In the back part of the forum, the Art Journaling Challenge team and the cheeryos have been discussing the Art Journaling challenge and why people might not be joining in to the fun. Many people think that they can't "do" art journaling, or it just isn't their style. Some people feel like they have to have some kind of special skills to do art journaling, but it just isn't true!
The first thing I want you to know is that we are not experts. Don’t be worried that you aren’t “good enough” yet or that you are too new to do these challenges. I'm pretty new to this style as well, having started in the last year or so.
I PROMISE you that if you play along with us, and give us half a chance, you will find yourself growing in the art journal style. Pretty soon you will notice that paint and gesso are your friends!
Do you know why I can promise you that? I can promise you that because the biggest secret of art journaling is this:
THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG WAY TO DO IT!
Yes, you heard me correctly. There is no right or wrong, no grades, no “more talented than me” or anything else of that kind of thinking. Stick with us, and you will find yourself enjoying yourself more than you ever thought. Throw away your critical self. Put her in a box and tape that sucker shut!!!
The only rule is to be inspired by the topic we provide. You can get deep with your journaling. You can have no journaling at all. Remember that this is for anyone who wants to be inspired by the topic!
With that said, I went through the gallery and picked out some pages that are NOT in the art journaling gallery that actually would work quite well as art journaling. Many of the comments we get is that people don't know how to do it, or it's just not their style. I posit that EVERYONE can do art journaling.
All the challenges are asking is to be inspired by the prompt - however deep or shallow or literal you want to go!
On to the pages:
Here are a few that are more clean and simple, but they most certainly fit into art journaling:
Here's another one where it uses very little elements, but the page tells a story and emits an emotion:
How about this fun piece? It says "CELEBRATE" and just with the jumping silhouettes, one can feel the theme!
Now these are a little more complicated, but not difficult to do - especially if you have a kit that has the elements already made for you!
This cute little tag was made with all pre-made elements from Vicki Stegall kits:
This one by Ona looks like it was really taking a lot of work to do this amazing page. Guess what? It's all made with a kit "Showers and Flowers" by Mixed Media by Erin! She simply picked out pieces from the kit and voila - a gorgeous art journal page!
This next one looks like she spent hours blending and making artsy marks. Yet again - using all kits! Sarapulka Scraps "Theoreme of Happiness" and Anna Aspnes "PhotoBlendz Overlays Number 20"
This is a beautiful page that one might not see as an example of art journal, but she used a photo treatment, text blending, and a theme!
Here's a fun one by Tanteva! She used the traditional elements in a cluster down the side. but made it "arty" by simple paint splashes and swirls behind her photo and the sketch of the girl behind the cluster. The background was provided by the kit - no blending required! This kit has so many pre made goodies for you to be artsy without even knowing how to make the elements! "All About Me" Oscraps Collab"
This one seems very traditional, but add an artsy background and some paint splashes and it most certainly fits into AJ!! "Freedom Fest Collab by Karen Schultz and Tami Miller"
I could go on and on, but I hope that seeing a few pages that one might not see as "art journaling" can help you to see that AJ is not so intimidating, and you needn't feel you need to go all out artsy and learn photoshop before you can try it!!
The first thing I want you to know is that we are not experts. Don’t be worried that you aren’t “good enough” yet or that you are too new to do these challenges. I'm pretty new to this style as well, having started in the last year or so.
I PROMISE you that if you play along with us, and give us half a chance, you will find yourself growing in the art journal style. Pretty soon you will notice that paint and gesso are your friends!
Do you know why I can promise you that? I can promise you that because the biggest secret of art journaling is this:
THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG WAY TO DO IT!
Yes, you heard me correctly. There is no right or wrong, no grades, no “more talented than me” or anything else of that kind of thinking. Stick with us, and you will find yourself enjoying yourself more than you ever thought. Throw away your critical self. Put her in a box and tape that sucker shut!!!
The only rule is to be inspired by the topic we provide. You can get deep with your journaling. You can have no journaling at all. Remember that this is for anyone who wants to be inspired by the topic!
With that said, I went through the gallery and picked out some pages that are NOT in the art journaling gallery that actually would work quite well as art journaling. Many of the comments we get is that people don't know how to do it, or it's just not their style. I posit that EVERYONE can do art journaling.
All the challenges are asking is to be inspired by the prompt - however deep or shallow or literal you want to go!
On to the pages:
Here are a few that are more clean and simple, but they most certainly fit into art journaling:
Here's another one where it uses very little elements, but the page tells a story and emits an emotion:
How about this fun piece? It says "CELEBRATE" and just with the jumping silhouettes, one can feel the theme!
Now these are a little more complicated, but not difficult to do - especially if you have a kit that has the elements already made for you!
This cute little tag was made with all pre-made elements from Vicki Stegall kits:
This one by Ona looks like it was really taking a lot of work to do this amazing page. Guess what? It's all made with a kit "Showers and Flowers" by Mixed Media by Erin! She simply picked out pieces from the kit and voila - a gorgeous art journal page!
This next one looks like she spent hours blending and making artsy marks. Yet again - using all kits! Sarapulka Scraps "Theoreme of Happiness" and Anna Aspnes "PhotoBlendz Overlays Number 20"
This is a beautiful page that one might not see as an example of art journal, but she used a photo treatment, text blending, and a theme!
Here's a fun one by Tanteva! She used the traditional elements in a cluster down the side. but made it "arty" by simple paint splashes and swirls behind her photo and the sketch of the girl behind the cluster. The background was provided by the kit - no blending required! This kit has so many pre made goodies for you to be artsy without even knowing how to make the elements! "All About Me" Oscraps Collab"
This one seems very traditional, but add an artsy background and some paint splashes and it most certainly fits into AJ!! "Freedom Fest Collab by Karen Schultz and Tami Miller"
I could go on and on, but I hope that seeing a few pages that one might not see as "art journaling" can help you to see that AJ is not so intimidating, and you needn't feel you need to go all out artsy and learn photoshop before you can try it!!
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