Altered Book Art Journal

I am fascinated by art journaling and can spend many happy hours surfing the internet looking at pages and journals or reading all those magazines.  I have taken several online classes from some of my favorite art journalers - Teesha Moore and Jane Davenport, Kelly Kilmer, Mary Ann Moss.

I did 21 Secrets last year and may do that again - I'd also love to give Lifebook a try. So many classes!  But money doesn't grow on trees and when I discovered that, lo and behold, there was a local art journaling group/class right here in my small town, (who woulda thunk it??!!) I decided that would be the best place to spend my dollars. Take a class, support a local business and meet real people in my area that love artsy stuff as much as I do.  Win-win!

Last week was my first class and we are making altered books as art journals.  I have NEVER done this before but so far I am liking it.  I have been tearing out pages and gluing pages together getting the book ready.  Here is the first spread.

We started with gesso, then finger painted with acrylics.  Then I doodled the flowers using black and white paint pens.  Later, at home I added the stamps and writing and some extra work with markers.
So far, so good!

Have you ever worked in an altered book?

Linking up with Paint Party Friday and Art Journal Everyday

New Year - New Art

Whew!

 After the busy holidays it felt good to get back to some creative expression again.  I find that my creative endeavors go in cycles.  I sew for awhile, then draw/paint/collage for awhile, then read for awhile.  For most of December, I was on a reading jag. With all the shopping to finish, wrapping to do, and gatherings to attend, I really just wanted to settle in and read in the evenings!  I read quite a few books - some happy Christmas stories, and then "Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt", and "Looking for Me" both by Beth Hoffman. If you like southern novels you might like these. Both are good but very different from each other.

Currently I am reading Art Journal Freedom by Dina Wakley.  I love Art Journaling books!  In this book Dina explains the principles of composition and offers technique challenges.  Her own art is shown as examples so check it out!

On New Years Day I was ready for some creating again and made time to play around in my studio.  Here are some of the results.

Painting with acrylics on the cereal box journal pages. You can see some more of this in this post. No definite plan of how this is all going to come together - just getting in there and having fun!

Then some play in my journal with watercolor and pens/markers.  I always find this so relaxing.  I have a bunch of sketchbooks filled with these.

So what are you creating in the first week of the New Year?

Linking with Paint Party Friday  and Art Journal Everyday