Art Journal play: Braving the elements
This is where I’ve been sitting all day. On the floor with all my paints out. I’ve been working on my batch of postcards for the DIY Postcard swap I’m hosting (There is still some room, feel free to join! For inspiration Daisy Yellow has some great links to mail art on her blog!) but also a few spreads in my art journal just for fun. This is one of them:
First spread: Braving the elements! My page turned out messy, but it’s an experiment. The most fun was finally using a spray bottle of water on wet paint and then blotting away the water with a tissue. This creates a very cool pattern with the gesso peaking through.
Also experimented a bit with indoor spray paint, since I had the prepared for a mess today. I bought this bottle of Memories Mists from a scrapbook shop in Stockholm. The color is called Strawberry Daiquiri and it was surprisingly bold red that I really like. The bottle bleed a bit but I would recommend this if you want to try Spray Painting in winter time or in a smaller scale.
A second page, with lots of polka dot silk papers and another one of these paper cuts I did from a dictionary:
My paper cuts before using them. I used these shapes as stencils on the art journal page and then glued it in for extra fun. I didn’t feel like painting another deep blue page and didn’t want to cut snowflakes, so I did mine like this. Just fun shapes. iHanna shapes.
January’s crusade is called Braving the elements and it’s about playing with simple materials and using those elements in your art. The assignment is to Make your own tools, use them and to combine several previous techniques from past crusades to make a richly layered two page journal spread. Some techniques used on this spread is dry brushing, layers of gesso, water bottle spraying on acrylic paint (first time I tried this – love it!) and cutting out a quick stencil (snowflake or other free form).
I’m off to work on the summer issue of the Embroidery magazine today, but will have to surf a bit more on other crusaders posts and you should too. They are all in the sidebar of Michelle Ward’s crusade page. Don’t miss the cool crusade video for example over at illustrating stories. ♥ inspiration!
More photos just because I loooove the colors:
XOXO /iHanna
That is some beautiful and happy pages, Hanna!
Am loving the colors!
What acrylics are you using? fluid acrylics?
God helg!! :D
Those bright colors are gorgeous!!! I also like the stencils that you made. Polka dot paper is one of my favorites too. I forgot about spraying water on the acrylic paint. I am going to try that.
Hanna! These are really luscious and fabulous. I love the colors you choose!
Don’t you love spray painting? If I’d known about it when I was in high school, I’d be in BIG trouble!
hanna – i love the view from the top of your work space. great colors, fun shapes! cool that you tried spraying with water, and with paint. lots going on….very joyful. thanks for sharing with the team! (i’m working on my postcards this weekend!!)
I love how vibrant the colors are :)
You are absolutely my favorite journal artist and this blog entry is one example why. I love that you are so willing to try any and all techniques and always freely make it your own. That’s how this stuff should be!
My favorite on this spread are actually your cut out iHanna shapes! They are the first thing I noticed and I went, “Way cool!” lol Also, the spray/mister technique is one I can’t wait to try!
WOW these are so fun and colorful! I love all the elements and the top view makes me want to not walk but run to my studio to play!
ooh so gorgeous!!!! i love the colors :)
So much fun! I love the colors & papercuts – really cool shape!
Thanks girls!
scrowlscrowl – I’ve not tried fluid acrylics yet, these are a mix of Windsor & Newton Galleria Flow Formula Acrylic and some tubes of Liquitex Basic Value Series = quite cheap paints! :-)
beautiful pages…what great color !!!
LOVE your brilliant colors and unusual shapes you chose.
What a treat for the eyes in a season where all we mostly see white, grey & blue.
Loving the flower and shapes on the second page! Very fun and happy :-)
I love your blog and your journal page rocks!!
What lovely warm colors, really welcoming. But the best bit for me? Those shapes you have cut out – I think they’re awesome, like some organic thing that’s growing.
Wow, what a tonic to the soul! These colours really lift the spirit of winter away and I love the idea of freeform stencilling. I am a real beginner so have lots to learn.
Very inspiring! I love the colors! and the cool shapes.
what a beautiful color splash! so inspiring!
Oh yes! I’ve been playing with paper cut outs and stencils lately as well. Beautiful aren’t they?
Great shapes and fantastic colours!
Vibrant beautiful pages!! Happy and Fun, Fun Fun!!
Wouldn’t Pop-up be fun in some journal pages?
Or make a card and attach an envelope that you
can put in a Pop-up card.
I have a link up on my blog on to how to make Pop-ups,
if you’d like to make some. I made a Valentine Pop-up and
a Silhouette Pop-up card. The Silhouette card you’ll find a
how to at One Pretty Thing.
God Bless You and Yours!!!
Hanna- thanks so much for your comment on CraftTestDummies…I thought I’d see what YOU were up to…and WOW! What a great blog! I love your painting & stencil making…so vibrant and fun! Craft on, lady!-
Oh Hanna ! I love your pages so much ! I need that kind of color around me these days. And that organic shape is just awesome. Wonderful job, Crusader ! ;)
(BTW – I am having fun working on my postcards ! )
Wow the colours are fab!!! I think that I’m going to try that technique in my art journal!