As I've been sharing, I've really been into my Art Journal and Nature Journal lately.
Of course, my main passion and creative expression is jewelry making, but expressing your creativity in a way that's not your usual medium can inspire you in different ways and even bring more creativity into your main medium as well.
Let's take a look in my art journal at my latest page.
I finished this page last night. I had the idea percolating for a couple of days. I had been wanting to try some watercolor techniques.
Also I started reading Art Journal Art Journey by Nichole Rae and wanted to make a list for a page as she does in her art journals. I'm also drawn to her use of her own photos in her art journal pages, so I knew I wanted to include some photos of my own.
We had visited C & O Canal in Williamsport, Maryland a couple months ago and I took tons of photos, especially of the dragonflies. This year more than ever before I have seen so many dragonflies everywhere and at the canal there were tons of them.
The other photo on the page is from a boat trip we took up the canal.
More than just a reflection of this trip, though, my art journal page is about my feelings about being in nature. So while the photos are from this trip, the emotions I am expressing are about nature in general.
How I made my page:
I made the background using a salt technique with watercolor using both yellow and green watercolors.
I made a word association list for the page about nature. I simply typed whatever came to mind in that moment. (Since then more words have come to mind of course, but this is what happened in that particular moment.)
I have an old dictionary and I made a copy of the page with "nature" on it.
I cut my photos into circles. I have circle templates that I used.
Once the watercolor background was dry, I attached the dictionary page and the word association list.
To make the painted circles around the photos, I made the two sizes of circles on scrap paper using my circle templates and put them on the page and painted around them. I used acrylic paint.
And then I added the photos.
What I got out of making this page:
1. Watercolors are fun! I used to use watercolor more often until I discovered acrylic and never went back to watercolors. It is so much fun to experiment with watercolors.
2. Inspiration. I am so inspired to make a piece of jewelry inspired by this page now. Spending the time thinking about and working on the page makes me want to create the same emotions and feelings for a piece of jewelry.
3. Patience. I had to wait for that background to dry before I could continue.
Have you done any art journaling?
If not, maybe you would like to try. You can doodle or write poetry or try just making a word association list if painting makes you freeze. (You can use the prompt nature and just see what comes up!)
Let me know if you do try!
{Note: The link above to the art journal book I mentioned is an affiliate link, which means if you click on it and purchase the book, I get a tiny percentage. You do not pay any extra and it helps me. I love this book, so I have not been influenced by the fact that I am affiliate for Amazon to suggest it for you.}
By the way:
I did make a necklace inspired by this page! You’ll find the necklace here and a tutorial to make a mixed media bead that I used in the necklace here.
Nature Jewelry Workshop
I’d like to invite you to check out & sign up for my Nature Jewelry Workshop.
It combines my 2 favorite things - nature and jewelry!
You’ll get a creativity booster, jewelry making lessons and jewelry projects - all nature related.
Learn more and sign up here: Nature Jewelry Workshop
