Sometimes I just like to play and experiment in my art journal and be inspired by the colors and images rather than know exactly what I’m going to make from the start.  This is how my page unfolded in this video today.

I was inspired by the collage sheets and decided to lay that down as the first layer. Next, I just picked out my favorite go-to color: Cobalt Teal!  I spread that around just to blend in the collage pieces a bit. And from there, it was just balancing different colors and patterns to get the page to where I liked it.

Sometimes the journey is quick and you can create something in one sitting that you adore and other times, it feels like you are struggling through!  It’s ok to take little breaks, come back, try something, try something ELSE, let things dry…sometimes it’s a process and it’s ok to cover over old layers to bring forth something new!

My favorite part of creating this piece was early on with the Hi-Flow acrylics and spray bottle. There was something magical about watching the ink feather out where the water hit it.

 It’s moments like that where I realize why I love making art so much! Often, it’s more about the journey than the destination. I hope you enjoy today’s tutorial and that you’re inspired to experiment and try new things!

enjoy the video

 Products Used:

 Stencils:  Words words words, Backgrounds 2, Numbers 1

Collage Sheets: Collage Pak for Sunday Inspiration 2-19-17, Butterflies 2 (Resource Library), Book Covers Collage Pak

• Art Journal
• Spray ink (Ranger Distress Spray Stain in Broken China)
• Fluid Matte Medium (or Gel Matte Medium)
• Golden Fluid Acrylic (Cobalt Teal, Titanium White, Van Dyke Brown)
• Golden Hi-Flow Acrylic (Indigo)
• Sharpie Extra Bold water based paint pens (black, white)
• Liquitex 15mm paint pen (Cadmium Red)
• Daler Rowney acrylic ink (Crimson)
• Palette knife
• Spray bottle
• Palette paper
• Baby wipes
• Makeup sponge
• Bubble wrap
• Stabilo marks-all pencils (black, white)
• Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 pencils (red, blue, black)