This October I’m going to participate in the #InkTober challenge. You can read all about it here! All I need to do is draw something everyday with ink.

I decided to draw mandalas. I find them very relaxing to create and I really have been needing a push being more creative everyday. I thought I would share with you how I made the 6×6 art journal I’m going to work in.

I started off by cutting five pieces of 12×12 Bazzill® cardstock into 6×12 strips. The colors I used were Straw, Avalanche, Springtime, Patina and Black. I then folded the strips in half using a bone folder to form my 6×6 pages.

Because mandalas can be time consuming to create and facing a blank page on a busy day to keep up with the challenge can be daunting, I thought I would use some of my round stencils to lend a hand. I randomly chose pages to add the stencil designs onto with sprays and let them all dry. Stencils used include: 6×6 Triangle Sunburst, 6×6 Spiderweb, Atomic Circle Bits, Scribbled Rose Bits, Ice Flake Bits, 6×6 Spiral Staircase, 6×6 Stone Rings, 12×12 Screenprint.

Now, if I’m drawing a blank as to how to start a mandala for that day, I can turn to one of the stenciled pages to get started! Some of the stencils were not perfect circles but I love the look of an asymmetrical mandala!

I also added a few black pages so that I can work on white mandalas using one of my favorite tools, the Signo Uni-ball white gel pen.

To put the art journal together, I stacked three pages together and ran them through my sewing machine. I did this 2 more times to create three signatures for the journal . My cover was made from a file folder I cut down to about 6.25″x6.5″. I added a piece of Washi tape to the spine for extra support. I tied all of the signatures into the file folder cover with Sari ribbon. The ribbon is running down the center of the signature, around the outside spine and tied at the top of the book.

I decorated the cover of my mandala art journal with the 6×6 Joyful Sunflower stencil and acrylic paints. I used a Sharpie pen to add lots of doodling and finished it off with sticker letters.

I’m all ready to start the challenge on October 1st! Have you ever participated in this challenge? If not, why don’t you join me? I’ll be posting my pictures on my Instagram account everyday and will be using the hashtag #TCWstencillove on the days I use the stenciled background pages.

Thanks for joining me today!

Consie

The Crafter’s Workshop Design Team Member