Gratitude in the Kitchen Studio

I haven't been as active in my art as I have promised myself, as I always plan to be and because of this my art supplies have migrated yet again in search of the perfect place for me to "art". This time, it's the kitchen! Yesterday I posted to my sisters in the Book of Days facebook group that I was having problems finding time with chores and my little ones around to get projects underway, completed, and even just holding onto good ideas for my art! Well they inspired me with their advice, ideas, and input on how they do things to move into the room I spend most of my time in! Thank you ladies, you have done my heart good!

Even though the dining room is only a room away from the kitchen, in fact, it's practically the SAME room, I can't seem to get in there and BE creative. I guess, maybe, I don't like the room. I don't like it's set up, or perhaps its lighting options. The over head light gets so hot when it is turned on and up, and with summer right around the corner I know that this is going to cause trouble. The overhead light also provides light with just a hint of an orange tint, only slightly annoying and off-putting, especially since the room is usually so dark that you need the light even in the daytime!

But in the kitchen, there is a big window that catches morning light so wonderfully (in fact, that's going on my gratitude list today, that window in the morning), it doesn't have the most spectacular view, the backyard and our dog that desperately needs to be groomed, our neighbors house, some power lines, and the tops of the trees at the park, but it is such a wonderful window to open up in the morning, and morning is usually when I feel the best so I HAVE to enjoy it!

I didn't move everything. I figured most things could stay in their storage places in the dining room, I use our hutch for art supply storage. I just moved in the things that I love to play with the most, things that inspire me when I have them near at hand. My gesso and paints in a plastic tote, watercolor crayons, pens and markers, brushes, and a trash bowl. Simple!

 My new workspace!

So, I went straight to play after moving my things around and a few more things joined me in the kitchen, a tub of scrap paper and ephemera and a stack of magazines I have had sitting around for a couple months now. First I started cutting apart one of the magazines and while I was doing that I realized that I hated the first spread in my Gratitude Journal, so I decided to change it! I don't think I still have a photo of what it was before, but below is what I did with it.

 I collaged some colorful scrapbook paper I had laying around.

 Covered it with some gesso, stamping, and paint.

Cut the lettering and heart from a magazine, and added some other touches to the background including the circles of purple paint with the cap to my empty water bottle!

And the end result...

Yeah, I am pretty happy with it. In all honestly I do feel like it needs something more, but I also feel like I will know it when I see it! Maybe when I am cutting pictures and words from magazines, or maybe next time I go to the store.

My Gratitude Journal is a small moleskine knock off with lines. I have taken two pages at a time and glued them together to make them sturdy enough to withstand some art, and so far, it's working pretty well, at least it didn't disintegrate like the larger one that I had and glued 4-5 pages together at a time (too much stress on the binding, I learned). 

So, that's my gratitude in the kitchen studio thus far today. I am happy and arty. And, every time I go into the kitchen for something I splash some paint on something or glue something down, I have pages going in both my Gratitude Journal and my Book of Days at the moment.

I think I will make much progress in this room because it is where I spend most of my time cooking and washing dishes (the perpetual and hated chore), this will also probably help me keep the kitchen substantially cleaner as I wash dishes and do other chores while waiting for paint, glue and gesso to dry. The only downfall of this room so far, no seat! I can see now that I am going to have to invest in a stool and fast!!

 My baby girl sat in her highchair while I got my art on!

2012's word is CHERISH

Because this year I celebrate and cherish everything that I was, that made me who I am, I cherish ME!
I cherish art, my art journal, other's art journals, and I cherish sharing with these wonderful arty people with good hearts.
And above all else I cherish my family and friends because life is really, really short.

One of my goals this year is to learn as much as I can about art/art journaling by immersing myself in it and being cretaive everyday, so I joined in on Effy Wild's Book of Days.
I found it and I am already making an honest effort to journal for at least 5 minutes everyday even if it is about stupid things.
So, I thought this would be a great addition to my year of art! And so far I have had so much fun with it!

I started by going shopping for a new journal as my current journal doesn't have enough room in it for 52 new spreads plus any "special day" pages. And of course, I couldn't find anything here in town. So, I took some advice and started looking at my old books for one to alter.
I found one!

Not that I want to see this book destroyed.
No, I find this book very dear to me and I decided it would become my Book of Days for 2012!


A photo from inside my book, these are flowers I pressed years ago on my last trip to Louisiana, when I bought the book.

And, on to the project at hand...



These are the pages I started with.



And after some paint, post-its, watercolor crayons, printed words and numbers, and more paint, this is what the layout looks like.

The words, close-up. I took them off some scrapbook paper I was going to use but the design was just too big to fit in my book.

And finally...

Yeah. I think I over grunged the word Cherish and the numbers. But eh, I am still happy with it!
It was fun and tomorrow I will work on the layout for this week.

I avoided dishes and laundry to complete this today, so I guess if I want a place to sleep tonight and bottles to feed the baby out of, I guess I had better get to washing.
Please excuse me!
:D

Jar of Hearts

Backdating a challenge for A Year in the Life of an Art Journal
because I found the blog and art journaling late in the year.
And because I find their challenges to be SO inpsiring and right on my wavelength.

The PROMPT: Scars
THE SONG: Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri
Written Lyrics HERE
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE: rips and tearing

You can expect to see a few more pages from their past challenges.

I just adore this song.

30 Day Art Journal/Blog Challenge - Day 5

Today's chellenge:
More Zentangling.

So, I asked myself, what would happen if I Zentangled on an acrylic paint background.
It's a little difficult, because the surface is not super flat and my sharpie pen has been giving me headaches. It's supposed to be a permanent pen but halfway through the ink started wiping away.
What's up with that?

Here's the page. I love the colors of the paint on this page. It's built on a background I created yesterday. Just some Zentangle and personal ephemera. I am having a picture of my husband and I from my cell phone printed, will be a few days and it will be complete...



Close up of the hearts.

Close up of the words.


The pictures aren't the best, I know. It's REALLY overcast today and I just can't seem to get some good lightining even near a window.

Will update this page again once I have the picture and I am going to dig out some more personal ephemera, maybe Zentangle some more.
We'll see where it takes me.

30 Day Art Journal/Blog Challenge - Day 1

Today's challenge...

Pick a lyric from one of your favorite songs and illustrate it.

So, we've covered the fact that I cannot draw... well... yet.
But am working on it.
The earth is a free clip art I found on the internet, glued down, covered with gesso, traced, and painted with craft acrylics, pretty much.
Funny thing is, I covered it with so much gesso that I could hardly see the lines so it really forced me to become creative with line placement.
But the exercise got me really comfortable with my sharpie, not like the coffee cup a few posts ago. I stressed over that cup and not getting the gesso too thick, that I couldn't see lines, and just getting things right.
This one was much more loose and my attitude was much more "eh, whatever."
I even tried lettering and I fought the urge to cover it up with something printed!
Go me!

The page is based on the song "Blue Lips" by Regina Spektor. It's one of my favorite songs and the baby does the cutest dance when she hears this song!

Other things I did last night...
Three backgrounds







That last one is my favorite. I think it's going to turn into a page on which I journal about those things I cherish. Yeah, seems like that would fit.


Things I am currently considering...
[Zentangle.]
[A trip to Albuquerque in search of new supplies.]
[Heat embossing in my art journal with the Joseph's Coat Technique.]
OH And!!! - A new monthly art journal group on Motley Soul!
I am particularly excited about this because I just love Mika and her art!


I am quite happy on my art-filled journey.
It makes me smile, I hope you are smiling too!
If not, go work in your art journal, or start one if you don't have one!

For Dad... And my Art Journal Self Challenge

I played last night in my art journal and I didn't want to go to bed, but I wasn't feeling good and I knew the baby would be up early. She was, aaaaaaannnnnnnnnnd she's sick (so am I).

So, the below page was created with inspiration from two places.
The inspiration for heart and the words about the pieces not fitting right came from somewhere... I venture to say from a page I saw by Less Herger at Comfortable Shoes Studio, at the very least someone at ArtJournaling.Ning. Alas, I cannot find the picture or post any more to provide a link and credit.
And the words about taking for granted came from a page I saw on guttergirlz, Becky, I think.

I try not to copy things, especially word for word or picture for picture, and this isn't an exact copy of either page. But both of the pieces really did inspired me, touched me, and they just fit my feeling so exactly. And I thank both people for that inspiration and I hope that neither is offended that I copied sentiments.

It's a personal journal anyhow, and this is a snapshot of how I have felt since July for my daddy.
I miss him.



So, I played with a background in coloring that fit my mood as I thought about Dad, in acrylic craft paints, as usual. It's a yellow and orange background, and I grunged it up with a black acrylic paint color wash. I drew and painted the heart, go me! And I tried the lettering but it just didn't come out the way I wanted, so I covered it up with printed words. Though I haven't given up on practicing faces and lettering, I have a section of my journal for practicing drawing but I am not prepared to share that with anyone yet.

I REALLY like how it came out, I am immensely happy with the finished page.
And I expect you're gonna see A LOT more grunged stuff in the future, so much fun!

Next is a page that, well, I am not sure if I am done with it, in fact I am 99% positive I am not done with. But I wanted to share anyhow. I joined the Motley Soul community recently and Mika has been so very nice to me and super helpful with getting creative juices flowing and some confidence. I confided in her that I could paint backgrounds but beyond that I was blocked. I didn't want to ruin a nicely painted background with junk. She gave me a little challenge, some instructions on a page I should try, a prompt if you will... a sort of billboard for myself where my inner critic didn't get a voice.
The below page is a result of that, but like I said, it's not finished.


Again with the printed fonts... I would have preferred to cut letters and words from magazines but my magazine selection is really small, so I am going to work on collecting magazines, old books and sheet music!
I do like printed fonts though, I found a BUNCH of free, fun fonts on the internet at http://www.1001fonts.com/.

And the next two pictures are of backgrounds that I painted last night. I haven't decided what I will do with them yet, if anything, but I REALLY liked these two.





I think it will be fun to see what they turn into with inspiration in the future.
:D

And so, I have decided to challenge myself. 30 days of art journaling/blogging. I just must do something everyday for the next 30 days AND blog about it, WITH pictures.
I have a bunch of prompts and have found a few websites and blogs with more ideas than I can ever use, so for the next 30 days I challenge myself to do SOMETHING in my art journal and blog about it.
This is mainly to form a habit of blogging and art journaling.
I am so bad about it that I can go months without touching my blogs, but I really think I could benefit from a creative, colorful burst of art in life.

Make life more colorful! -Or- I am knee deep in Craft Acrylics...

I finished my first real set of pages yesterday.
The inner critic complains but honestly, I am pleased.
I drew the eye myself.
Drawing does not come naturally or easily to me, so I was happy my eye even resembled an... eye.
I do feel like the page needs something more, but I also feel like I will know whatever it is when I see it.



And today I woke up with the page below in my head, and I was just lucky enough to get it out.
I swear I should have called myself the single handed journaler or something.
Babylove was her usual demanding self.
Mondays are bad because daddy is home on the weekends and holds her ALL weekend! Which is fabulous for me during the weekend, I can get stuff done!
Not so much come Monday when all she wants is to be held and loved on.
It's ok though, I would really rather hold her than do ANY of the chores around my house.

So, during an absurdly short nap (mostly), I was able to pull this together and I am really happy with it!


I did give doing the lettering by hand a good, honest try. But I just wasn't happy AT ALL, so I printed these up on my computer with a really fun font and colored them with sharpies, one handed, that has to count for SOMETHING... right?

Also, I have been watching a bunch of videos in the last week, a few of my favorites are:
JournalArtista, MotleyMonkeyArt, SamaraGugler, DianaTro, willowing, and lastly comfortableshoesstud, who has inspired me to do a "cult of stuff" junk journal.

My First Art Journal

Welcome to my journey to my art journal.
Please excuse the mess as I am just getting started.

I have never considered myself an artist, but I enjoy playing in paints, colors, stamps, and watercolor. So, I am looking to see what comes from playing.


This is my cover.


The first semi-finished page.


A page in the works.

I have spent a couple days surfing and absorbing anything and everything I can, I have bought what I could of inexpensive supplies, and I have started.

I can now understand why some people have two or three journals, sitting and letting them dry, even with wax paper in between pages is just awful when you have ideas flowing...