Art Journal Everyday - I finally got one done!

I've been signing up for Julie Balzer's Art Journal Everyday challenge every month since the first of the year...this past week I actually did it!  Her challenge is merely to work in your art journal everyday for at least 10 minutes...up until this past week all I had managed to get done was prepping my pages with gesso...

I used my Talens watercolors in both opaque and transparent to to the backgrounds.  The images were created in Photoshop and printed on plain copy paper on a laser printer...the teapot is actually an image of Tangie Baxter's from one of the Art Journal Caravan Expedition "supply" kits...

I used green, pink, and yellow watercolors, letting each layer dry before applying another color...this is key to not getting muddy colors.

I created the flowers and tags in Photoshop...and used a black gel pen for my journaling.

I then went over my journaling with a Sakura Gelly Glaze pen so my lettering would look embossed...

Shading was added with Stabilo colored pastel pencils...they have a chalky texture which makes it easy to add and blend colors...I then "dry brushed" on white accents with gesso around the page edges and a bit on the pages themselves...

This is actually what I planned to do right after the first of the year, hence the "2011" and "my word."  My "word" for 2011 is "begin."  Sometimes I just plan and plan and plan, and my planning just takes over the actual doing...I find that if I can just begin, just start, even if I'm stuck and can't think how to proceed, I'm able to overcome that artistic block, and ideas just "begin" to take over.  I'm hoping to keep up the momentum...I've already taught two online mixed media classes this year, and have three more in the "planning" stages...hopefully I"ll get my doll patterns fine-tuned enough to start filming this coming week.  Stay tuned for more updates...

Oh...another thing...I've recently started my own Ning group!  It's for girls and women of all ages (13+)...and it's not just an art group, but rather a group for developing friendships, support, encouragement, and to share all that is wonderful about being female (in addition to being a platform for my online classes)...please join us at Just Be Yourself!!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Hugs and Toodles!