Friday 15 June 2012

Finished "change art journal" cover

I finished the cover of my special "change art journal". At least I think it's finished, for the moment, anyway :). It looks quite different now than it did last week. I had bought some new colours on my trip to the art supply shop, and I just had to try them out. And then I just got carried away...


I saw some small cardboard letters in the shop, and thought that they might just be perfect for adding to the cover of my journal. So I picked up all the letters I needed to spell "change", and was as pleased as punch, and really excited to go home and stick them on to my journal straight away. They really were just perfect. Their size was perfect for the cover, and the word fitted the length of the journal perfectly. Total and complete perfection. Right?


Well, no, actually. You might have noticed that the "C" looks slightly odd. Well, yes, you see. When one picks up a number of individual letters in order to put them together to spell a certain word, it does make perfect sense to check all the letters in your basket again before you pay and leave the shop, just to make sure that nothing's missing, and one really has all the right letters, right? Yes, exactly, that's what I was telling myself that I should have done back there at the shop when I got home and unpacked my stuff. Instead of just throwing the letters into the basket, totally convinced that I had all the right ones. Which of course I didn't. I could have kicked myself when I realised that I had managed to get two Gs and no C. I mean really. It's not such a hard word, is it? And it's only 6 letters! I mean that should be possible to get right?? And yes, of course, that was the same day I bought the wrong frame...


Anyway. There I sat, itching to paint and finish my journal covers, with two Gs and no C. I considered finishing the covers and adding the letters at the end, after another trip to the art supply shop the following week. But I wanted the lettes to be part of the whole thing, and not a seperate addition stuck on top of it all. So what to do? Wait with the cover until I had the right letter? Or maybe trying to cut off some parts to make the G look more like a C? Of course I tried the latter. First it looked as if the material was too strong to cut, but eventually, I managed to cut off a piece, although not without breaking the whole thing in two in the process.


Well, it might not look like a perfect C, and my scissors are probably ruined now, but at least it does not look like a distinct G anymore. And I guess that in the end, this whole business is just very approrpiate. Because after all, change isn't always going the way you want it, and sometimes, life throws a G at you when you desperately wanted a C, and you can either give up, put your dreams on hold, and feel very sorry for yourself, or you can just try and make the best of it, and turn that G into a C that works for you.


Anyway. I didn't show you the back cover last time, so here it is. When I was finished with my journal covers, I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. Did I like it? I just couldn't make up my mind. It turned out so completely different than I had in mind, and somehow not really "me".


It was the little splatters that I wasn't really happy with, especially the golden ones where a bit too much. I've added some white circles around them and even covered up some of them since I took these photos, so it's looking just a tiny little bit different now. But I like it a lot better now. So maybe I might not paint all over it again soon, but instead just leave it as it is. .


I also did a first journal page, but I'm going to save that for another post, because this post is already far too long, and it's now time to go to the party
 Happy Paint Party Friday!

30 comments:

  1. That is exactly the sort of thing i would do... I am forever getting home and opening the shopping basket and wondering where on earth something came from... I think there are shopping fairies who put the wrong thing in my basket... they are very mischievous... you recovered beautifully though and the journal is drop dead gorgeous... you are a legend...xx

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  2. Your cover it's beautiful, love the color and the detail, specially the CHANGE word.

    Have a great day!
    Nora

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  3. I love it! It is really beatiful.(And I would never have noticed the strange looking C if you hadn´t mentioned it)

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  4. Oh Du meine Güte das ist so wunderschön !
    Ach was...wenn man aufgeregt ist ob eines Projektes und man ja nicht immerzu Chipboardbuchstaben kauft kann das schon mal passieren... nur menschlich.... und hätte mir genauso gehen können...
    daraus lernst Du in Zukunft nochmal zu checken..aus Schaden wird man klug!
    Solch ein Talent aber für Farben und Stil muss angeboren sein da hilft auch nicht viel checken und lernen...und das ist doch das WICHTIGSTE..dass Du das hast!

    also ...mach Dir keinen Kopf...

    eine wundervolles Journal hast Du Dir gezaubert!

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  5. Loving your wonderful journal cover, its fabulous. Happy PPF, Annette x

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  6. A beautiful cover (new paints really are inspiring, aren't they?), and a terrific lesson. Thanks for sharing,
    Rinda

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  7. The cover is super beautiful and BTW, that kind of thing happens to me all the time! :)

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  8. Your cover is fabulous and very inspiring to me personally. I am half way through my journal without the cover. A plan is now "simmering" in the back of my mind. Thank you!

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  9. Wonderful! And I love the close ups, such great view of texture. :)

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  10. Journal cover works ~ the G looks like a very creative C ~ The colors and design are awesome ~ Great! ~namaste, ^_^ (A Creative Harbor)

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  11. Oh, this is perfect - even with the C that was once a G! I just love it - you should customise these journals and sell them, honestly - beautiful! I love the story and moral of how if life gives you a G you make a C anyway!!

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  12. I love, especially for what you had to go through to get your "c" so very appropriate for Changes! Can't wait to see the entry, I know it will be fabulous!
    Happy PPF,
    Stephanie

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  13. Love the covers, what a perfect metaphor for your journal. This sounds exactly like something I would do.

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  14. What fun covers...love all that texture and color! Wishing you happy and fun changes! and HPPF too!

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  15. I have to say that I absolutely adore this journal. I love the depth and texture! The bit re. the C is funny - it also reminds me of all the times in life we let bizarre little things really get our goats or upset us, when in the end the solutions are so simple & direct, if not 'perfect' - and how later on perfection doesn't even matter! But yes - i would absolutely adore having a journal like this to write/sketch in.

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  16. Well I LOVE it! And it looks just like a C to me! But I LOVE your philosophy on making the best of things when life throws you the occasional G! That really did make me laugh! I'm having 'G's thrown at me left, right and centre at the moment!
    What I really want to say is please send me a step by step guide on how you did this and with what materials?? Yes - that's how lovely I think it is :0) But as if you'd have the time for that! So,on behalf of all of your followers who I am sure feel the same, maybe next time you make a cover you could post a step by step on your blog :0)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sandra. I'm afraid the philosophy is still much more of a theory than applied practice, at least if it comes to more serious matters than chipboard letters ;).
      As to the cover, it's really quite simple. I started with pasting down some tissue paper on the front, and patterend paper on the back cover for extra texture. After that, it's basically just using your fingers to paint with a variety of colours, and using whatever is within reach to add some more textures and shapes (my favourites are toilet paper cardboard rolls for making circles), and paste the odd piece of patterend paper, chipboard letters, or whatever else you have on hand, down on it in between. Splash some liquid paint on top, and add some details with a (white) gel pen. That's it, really :).

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  17. wow I love everything about this, stunning!

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  18. I love it! Love the colors and texture, so pretty! Well done!

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  19. Oh Mann, das ist sowas von schön. Tolle Layer, tolle Farben, tolle Textur. Und (wie Sandra) bin ich auch für ein step by step Anleitung beim nächsten mal :-) LG, Stephanie

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  20. Your cover is FAB! Wow. I love your colour choices, too. And your photography rocks, which enhances your beautiful work. I need that particular skill! :)

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  21. I think the cover page of your journal looks lovely, I love the colors you've chosen and C looks just fine, I would not see it has been a G (if you didn't tell) :)

    Yes, I'll not forget your *frame trip* :)) I had to think of you the other day.. I was going to meet my boyfriend after work one day.. I was going to take the bus, just then I remember something I HAD to do first, so I waited for the other bus, and gave a message about that to my beloved..
    Next.. I reached the bus, but I did not reach the second bus corresponding.. So I had to take another.. I messaged my beloved again.. and I waited..
    until the bus came (or a bus came!), I boarded the bus, found me a seat (without good view) and got occupied by looking to some people and a dog.. :)) until.. I suddenly realized I was heading downtown, while I in fact should meet my boyfriend in a suburb! I had taken the wrong bus as I did not look to the number in front of the bus! hah!
    again I had to message my boyfriend.. the message started as "you will not believe it, but......blablabla" ;D

    Lovely weekend to you! :)

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  22. Looks gorgeous!! Fabulous work! Happy PPF!!

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  23. Wow this is so beautiful!! I love how you creatively fixed the problem!! Good job!

    Hugs Giggles

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  24. Oh my goodness!
    I love your finished sketchbook color so rich with lots of layers!!
    It's always fun getting carried away in an art store. :)
    ♥♥♥
    Happy PPF!!
    Mary
    Mixed-Media Map Art

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  25. your cover is so suttle in color it gives me a very soothing feeling. I had to chuckle at your G experience because I too had a W/M moment on one of my journal pages where I wanted the word WING. Had a M and changed into to W.

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  26. The book looks beautiful! I'm excited to see how you fill it.

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  27. I think that your book looks beautiful. I hope you post how the back has changed. I'm really curious because I love how it looks now!

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  28. Very very creative and refreshing cover...love all the textures !

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  29. Life threw a G at me as well, my grandson who we call "G", and my life has never been the same since. Sometimes G's can be a good thing. :)

    Your journal cover is amazing.

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