Art Journals: Round 2

So... I've been trying to get the hang of this art-journaling thing. It's not supposed to be a painting in book form, so while those can be pretty fun to do, I'm trying to stay away form that. I've been doing the actual journaling part, then trying to make the image work around it. Not as easy as you might think.

 This page actually took quite a few sessions to finish... is that normal? It also started out really dark and took a bit of thought to get it lightened up and still work. I really didn't want it dark... It didn't go with how I was feeling. The journaling was done with red paint pen, which smeared all over the place when I went to put acrylic paint over top. I suppose it wasn't quite dry... patience never really was my strong suit. But being determined to live in the land of the happy accident, I just went with it. I think I'm pretty happy with this page.

This page was a complete mess from the get-go. First mistake: I didn't sand and gesso the page. For some reason I thought it wasn't really necessary and by doing it I was just wasting my time. I discovered this wasn't really the case... the varnish that they use on those kid's board books I recycle is remarkably resistant to paint. The first coat peeled off in patchy, uneven pieces, which may have looked interesting, but left me wondering if I'd end up with a mess if I just kept going. Yep... that's exactly what happened. So now I know.  I don't think it will peel off now... there's about 20 layers on there. It's way too dark for my liking, but at some point you just have to let it be what it is. I'm not nearly as happy with this one... it feels a bit sinister, especially since words that still show read almost like words of warning (even though they didn't start out that way... strange how that happens). 

I have started a couple more pages, but I don't know when I'll have time to finish them. I seem to be ridiculously busy all of the sudden, and I have to be sure to keep on schedule with my Jazz Legend portrait series. I'm posting working photos of Duke Ellington over on GV's "Artist at Work" page... if you log in and leave a comment, you could be eligible to win a print of the finished painting. And if you are interested in purchasing a print of the ones already completed, the team at Global Vernissage will be able to help you. Just click on the "Just Ask" button.