Art Journaling Techniques - Amazon S3

Art Journaling Techniques

Art Journaling Techniques

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From the Editor

Art journaling is a popular and important part of mixedmedia art, and it's easy to see why: Anything goes in a journal, including drawing, writing, collage, painting, or doodling. You can practice and hone techniques, and keep everything completely private.

Work in a journal over time, and you're bound to see your skills improve and your confidence soar. If you've never tried art journaling before, it's time to start exploring, and we've got some great ideas to get you going. If you're a veteran journaler, take your artwork even further and add some of these new techniques to your repertoire.

The articles we've selected just for you from Cloth Paper Scissors and Pages magazines are perfect for all levels, and no special skills are required--just bring your sense of adventure and have fun!

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Table of Contents

4 The Benefits of Art Journaling the creative pulse

7 Black-and-White Journal Pages

11 Dress it Up magazine images become focal points

17 Add a Little Doodle to Your Collage

20 Visual Fieldnotes

Vice President, Group Publishing. . . Jamie Markle Editorial Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeannine Stein Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara Delaney

Creative Services Photography. . . . . . . . Sharon White Photography Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anita Cook

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from Cloth Paper Scissors March/April 2016

The Benefits of Art Journaling

the creative pulse

There is no denying the popularity of art journaling. So many artists are doing it, and it is truly an international phenomenon. Books, magazines, and online communities are dedicated solely to journaling, and there are products galore to feed the fascination.

If you are a journaler, think about why you started. Were you looking for a safe space to process your thoughts and feelings? Was it to have a place to document your daily life experiences? Or did you start journaling because everybody else was doing it?

I put journaling into the same category as exercise-- it's good for you but not everybody does it. As with exercise, some people find the journaling process fun. They look forward to working out, eagerly stretching their creative muscles. Yet some are

Artwork and photos by Seth Apter

by Seth Apter

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"Light the Way"

intimidated by the idea of journaling--to them it can feel like as much of a challenge as a day in the gym.

If this describes you, consider this: There are no rules with art journaling. Any and every art medium is available to the art journaler, and there is no right or wrong. Every journal is unique. Some journalers focus more on the visual aspects, while others concentrate on text. The benefits of journaling can be yours no matter how you journal or how often.

These benefits can be divided into two categories: practical and personal. From the practical standpoint, journaling contributes to our artistic proficiency; it can make us better artists. On the personal side, journaling is good for the soul. It can relieve stress and contribute to our overall well-being.

A journal is a place where we create only for ourselves. There's no pressure to show our work to

others and, without the weight of outside criticism, journaling can free us to release our creativity and enhance our artistic skills. This for-your-eyes-only journaling, coupled with the focus on right-brain activity during the act of art journaling, allows you to be less critical and rely more on intuition. You take more risks, and that helps build self-confidence and personal satisfaction.

Working in a journal may be the closest thing we have as adults to creating with childlike abandon. Have you heard the phrase, "Dance like nobody's watching"? I say, journal like no one is watching.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received is that the way to get better at drawing is to draw. And then keep on drawing. This holds true with art journaling as well. A journal is the perfect place to practice a technique over and over again. As an added bonus,

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