Giving the Gift of Art Journaling

Hello Creative Friends.

How was your holidays? Did you make it through or did you totally enjoy it? There is definitely a difference isn’t there?

Sometimes the holidays bring out the not so good parts of life and you have to decide whether to let it eat away at your soul or let it out.

Art Journaling is a great way to do that…slap paint on a page…write the words you would never say out loud…tear up pretty paper until it’s not so pretty anymore. Pour your emotions onto the page..rather than letting them weigh down your spirit.

Today, I want to share an art journaling piece I did recently for my 8 year old niece. Her parents are going through a rough patch and while she was at my house, it was obvious that she was struggling.

She kept asking about my art and I told her I had a piece to do for TCW…would she like to watch me make it? BOY…her eyes lit up! So she sat next to me and asked questions (and sometimes said “sorry…am I asking too many questions? LOL)

About half-way through it she asked “Can I have it?” I said “of course!” And if you’re like me…sometimes you sit down without a real plan and just see where things go. When she asked if she could have it, I instantly knew that I wanted to make her something that when she looked at it, she would have a visual reminder that I was there for her always.

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I started with a clean sheet of white watercolor paper. Then I used the clear gesso through The Crafter’s Workshop Brick Stencil. To dry it, I hit it with my heat gun and allowed the gesso to bubble up to add extra texture.

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I complete my background, I used 3 colors of spray ink from the Marion Smith Designs Color Lab: 

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I mixed up 3 colors for this page: Cupcake, Sublime, and Cola.

Next, I layered an older TCW Flower stencil (so old…I can’t even find the name anywhere!) using Grey Faber-Castell gelatos and Ronda Pallazzari’s “Spinning Top” Stencil using Purple and Aqua Smooch by Clear Snaps.

Spinning Tops

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I added some polka dot stamps using Ranger Archival Ink in Jet black, before sponging yellow acrylic paint through the “&” on Ronda’s “And So On” Stencil. (I used the leftover paint on the sponge to add some yellow to my edges as well.)

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I outlined my “&” and my flowers with Faber Castell PITT Pens in white and black and highlighted my “&” with Faber Castell Gelato in white.

I finished my pieces with some black THICKERS from American Crafts that I outlined with my white Faber-Castell pen.

This piece will be going home with my niece tomorrow and I hope that it gives her peace and reminds her that she is loved and never alone. And I hope it reminds you too that YOU are never alone either.

XOXO,

KERI

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