pastel

Easy Art Journaling in 4 Easy Steps:

What You Will Need:

Chevron Stencil
Icons Stencil
Powerlines Small Stencil
Acrylic paint (Wolf Eye and Hint Of Mint)
Paint Brush
Spray Paint (in Orange)
Soft Pastels (in Yellows)
Fixative
Black Ink Pad
Tags
Old Photo
White Gel Pen
Washi Tape
Glue Stick
Embossing Powders (Black and Red)
Clear Embossing Ink

Step #1, Select Your Ephemera

Gather some collage elements, I used tags from an ephemera pack and two vintage photos and came up with a pleasing layout. Set aside.

Step #2, Develop your Background

I blended 2 light blue/gray tones together in a messy way and let dry.

Place the Chevron Stencil across your pages and add some washi tape to keep in place. Using Orange Spray paint, spray through the stencil.

Replace the stencil over the spray painted Chevrons and scribble in two shades of yellow pastel, blend with fingers and spray fixative to set the pigments.

Step #3, Inking and Embossing

Place the Powerlines stencil over the tag and sponge black ink through the pattern. (Black acrylic paint or gesso would be a good substitute). Decorate any of the additional tags with collage papers and washi tape. I used a scrap of yellow paper that I had hole punched and some black text washi for an industrial look. I also added a few washi tapes under the collage elements to anchor vertically under the tags and horizontally over them once they were glued.

Place the Icons Stencil over the photo in a few spots and use a clear embossing ink pad to sponge through the star pattern in the stencil. Sprinkle red embossing pattern over and heat set.

Using the same Icon Stencil, place the arrow pattern vertically on the left page and sponge through clear embossing powder. Sprinkle with black embossing powder and heat set.

Step #4, Final Details and Pull Out

I ended up adding a pullout tag on the right side by gluing down the next page in the journal to the back right page of my spread. (Don’t use glue in the area where the tag would go, this creates the pocket…). Glue an old photo to the tag and embellished with a piece of washi tape. Add a few tiny rusty keys and a chain as an attachment through the tag hole. Voila, you have an interactive art page!

The last steps included some stamping around the edges with brown ink and smudgy embossing powder in Blizzard and White leading your eye to the focal images. I added my edged title and glued down 3 yellow pastel hole punched circles and called it a day.

Happy Journaling!
Tracy Hickman
@anonymous.palette

Hello! I usually work in pairs when creating art on paper and this project was no exception. I like to purchase works in pairs but this also hedges your bet of one work hopefully being a success.

What you will need:

Diamond Stencil from the Pattern 8 Pack
Thatched Texture Stencil
Small Damask Stencil

Matte Acrylic Paints in Neutrals
Stabilio Black Pencil
Graphite Pencil
Watercolor Pencil (Ochre)
Water Soluble and Soft Pastels
White Posca Pen
Spray Paint (Black)
Paint Brush
Glue Stick and Gel Medium
Collage Papers and Found Words

Step 1: Mark Making

I began by taping off 2 pieces of 12” x 12” Strathmore Mixed Media Paper to a board.

Insert photo of gray grungy Swirled marks on paper

I used a Stabilio black pencil to make some marks as well as a mechanical pencil. Wet a brush and and touch this to the Stabilio on the papers to start creating some energy and covering up the white of the paper. Charcoal or Graphite works well also.

Step 2: Continue Developing your Background

gray and pink diamond pattern with 2 black round marks

Add some water activated pastels, charcoal, or water soluble pencils or crayons. Reestablish Black Stabilio over marks that you like. I used the Diamond Stencil from the Pattern 8 Pack and rubbed pastel right through the stencil with pink pastel and ended up reestablishing this pattern in later layers.

background with ochre splotches, no collage

I selected 5 matte acrylics in Chalk, Antarctic, Buff, Seaglass and Koala and blended with both a brush and a brayer. I made marks in the wet paint with a skewer and added some other colors of pastel and marks with an ochre watercolor pencil.

2 papers side by side on easel with unglued collage elements

Step 3: Auditioning your Collage Elements

Select some collage elements that are speaking to you. Painted Papers, vintage papers, book pages, fortune cookies etc…

glued down collage and pink pastel with diamond stencil

Step 4: integrate the Collage
Elements with Stenciling

I reinforced the Diamond Stencil marks with Pink Pastel over the collage elements and sprayed Fixative to secure the pigment on both works.

Using a darker contrast Blue Gray Paint, dry sponge matte paint through the Thatched Stencil on both papers.

Step 5: Final Stencil and Marks

I placed the Small Damask Stencil at the bottom of one of the papers and the top of the other paper so they would align if stacked and sprayed black matte paint through the stencil after protecting the other parts of the media with paper towel.

A few additional marks and color notes along with adhering some found words as a title and you have 2 finished Mixed Media Works on Paper ready to hang!

Hope you enjoyed!

Tracy Hickman
@anonymous.palette

Mixed Media Journaling : Out With The Old, In With The New

Mixed Media How-to: Works on Paper