Can I interest you??????

Have you ever checked out the Urban Dictionary?!

Well, I looked up the definition of enable and I guess this is what I am about to do....

enable	23 up, 12 down
	to encourage bad behavior, habits, etc. Erin's parents enable her and her brother by giving them cigarettes just after he had just quit smoking. If you're a smoker or have other addictions and have parents like hers, don't count on quitting because they will just lure you back into your old addictions.

LOL
I don't think I am that kind of parent (and I don't smoke!),
so I won't try to get you to try
but....



My dear online friend, Laura, recently asked if I could do a blog post about my art journaling...

 how it all began and the tools that I use.

 So here it is....

It all began over 50 years ago now...

 

Actually, my entrance into the world of art journaling began just a few years ago.

I had been perusing magazines, websites, and blogs for a couple of years

mesmerized by the beautiful art journal pages that people created.

I had some favorite art journalers I followed...

Teesha Moore, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, Tracy Bunker, Dawn Sokol

and the list goes on.

Well, I got a little daring and emailed a couple art journalists

asking how I could start... I felt stuck and unable to figure out 

what to do first.

Dawn Sokol responded by telling me to just get myself an inexpensive journal, 

some craft paint and a pen and just try it.

And so... 

this is my first journal spread....

and before you know it,

I was having loads of fun creating art journal pages!

What they neglect to mention is that art journaling is not for the faint of heart...

it is a messy business!

but fun!

Just like any other craft hobby,

you really don't need many supplies to start 

but it doesn't stop me from buying loads of new things to try!!!!

My go-to supplies include...

Gesso!

You can buy cheap or expensive brands. 

You will develop preferences.

 I like to coat my journal pages first with gesso

I like the surface it provides before I add color

however, I also find it is not always friendly to some of my pens

(nor are some of the other additions like paint, crayon.....it's a learning thing).

After the gesso dries,

I add acrylic paint (again cheap or expensive)

and you will want to experiment with the implements you use to apply the paint...

paint brushes, expired credit cards, baby wipes, etc.

Once your budget allows, 

you can add other means of color to your journal background 

(or foreground too)...

Once your color is dry,

you can add all kinds of collage items...

 

paper, magazine pictures, stickers, fiber, ephemera

(the possibilities are endless!)

Of course, if you are going to glue on 'stuff',

you will need more supplies...

    I typically use gel medium (matte or semi gloss)

or some times, if the surface will accept it 

and when I add photos, I will use a scrapbook adhesive tape roller

Luckily, I didn't give away all my rubber stamps from 

my short-lived scrapbooking days!

Stamps are fun to use on journal pages!

I love Stazon ink and Ranger Distress inks too!

After this addiction settled in,

I discovered the art of carving your own stamps...

 and I loooooove my spray inks!!!

 

you can just spray on your paper as a background or foreground

or you can spray through stencils (loads of fun to collect!)

And then I usually wrap it all up with some text...

using a variety of my favorite pens (Faber-Castell, Pigma Micron)
or gel pens.

So.....
 if you are in the market for a new craft hobby,
I am your enabler!!!!

(PS in my next post, I will do a step-by-step of a recent journaling page!)