WAY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE TRAVELING JOURNAL

Hello friends.

This year, I have made a promise to myself to lose the "fear factor" and experiment with different styles, products and yes ... BRIGHT colors!  

Let me preface this by saying that I LOVE colors; all colors.  I see other people's work using bright colors and I adore it.  But when I try to use it on my own work, ick....

I tend to gravitate to the more earthy colors that are very "color full" but just not BRIGHT.

So, I guess this is telling me that my style is more the softer shades of colors.  That is where I intend to spend most of my time and that's okay!  That is what pleases my eye for my work and I will enjoy everyone else's lovely bright art because it really is fun and uplifting.

I wanted to share with you some of an art travel journal that I made in the Kate Crane class from Wanderlust 2016.  I have always loved her whimsical style.  

If you have not heard of Wanderlust 2016, it is a year long online course with wonderful weekly online classes from various artists.  There are also different informative videos, informal prompts to create your own art journal that coincides with the Wanderlust experience, challenges and inspiration all around.  I am loving it!    

Out of respect to Kate's paid online class, I will not divulge the construction of the art journal.  But, I will share with you a couple of pictures from my BRIGHT colored pages.  And I will share the cover with you as it is my own design and not a part of the class.

Here is the front of my journal with part of the BRIGHT interior pages peeking out.

Here is a peek at the front interior pages of the journal.  I have to say this was really fun to do and I enjoyed playing with the bright colors.  It just seemed very foreign to me.

And here is the back of my journal cover with some of the journaling pages on the back side of the accordion interior pages peeking out.

To create the covers, you will need the following supplies:

·         Two pieces of 5 ½” 5 ½” chipboard
·         Watercolor paper cut into strips, scored and folded to create an accordion book
·         DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Cobalt Teal Hue
·         DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Green Gold
·         DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Quinacridone Red
·         DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Quinacridone Magenta
·         DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Yellow Oxide
·         DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Metalilc Gold
·         DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Quinacridone Gold
·         DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Paynes Grey
·         DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Raw Sienna
·         DecoArt Media Mister Primary Magenta
·         DecoArt Media Mister Shimmer Turquoise
·         DecoArt Media Mister Carbon Black
·         DecoArt Media White Gesso
·         DecoArt Media Modeling Paste
·         DecoArt Media Soft-Touch Varnish
·         DecoArt Metallic Lustre Champagne Ice
·         Glossy Accents
·         Sticky Back Canvas
·         Metal Handle
·         Black Ribbon
·         Andy Skinner Serendipity Stencil
·         Seth Apter “Secret” stencil
·         Tim Holtz Splatter Stencil
·         Paint Brushes
·         Permanent Ink Pens
·         Colored Pencils
·         Makeup sponges
·         Graphite Pencil

1.  Cover the two chipboard covers with Sticky Back Canvas.  The inside of the covers will be hidden when you glue the outer pages of the accordion book to them.

2.  Paint the covers with a basecoat of DecoArt Media White Gesso and let dry. 

3.  Add dimension to the covers by scraping DecoArt Modeling Paste through a stencil.  Let air dry or gently heat set.  Keep adding more stenciled images until you are happy with your design.  Let dry.

4.  Brush a basecoat of DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Titan Buff over the covers.

5.  Lay the stencils back over the Modeling Paste splatter image and using make up sponge, add color to it using DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Cobalt Teal Hue.

6.  Add a combination of DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide and Raw Sienna to the cover; wiping it on with a damp paper towel or baby wipe.  Try not to cover the teal splatter to keep it’s vibrant color in tact.

7.  To add more depth, randomly rub on some DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Burnt Umber and mix with the Raw Sienna.

8.  Create a “dirty wash” using DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Quinacridone Gold and Paynes Grey with water.  Brush onto the covers to create shadowing.  Also add Paynes Grey around the edges of the covers with your finger.

9.   Add even more depth using a Graphite Pencil and smudge it with your dry or slightly moistened finger.

Here is what the cover looks like at this point.

10.  Cover each of the words with the stencil and then using a makeup sponge, daub DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Paynes Grey to color each letter.

11.  Then follow with random touches of DecoArt Fluid Acrylics Metallic Gold over the Paynes Grey.  Layer with more Paynes Grey if you need to darken the letters.

12.  The back cover is done using the same colors and the same techniques.  The doily is painted with DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Cobalt Teal Hue.  The letters are Paynes Grey, a little Metallic Gold and finally the Metallic Lustre.

13.  Using your finger, add small touches of DecoArt Metallic Lustre Champagne Ice to the tops of the letters to give them a metallic highlight.

14.  Attach a piece of black ribbon to the center interior of the front cover of the book. Glue the interior book pages to the inside covers. 

15.  Add a little metallic handle to the front interior cover for the black ribbon to pass through when wrapping it around the book.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and maybe it gave you a new tip or trick as you create your own art!