Inspiration from Journal Fodder 365
I love this product: Dylusions Journal book. It has thick paper pages and it’s good sized. The only minus is that I had to order it online and as it’s pretty heavy the postage was high.
When I got my empty book I knew it would be perfect with another product: an art journaling guide called Journal Fodder 365.
I have many art journaling books, too many! I honestly regret buying some – but not this one! I love how it balances between the sketchy style and details. It shows the essence of art journaling by giving tips for writing, illustrations and inspiration.
I also love how structured this book is. I like order and find many art journaling books a big mess but this one is packed with information and idea in well-organized manner. And it still looks artistic and beautiful!
Here’s another page inspired by the book. A little detail that I like here most is the photo from my watercolors. I printed it on a sheet of paper that I had painted with watercolors first and I think it looks so much better than if I had used white paper instead!
With Journal Fodder 365 I will continue using more photos in my art journals.
Illustration Basics
When looking at skillfull illustrations, I often remind myself:
It is all about the …
* * *
Just basic shapes and some doodling makes it all look much more complicated and creative than it really is.
Art Journaling about Imagination
Here’s a page from my Smash book that I use as an art journal. I have picked a phrase from a Finnish reggae artist, Jukka Poika. He has a song called Potentiaalii (“Potential”). This is the best part of the song: “There’s a garden somewhere in the desert of your mind, where everything is possible and nothing is certain.”
I think that’s exactly what creativity can offer us. The only limit is our imagination. When art journaling I sometimes document, but I also dream. I am in the garden of my desert and I always feel happy and content there.
Subconscious Art
I made this handdrawn collage yesterday when making background papers with my crafting friends. I started with black paper and added some gesso in the background for lighter areas.
I call it subconscious art when I sit with pens and paper and do not think too much of what I am doing. This time it was spring flowers, coming easter and celebrating the spring that has finally entered Finland.
I think I was already seeing these tulip sprouts blooming. We planted about 80 tulips in the autumn and I am so looking forward seeing them all in bloom!