Art journalling with the kids

I have been playing around with my new water soluble crayons, creating some backgrounds for my journal pages.

They are so free and easy to use and the colours come out even more vibrant once you add water.
Trying out some different border designs and page backgrounds with water colour pencils. I thought I might scan these these so I can cut them up and use them on other journal pages.

More with the crayons

For the page on the left, I drew a design with water colour pencils, gave it a light wash and then applied some masking fluid on the brown swirls and some random circles. Then I gave the whole page a wash of green arylic paint and rubbed the masking fluid off. The background of the right page was done with the crayons and then I added a border with black pen and a white poster paint pen, drew the letters, painted around the ouside of the wings then re posistioned them with a heart in the middle. Some of them I'm happy with, some not, but thats what I love about art journalling, I don't have to create perfect work, I can experiment and play about and not worry about the results!

I had to go into town this morning and get the rest of my son's school uniform. It was peeing with rain, the kids were asking 'what are we going to do today?', so I popped into Smiths and picked them up a cheap sketchbook each. When we got home I cleared the dinning table and got all my art stuff out. ' Lets art journal' I said! I gave them a sketchbook each, explained a couple of techniques to them and sat down and joined them! Four hours of creativity, fun chatter and laughter. They were engrossed!

Busy, busy, busy!

Some of Caleb's pages

Some of Shelby's pages

I am so impressed with everything they did in their journals! Caleb is 13 and quite a perfectionist like me so it took him a while to just loosen up and go with it, in the end he was scribbling with crayons all over the page to create backgrounds. Shelby has just turned 10 and wanted to try every technique. She used a bit of collage, masking fluid and arylic paints and crayons. It was so inspiring to watch them create. They came up with their own ideas and filled page after page, complaining when we had to stop and clear up for tea! Although both of them draw a lot and caleb has done some paintings and has watercolours and an easel, I think they liked the freedom of the journal. I told them it didn't matter if they messed a page up, just turn the page and do something else. Hopefully we will spend many hours creating together.

I also joined the sketchbook project (see the link top right). I have been looking at this for a while umming and ahhing over it and I finally thought 'why not?' and paid up. I chose my theme and I get sent a sketchbook to fill on that theme. I post it back by Jan 15th 2011 and then it tours America finally ending up at the Brooklyn art library where people can sit and look them. Every time someone checks your book out(to look at there, they can't take it from the museum) they send you a text or email to let you know. I don't know how my book will turn out as I have only just started art journalling, but how cool to be part of such a great project??!!

TFL

Sami x