I had my cranky pants on yesterday, you know, bit of this and bit of that…blah blah blah
So I decided I needed to let the crankies out on a journal page and grabbed by latest prompt from A Year in the Life of an Art Journal.
So I gathered all my fave sayings from an issue of Frankie magazine (it may be sacrilige to some, but not me LOL) and glued them onto some Strathmore Mixed Media paper (gessoed, but not necessary)
Then added some colour – Micador water soluble oil pastels – cheap and awesome!!
Random scribbling around and between the text, then spritz and smoosh to get some yummy watercoloury effects.
Now these oil pastels will RUIN your journalling pens, so I mixed up some Windsor & Newton Clear Gesso (loosely following instructions LOL) and not being too careful, covered the entire page.
Initially it’s milky looking (see pic), but dies clear-ish with good “tooth”.
Now more colour using some Jo Sonja background colour from the workshop and adding glazing medium.
Once again “loosely” following ratios, apply with sea sponge through a stencil (here Crafters Workshop raindrops) – very cool!!!
I splurged on some Speedball printing ink WHITE…OMG WHITE!!!
So grabbed one of my own designs and inked her up Baby!! (yes, that is a Cuttlebug plate being used as an inking plate LOL)
Looks awesome, right?!!!!
Some huuuuge Lil Davis mega mega jumbo random sized stamps for the title, used glaze medium + carbon black.
And journalled over the whole thing without ruining the pens….yay for me.
I also used acrylic inks and dropped them from a great height to get a splattery effect and some drippage too.
If you want to play along with a One Year Art Journal, go to their blog and have a look around. You don’t have to complete all the prompts or include all the criteria. IT’S AN AWESOME PLAYGROUND!!!
Tell Rachel I sent you
xx
NOW GO PLAY!!
Oh and remember to upload your workshop canvases to the right blog post and it’s also the last day for the 123 Challenge.
NO EXCUSES TO PLAY (except for maybe work and family commitments LOL)….but get cracking on something. xx
Giovanna Scott artist 
Stunningly beautiful and inspirational as always Gigi 🙂
Krissy xx
wow, this is awesome! Thanks for sharing. Take care xx
very cool, thanks for sharing!
Wow! Gi, you make it look so easy and your end result is just stunning!!!
Loved your step by step on this. Now I may not feel so intimidated having a play.
Otherwise they would’ve just sat in my stash looking pretty!
Thanks!
OOoooohh!! Delicious layers!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Thats a great page! Love how it turned out!
Ack! This rocks!
I love how you described your technique here, I gotta get some of those pastels!
Wowee you probably should get cranky more often! Only kidding!
How true your words are! I am so over my friendliness and willingness to share being taken for anything more than that. I don’t understand agendas or pettiness at all.
It is not slings and arrows that harm us but snideness and unkind words!
Now that you have written it I hope you can expunge it from your being.
I used an art journal, even before it had such a title to work through an emotional breakdown and depression that I had through workplace bullying a few years ago. To this day I find reading any of it is disturbing. It was however a major part of my healing.
Thanks for the tutorial. I hadn’t thought to use block printing ink – I am sure there is some lurking here, in the way you have.
Keep making art and I hope the sun is now shining for you!
Great page! Love all the textures and layers! I’m gonna have to find me some of those micador oil pastels, never heard of them but they look yummy 🙂
I love this, it makes me want to bust out my watercolor pastels!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is wonderful! Love all the layers, and I also love that you shared your step-by-step technique! I just recently started following A Year in the Life of an Art Journal, and am in the process of making my first page for it. There are so many inspiring artists over there.
Love your blog! Your work is really beautiful! This journal spread is so awesome. Will visit often!