I took my own advice to let go of expectations and just started playing in my art journal this week. With NO idea on where this was going, I just took one step at a time and kept moving.
It felt so great to be able to just play with the paints and not worry about what I was making. I’ve learned that if you just trust yourself and go with your first instinct, you can keep a forward motion going and have no time to stop and criticize yourself. You’ll also be more likely to be pleasantly surprised with your finished piece!
Once you stop to analize a decision, your inner critic kicks in to try and talk you out of it. The quicker you can make your decisions, the more in tune you are to your intuition and letting the art flow from you. So let go, act on your first instinct, and keep that forward motion going!
Here’s how this art journal page played out…
First I glued down some dictionary pages and pieces of an art magazine with soft gel medium. I then decided to journal a bit on top with a PITT pen.
I layered on some color with my fingers using acrylics.
Next, I decided to do some stenciling and image transfers. The one on the top left was supposed to be a face, but it didn’t turn out so well! I don’t know why, but transfers are always a hit or miss for me.
I had a quick image of a sun come to me, so I went with it without thinking. I covered my “mistake” with white and painted in some rays.
Layering more paint on top, to make it look nicer…
At this point, I wasn’t sure where to go, all I knew was that it looked too colorful for my taste. So, in came the black! I journaled in the rays, shaded beneath them and around the edges, and outlined everything again.
I could never have imagined this before I began, and I’m not sure that this is what “my style” is, but I’m liking it! It pays to let go sometimes, and just see what comes out on its own. I encourage you to give it a try!
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I’ve been doing my journaling on paper when I am not even working in my art journal. When I’m thinking about a topic I just start writing my thoughts. I find it a lot easier to then go to my already prepped journal pages and pick out a background that speaks to the topic or my mood. I use old book pages, scrap paper or pretty paper to do my journaling. Does anybody else do their journaling this way?
Hi Lisa, yes I’ve seen many people do it that way… and even if I didn’t, its YOUR way so it is the RIGHT way! ;0)
I love this now I have to go and do it :) looking forward to it! Thanks for the great posts about journaling.
You’re welcome Chandra! I can’t wait to see what you start making! :)
This work is beyond fantastic! The colors in the thumbnail are what drew me to visit from Julie’s site. I love all of the step by step photos, I have tried to do this when I work and I usually end up with about 3 photos, the beginning, somewhere in the middle and the end. Thank you for sharing your process.
Thanks so much Dawn, I’m so glad you enjoyed the step by step photos! :)
this is fabulous Kristal!! I love how the black brought so much dimension to your page and makes it look 3-D!
Thanks Linda! I love adding black, I just can’t help it… it goes on every page! lol
I love this. I am going to go with this approach on my next page…just sitting down and letting loose..I am getting better at that but not quite where I want to be yet…total abandon ;) Thanks for the inspiration.
So happy to hear I have inspired you Danielle! It’s amazing to see what you come up with when you just let loose and let the page tell you where it wants to go. Be sure to watch my video on letting go of expectations, it may help! :) https://kristalnorton.com/art-journaling-101-let-go-of-expectations/
Kristal – i love all of the colours and the step by step photos you took – you’re great at dispelling the fear of looking at a blank page. Your vibrant colours are what drew me in!
Love, Violette
Love how these journal pages turned out! Love the color combo!