Art Journal

Forest Path Art Journal Spread

I’ve been craving time in nature quite a lot lately. So this magazine photo really jumped out at me.

I tore it out and glued it into my journal.

I used a dark sepia pen to extend the outlines of the trees onto the blank areas of the spread.

Then I outlined the tree trunks in the photo with white.

Here, I drew circles on the trunks.

I added connecting lines to create a cohesive design.

Then I added some more lines. I really like this stage, but decide that the doodles could use a little more contrast.

To create that contrast, I fill in the circles. But that might be bit too much contrast.

I added center dots to the filled in circles. Ahh, just right!

Supplies used in this journal spread (These are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and buy certain items, I will receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) to help keep the lights on in the studio.)

Serendipity in my Art Journal

I found a photo in a magazine that had lots of detail, textures, and colors. I started cutting it into wavy strips and set up a photo shoot.

Finding a photo and cutting it into strips

And, oooh, I like how the strips look lined up below the top of the photo. I decide to use that arrangement as the base of the art journal spread. Before I started this spread, I had no idea what it would look like. I love the serendipity of liking the way I randomly arranged the papers for the photo shoot.

Gluing the photo and the strips onto the spread

Here they all glued down.

Then I started adding doodles.

The completed serendipity art journal spread.

Because the photo is so detailed, I kept the doodles simple. I love the finished spread and am glad that I took advantage of the serendipity of using the random arrangement I made for the photo shoot.

Circles & Doodles in my Art Joural

Circles seem to show up a lot in my art journals. I thought I’d share the steps I took to create a recent journal spread.

Adding photos of plates to journal spread

This photo of plates was in a home decor magazine and I thought it would make a great foundation for a journal spread. I cut it out and glued it down.

Then I added some lines that line up with the cut away parts of the plates. These will add some structure for the doodles I will add later.

I thought that the bottom right side of the composition needed another colorful circle to balance those on the left. It also added another cut-away area for more doodles.

I added a doodle pattern to the center area.

Added airier doodles to balance dense area

I though some more airy doodles would contrast nicely with the more dense area in the middle.

Added connecting doodles to finish spread

And to complete the spread, I add some connecting doodles to pull the everything together.

Torn & Cut Paper Collage

I decided to create a collage in my art journal using torn paper along with cut paper to create contrast.

Gathering cut & torn images from magazines.

I gathered some images from magazines, tearing some and cutting some with scissors.

Because I created this stage quickly and without much conscious thought I didn’t get any step-by-step photos. I do like how the orange color in the middle contrast with the blue and green of the rest of the composition.

And what’s a spread in my art journal that doesn’t include some doodles?

I used wavy lines in my doodles to mirror the irregular edges of the torn paper.

Completed cut and torn paper collage in my art journal

And then I used a smooth line to draw the circles to mirror the smooth edges of the cut paper.

Turning a Mistake into a Feature

I was so annoyed with myself when I made a mistake while creating this art journal spread. But I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and made the mistake a feature.

I started out by choosing a magazine page with colors I liked, 2 flower punches, and a wavy grid on the spread.

Then I punched out flower shapes and glued them onto the intersections of the grid.

Next I drew concentric shapes inside the grid.

I then colored in every other space in each grid with a black marker. Can you see where I made my mistake?

Next, I added white dots and lines to the black areas.

Now it was time for some lemonade. I colored in the shapes in the area with the mistake and added some black dots. I turned my mistake into a feature!

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