November journaling

November is Art Everyday Month and there is also NaNoJouMo. Seems quite appropriate that on Monday I chose to finish some art journal pages. I also did some free motion stitching but I'll share that another day.
 Actually the first page is from about a month ago but it shows some really easy ways I sometimes use to just do some quick creating

The next two pages were started earlier but just completed.


 
 
What I especially want to say with these pages is that art journaling can be VERY SIMPLE. Much of these pages was about tearing out pictures or papers and gluing them down. If you add a few words, some colour with an ink pad or watercolour pencil scribbles, moistened and rubbed around - you can get a message across. NOTHING says it has to be fancy and all perfect like. My friend Courtney is working on a project with a paper bag glue book for journaling - I say "Why NOT? If you are having difficulty beginning or putting something down on a page - why not start with an old magazine and some glue? Please just TRY.

Today's links:
Derwent watercolour pencils
Art Everyday Month
NaNoJouMo
Courtney's paperbag glue book

so much to say

I will be doing a post over at winnsangels which will speak more directly to what this journal page is about. In this place, I want to share that I have been adding many fabulous links to this site so it can be a place for you to be reminded of all the inspiration available online and within printed magazines and books. I am quite certain I have left out important sites and publications. But this is definitely a start.

For this journal page, I chose a background I had done a long time ago (cannot remember exactly). I added to it. The page was done in my large Hilroy Studio scrapbook which  had received some water damage while sitting on the floor in our basement during a humid summer. I think it is perfect for art journaling. The water stain adds character.



The next step was the addition of three old small book pages glued down. Looks like I drew some flowers with a white gel pen. The next part I am not certain about. The background colour was done either with watercolour pencils followed by water or watersoluble crayons followed by water. Yesterday I added the black script going vertically (where I discuss this concern of having so much to say). Then I drew the young woman first with pencil, followed by added colour with the watersoluble crayons and water. The white parts of her eyes were dabbed with a tiny drop of white gesso on a stick pin (handiest thing available). I also put a bit of red ink on a stamp with script on it and stamped randomly on top right corner and bottom left corner. I have been using technique of applying ink to only part of stamp, which I learned somewhere along the way from one of my fave artists, Pam Carriker. I used a couple of other stamps with the same red ink. They may not be visible in this part of the page. Whoops.

Links:
watersoluble crayons
winnsangels
Pam Carriker
Hilroy studio scrapbook
Derwent graphic sketching pencils
Inkadinkado stamps 
Dawn Houser "Letter" stamp is one of my all time fave script stamps though not the one I actually used on this page
Copic markers
I believe copic markers are "the best" for using on top of background done with watersoluble crayons.