A new journal for a new year

I hoard journals. I love all sizes and types, from purse-size Moleskine to hand-made and hand-bound journals, board books, bound pages, whatever. I treasure journals I have received as gifts. I have a gorgeous handmade one from Laurie Blau-Marshall. I have a beautifully-covered one from Michelle Geller. My great-niece just gave me a pretty one for my birthday. I just bought one on clearance at Pier 1.

So what is the problem, you ask? I don't ever seem to write in them. I have journals with watercolor paper, lined pages, blank pages, pages made from maps and cool ephemera. I love to look at them, and I love knowing I have them in case inspiration strikes. But I couldn't seem to make a mark.

I guess I felt I'd be ruining the beauty of the journal somehow, which I know is dumb, especially because I actually drool over examples of others' filled journals. Even my great-niece has a totally cool journal she writes and doodles in and add mementos. She even stitched herself a fabric cover for it. I bought her Dawn DeVries Sokol's Doodle Diary to keep her inspired.
And she did just that.

Meanwhile, I would buy Stampington's Art Journaling magazine. I would stare for hours on end at cool blogs, especially work by Pam Garrison and Pam Carriker. I even advanced to tearing out magazine pages and pieces of magazine pages that inspired me. In fact, I have baggies of paper bits just waiting for a place to call home.

Finally, I decided the new year and new month are a very good reason to start a journal. That, and the fact that I had been itching to paint, draw, make collages, doodle, draw zentangles, do Zettiology-like art, and what better place to do everything, than in a journal. When I mentally commited, I was so excited, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday and started right in preparing pages.

I am using a plain, 9" x 12" *ish* journal by Canson with watercolor paper pages. I collaged several pages with my paper stash. I was further inspired by a "supply swap" I had just done with Jade Adams, and could hardly wait to use the goodies she sent. I also have a ton of new rubber stamps from Unity and their kit-of-the-month club, as well as Unity Stamps by Suzi Blu, all of which I want to play with.

After I collaged a few pages, I realized I hadn't left myself any room for the "dreaded" writing down of thoughts. Intentional? Maybe. Or maybe just inexperience. So I painted the back side of the pages with watercolors, and ended up making color-theme spreads, each with a blank page for my thoughts.....if I happen to have any.

The Sugar Skulls are Back

I had fun messing around with some more sugar skull artist trading cards (ATCs) for etsy http://www.hpsgsmith.etsy.com and for Artist Trading Card World http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ATC_world/. Four will go to a swap, and four will be for sale in a minute. I used water color paper, watercolors, gel pens, rhinestones, glitter, Stickles glitter glue, micro beads and silver and gold leaf. I think the idea behind The Day of the Dead and baking and decorating sugar skulls is a really positive thing- a nice way to celebrate the lives of those who are gone. I don't know why people get creeped out by skulls; we all have one.

I nearly broke mine just now though, as I was carrying a cookie sheet of these (that's how I dry them) down the basement stairs to my studio when I tripped in my too long jeans and high-heeled boots which I failed to take off earlier. I almost always work in my pajamas or sweats, and now I know why. Besides that, I always get dirty with ink, glue, paint, glitter, etc. Back to work after I list these and change.

A couple more Halloween ATCs

Here are a couple new Halloween artist trading cards I made last night for gifts in my ebay and blog swaps. I am in a Sweet and Sinister swap (see logo at right) which requires something sweet and something sinister (duh!), something handmade and a home decor item, all in shades of black, white and Halloween colors.

The skull card was made by using bleach and a rubber stamp, to stamp an image on black art paper (construction paper does not work). I used various amounts of bleach to get varying degrees of spooky images. I first saw this done in either Somerset Studio or Cloth, Paper, Scissors, two excellent magazines. The examples used an egg stamp and went further by using a brush and paint to add some color to the bleached images- have to try that!

I am also in an Art and Scent swap for my ATC and ACEO Enthusiasts group on ebay and a Secret Swap for Respect: Artists who Love Art, AWLA, on ebay.

I have tons more fall clip art to use, plus I just got 48 new Lyra Aquacolors, so I really need to get back to my journal and start drawing more new stuff. Making these ATCs is addicting. I have to laugh, because only a month ago when I was buying some stuff from Kris H at Retro Cafe Art Gallery on ebay, I asked her how she could stand to do such tiny work- ha!

Color and Art and Crows?

Here are my most recent, most colorful and maybe my best yet ATCs. I can say "best" because I am an ATC virgin and have done so few, that whatever comes next could be my best because I never really know what I am doing. I just do "it" and see what happens. I especially like the Twyla Tharp quote I used on one, "Art is the only way to run away from home without actually leaving." Also, love my crow domestic triangle called "Bad Crow Karma," which I made from parts of my "Peaches and Cream" crow collage (below and on ebay). The background is supposed to be crackled and is from my winter watercolor ATC backgrounds. Some of the other backgrounds you see here are also handpainted by me. Love bright colors!!

Watercolor Backgrounds for ATC ACEO Dare

Here are some water color back grounds I created in response to the ebay ATC ACEO Enthusiasts' Group Dare #100: Interpret "Star Chamber." I so wanted to create a rock star outhouse or some private quarters of Mick Jagger, but I was limited to 2.5 x 3.5 inches. So, these backgrounds are kind of the easy way out. I did four seasons in watercolor on watercolor paper and four seasons on glossy paper.

I also learned a Star Chamber was a secret 10th century English court with stars painted on the ceiling (allegedly).

Anyway, they are listed in case any eager bidders are reading along...