October 7, 2016

Mixed Media with Chrissie B #4

Good morning!

It has been a couple of days since I have posted this latest video out on YouTube, but I wanted to make sure that I get this post up for you!

This week, as I got ready to do this art journal spread, I did not have a plan in mind, which is not surprising, as I usually come to my art journal playtime without any kind of a concrete plan. The only thing I had in mind was that I wanted to use the color red.

I once had an instructor teach that you should never use red in your art journaling unless you were using it in really tiny quantities, because it caused to much distraction. Well, red is my favorite color, but when she said that, I figured she was a better artist than myself, so she must know what she is talking about. So I completely took red out of my repertoire!! Seeing these words in print, is quite shocking to myself, because I never thought that I would let something like that stop me from using something that makes me so happy.

Well, if you have been following my journey lately, you will already know that I am going through a process of stripping off everything that is not authentically me, and how this translates in this art journal spread is that, since my favorite color is red, then I should be allowed to use it whenever I want to! That may seem like a very minor thing, in the big picture that makes up my life, but I am learning that being 100% completely free to be myself in everything, including my art should be a given! No matter how well intentioned that art instructor was, I need to remember to let my true colors fly and follow my true north, in whatever that means for me at the time! So, that is what I went into this play session thinking.

As I was laying down my colors, I decided that I was going to use a magazine image on this spread. I do that a lot in my personal art journaling, but I am not sure I ever have in any of my video layouts, so that is what I thought I would do this time. Again, all about being authentic and showing my true colors. It also is proof to myself and to anyone else who might be wondering, how do I create beautiful art journal pages if I don’t know how to draw? Well this is a perfectly acceptable way to do so!! I mean why not??? I just try to incorporate the image into one of the layers, instead of just plunking her down on the top of the spread, and I think she ends up looking pretty cool!!

and do you see what color she is????

RED!!!

Yep, she’s red! I don’t feel like she is a distraction, and this spread makes me UBER happy, so I am going to call this one a win!!

Supplies I used in today’s art journal spread:

Old book pages
Golden’s Fluid Matte Medium
1 1/2 inch hardware brush
DecoArt Crafters Acrylic Paint: Christmas Red, Squash Blossom, Goldenrod
5 various wash tapes – I have no idea their brands
Dr Ph Martin’s Bombay India Ink: Orange
Golden’s Fluid Acrylic: Naphthol Red Medium
General’s Pencil 2B
M Graham & Co Heavy Body Acrylic Paint: Titanium White
Dina Wakley Media Stencil – Alphabetic
Magazine Image
Uhu Glue Stick
Christy Tomlinson Designs Stamp – Shescript
Archival Ink Pad: Jet Black
Stabilo All Pencil: Black
Fineliner Applicator Standard Tip bottle with white acrylic paint
A couple of paint brushes
Scissors

Well that about raps it up for today! I am very happy with this spread, I hope you enjoyed it too! If you haven’t subscribed, please do so, so you don’t miss what’s to come!