Art Journal Round Robin

A few days ago, I had a thought. A brilliant thought, if I do say so myself: what better way to 'force' myself to stick to my Creative Challenge than to start an Art Journal Round Robin?

Every time I heard about a Round Robin (a group of people who send a journal, or atc's or other work around so it will end up again with the person who sent it in the first place) I was too late to sign up. Starting one would be ideal. And, as I was meeting new people on Suzi Blu's Ning-network, I knew exactly where to find people who might want to join.

I found 9 great people and now we can get started! We will all send our own Art Journal round, so everyone will end up with an Art Journal filled with artwork done by all of us.

I'm itching to get started. I bought a new Art Journal the other week, but now I am suffering from 'blank page fear'. I have no idea what to do as a first page, what will the others think of what I did when they see it up close?

I'm sure it will get better, once I make my first mark. But that first mark.... Maybe tomorrow....

Creative Challenge day 4

For my 4th day during this Creative Challenge, I decided to do an Art Journal page about it.

The text reads:
'A few days ago I started something called The 21 Day Creative Challenge. I had read about it on a few different blogs. The idea is that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. And because I find myself thinking and dreaming and planning and not much time actually creating even though I like myself much better when I get my bum in the chair and paint or draw or write. So now, for 21 days straight, I will sketch, doodle, write, paint, crochet, (art) journal, photograph... Anything creative counts. This is day 4 of 21 days. I can do it.'

And hey, who says fish can't have a nose and hair?

(For more pictures, go to my Flickr page, and don't forget to leave a comment!)

Whenever she felt lonely

.... she would dance with Mr. Octopus, go for a Hedgehog-walk, take care of Meerkat kids or do karate with Kitty Cat and she would feel better.

The other day I was doodling animals for my Secret Language / Symbols journal (a Suzi Blu workshop homework assignment) and out came these characters.

The little girl stuck in her costume isn't feeling too happy. She feels restricted and lonely, it's hard to communicate when you're dressed up and don't even have hands to hold on to anyone. And she does need a cuddle.

So out come her little friends. Mr. Octopus, who in my Secret Language stands for fun, being a bit of a clown and being playful, Hedgehog, who stands for protection and is a bit of an outsider herself, Meerkat, who never gets any rest and could do with some help looking herself after the kids so she can calm down a bit and Kitty Cat who stands for everything warm like home and cuddles and love. They all help her in their own special way to make her feel a bit better, and guess what.. It works! They are the best friends in the world!

I used water colour paint, water colour pencils, a bit of acrylics and Steadtler fineliner on this Art Journal page. For some strange reason, I think I'll be seeing a lot of this little girl and her furry friends.

My first Moleskine!

I got my very first Moleskine!

My old Art Journal was falling apart, and I was not even half way through. I was getting more and more annoyed with having to stick pages together in order to make the paper sturdy enough, and still I had paint and gel medium leaking through. It was time for something new!

But finding that something new wasn't easy. The shops I usually get my art supplies from have lots of sketchbooks, but the paper isn't thick enough. They carry water color pads, but they would not be suitable for (almost) daily use, not if I want to actually keep all those pages.

After lots of searching I decided this was it. It was time for my first Moleskine. After all, I had tried all the cheaper journals, and they just did not fit the bill.
I ordered one online and got it the next day!

It took me a few days to get started though. I wanted it to be 'perfect', you know. A bit like how I was in school when starting a new notebook in the new year. But then we went out for a day in beautiful Maldon and I did my first journal page. It felt so good! I love the paper, I love the cover, I'm not too sure about the size yet because it is different to what I am used to, but I love it!

Yesterday, I added some rub-on letters to the cover. There is no doubt now that this Art Journal is mine! I will have so much fun filling it up with thoughts and dreams and things I see and hear.

The importance of keeping an art journal

Isn't it funny how sometimes you forget about what you've done?

Just now, I was browsing the many Moleskine groups on Flickr and found one that had a link to a _Helium article on 'The importance of keeping an art journal' and I was thinking of how to word my own.

And then I noticed that I already had! Go and have a look here. I wrote this about my first art journal. My my how things have changed....

Timeless on YouTube, for real this time!

I have no idea how to show you the actual video on here, so instead, I'll give you the link.

Come and see my Art Journal here! And feel free to let me know what you think!