Art Journal With Me – Got to get going

by Linda | Jun 8, 2010 | my creative journal

Happy Tuesday to you! The sun is shining brightly and the weather is super hot here in the Tuscan hills. Although most people complain about being uncomfortable and sweating too much – I on the other hand completely love it! Is it bizarre that a Fall baby like me loves the super hot version of everything? Hot showers, hot peppers, hot sun…even the super hot air trapped in your car on a sunny day. Yup, I actually look forward to getting into a warmed-up car in the summertime. That warm wave of air just feels good. I guess we’ll see in a few months if my senseless glee holds up! Nevertheless, the colors of warmth and happy thoughts definitely influenced the color palette for my art journal page today.

It’s all about yellows, oranges and earthy tones. This was a little lady I sketched up and started coloring in with colored pencils. Then I decided to fill in with watercolors and outlining with ink. Nothing fancy here, just another lady in my simply bound leather sketchbook. Although I started to realize how I automatically draw full-frontal faces instead of any other view. Coming from more of a cartooning experience of drawing, I always find profiles and other views very challenging. Another exploration to add to my list of experiments…3/4th profile views…profile views. Lately my mind has been swirling with so many different ideas. Art journaling discussions in the Milliande and Art Journaling ning communities, sharing tutorials, designing printable graphics, patterns, making journals, flip books and zines… I could go on and on into a laundry list stream-of-consciousness brain dump. I’m sure many creatives have this same swirling in the mind and sometimes making lists and just writing out the possibilities helps a lot.

I sort of scribble and make random notes in my idea book. Sometimes I don’t even understand myself after the fact, but I suppose it’s about the process at that moment…of getting it out of me. The muse had to speak, right? At first I started writing my ideas for art journaling posts. Perhaps something for beginners to start but really as an exercise for myself to document my process. I know there are a million resources out there about art journaling techniques, but we all have an individual point of view. I thought about writing tutorials or maybe trying to do a video or two as well. Or maybe I should make an e-book to make it more official and incorporate my graphic design skills. But then I thought that was too professional in a sense and a handmade zine would be much cooler to send to friends. Ideas and more ideas…but the zine idea really stuck. I suppose it was destiny because I actually received a zine in the mail today as well. What zines do you read? I like how they are limited and coming from that one person. Cool and interesting tidbits…factoids…little bits to add to our own creative lives. It’s like how we buy cookbooks and like to see photos and follow along with the recipes. However, over time you write in your own notes and alter to fit your particular taste and style…how cool is that? I wonder if I could make a zine as cool as that…what do you think? Would you read a little zine if I make it? If you build it will they come? Any comments or suggestions would be great…thank you in advance and have fun art journaling. As always, thank you for dropping by, ciao ciao! 🙂

Travel Inspiration

by Linda | Jun 7, 2010 | my creative journal

Happy Monday to all and hello to everyone again as I’m back from my little vacation! I had a great time and thank you all for your well wishes. My husband and I took a road trip to the East coast of Italy and it was great to see new places and difference things. The weather has suddenly turned into full-on summer heat here in Tuscany and I’m totally re-energized by my trip and the sunshine combined. As I get back into the swing of things…let me first share some travel inspiration photos with you.

Ahh…vacation! I think that taking a break, whether traveling afar or just changing your immediate scene by taking a walk – helps to open up your perspective and shake up your normal routine. We all need that sometimes, so remember to let yourself go free when needed. You should not neglect yourself or your delicate muse! Any kind of break-time will definitely pump you up and refresh your mind for creative thinking. That’s how I feel now! I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing a bit of my travel inspiration!

Create because you want to…that’s all the reason you need.

by Linda | May 28, 2010 | my creative journal

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about the process of creating and the reasons why I do what I do.

Whether I’m taking photo, altering them, doodling, painting, creating digital graphics or randomly making whatever I feel like at the moment… it’s something I enjoy doing and feel that I must do in the moment. Often I’m inspired to make something because I see someone else do it – a cool project or idea that just has to be tried. However, most of the time it’s about channeling ideas out of mind and feeling good through the process.

Making stuff makes me happy. Isn’t that enough reason to create and do something?

It just feels good to keep my hands busy and the process of creating art and crafting seems to take me into a relaxing zone. It’s not work mode, when I have a game-plan in mind on how to tackle the problem in the most efficient manner possible, etc etc. My creative time doesn’t come from a plan and even when I think I have a plan – it turns out completely different.

I semi-finished the little binder book I started yesterday and decided to use it as an address book. The pages are made of kraft paper folded into pockets, so it can hold business cards and tags. I suppose at some point it might get really bulging, but I actually like how it fans out anyhow.

After making that little book I immediately felt the urge to create more…I wasn’t done bookmaking perhaps. I automatically went to folding papers and cutting leather to make another classic journal. I just did it without much thought or planning… it felt so satisfying in the end.

I don’t really sell much stuff at all even though I’ve put it out there online, but I just keep doing it anyway. Why is that? Shouldn’t I be discouraged and give up already? It’s bizarre, but I have these internal debates with myself sometimes. I’ve realized that sales doesn’t equal satisfaction for me. It would be great to one day be a self-sufficient artist, but either way I’ll be creating. I just like it. It’s fun! I want to be happy and enjoy life, so I just have to do these things.

Perhaps it’s moving to Italy that has changed my perspective as well. Previously it was all about satisfying social norms and being that “perfect person” that I thought people wanted me to be. The successes that I thought were imperative ended up being pointless in the end. No satisfaction, no happiness, no feeling. I’ve changed so much and my priorities have completely shifted. I feel like life is so much simpler now.

Am I oversimplifying it? I feel like I’ve stepped back from the whole “scene of life” and now I can see the big picture more clearly. I’m sure there’s still much to learn, but I’m so happy and grateful for the life I have – gosh, I can never gush enough.

Sigh…all this to really say that I wish everyone would create because they just want to. Don’t let fear hold you back. You do it because you want to. Because you love the process, because it’s fun and feels good to express yourself. Because you have to just create. That’s all the reason you need, right? I hope you all have a happy weekend and lovely holiday in the USA…until next time my lovelies 🙂

Art Journal With Me – Just Drawing

by Linda | May 25, 2010 | my creative journal

Hi everyone! Another week of art journaling with me, thanks for stopping by as always. I thought I would continue with drawing my funky ladies in the black journal of watercolor paper. When I go to draw, there’s no plan or picture in my mind. I just start with round eyes and go from there, whatever my hand happens to do on it’s own really.

This time I ended up with an alien-looking lady and the writing says “swirls, it’s magic now” – musings that just come forth from within. It’s nice to just draw and not really care about how it all ends up. It’s the process and act that is wondrous and rewarding. I think that art journaling is really about that exactly – the free creative process. Sure it’s nice to be able to share a beautiful result, but first and foremost art journaling is about you and your expression. You can pour yourself out and whatever comes out or doesn’t come out – it’s all good for the soul in the end. It doesn’t matter if you want to draw or collage or splatter paint. Creative therapy for life I suppose? Hope you have a lovely week and if you like art journaling consider joining the ning communities Milliande and art journaling – I’m on there, so look me up. Ciao ciao!

Learning From Turtles and A Frog Girl?

by Linda | May 21, 2010 | my creative journal

When we start to eat lots of strawberries, our turtles subsequently get fed all the strawberry tops. We know they love ’em and I’m always mesmerized watching them chomp away. They get all red around the mouth like lipstick…so funny!

Doesn’t he look like he’s hoarding the strawberries? Mine, mine, all mine – muhahaha! In the end he couldn’t finish them anyway. It made me think about the way I hoard materials. I instinctually want to “save the good stuff” and wait for the “right project” – even though we probably all have our stashes still stashed away. How bizarre! My mother-in-law has been cleaning out house as well and we keep finding treasures hidden away. At least, treasures if you are a fan of antiques! It got me thinking again about posessions and how we like to pack things away. In the end, we might have never used or enjoyed those wonderful things we stashed. It’s all very weird when you think about it, right?

Shouldn’t we use more often the things we love and enjoy them to the fullest? Shouldn’t we spend the most time and money on those everyday things that make a difference in our lives…instead of that super expensive something we hide away for fear of “ruining.” Enough of the insanity, right? Perhaps it’s the warm weather making me feel free and wanting to break out! My husband and I are going on another IKEA run this weekend and I will take the opportunity to get even more organized with my own crafty supplies. Wish me luck on organization, it does seem to be a constant endeavor.

In other news, the lovely journal I made yesterday has its first drawing inside now. I did a little sketching with my niece and she actually helped me color this girl in. Of course, she’s a frog girl because that’s what my niece said the face looks like. You can see from the close-up that I have a thing for round eyes. Maybe that looks froggish? My style is definitely not realistic, instead I like the whimsy fantasy style because you can make-up whatever you want. I suppose it’s okay she looks froggy. I still have to work on expressions and making my ladies not so generic. It’s true that often the female faces we see appear to be quite benign…

Something for me to work on with my new journal. Well, enough updates on my random musings and thoughts. Thanks for stopping by as always and happy friday! BTW, if you want to check out more photos of our turtles, see them on my Flickr photostream. Otherwise, have a lovely weekend, ciao ciao!

Creative Workspace – Laughing At Myself…

by Linda | May 20, 2010 | my creative journal

Sometimes I just have to laugh at myself, rather than assuming the worse like perhaps – I’ve gone mad! For example, today I decided to make a practice journal out of leftover watercolor paper. I have a lot of leather lying around, so cut a little cover and sewed it together. Until I realized midway that I was sewing a different black leather journal. Yeah…talk about zoning out. This is what happens when you have too much stuff on your desk, right? Somehow, I got my covers and papers mixed up and starting making a different journal…ehhh! The one I started working on – or thought I was working on actually got shoved into my leather stash pile. Jeepers…I just laughed at myself. Oh well, extra journal to add to my Etsy store! Sometimes I get into the zone and it’s a bit zombie-like for me… *tee*hee*

So the one I made for myself is a bit larger, but stitched the same exact way – just one signature of paper and wraparound leather closure. I already watercolored on one page, but planning to do colored pencil and acrylic practice in here instead. I don’t like the paper for watercoloring, so will use it for something else!

In another corner of my desk, I also have these cut-out journaling tags and shapes (you can download in my last post). I will be adding more embellishment to them…but not sure what yet…

Another little craft I’ve been doing is paper collage with my niece. I decided to go with Claudine Hellmuth’s style of using the b/w people heads and putting them in cute situations by collaging and illustrating. This one is of me and my husband – together. Yeah, I’m mushy like that and often end up with lovey dovey hearts here and there. That’s my kind of art! 🙂

Still lots to finish today as I decided to break up my days into smaller blocks and chip off a little of many different ongoing projects. I’ve been finding this method more productive, going along with my ADD nature. Sort of like doing daily bird illustrations, I also do the daily bit of clean-up, scrapbooking a page, crafting, art and of course the necessities like work! It might only be 10 minutes or so for one little step, but suddenly a week has past and I’ve got something done. It’s a great feeling! This method of working also put me into the mode of writing “finished” lists instead of to-do lists. It’s nice to note all the things I’ve accomplished and see it at the end of the day…you might want to try it!