February Week Three: Driver's Ed

Hello Arty Friends! 
 

Lisa here, stepping in for Annette who is swamped with Kreative Koncepts orders at the moment! This is my first week, so please be gentle with me!

Let’s recap our journey for the month so far…

Our theme for the month is quotes. In the first week, Annette introduced us to lettering and a wonderful cling wrap technique, perfect for making backgrounds in our art journals. In the second week, Jodi showed us ten different techniques to create depth and layers to our art journal pages. You will come back to these ideas time and time again!

This week we pull all of this together to create an art journal page with a quote that has a special meaning to you and where you are on this journey. Perhaps the quote relates to love as at is Valentine’s Day here. Maybe the quote you select has significant meaning to the way you are feeling at the moment. Words can be a very powerful and beautiful way to record our lives. Feel free to add your own journaling or words of wisdom from another. Pinterest is a wonderful resource for quotes of all kinds.

Here is my favourite quote and it is by Marianne Williamson.
 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 
 

When it comes to lettering, I am inspired by the vibrant colours and doodling style of the brilliant Joanne Sharpe. Her book, ‘The Art of Whimsical Lettering’, is a must have for those who love to letter in their art journals! 
 

Now it is time to pull these ideas, techniques and quotes together:
 

1. Choose the quote you wish to add to your page and set aside until later. 
 

2. Using your cling wrap background, add more layers from the techniques Jodi outlined last week. Use up any extra paint on a scrap piece of paper, similar in quality to the one in your art journal.
 

3. Think about the layout of the page. Is the lettering going to be the dominant feature or will you add an image? How much space will the words need? What font, style and size will you chose? What writing tool will you use?
 

4. Before you go ahead and begin lettering on your beautiful background, practice on the scrap paper you created in Step 2. You can try all of the different pens and markers you have before you begin on your art journal page.
 

5. Lightly sketch in the lettering with pencil and then go over with your desired marker. * Add details and doodling if desired. I will add my lettering to the lightest part of the background to get the most contrast from my pens. 
 

6. Add any embellishments, stamping, images or a border if desired. Sign and date your work.

* Sharpie and other alcohol or solvent-based markers are not good to use over acrylic paint. The solvent reactivates the paint and clogs the marker nib, destroying your pen. Use a PAINT MARKER instead. 
 

My Art Journal Page Process

My starting point was the cling wrap background. I used an old plastic card to swipe gesso and acrylic paints on the page. I am keeping my palette pastel and light at this stage as I want the lettering to show up against the background.

Add a layer of bubble wrap printing, a favourite technique of mine! Swipe extra paint on the page edges.

Use a toilet roll to print circles of paint. Then use a stencil to create vines along the bottom of the page. I used a foam brush with very little paint to minimise bleeding under the stencil.
 

Cut scallops out of heavy paper and use a foam brush to paint in the missing areas. This is the opposite of what was shown in last week's video. 

Lightly sketch in the lines and letters begin lettering with a single, simple line. I have mixed capital and lower case letters. Draw in a second line to create some depth and add tiny diagonal lines to create some thickness to the letters. I have then added more lines to the letters using a metallic gel pen.

I have added tiny pink paint dots to the vines to look like flowers. I have used the end of my paint brush to get this look. I have added some doodling with my journaling pens and a dashed line to the scallops.

I hope these instructions and photos inspire you to record your favourite quote, thought or feeling! Wishing you a creative week! Cheers, Lisa xxx