Sunday, September 12, 2010

Art Journal Pages and Techniques- Sept. 12, 2010

September started off with a bang at my house-"bangs" of thunder, that is, from the heavy rains that the hurricane Hermine, in the Gulf of Mexico brought to us. That amount of rain for this part of Texas during the summer is pretty rare, and we needed every drop!

Since it rained for about 3 days off and on, it gave me time to work in my art journal(s) uninterrupted, which is always a treat! Trying out new mediums (for me...) is a special treat, and I am still learning the value of the internet when trying to become a self-taught watercolour artist. There are just so many helpful articles out there in cyberspace, I decided to try and combine some of those techniques into one spot-here!

 OK, the top left page, yellow with butterflies, has a watercolour crayon background of yellow, red and orange scribbled on the paper, then blended with a damp paper towel. You can blend them with a slighamount of pressure on the paper and blend all of the scribble lines out, or you can blend just a bit and leave some scribbles in the background for a more textured look. After getting the background like you want it, and letting it dry completely, you can then draw or use markers (I use Sharpies and Bic felt tip markers...)or gel pens to doodle and finish up your page.

The second from the top page is called "Freedom Girl" because of her very independent way of dressing, and the freedom of the bright colors in the background. This whole page is done in Sharpie and Bic felt markers, with a few accents of gel pens. I drew my design in pencil first, then colored in all the sections and did some journaling in the different colors with contrasting markers. I may go back later and add some more shading to the girl's face, or I may leave her as is.

The middle page is the result of a journal prompt from a yahoo group I belong to. We were supposed to pick a letter of the alphabet, then choose the word that started with that letter to best describe our dominant emotion that day. As you can tell, I was a bit worried that day, although the flowers show a bit of a hopefulness for the future!

The bottom picture is done in markers (journaling) and watercolours (the flowers). I use the markers on just about every art journal page I do. I just love the vibrancy of the colors, and they don't dry out really quick. I create at least one journal page a day, sometimes 3-4 a day, so it is nice to have markers that are reasonable and of good quality. I especially like the Sharpies with the "ultra-fine" tips! They are great for detail work and drawing "swirlies"


Well, I hope that you like these newest pages, and hopefully you may have picked up a tip or some inspiration to work on your own pages! Sign up for blog updates, and put your blog address in the comment box, and I will return the favor!

Happy Creating!

Taz
aka Laura Thykeson

4 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the start of your new blog. You seem filled to the brim with creative ideas and pursuits. I love seeing and reading about your process and progress. This seems like a very special, creative time in your life. Thanks so much for sharing it with us!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for stopping by Wendy and glad you enjoyed my little corner of the "cyber world"!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love your pages, they're so happy!
    Thanks for the sweet comments on my blog and the follow. Warm hugs from your newest follower, ♥Anita

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Anita-Glad you stopped by! I hope you found something entertaining to read while you were here...

    Thanks again,
    Laura Thykeson
    aka "Taz"

    ReplyDelete

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