Book review:Artists journals and sketchbooks

Artists Journals and sketchbooks

by:Lynne Perella

price:US=21.99 dollars UK=14.99 pounds

It is a really good book,for a art journaler of any level.Lynne shows you many inspiring art journal pages by various artists, cool artists insights and material listings for almost every layout.The book is divided into 5 chapters.

chapter 1:

Here she explains in short the basics of art journaling.Then shows you many lovely layouts and has technic pages on such things as ading colour to your background and cool ways to alter pictures(not using photoshop).

chapter 2 :This chapter is about the book itself.So creative ways to decorate the cover including using Slide mount artworks. Again there are many inspiring pictures of what other artists have done such as a cool handquilted coverd journal(so cool).It also contains the idea of making mini journals and attachment technics.

Chapter 3 :

All about adding text, theres a list of ways to do so,how to use in a background , how to carve your own stamp and many things by artists.Also all kinds of ways to add hidden journaling.

Chapter 4 :

About diffrent sketchbooks.This includes pictures and explainations as well as tips for things like travel journals, planning future projects and much more.

Chapter 5:

Here she shows you how to do art journaling but not in a notebook, but on a skirt, quilt or cans.

rating (by me): 7 and a half/10

Resons:

It has many , many wonderful things in here, to get your creative juicies flowing, well explained technics and tips.The bad is that some text refure to other pages in a displayed journal layout and you dont get to see em.Also i think 7 whole pages dedicated to mount slide art work is way to much.I mean yes, to a small digree i am intrested and its a cool idea, but i didnt buy a book about mount slides did i?( no i did not).

Watercolour painting 101:Part 1:Supplies

I have had a sudden intrest in watercolour painting.So iv created this series,a mix between my ideas, tips and what iv found in books and on the web.

SUPPLIES:

Well basicly youll need:

watercolour paints:

Any will do , they are avalable in tubes or in tubs.So the tubes are in runny format and the tubes in solid.Either work fine,though i would recomend the tubs as they are better for beginners i.e. you wont waist paints by pushing to much out of the tube.WARNING:Do not close lid on wet tubs ones as they will go all horid if you do.let em dry first!The minimum you need as far as colours are concernd is red ,blue and yellow.Out of these basic colours you can mix allthe colours their are.oh and white is a good idea to get to and if you want to make things easier for yourself buy black to.



brushes:

Get a good selection of thick and thin brushes.Basiclly the ones made from pigs hair are tougher than the other ones.Its also a good idea to get some flat ones to, as they are fab for straight lines andbig areas.Now comes the inportant bit:

HOW TO CORRECTLY WASH A PAINTBRUSH:

1.First give it a lil wash over with water to get the most of the paint out.

2.Using a cheap bar of soap(which you bought for this perpose)get it all full of soap and smear in nicely with fingertips.

3.Now give it a good rinse tell all the soap is out

4.Make sure all the paint is out.

5.Now with your fingers and a bit of water shape the tip, like it was originally(so normal nice and pointy)

ALWAYS LET IT DRY IN THE SHAPE YOU WANT TO USE IT IN



Palette.

This is important for mixing colours in.You can buy many diffrnet models in china , wood, metall and plastic.Any will work fine.Always wash after use.If you dont want to buy one, make your own out of fimo(search artists mixing palette in google to get an idea of what it looks like.).

Paper

You can use any paper that is heavier than 140lbs.Other wise it will curl.

Water,Rags,Pencil and rubber

You can use any water.Tap water is fine.But sea salt water works to,though you will get a diffrent affect depending on which water you use.

Use any random rag or loo roll to wipe the water off the brush and stuff like that.

You will also need a Pencil for drawing a rough outline and a rubber to rub out mistakes.Buy a artists neadable putty rubber and an b2 and hb and h2 pencils.

So look out for part two soon.And have fun watercolouring.

HOMEWORK:

1.Gather materials

2.Give it a go, not acctully painting any thing just get a feel for the paint.Why not paint a background of an art journal page?

3.Have fun and please comment:)

More from week 1 (offically 9)

so

So here is what ive done this week.I turned my endless line into a map, well work in progress.Ive got my white page in process to,my colour outside the lines in pretty basic and was the first thing i did.Um iv draw around all the stuff in my bag too, but maby ill do some more on that later.The picture with the purply spill is where i spilt in some (ok a lot) of red wine.it was so funny as i spilt it all over the table , floor and my sock but thats creativity 4 ya.Then i used the test page to test m y new travel watercolour set with.The next picture is after i pulled it through mud, fji:taking it for a walk.

Havent made the chain yet but iv coloured it in:).My circle page is pretty basic to.

This page is draing whilst in movement.It was a bit disapointing as out car was hardly wobbely but there you go.

Here iv riped the strips and done rubbings of a load of random stuff i found round the house, so hair pin, coins, scrapbooking chipboard designy things and loads more.

So in my poke holes page i did this put then turnred the holes into
a field of flowers.This is one of my fave pages.

I added loads of numbers to the number page.Coloured the materials
accoring to how much i like em, so green i really like em , orange middle or dont care and red hate.It was fun to do .Like that page to.And last but not least in burnt the page(had to tip water over it to put out fire but thats a hole new story..)and then rupped in the black ash onto the page.

Voila thats what iv done!!!!!

And yes i am gonna contiune after the book club on next chapter is over...

So keep ya eyes peeled...

Week 1 4 me week 9 offical : Wreck this journal

Here are some pics.

Day One: Wreck this journal

I have signed up on the next chapter, http://www.tnc-wreckthisjournal.blogspot.com/ .Which has wonderful links to inspiring blogs, by the way. I have already done quiet a bit and have taken some photos i acctully wanted to share with you , but im on holiday and my pieping camera wont fit the connection cable over here.So ill have to buy one or something. Instead i will show you the photos another time and give you a text on all my thoughts to wreck this journal.
Well i love this book.It is so amazingly fun to do, and i really think that it makes you think creativly.So for example the colour this entire page , you can do the obvios i.e. just use one colour to colour the whole page.Or you can coulour it in a nice pattern, do a whole drawing where every mm of the page is coverd. Or on the fruit sticker page, you can just stick em in or you can sort them accrording to which fruit they came from or you could draw fruit and then stick them on or you could stick em on and draw the fruit from which each sticker came from.Do you get my drift?It allows for so much creativity.
So if you are doing this project to have fun and be creative and if you dont go buy it.

Wreck this journal arrived!!!!

Finally it got here!!!But it was well worth the wait,so far i have not done much exept browse through it and write in my name.
Im gonna as a nice intro into this book, let you know the rules:(as printed in the book)
1. carry this with you everywhaere you go
2.follow the instructions on every page
3.order is not important
4.instructions are poen to interpretation
5.experiment

Quick Quotes

"There are painters that transform the sun into a yellow spot,
but there are others who,
with the help of there intelligence,
transform a yellow spot into the sun"
BY PABLO PICASSO

"Drawing i the artists most direct and spontaneous expression,
a species of writing it reveals,
better than does painting,
his true personality"
BY EDGAR DEGAS