Some art journal tips - Part 2

Here's Part 2 of my little art journal tips series, with some more pages and techniques.


Paint markers

Paint (or gel) markers are great for adding details on top of a background, whether it's an elaborate drawing or just a simple pattern. I especially like to use light coloured markers on dark backgrounds.

Gelli printing

I really love my Gelli plates (even if I don't use them often enough). They are so versatile, allowing you to create all kinds of wonderful effects, whether you're just using colour, or adding stencils, stamps etc. You can print single sheets of paper that can be glued into your art journal (or bound into a journal). With a ring bound journal, it is also very easy to print directly on to the journal page to create a great background.

Polaroid

I found an old, and as it seems unused, Polaroid camera in a second hand shop some time last year, and, as far too many of my art supplies, it has been sitting ignored in the book shelf for far too long. But they're such fun to use. Capture a meaningful place or event (like your studio, where all the magic happens) or record a special moment (like the arrival of my new and impatiently awaited reading chair) and stick it on to a background to turn it into a special memory. Of course any other photo will work perfectly too.

Paper etc.

Of course you can stick all kinds of things on to your journal pages. Patterned papers, little drawings made on index cards, a piece of scrap paper that you used to try out some new pens or markers etc.

I love these Japanese (book binding) papers, the colours and patterns are so beautiful. I like to use them to cover a whole page to create a background, and also to glue them on to the covers of an art journal. And last but not least, a simple cardboard tube makes a great stamp for adding circles or bubbles, either to add on to a background, or to create a background. Those little plastic caps that protect your newly bought brushes also make great stamps for small circles in different sizes, so remember to keep them.

I had so much fun creating these pages, and I can't wait to fill the remaining two or three pages. I've re-discovered so many tools and techniques that I haven't used in ages, and it I enjoyed finding so much inspiration within my studio. But now I really have to tidy up my studio. And this time it's not an excuse for putting off making art, but to make space to get to all my art supplies more easily.

Some art journal tips - Part 1

I've been feeling a bit uninspired lately. Or maybe over-inspired, rather. There's so much inspiration to be found online, that it can easily become a bit overwhelming. Especially when you're in a "phase" where you're feeling a bit unsure about where to go artistically. How to develop your style. What you want your art, your style to be. How you think it should be (that is definitely the point where you need to switch off the computer for a bit).

Two weekends ago, I found myself "tidying up my studio" (i.e. finding an excuse for once again putting off doing something arty) again. I looked at shelves filled with all kinds of art materials. And I decided that it was time to play. To just slap some paint on some pages, without thinking too much about colour mixing, composition, subject matter... Actually not thinking at all. Instead, getting out some of the materials I haven't used in ages, and see what I can do with them. Over that weekend, I filled more than half of the sketchbook. I just couldn't stop. I kept coming back again and again til late into the night, adding a bit here and there, covering another page with a colour, that I suddenly felt was missing. It felt great. And I would like to share some of the pages and techniques with you.

Some of the supplies used

• a square sketchbook with very thick watercolour paper (that I've been saving for about three years for some really serious watercolour painting)
• Thalens acrylic paints, which I hadn't used since I stopped going to a painting class I had been going to for years over 1 1/2 years ago
• watercolours
• patterned papers
• washi tape
• brayer
• Gelli printing plate (it's been a while since I used one of those, and I've actually never even used my square one)
•  acrylic and oil-based paint markers, various pens, ink
• polaroids
• index cards with some drawings made with ballpoint pen and felt tip pen

And here's a few of the pages. Some are finished, some are half finished, and some are just a background that I can come back to later.

Watercolour and stencils

I like using alphabet stencils to add text, and they work well with watercolours too.

Or use a stencil with a nice pattern or subject, and add more layers of watercolours afterwards, and bring out details with pen and ink.

Brayer

Applying the paint with a brayer gives great and interesting results. You can fill the whole page, creating a page of richly textured layers and vibrant colours. Or apply it loosely, layering colours and leaving lots of white space.

You can use the brayer to deliberately add colour to your page, or you can create an interesting background by using the page to roll clean your brayer when you're using it for some Gelli printing.

Playing with different colour combinations (here: yellow ochre, burnt sienna, manganese/cyan blue and Payne's grey) in different ways and mediums (watercolour and acrylics). If the page turns out too dull because of the (too) many layers, a pattern applied with a light medium, such as a white paint marker, lightens it up.

There's some more techniques and pages, which I'll share in another post later this week, otherwise this post would just be far too long.

Finding inspiration

I was hoping to finally post some art stuff again today. I've actually been busy playing with paints all weekend, and I was looking forward to put it all into a happy, colourful blog post to share. But while I really love winter, the snow, the long, cozy dark nights, there's one problem: light. I just couldn't get a decent photo. And it wasn't only the light. The angles, the compositions, the colours. Nothing worked. Not even Photoshop could help me fix it.

I have neglected my camera a lot during the last year, and I feel completely out of touch with photography and photo editing. So I decided it was time to find some inspiration and went out during one of my lunch breaks to take some photos in the park on the campus. Which is not really a very inspiring park, especially in winter (which in turn is probably why it's a good place to try and find some inspiration). And I totally enjoyed taking these photos with my Iphone and the Hipstamatic app.

I'll try to take some photos of my art journal again at the weekend, and hopefully I'll be sharing them soon here.

I've also made some changes to the design of my blog. I've wanted a simpler design for ages, but just couldn't figure out how to remove that light frame around the photos with the simplest of the Blogger templates. Until now. And I'm much happier with the new design (although it might still need some tweaking). Except for the header, which is just temporary until I've come up with something more inspiring. A complete re-design (and possibly move) has actually been on my to do list already at the beginning of last year, but I'm just not ready for that right now.

Stockholm i mitt hjärta, Part 4 - Gamla Stan

I've meant to post some drawings, sketches, or even paintings after all the photography posts, but I just haven't got round to doing much. So I'm sharing some more photos today, another part of my Stockholm series.

And oh my, it has been ages since my last post in this series - June, to be exact, and not June last year, but June 2013! High time for a new post, and there are still some more places I to go to. Last time, we visited lovely Djurgården and spent some time in the outdoor museum Skansen. Now let us venture into the heart of the city, the old town, that dates back to the 13th century - Gamla Stan. Let us stroll through the narrow alleys, preferably the quieter ones, away from the crowds.

Gamla Stan is probably the most photographed part of Stockholm, and it seems that it's always the same lanes, places and corners that get captured. So I've played around with textures, to try and make them look a bit different.

Can I get a job here, please?

Even though the main alleys and squares can get very crowed during the holiday season, Stortorget (the big square), is still worth a visit. Not only because of the beautiful old buildings surrounding it, but also because of one of my favourite cafés - Chokladkoppen. A big cup of hot white chocolate is just the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold day. And in summer, you can sit outside, and watch the people on the square and enjoy the mild air, and a slice of white chocolate cheese cake.

Tyska kyrkan (the German church), or Sankta Gertruds kyrka, was founded in 1571.

There are, of course, many more interesting sights and buildings in Gamla stan - among them Stockholms slott (Stockholm palace), also know as Kungliga slottet (the Royal palace). But we'll leave the old town now, for some more exploring. I haven't yet decided yet where we will go next time, but it will definitely a nice place.

Tidying up and dreaming of winter

What mad weather we're having at the moment. Yesterday, it was about 13 degrees, so warm, it felt like spring, and nothing at all like winter. And what a wind there was blowing. The whole house was rattling. The snow has long gone, and there's no sight of any new. And at the same time, I'm reading about and seeing pictures of snow(storms) on Instagram and Facebook - and (some) people compaining about it. Oh please, send it my way! I'd be more than happy to get the fluffy white stuff! The more the merrier!

After the lazy Christmas break, I'm ready to start drawing and painting again. But first, my studio needs a bit of tidying up. So until I'm ready to get started, and until we, hopefully!, get some more snow here too, I'm editing and posting more photos from a couple of weeks ago, from our walk through winter wonderland.

Enjoying winter

It's the last day of my long, almost 3 week's Christmas holiday. It's a bit of a sad day today, as N.'s flying back to England later in the afternoon, and it's going to be a few weeks until we see each other again. But we had a great holiday together, going on walks, daytrips, taking lots of photos, and having lots of relaxing, lazy days too. And we've had a few days of snow too. Unfortunately, it's all gone again, but hopefully, there'll be some more this winter. I really do enjoy winter, the long dark nights, the cold, fresh air, and the beautiful, calm of a world covered in white.

Welcome 2015

The first day of a new year. Always a bit scary, but also exciting. All the possibilities. Plans, dreams, wishes, hopes, resolutions. One of my long list of New Year's resolutions, which really is more a to do list, is to spend more time on photography again. I love to take pictures, and to process them, using textures, creating little pieces of art from scenes, landscapes, things that captured my eyes, and made me happy.

Like a visit to the nearby animal park, to say hello to one of my favourite animals, the mooses. One of which was conveniently lying in the snow close to the fence.

And what happens to all those unsold, left over Christmas trees? They make a perfect Christmas feast for the animals.

The end of the year also brought snow. I absolutely love snow. The world is so much more peaceful, looks so much more beautiful when covered in white. After some grey and very snowy days, which were best spent at home, the last day of the year brought some blue sky. A perfect day for a walk along the hilltop. I just love to hear the sound of walking on snow, the crisp, clear, cold air, the beauty of snow on trees.

I took, of course, loads more photos, and I'll upload some more winter magic in the next few days/weeks. I also have a 500px account, if you're interested to see more photos. I'm not there that often, and try not to upload too many photos, but I've got some of my favourite photos there. It's a place worth visiting anyway, the work and skills found there is just amazing, and very inspriring.