This is Sky.
She is naked and free to be herself.
It also like the sense of self.
She embark in a journey to soul search
who she is and she arrive to accepting all her flaws.
She has a veil covering her nose and mouth like
she’s delicate and feminine.
Sky has a symbol on her neck and chest of
the true self always living within her.
Today I took out my paintings. I was thinking how long have I been painting. It has been 16 years and I own 73 canvas. I have them laying out to see how much I have progress and grown through out the years. I scan over to the corner of my living room where I usually paint and saw paint marks on the wall that when I understood that corner is my art studio. I took out my paintings because I was having a conversation with a friend of mine. She was telling that I should try to sell my art and show my work to an art gallery. I was thinking back when I started to paint and didn’t believe that I was an artist. I thought who do you think you are. It was something really hard to admit all those years. I had to let go of many layers of pain and fear to finally say I am an artist. Maybe it is time to show my pieces and sell them. I love every single one of them. They have been with me every step of my journey through tough and happy time. Remembering where it all started has brought happiness and joy but I’m also looking forward to what new projects is next to explore.
I probably have said this many times before but I can’t help to say it over and over again. My favorite supply to work with is paper. I enjoy acrylic paints and brushes as much as any artists but gluing paper into my art journal and canvas is one of the most favorite thing to do. Its simple to do and very therapeutic for me. The acrylic paints gets absorb from the paper faster. I call it preparing my page before adding colors and design.
I think it gives it a background affect to the art but it also gives it texture, well, to me it does. I can’t help to run my fingers across it on the canvas and move the page a bit to see how thick it feels on my art journal. My seven art journal was dedicated to gluing all sorts of paper. I used envelopes, manila envelopes, newsletters, newspapers, white pages, advertisements, letters, magazines, calendars and etc. I can go on and on with all the different papers I use. Its something I enjoy and can’t help to let others know about. This is why I love using papers as a layering affect.
Being able to express myself can be freeing but the colors is my absolute favorite. I always find inspiration around me everyday like in clothing, nature, videos, signs, and other art. I have to stop and take notes of the colors I see to use in my next art projects.
When I use three or four colors, it like a combination of light and dark that balance each other out. The more I do this in my art journals, I notice new ways to create things differently but also I open up to new ways in doing it.
There is something about using different colors can bring an understanding that colors is more than just colors. It brings out not only emotions but gives it room to be felt, heard, and speak. This is why I love using colors in my art.
These are the last pages of my fourth book and including my cover and back of the book. I can’t believe how behind I am.
My books are looking different and different. I have to take pictures of my fifth edition which it looks like a nice and bright day to do it.
This book I was trying to do drawing and word art with pictures. I always try to experiment with new technique on each pages.
I still like drip paint and circles which are my favorite theme on each of my art journals. I do these art journals to express myself when I’m feeling angry, sad, bored, happy, playful and etc.
This year I have been doing them everyday but more than one page which has been opening up ideas even when I’m bored I just paint the background or add a color here and there to the previous page.
I also glue few pages at a time or if I feel like it I just try to do the whole book when I first start to use it. I have so much fun with these that I still use the black and white notebooks. I thought of using something else but I just got used to it.
On the cover and back, I used shed paper that I glued on and paint over it. I like to touch my art like feel the texture. It like it would be nice to feel the art with your fingers tips, well I do. I used so many type paper that I would usually throw away that it now part of my art work.
I know there are many great art journals pages out there with words and beautiful technique but I don’t know how they do them and this is my way of doing them. They may not be like it or not at all like it but they are my way of doing it. I like it to be original and my own version of art journal. I love to do them and want others to see that it doesn’t have to be the same. You have to do your own way and give it a voice to expressing your self. I would love to give a try with other creative soul out there and learn different technique to add it to what I know. Hopefully, one day I have my own group of creative soul that would like to do some creating.
I been doing art journals for over 1 1/2 years that I have over 9 books and this October will be two years. I’m on my 10 book and I realize that I love to write on it before paint on it. I like to put pieces of paper as well before coloring over it. It makes the paper thicker and absorb the paint better. It helps me to paint everyday for 15-30 minutes a day. When I’m ready to do some canvas work, I already know what I want to do on the canvas. I have so much materials to take picture of and some catching up to do that I didn’t realize I missed my fourth year of blogging. I still want to continue show off my latest projects for other to see and show what I enjoy doing with art.
Happy Holidays, to all!!
I was thinking that for my next art journal book I would want to use either a novel, calendar book or album book. I have these around the house. I love to look around the apartment and see what can I use to make my art. It seem to me I can use things that I don’t want and alter it from what it originally looked like. The thought of using something new just doesn’t excite or inspire me as something old and unused. It really makes my creative juices flow with many ideas. I don’t mind damaging or beating up an old book than using something new and pretty. It just takes the pressure off if it doesn’t work out.
This week I found out that yes I can draw I just get in the way. There are times I get so nervous to draw a face the doubt set in and my drawing comes out hideous in my eyes. I had to do a drawing for a project and I want to make it cartoonish so I looked around for some inspiration. The first drawing came out so-so after much frustration. I was amazed that the second one looked even better. I did a double take when I looked at it again that I thought “I made this?” I can be really hard on myself when it comes to drawing faces and people. I feel like a kid learning to draw for the first time. This has become a learning experience for me that now I approach it with openness and playfulness.
Enjoy your weekend!
I have a dirty secret. It one that I’m not proud of. Since I started to do my new book with layering, I have been doing something more than before. I been picking up scraps of paper from the streets. Don’t judge me. It becoming an addict I’m having. I have found dry cleaning slips, parking tickets, bus pass, little notes, appointment card, free car wash card, playing cards, trading card game, and scratch tickets. Okay so it not a lot but it can be distracting. I was hoping to use it as my layering piece to my art journal but I’m finding it hard to glue it to the book. I was thinking to use it as part of the piece after I’m done painting like an accessory part. I’m still not sure yet how to use it. I been checking out others art journal and I want mine to look like that. It so frustrating. Oh well, I guess I continue exploring and practicing until it becomes natural.
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