Friday 24 April 2015

My Heart Goes 'BOOM!' - A Scrappy Journal Page

It's FRIDAY!!! WOO!

I like a Friday...it leads to weekendy time and I do like a weekend. Are you well? Have you had a good week? I hope so - I hope it's been FABULOUS!

Sooooo, it had been my plan to scan in some of my mum's pics for you to enjoy, but I'm having a few tech issues so I think that might have to wait 'til next week. Hey-ho. Instead, I have a little journal page process again, using some hand-painted backing papers.

I love making my own patterned sheets. Most of them are the result of cleaning brushes and stencils or using up excess paint from a project. The addition of a bit of doodling over a page filled with colour turns a sheet of scrappy mess into something fun and very useable. 



For this page I chose the scrappiest of the stack I had - ta-daaah!


Scrappy. I want to prove that you can make something arty from something scruffy you might be tempted to otherwise throw away.  I also used the cheapest paints I had, some craft acrylics and some paint testers from the local hardware store.


I prepared a page in my journal, gessoed the surface (just a thin layer) and then added a warmer colour of acrylic paint as a more even base coat. I cut some rough heart shapes out of the backing paper, choosing sections which would look arty and interesting. Once the hearts were cut out, I was left with a lot of scraps which I tore up (torn edges collage better that cut ones) and stuck down to make a colourful background -



I blended the elements into the background by finger-painting some bright colours around them. To make the hearts 'pop' I used a black Inktense pencil and a litte water to add an outline, then used matte medium gel to adhere them to the page in a way that kind of makes them look like they're exploding out from a centre point -






I also added some of the offcut strips to make it look a bit more animated, then some more pencil around the elements to define them and make them stand out. I used a black gelato crayon to add a border to the page - it smudges beautifully!






I wanted to add a quote...something....but nothing comes to mind at the moment. The good thing about art journal pages is that there's no pressure, and as I like the way the page turned out I've left it for now..I can add text any time I like.


 This is only a small journal and it's not full BUT it's amazing how easy it is to fill one like this with your art. I know that art journaling can seem daunting, but it's really cool when you can flip through a book that YOU have filled with YOUR art, I promise. I use this journal when I want to do a 'process page' so you may have seen some of the pages in earlier posts but I'll collect them all in one place for an easy browse! Here they be:










There are a couple of pages not included above as I can't scan them tonight and have filed the originals....SOMEwhere.....told you I'm having tech issues! I just wanted to prove that it doesn't take much to make a few pages look like a book that will be something REALLY special for you and the people with whom you share it.

I hope you have some fun making your own papers and collage elements - it's so easy and a LOT of fun! And I hope this has been helpful. Thank you for visiting - thank you to everyone who leaves a comment! It's such a motivation and I send you all loads of love and big hugs from Shroo :) xxx

15 comments:

  1. I just Love your art Rachael-it always makes me happy-we have had an awesome week, enjoying time with our friend that drove down from Chicago-he left this morning so house now seems awfully quiet-lol

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    1. Hello Briar Rose! I'm so glad you had a good time with your friends - you both deserve happy things. Your house will be noisy enough soon when all that wildlife surrounding you has babies! There'll be squeaking and squawking to beat the band! You'll be glad of the peace indoors :) Saw your new wool on your blog...ooooooo. You have spinning time again! Can't wait to see what you make. Sending hugs and bald sheep from me and The Colonel xxxxx

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  2. Love your art and all of your scrappy pages, wonderful way to use colours. Hugs, Valerie

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    1. Thank you lovely!! I swear that these scrappy pages are the result of me having an aversion to throwing ANYTHING away!! hee hee - sending hugs from Shroo:)xxx

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  3. Wonderful pages, I can't stop watching them, the are so full of life! I always love reading about your creating process.

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    1. Exactly how I feel about your stunning jewellery! Thank you for being lovely! Hugs from Shroo:)xxx

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  4. I love the idea of using left overs. These bright pages have a great happy happy feel to them. A while back, I was doing quite a lot of 'big' painting and at the end of every session I was left was left with a pallett ful of different mixed paint. Out of that ready mixed left over paint I made 4 small abstract acrylic on canvas paintings. funny thing is I actually quite like them and they were the fun bit of the whole day

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    1. Yep - I've often ended up liking the scrappy paper squiggles better than an actual planned piece! Maybe it's because there's so much less pressure and, like you say, just more fun? I reckon that's it. You hit the nail on the head! Big hugs from Shroo:)xxx

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  5. Gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS!!! Thank you for sharing your process and showing a number of journal pages...so inspiring!

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    1. Thank you for such a scrumptiously lovely comment! Sending hugs from Shroo:)xxx

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  6. I love these process posts. Such fun. Don't laugh - I have a bit of paper in my shedio that I've hoarded for ages. It is purely where I have cleaned stencils off and used it to lay on top of whatever is on the gelli plate to clean up excess paint. But I love it so much! I keep pondering what to use it for and it has become this precious raggedy bit of paper. It's daft!

    Love this post. Loving you blogging loads too!

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    1. P.s, my fun for the day was giving our two year old popping candy for the first time. His face was a picture. Imagine surprise, delight and a smidge of worry all at the same time. Mwahahar!

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    2. Oh you are evil! I love it when kids get stuff like that - it's the funniest thing in the world! Did you film him? Awww li'l Bear ....heh heh heh

      Glad you liked processyness - I'm never convinced that I explain stuff well! You gotta start using your scraps though, missus.....*coughs obviously* - sketchbook *cough cough* Start stickin' stuff down on other stuff then drawing over it! Your tutor will do a happy wee.

      Hugs and police helicopters (there seem to be MANY outside tonight......dammit, they've found me! I didn't bury the bodies deep enough!!) xxxxxxxxx

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    3. Hahahaha! Another 2 feet should do it next time ;)

      You have been having an influence on me. I have been say here merrily stripping a childrens board book of it's glossy pages (am in a tunnel book swap) and have been careful to try and save some of the images to stick in my sketchbook ;)

      We got a couple of photos of Bear but he's in shadow - we didn't realise just how humorous it would be till to late :P

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  7. Beautiful as always! I love your use of colour

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