TIME TO GET MY FEET WET

Well, I've watched about thirty 15-minute how-to videos since I signed up for this online art journaling class -- and that was merely those for week one of a 3-week class! They had so much information and so many great ways to combine and layer your various paints, pens and papers, that I'm thinking I need to go back, watch them all again, and start keeping a separate journal where I demonstrate and take notes on each technique, so I can refer back to them later.

She Art Girl by Christy Tomlinson

I've got lots of ideas percolating, but I've yet to put pen or brush to paper. I love Christy's work, as well as that of Jenn Olson at Evolutions (the one who sent me that great prize package recently, which included my first art journal and Pitt artist pens)...

An art journal page by Jenn Olson, from her blog Evolutions

and Aimee at Artsyville.

Art by Aimee@Artsyville

But, I don't want to copy the work of my teacher, or anyone else. I want to come up with my own style. My own way of doing things. I guess you gotta start somewhere, though, and until I've played around with some of Christy's techniques, I'm not going to know which ones work for me, and which ones don't -- and I'm sure not going to come up with anything new of my own.

I've always been drawn to art supplies, just not to art galleries. In fact, the first time I ever remember getting worked up over an artist was when we were in Provence, seeing the actual places and colors that inspired Van Gogh's work. Anyhoo, it was figuring out what to do with the supplies that had me in a quandary. Tole painting was kinda fun for a while, back in the early 80's, until I grew weary of that whole "country" decor thing, and all the little gee-gaws that went with it. I never had the patience my sister-in-law has for all the fine detail work involved in miniatures and polymer clays, and I sure didn't want to paint pictures like both our moms did. What would I do with them? We've still got stacks of theirs stashed everywhere, and no place to hang them! But art journaling? That might be just the thing for me.

What could be more perfect? I won't end up with a houseful of stuff I don't need, my kids won't end up with a bunch of stuff they don't want, but I still get to play with color to my heart's content! I suppose most people use art journals as a way to express their thoughts and feelings, but I've got my blogs for that. Sooooo, I'm thinking that something more along the lines of a gratitude journal, or maybe a simple pleasures journal, might be more up my alley -- the perfect companion for my graphic to-do lists, and something I might enjoy posting on the blog now and then. Yup, it's all starting to come together for me. All I have to do is gird my loins, take a deep breath, and dive in head first!