Sunday, January 22, 2017

Outside My Box

My paint palette
I was serious about expanding my comfort zone as one of my goals for the year.  Today, I  participated in an art journal class. The best part of the class was taking it with my friend, JoJo. It was my first time to take a class at this shop and my first attempt at art journaling. I've stamped greeting cards many years ago; but, I don't consider myself artful or arty! JoJo encouraged me to try. She even provided me with the majority of the supplies! You can't go wrong when you have an instructor to guide you. I provided a roll of paper towels, a pair of paper scissors and a pencil!


The acrylic paint applied to the page
This is the second class. The introductory class last week was canceled because we were snowed and iced in. I was apprehensive about taking a 102 level class when I hadn't had 101! The instructor gave us a little "review" of what we would have covered the previous week and talked about some supplies and then we started "decorating our journal books!"

After working in a media where the quilt police will call you out because you have been less than precise, dabbing, wiping and rubbing techniques were a welcomed change!
Journal layer
This paint was so soft and smooth to apply and it was fun to just rub it on and heat set it!

The instructor had us write words to add a layer to the background before we drew hearts with a grease pencil. She talked about how it was challenging for people to fill a page with text and gave us a cheat sheet should we need it.

For a couple years, I've been writing a few paragraphs every day. I started the daily journaling two years ago when a group of six of us worked through the exercises listed in Julia Cameron's Artist's Way book. Generally, I write about what I plan to accomplish, list a task that I haven't been able to complete or write what I have finished.

Surprisingly, writing whatever "it" is on the paper has helped me see what I have accomplished and to find possible solutions when I'm stuck.


Stamped image on left page; white paint
on right page. What a change!
Writing this page today made me think about how far I have come! I am much more positive and definitely kinder to myself!

Next, we layered one page with white paint to lighten the background. Then we added some lines to the hearts to provide some depth.  On the other page, we stamped an image.

It was surprising how little of the products we used; yet what an impact those products had on our work!










Spray ink resist and ghost print pages
Then the instructor showed us how to use spray ink to make a resist or a ghost print. I tried those techniques and then filled in with what I had tried at the beginning of class. It was fun. I'm already looking forward to class next month!




12 comments:

Muis said...

Dit lyk baie interessant! ♥

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

It was a fun way to play! Thank you for stopping by!

Monica said...

It really is so helpful to just play without an end result in mind. Fun to do something different, fun to be with your friend! Great idea. :D

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Thanks, Monica. It is rare for me to play without an end result in mind. I have to say that exercise has my brain mulling over trying some of those techniques on fabric!

Janice Smith said...

What fun! Good for you expanding your comfort zone.

Unknown said...

Looks like a really fun time! What a great way to let your creativity flow!!

Luann Fischer said...

Terry,
I agree with your comment about playing without a planned end result. That's hard for many of us. I know that the only way to get good at doing that, is to 'just do it'. I'm sure you'll enjoy each month more than the previous one. Letting go of the usual way of doing something can lead to enormous growth in our art pieces. I've been doing a little of that myself lately.

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Janice, Thanks. It was a painless way to do it!

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Nancy, it was fun to play in a different media! I hope that my creativity continues to flow! :)

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Luann, "Just Do It," is the way to play. . .letting go was not easy! I'm liking where you are going with your silk fusion. I'm trying to go more with the flow and let the piece find its own voice rather than me telling it what I think it should be!

Diane-crewe said...

well done for having a go .. and having fun xx

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

It was a fun way to spend a couple hours and I finished my page so I didn't have homework! That was cool too!!!