

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Art Journal Page: Retro

Posted on 30th June 2016 by perfectly4med

I started this page with no real idea of where it was going to end up – scraping the paint on with an old gift card was the start of the background, before I added the retro oblongs using one of the same colours. The rest built up from there using the stamp set as inspiration.

Used on this page:

Frisk LayFlat Sketch Pad (small)
Royal Talens Amsterdam Standard acrylic paints (24 pack)
Woodware clear stamp set: Retro
Woodware Mask-It sheet
Royal Talens Amsterdam Gesso: White
Ranger Stickles: Stardust
Uniball Signo Broad: White

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Art Journal Page: Word Of The Day

Posted on 18th April 2016 by perfectly4med

I have a new journal, a Toned Gray Strathmore art journal (5½ x 8″). I chose the grey background as I have previously enjoyed the mid-tone which allows both black and white work top. I wanted to explore the journaling side of the art journal and came up with a ‘word of the day’ theme – choosing a word that described either what I had done, or how I felt. The doodling on the facing page started to reflect the words and was completed a little at a time each day. Continue reading →

Art Journal Page: Alphabet Sampler

Posted on 23rd August 2015 by perfectly4med

There seems to be one common theme amongst those attending my art journaling session each month – they don’t like their own handwriting. Or don’t think they can do hand lettering on their pages. Well, they’re in for a shock in September’s session… this is the project! Starting on an acrylic paint background (it wipes clean!) I’ve gridded off the page, free-drawn my letters and then gone mad with the paint and black and white pens. It’s an exercise in drawing and embellishing, and hopefully will give my class a little more confidence to do their own thing on their pages. Or put them off completely. I’ll let you know.

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Art Journal Page: Tears of a Clown

Posted on 12th June 2015 by perfectly4med

I’m leading an art journaling workshop at the end of June, and thought I’d get a few more foregrounds on my many backgrounds in my various art journals. This spread already had the colour (distress inks over gesso with stencilled water bleaching) and the droplets (a Designs by Ryn rubber stamp). I searched in vain for a quote on water drops, but there was something about this phrase that sparked off the image of Pierrot, and the rest of the page came together.

The distress inks, being water reactive and dye based, reacted with the white pigment ink, white pigment pen and white acrylic paint I used, even after I tried to stabilise it with hairspray. I got round it using layers, and drying with a heat tool immediately after applying it. I added colour with Bombay India Inks, and coloured pencils. The harlequin tape is from Tim Holtz Idea-ology tissue tape range.

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