Wakley - Art journal courage : fearless mixed media techniques for journaling bravely

Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to free content, and information on the latest new releases and must-have art resources! Plus, receive a coupon code to use on your first purchase from NorthLightShop.com for signing up.

or visit us online to sign up at

http://artistsnetwork.com/ebook-promo

To Reed and the fellasCurtis, Cole and Carter. They are joy.

12" 12" (30cm 30cm) wood panel

6 sheets of 9" 12" (23cm 30cm) watercolor paper

Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or another software editing program

a photograph of your face

acrylic paint

acrylic spray sealer

alphabet stamp set (mine is by Stampotique)

Archival ink pad in black

baby wipes

ballpoint pen

black and hot pink spray paint

black paint marker

black pen

black pencil

book paper and other papers for collage

carbon paper

cardboard circle

cardstock or tag, white

color copy of a photograph (not an ink-jet print)

craft knife

cutting mat

Dylusions Ink Sprays

Fineline applicator bottle with black and teal fluid paints

fun foam

gesso

image for collage

image to trace

large envelopes

large tags

Lyra Color Giant pencil

matte gel medium

Neocolor II crayons

neon paint marker

old gift card

paintbrushes

PanPastels

paper towels

pencil

picture of you, from the knees up (or full length)

piece of canvas 12" 912" (30cm 24cm)

piece of sticky-back canvas

print out of a clip art image you like (I used a butterfly)

Ranger Watermark pad

red paint marker

rubber stamps

scissors

sewing machine (or a hole punch, needle and waxed linen thread)

sheet protector

Stabilo All pencils in black and white

stencils (leaf, star, chevron mosaic)

vintage image

vintage photo

water spray bottle

white pen

your journal

your printer

Courage

814" 1138" (21cm 30cm)

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

Sylvia Plath

I cant draw.

I cant layer.

I cant use my own photo; Im not photogenic.

Need I go on? I hear these objections, and more, all the time. Some people hold themselves back. They tell themselves they cant create the art they long to create. They think they cant draw. Or that they dont know how to layer. They dont like to use their own image. Theyre afraid to step out of the art journal and make other projects.

Lets stop the self-doubt and negative self-talk and open yourself up to possibility and progress. I want you to be open and willing to make art you dont like. I want you to practice every day, to be devoted to your art making. Together well face common artistic fears, validate those fears and then overcome them.

By facing and acknowledging your fears, you can garner the courage to press on despite them. Practice and devotion will help you conquer those fears and create with courage. When you create with courage, you will create more art and better art than you ever have before.

Are you ready?

Journaling supplies are very personal. Each journal artist has her own preferences for paint, paper and pens. I have found it valuable to try many brands and types of tools. When I find something I love, I stick with it. Im happy to share with you what works for me. Your personal tools and materials list may consist of fewer items or many more.

My main requirement for a pen is that it write over dried ink and paint. The key here is dried. I cant tell you how many pens Ive ruined trying to write over wet paint (patience is not my strong suit). These are my go-to pens:

Fude Ball 1.5: This is my current go-to journaling pen. Its a Japanese pen that has a big 1.5 mm roller ball. Ive had good luck writing with this, even over bumpy surfaces and slightly wet surfaces. Even better is that I have not managed to kill a Fude Ball, despite the abuse I put them through. The ink is super dark and permanent when dry.

Paint pens: Paint pens are a logical choice for art journaling because paint writes on paint. I have had good luck with Montana, Sharpie and Posca brands. I only like water-based paint pens (no oil-based, thank you). I have nicknamed these shaky pens because you have to shake them for a good long time to mix the paint (especially the white). You also need to burp the pen regularly (i.e., press the nib into the pen to keep the ink flowing). The disadvantage to paint pens is that they tend to dry out quickly, sometimes they spit on your work and sometimes its not so easy to get the paint flowing the way you want it to. I put up with their quirks because they give me the look I like on my pages.

Sharpie Marker in Extra Fine Point: Extra Fine Point is different than Ultra Fine Point. The Extra Fine pens may be trickier to find. I have to buy them by the dozen at the office supply store. The nib is reinforced well and stands up to heavy use and rough surfaces.

Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens: The India ink in these pens is lusciously dark. I like the medium-size nib, but many different sizes are available.

I use pencils and crayons to sketch, journal and scribble.

Stabilo All pencil: This pencil is made for writing on slick surfaces like glass and plastic, which is what makes it so great for writing over dried paint. The lead is soft and gives a dark, impressive line. I call this the magic pencil because of its properties. Its water-soluble so you can run a wet brush over your lines to get a painterly look. If you mess up, you can get most of it off your page with a baby wipe. Because it is so easily removed, I often seal my work with fixative. I buy these by the dozen in both black and white.

Ebony pencils: A dark, soft pencil, the Ebony is not water-soluble, but is great for providing a dark line when a regular pencil is too light.

Charcoal: Charcoal comes in many incarnations (pencil, stick, twig, different hardness levels). I have many different types but tend to most often use a soft charcoal pencil because its easy to grab out of my pencil box. Its delightfully smudgy. After I use charcoal in my journal, I seal it with Workable Fixatif.