A Journaling Discovery

Here we are into the new year.  January is a month that seems to fly by,  I don't know why but it always seems to, for me anyway.  It is kind of tucked away after Christmas and before spring.  I know that is called winter but that is how January feels to me.

Journaling, now I have always thought journaling as something like a dairy and you write your thoughts and hopes and fears in this prized little book.  Also hoping that when you are a teenager no one finds it or even worse reads the thing.    It can also mean like a journalist who writes exciting and not so exciting stories about what is happening in the world today.  That is a giant undertaking, being as so much is happening now in our world.   I have a friend in Australia- Bev-she is into journaling and suggested to me that I might like it.  Thinking OK, I would have to write but to my pleasant surprise it is art journaling.  I didn't even know there was such an animal as this out there in the world.  Granted I have been out of touch with this part of the art world for several years, 24 to be almost nearly exact.   Now trying to find my place in it again, I do digital art and love it and the gratification it brings but sometimes you just have to gob and goop and get the hands messy.  Guess like finger painting when a child.

You draw or not and just play in the journal to your little hearts content.  There is no right or wrong to do it.  I looked on the Internet and it is a whole world out there about it.   There are many many techniques and on you tube and different web sites.  The whole world is out there waiting to help you.  Here you can create your hopes, dreams, feelings or whatever you want to do at the time.   Spending as much time or little as you want.   Mine is little but that is OK.   You don't have to share it with anyone if you don't want to, you can keep several if you want to ---it is yours to do with what you want.

Many of the tools, if you will call them tools, you use are the scrapbooking supplies/tools I use when I scrapbook.  To me that is like a picture journal of my life and what is going on in it at the time.  Not the feelings though of what life gives and does to you.   Granted now that the wonderful grandchildren are grown it has turned a little differently but I do find it relaxing and like a first grader who  cuts and paste.  OK, guess that is what I am liking about art journaling is the cutting, drawing and pasting.

I joined a group  Roses On My Table  ( on my side bar ) and a talented group of ladies on there and there is willowing.ning also.  These are just a scratch in the bucket of what is out there in cyber world.  Zinnia on the Roses gives prompts a couple of times a month, which is good gets the old mind to cranking and I don't have to stare at a blank 5x7 piece of paper.  Which sometimes is just scary, how can a blank canvas be so daunting ? 

 The first page done, was very scrapbookie looking but drew, cut and pasted and was just a fun page with layers of little surprises in it.  Even some Tim Holtz ink dripped on it.

Opposites or contrasts or something like that was the prompt on this one, I figured can't get much more contrasty than black and white but did like the paper and pretties on here.   

I don't think this was a prompt, I had made some paper with shaving soap and paint and wanted to play with it, my friend Cat told me about that little adventure. 

This prompt was door or windows so I have a little sparkle door knob into my fairy land world that I drew with my pencils and oil pastels.  The oil pastels are a new toy for me. I did go back and water colored some light blue over the little windows of the door and liked that better.

This prompt was color, I stared with my new oil pastels and didn't have a clue where I was going, just started at the top and colored very helter skelter.  Like a first grader.  Then it just evolved into this,   I did cut and paste the flowers and leaves then uses acrylic paint and played with it and of course some bling.  Ladies do like bling. 

Last but not least there is a site and if you type your name in it will give you a fairy name.  So here is mine.  I didn't know what I was going to make the front of my journal but here it is.  Miss Gossamer Moondancer.   With real feathers for wings and all and of course glitter and bling.    I will put her site on my side bar if you would like to see what your fairy name is.  Fun !!! 

O.K. that is it for me right now and on my art quest.   I am working on another paper painting at the moment.  Still a wonderful find for me. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in Annette's world.