mini art journal

[Terri]

I purchased this 5x5" little book over a year ago, and only recently unpacked it from the cross-country move that came next.

Turns out, I like working small when I'm just messing around. My other sketchbooks are larger Canson mixed media things, and they tend to sit for months at a time. I think all that white paper is too intimidating if I'm just scrawling about.

The only issue I had was I didn't pay attention to the thinness of the paper. I started off having a play with bleeding tissue paper, and this little book's pages really, really don't like to get wet! That tissue paper lived up to its name and bled everywhere through the next several pages.

Eventually I discovered the beauty of stick glue, and now several thin pages have become - one thick page! Duh. I'm slow.

Just playing. It's relaxing! (Except for cleanup from the bleeding tissue paper, and ripping the first page when I tried cutting the heart from the center while the paper was still damp.)

The left side is heavy bodied paint over gesso painted on the inside cover - never intended to do that, but it looks better than the stains from the tissue paper.

Here, I drew petals around a blob of stain on the next page. Then thought I'd stick with colored pencils, but I'm not good with them.

Yeah, all the ink pad stuff and markers bled through, too.

Back to a little collage!

And some random copies of Picasso line drawings.

Now that I'm gluing pages together, I'll start playing with more media again, minus cleanup drama!

 

[Donna T]

What a nice little journal, Terri! 5x5 seems like a good size; not too small but not a giant book to haul around either. I really like what you did with the tissue paper and who cares about a few pages stuck together or bleed-throughs because it's the doing that's important. Thanks for sharing this!

 

[joe1It]

Is Wonderful

 

[Terri]

Donna, Joe - thank you both for the nice comments!

Donna, you're right that it's just the "doing" that's important. This small size is really freeing - no gripping over wasting expensive paper trying out new things.

 

[Artyczar]

I LOVE these and your use of various media. Small is good! Big can be overrated. You have a nice range here already--a wonderful artistic language and I'm taken with it. I may have to steal some of it for myself!

 

[Jo Castillo]

Very cool. Fun to have a small sketchbook on hand. Nice variety.

 

[Terri]

I may have to steal some of it for myself!

"Good artists copy. Great artists steal."
- Picasso

 

[Terri]

Very cool. Fun to have a small sketchbook on hand. Nice variety.

Thank you, Jo! Yes, it's been a real eye-opener for me.

 

[KreativeK]

But the boo-boos can ignite untapped creativity and that seems to have happened, fortunately! Love using the bleeding tissue as it’s quite fun. I think you’re onto something with your 5x5!

 

[Bongo]

Way cool Terri -- here's a challenge - see if you can copy Picasso's dog line drawing without taking your pencil off the paper.

 

[snoball]

I love the "accidental" paintings, you made them work! If you are expecting bleed-through, get a piece of card stock to put behind the page until it dries.

 

[Enyaw]

Sparkling. Accidents always spark the imaginative interest.

 

[Terri]

Way cool Terri -- here's a challenge - see if you can copy Picasso's dog line drawing without taking your pencil off the paper.

That's been the point of most of the ones I'm copying - how he did these, and which "end" to start at, etc. I fail every time, too wobbly here, swinging too wide there, etc.

Per the little Spaniard himself: "There's nothing more difficult than a line." Truth!

 

[Terri]

I love the "accidental" paintings, you made them work! If you are expecting bleed-through, get a piece of card stock to put behind the page until it dries.

Thank you, Sno! I am keeping some nearby and also little sheets of wax paper.

I've taken to gluing 2-3 pages of the book together, too. Been a big help!