Step-by-Step

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.

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.)

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!

Zentangle Inspired Art Journal Spread

I was intrigued the first time I heard of Zentangles®. I tried the method but decided it was too structured for me. Every now and then I like to try out various tangle patterns to create a Zentangle inspired art journal spread.

I stared this spread out by gluing down some magazine images.

Then I drew some dividing lines using the edges of the photos as guides. Then I went to tanglepatterns.com to find patterns to fill in the rectangles. I also chose red and yellow and yellow markers to add colors to the design.

Here I added another pattern.

And here is a third.

Four patterns added to Zentangle inspired journal spread.

And a fourth. When adding the final patterns, I chose to use duplicate patterns in opposite corners. I also repeated a pattern 4 times and colored the corners in with a black marker.

Final Zentangle inspired art journal spread.

Here is the completed Zentangle inspired art journal spread.

Text & Markers in my Art Journal

I love to read and also love the look of words on a page, I decided to create and art journal spread using text.

Tearing magazine text and gluing into art journal.

First, I tore some magazine pages into squarish shapes and started gluing them in my journal.

I decided to make the pieces on the right sized of the spread larger to add some contrast to the design.

Adding black background to journal spread

Then I used a black brush marker to color in the areas between the text.

Next, I used fine tip markers to doodle squiggly lines over the text. I really like how this looks, but felt like it could use something to tie all the pieces together.

So, I used a white gel pen to add connecting lines between the shapes.

And any spread can be improved by adding circles. At this point, I am satisfied the the result.

Houses & Doodles in my Art Journal

I saw an art journal spread on Instagram using house shapes. Since I love everything about houses, I decided to create my own house-based spread.

I chose photos of interiors for the house shape because I love home design and nesting. And because I also love getting out and exploring, I chose nature photos for the roof shapes.