I am really enjoying my instructor role over at Art Geeks! I have another Finish in Five challenge up – Episode 3 is a tribute to my awesome art friends.
Speaking of awesome art friends, I attended a couple of courses with THE lettering diva, Joanne Sharpe at The Art House Studio in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada yesterday! I had such a fabulous time, learning from the best, and meeting (or seeing again) – some AMAZING and creative, and talented women.
Whew! What a busy few days. And, the next few are looking just about the same. This is one of the reasons:
They are growing so fast! OMG…Summer has doubled in size in just over a week. Wilson is growing at a bit slower pace, but growing he is! I am so in love. They are so entertaining, andsuch little buggers purry love muffins! lol We had company last night, and they were the hit of the party!
This is another reason why I’ve been busy:
The above blingerific projects were inspired by Joanne Sharpe’s Bling it On class. Sadly, the class came to an end this week. But, her classes are available forever, so I can always go back and watch the videos again to get re-inspired. That is just one of the things that I love about Joanne’s classes. If you have never taken one, I highly recommend it! Not only is her instruction absolutely fabulous, she is one of the sweetest people I have ever “met”! AND, the Facegroup ladies are the best! I have never been part of a community like this group of artists! They are all so willng to share their tips and tricks, and many have even shared tutorials after Joanne’s classes end! AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAZING!
This is another reason why I have been so busy:
I am trying to get some Christmas cards made before we leave for a two week vacation in Jamaica (we leave this Friday!). EEK. (That is yet another reason why I’m so busy) I’m excited, but we won’t be back until December 8, so if I want to get these cards to their recipients before Santa arrives, I need to get them at finished! I am making them totally from my own artwork this year.
Next reason for busy-ness:
We got a new car! But, because we are leaving in a few days for our (previously mentioned) vacation, I need to get it in for snow tires, and rustproofing.
I have also been working with my personal trainer again, so I’m trying to train every day (before bikini-time-vacation). *whew*
So, just out of curiosity, I decided to see exactly how many journals I have on the go right now. I like to work in several journals at one time, but I think I’ve gotten a little out of control as of late. You be the judge:
I really do enjoy art journaling! Taking these photos lead me to blog about the various journals that I enjoy working in.
First, my Smash journals. I seem to fill these quickly, just because most of the work is already done for you. All I generally do is slap in some ephemera, add a little washi tape, and I’m done! I’m in the process of making a Youtube video flip of my beloved Smash journals.
As you can see, one of them is full, and the other two are move than half full.
Next, premade journals. There are so many options out there! When I began art journaling, I was a little overwhelmed by all the options. Over time, I have played with a number of different journals, and, depending on the type of journaling I do, they all seem to have their purpose.
For journaling using wet mediums (acrylic paint, sprays, watercolor crayons, inktense pencils, etc.), my absolute favourite is my watercolor Moleskines. They come in several different sizes. Of course, I have them all lol. The biggest one is HUGE…12″ x 16″! The smallest one isn’t in the photo…it’s about 3″ x 5″? I also like the one with the purple label. The paper is thick, but not watercolor. It is a nice off-white color, and will hold up to a fair bit of wet mediums.
My next favorite pre-made journals are the Strathmore mixed media journals, and the Strathmore Visual Journals (140 lb watercolor). Strathmore really has done a fabulous job…the paper is nice and thick, and holds a TON of watercolor-type mediums! The only thing I am not crazy about is the spiral binding, but I’ve learned to work with it. The Robert Bateman Sketchbook is good for dry medium, and will also hold up to a fair amount of wet stuff.
Next, handmade journals. I should give a little shout-out to Julie Prichard. She introduced me to journal making. Her online courses, offered at The Land of Lost Luggage Ning site, are awesome. I made three journals in one of her classes. I also made Teesha Moore’s famous 16 page journal,(see her Youtube videos – the first one is below) and the fabric quilted one at the back is based on one of Teesha’s journals.
Last, but certainly not least, are my Letter Love journals, made while participating in Joanne Sharpe’s Letter Love classes. She has a new class starting soon, and I can’t wait!
Sooooo…..there you have it. (Almost) All of my current journals. My name is Kim…lol
Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions about art journals, please feel free to ask. If I don’t know the answer, I will find it for you! Cuz that’s just how much of an enabler…er….friend I am!
Our last big project for Joanne Sharpe’s Letter Love course was to make a “Letter Loved” journal with pre-inked and sprayed pages. I started with random sizes of watercolor paper, and sprayed and inked them with my stencils. Messy, but oh, so much fun! While I was at it, I also inked up a large piece of canvas, with the intent of using it for the cover of my journal somehow. Joanne taught us how to make a simple journal without stitching, held together with tape. I took her concept, and kicked it up a notch, using my bookbinding skills and supplies.
So, here is what I started with…lots of inky goodness! I have a pretty extensive collection of stencils! I used various spray inks, including Radiant Rain, my newest addition to my collection.
Next, a few cuts, a little glue, and lots of tape later…
What do you think? I love it! Can you tell which stencil is my current fave? Thank you so much for stopping by!
These are a couple of Letter Love exercises that I haven’t had a chance to post until now. The phrase was my own thoughts.
*Updated to add – The second page (green with grid) is a page in my SMASH book! I’ve had so many enquiries about it, I thought I would let you all know.
Today’s goal, as part of Joanne Sharpe’s Letter Love class, was to find the perfect white pen. I have a few of them in my stash, and haven’t really done a true experiment to find out which ones are my favourites. As part of this class, I pulled out all of my white markers, pens, white-out pens, paint pens, etc., and played on dark paper. My top five turned out to the same as Joanne’s. My favourite? Hands-down – the Uniball Signo. The trick is to write SLOOOW. These pens are finicky. The other 4 faves? Well, you’ll have to take Joanne’s course to find out. And, no, I am not affiliated. I just love the class, and for $35, it’s fabulous value. So just do it. Now.
Joanne Sharpe is the most amazing instructor of hand lettering EVER. L-L-love her class. I’m having so much fun, and my hand lettering is improving every day. I went a little overboard with the color…my Copics have never been so loved. I did leave some white space, though. Can you see it? lol
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