The Hochanda team are excited to welcome Art Journaling and Neil Burley to the channel for a new venture coming very soon! In the meantime, here is a little bit about Neil, and some of his top tips for Art Journaling!
A little about me:
I’ve always had an artistic streak, but science came first as I grew up, and so did my first career as a psychiatrist. I first started card making over 15 years ago, starting with rubber stamping and gradually increasing the complexity and size when I dabbled with scrapbooking and the occasional canvas. Eventually the artistic streak won the day, and I retrained at Leicester College in Art & Design. Since then I have enjoyed combining papers, paints, gels, pastes, colours, textures and embellishments in journals, on canvases and making assemblages. Working on several design teams, including WOW! Embossing Powders, Creative Expressions, Craftwork Cards and for Jones Crafts, has given me access to a wide range of paper crafting materials and techniques which I have incorporated into my skill base. Art journaling has become my main creative outlet more recently since I went on my first course in 2011. It’s the best way I know of learning about the various mediums available to the crafter, a place to play with colour, practice drawing letters and try out new techniques! Journaling can also be therapeutic, giving an outlet for all those thoughts, dreams, fears and joys.
I’ve decided to
share with you some of my top tips for Art Journaling, and what tools you’re
most likely to use:
Top tips for art
journaling:
•
Start by
choosing a good quality journal: look for a heavyweight paper (at least 160gsm)
or one suitable for mixed media projects
•
It’s worth
paying a little more for ‘artist quality’ paints and mediums: they will go
further and cover better than budget versions
•
Use any
leftover paints, mop ups or overspray on blank pages to start off your
backgrounds: I normally have a second journal open for this purpose as I am
creating
•
You don’t
need to start on the first page. Or work through the journal sequentially.
Break with convention and spark your creativity!
•
Understand
your materials: by playing and experimenting in your journal, learn what will
mix and what won’t; what will stick to smooth surfaces; what will shift under
the next layer and what won’t
•
If in
doubt, it needs another layer: use anything you have to hand to add more to
your page
•
Above all,
it’s your journal: you don’t have to share your pages unless you
choose to, so set aside your inner critic and any urges to ‘do it right’
and just do it!
Top 5 tools
for art journaling
•
Ranger
Heat-It Craft Tool: its diffuse, low speed hot air flow lowers the risk of
boiling or scorching your layers as you dry them
•
An old gift
card: use it as a scraper, paint brush, stamp, mark maker, ruler, scorer and
even as a bookmark
•
Wax paper:
essential for protecting the pages either side of the one you’re working on, or
preventing pages sticking together if they’re not quite dry
•
The baby
wipe: not just for cleaning up, a wipe can be used as a brush, blender, dabber
or mop and for adding texture
•
Ranger
Distress Sprayer or Mini-Mister: ideal for getting water droplets where you
want them, rather than across your whole work surface and beyond!
I’d love to know
what you’d like to learn about art journaling, so here’s your first journal
prompt – where are you starting from, and where would you like to go with art
journaling or mixed media?
Did you enjoy this post? Tune in to Hochanda every day 24/7 for lots of fun and crafty demonstrations and inspiration! Watch Hochanda live online, on Freeview channel 39, Sky channel 663 or Freesat 817.
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