Mixed Media Monday - pages from my art journal

 

I really wanted to do a reflections post on 2021 because it was a really challenging year for me on all fronts. But I didn't know how to share my personal journey without sounding like a total baby. Because there was lots of crying and feeling sorry for myself involved. *sombre music plays in the background*

I decided that I could just "throw" them all in my art journal....so I scribbled my 2021's life lessons on my art journal pages, then went crazy with mixed media madness as a reflection of my chaotic year.

The many layers of paint, ink, oil soluble/water soluble crayons, stencilling and doodling reflect the multiple challenges I had to face. Added responsibilities at home because of my mum's health issues. Having very little me time. Being a "parent" to the teenage nephew who is experiencing the usual teenage angst. Being stuck at home nearly every single day because of COVID restrictions. Having to prepare and cook lunch and dinner (almost) every single day. 

The bright and vibrant colours on the page reflect the happy bits that shone through despite the difficulties.  Like better organization of my time and taking ONE day off a week when my kitchen is closed for the day.  Or switching up my exercise routine to keep it fun. Like having a morning routine of watercolour practice or journaling. Or just getting my makeup done even though I'm just going to be at home (when you look good, you feel good). ;)

On hindsight, 2021 was a great year for me. It was challenging no doubt. But it forced me to be stronger in both mind and spirit. I no longer get stressed up over cooking meals. Or get upset when I get complaints about the way I hang the laundry/clean the kitchen/organize the pantry etc. With the exception of that "time of the month" when I might cry a lot because of hormonal fluctuations (hey, I'm only human..*LOL*), I am pretty chill these days. 

Playing along with More Than Words. 

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My attempt at a quirky bird *LOL*

 

No my friends, your eyes are NOT playing tricks on you. Your gal here has attempted a quirky bird in here art journal, totally inspired by @willowing. *winks*

I know that it's so different from my usual style. The quirky bird is so 2-dmensional and anatomically inaccurate. I did try to give her a little more dimension though some shading. Can you tell? *winks*

Of course my birdie had to wear mascara to define her lashes. *LOL*

I started with a rough pencil sketch, went in with watercolours for a base coat of colours, then went in with acrylic inks for more intensity inn the colours. I finished with paint markers and colours pencils. 

What do you think? 

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Mixed Media Monday - messy pages from the art journal

 

It's been a while since I shared any mixed media projects....because I haven't been doing any. *insert sad face*

Even though I've been sharing a lot of Santa projects, most of them were completed on a Sunday afternoon and then shared weekly as individual projects on my blog. Same for the recipe planner pages. 

Paint and inks and all the messy things just haven't been on my list of priority of late because there's so much to do around the house. 

The downside to everyone staying at home a lot is that things break down and need repair. You have no idea how much stuff I've fixed in the last few months - toilets, furniture, air-conditioners, minor leaks....all the little things that are totally doable but are extremely time-consuming. 

It's been pretty therapeutic just throwing paint and ink on these pages though. I need to do it more regularly.

How are you doing on your end?

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A mixed media girl from my art journal

Last month, I bought the A4 Strathmore Mixed Media Art Journal in Toned Gray and was eager to give it a test-run. I haven't had much luck with mixed media papers I've tried because in theory, they are supposed to stand up to lots of wet media but in reality, they tend to peel when there's too much water involved. 

Can you tell that I struggled with this mixed media girl? *winks*

I started with a quick sketch and then went in with some watercolours (a mix of Schmincke +Holbein + Daniel Smith). Unfortunately, the paper started to peel once I really go into the wet on wet technique on the girl's face. So I went in with some Faber Castell gelatos to "save her face" and used coloured pencils to render the details.

Check out that pissed-off face on my girl! She's certainly channeling my frustration! 

And can you tell that I don't enjoy drawing ears? The ones I draw always look weird. Hahaha!

I think she will look a lot better once I give her a nice bright background. When I eventually get to it of course. But let's just call her done for now, shall we? *winks*

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Revisiting old techniques - a girl from my art journal

When I first started my drawing journey 3 years ago, I was really into drawing whimsical girls on messy backgrounds. Then I sort of got sidetracked into drawing the eye with pencils and coloured pencils for most part of the last year or so.

I decided to revisit my old "style" and draw a whimsical girl on my latest art journal page....to see if I still enjoy the old techniques I used to employ.

The background was first "messied up" with acrylic paints, inks, spray mists and random doodles. Then I sketched the girl's face, painted her face with acrylic paint, drew in her features with inks, coloured her face with watersoluble crayons and added details with coloured pencils and paint markers.

It was fun revisiting old techniques I used to enjoy.

What about you? Do you revisit old techniques you used to enjoy?

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A mixed media eye from the art journal

Sometimes I like to challenge myself by bringing some rarely used art supply with me on a trip so that I'll be "forced" to use that art supply..(currently on a "low buy" for art supplies until my stash dwindles a little...yeah, I wonder how long that would last...*LOL*).

Anyway, I was in Taipei for 6 days last week and I chose to bring my Kuretake watercolours with me. I bought this watercolour set last March when I was in Tokyo and have only used it ONCE... because I usually bring my curated set of fave watercolours (Holbein, Daniel Smith and Schmincke) with me.

This one doesn't even have a skin tone colour so I had to do a little colour-mixing...which is what watercolour purists advocate. Some of these masters just have 6 colours in their palettes - all three primary colours (red, blue, yellow) in a warm tone trio and a cool tone trio. I hope that will be me someday because you know I bring wayyyyyyyy too much on my trips!*winks*

I did most of the eye in watercolour, added some white highlights with a Posca white paint marker and finished the details with coloured pencils.:)

Happy week ahead friends!

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A watercoloured eye from the art journal

I love to bring my curated case of Holbein, Schmincke and Daniel Smith watercolours with me when I travel so that I am "forced" to use them. Now, I love my watercolours but they can be a bit trying and unforgivable when you go in with a heavy hand.

I usually start with a light pencil sketch, removing most of the graphite with a kneaded eraser so that all that is left is a light guideline of my initial sketch. Yep, watercolours do not get along with graphite. Some people do enjoy letting the graphite marks show through their watercoloured pieces though. As for me, I feel that without the obvious line markings, I can still make adjustments to my initial sketch. (You may notice that the completed eye is actually smaller than my initial sketch...because I suck at sketching! *lol*)

Then I go in with a very light wash of colours (watercolours dry much much lighter than when they are wet). Once that layer is dry, I start building up my colours. This is the stage when most people give up because it looks terrible. *winks* The key is to mix your colours on your pan rather than on your paper so you have more control of the colours. And always remove some paint on a paper towel first.

Since I only brought one travel-size brush with me, I finished off the eyelashes with coloured pencils and added white highlights with a gel pen.

P/s: What about you? What art supplies do you bring when you travel?

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A mixed media girl in my travel art journal

When I travel, I like to spend quiet nights in my hotel room playing with my art supplies. There's something about being in a foreign land that really gets my creative juices flowing. Plus, the limited art supplies I bring forces me to just go with the flow with what I have.

I will usually start with a quick sketch on the plane (I like using the pictures in the magazines on-board as my reference photos).  And yes, I bring my art supplies on the plane (The other day, when I was going through airport security, the officer asked to see my pencil case and I was like, "which one? I have 3!" *LOL*). 

I painted this mixed media girl in watercolours before refining her features with coloured pencils and a white acrylic marker. Yeah, my girl is wearing falsies because I was too lazy to sharpen my black coloured pencil. *winks*

Well, you are most attracted to those red luscious lips anyway right? *haha*

Happy weekend friends! :)

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More messy backgrounds in my art journal

Hello friends! I've just finished another art journal...woohoo! Even though it's filled with mostly messy mixed media backgrounds where I "dump" leftover paint & mists and try out outrageous colour combos, I love that I have overcome my fear of art journaling after sooooooo many unsuccessful attempts. ;)

For me, the turning point was when I invested in a sturdy art journal with pages thick enough for me to play with wet media relentlessly without the pages buckling. Like many others, I started with old books that had thin pages and require lots of prep work prior to using (like sticking pages together and applying gesso on pages before use). Too much work for me! *LOL*

My current fave art journal is the Strathmore 400 Series Hardbound Watercolor Journal. I'm currently working in my 3rd journal. The paper is 300gsm acid-free cold-pressed paper and the sewn binding allows pages to lay relatively flat. There is a soft cover version available but the hardbound ones just look lovely on a shelf. :)

I use a variety of mediums on these messy backgrounds - matte acrylic paint (glossy ones will just make the pages stick together), mists, water-soluble crayons, watercolours, coloured pencils and gesso - with a variety of tools like brushes, palette knives, credit card and gloved hands. :)

What about you? Do you have a messy backgrounds journal? It is extremely therapeutic to throw paint on paper! *winks*

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Messy backgrounds in my art journal...:)

I like to use my art journal to experiment with my art supplies....try a little of this, layer with a little of that...and then let it all dry naturally overnight. 

Sometimes I wake up in the morning to a lovely surprise as the different supplies dry at different rates and create really really awesome textures...and sometimes I wake up to a terrible muddy mess. *winks*

Which may not be such a bad thing since I can start adding more layers to counter the "ugliness" and make another messy background. *LOL*

My art journal is the catch-all for leftover paint, drippy inks and residual mists.

I use my art journal to "clean" my stencils, test out the nozzles on my mists and experiment with outrageous colour combinations.

It's a great way to use your art supplies in a fun and unencumbered way. Just play!

What about you? Do you have messy backgrounds in your art journal?

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