What's great about art journaling is that as a cardmaker you likely have everything you need to get started! There are products on the market specifically made for art journaling but I wanted to show you that you can start with what you have!
I don't even own a proper art journal. I use inexpensive note books that I found on Amazon. These ones were made to fit into a travellers note book. You can even use an old book that you have lying around!
I started by ripping pages out of an old book and gluing then down with Matte Medium Gel. I put a layer of glue on the page, place the paper and apply a thin coat over top. This will seal everything nicely!
After apply a thin layer of Gesso (primer for paper), I scribbled some colour using Derwent Inktense blocks. Please use whatever colouring medium you have!!! I sprend the colour around using a very wet brush.
You can still the paper peeking through and that's exactly what you want! Now, it's time to add some stamping! I chose stamp sets that were more graphic for this. This will add more texture and interest to the background!
I used the Hocus Focus which unfortunately is discontinued. But check out the Bujo Basics or Loops of Love sets..they would be perfect here! I also used the Basic Circles Stencil along with a black watercolour pencil to trace some circles around the page. NOTE: for your stamping, you want to use a waterproof ink if you're adding more medium over top. I used Ranger Archival Ink.
After adding a bit of water to the traced circle to blur the lines, I added a little gesso into each circle to lighten them up. A bit of watered down, white acrylic paint would work here as well.
To add even more texture, I used the Blossom Stencil along with white embossing paste to 3 out of the 4 corners of the page.
This is quite subtle but adds a lot of texture and visual interest. Now, onto the focal point. To brighten this page up, I coloured up a couple images from the Pure Poppies Set in a vibrant pink/purple colour.
The sentiment was made using the Clear Letters Set and the Cherry Lowercase Alpha Dies. A good alphabet stamp set and die set is a must in any craft stash!
I glued the flowers down first using regular white glue, then added the sentiments around them.
Because it's hard to stop adding details, I used a white gel pen on almost everything and added a few hearts here and there! I also used the Mix & Match Patterns Set to add a border!
And that's the finished layout!!!
It's always fun to try something new! It's also easy to get caught up and want to purchase "all the new things"! But take a look in your stash before purchasing anything, you likely already have products that will work just fine!
Art journaling is messy. And that's part of the fun but a silicone craft mat will be your best friend!
If you don't have and alpha stamp or die set, that would be the one thing I recommend! The sets I used here are perfect for this application. They are the perfect size!!
Last but not least...have fun! What I've learned about art journaling is that it's not supposed to be perfect! It's about experiementing and adding layer upon layer of paints and papers and pastes!!
I did purchase the Gesso and Matte Medium especially for this craft. Everything else I had on hand. Shop your stash!!
There is always a fun challenge going on the blog which you can find HERE!! Also, please use the hashtag #createasmilestamps when sharing your creations on social media. We love to see what you create!
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