Illustration courtesy of Ahmara Smith.
With all the papers, projects and exams SCAD students juggle on a quarterly basis, it’s crucial that we make time to work on our own art. There are several ways for artists to unwind and exercise creativity without exhausting ourselves: reading, sculpting, sketching, sewing and even journaling are a few popular methods. But did you know there’s a way to combine all of those art skills and more into one low-maintenance project just for you?
An art journal is an endless playground of possibilities for artists to jot down their thoughts and generate new ideas. Creating and maintaining an art journal involves experimenting with mixed media, practicing unfamiliar art techniques, and organizing thoughts and emotions. Even sitting down for a 20-minute daily session will not only provide some much-needed me time, but will also help to clear one’s head which can lead to deeper sleep and more energy and focus throughout the day.
Materials
Illustration courtesy of Ahmara Smith.
The canvas:
You can essentially practice art journaling on anything from a cardboard box to spare pieces of wood to leftover Bristol board. However, if you want to organize your art journaling in a bound book; you might want to invest in a hard-covered journal with blank sheets of white paper. Unlike loose-leaf notebooks, these journals won’t quit on you as you test it’s durability with a range of art mediums.
The supplies:
Art journaling is also about reusing or recycling art materials and utilizing print media. So break out the acrylic paint, colored pencils, markers, tracing paper, charcoal pencils or whatever other supplies your foundation’s classes had you spend hundreds of dollars on only to gather dust in your craft bin. Feel free to also cut up and use books falling apart, old magazines, calendars, postcards and other print material as well as printed-off images from the internet.
To help you on your art journal journey, we’ve created a system of easy-to-hard art techniques and prompts for anyone at any level to enjoy.
Level I. Drawing and/or Painting
Illustration courtesy of Ahmara Smith.
You may think it takes a certain finesse and expertise to be able to draw and paint well, and sure, it does in your foundations classes. However, this is YOUR art journal, so the way you dress up the pages is up to you … but here’s a few suggestions to spark the fire.
Prompts:
- Overcrowd every inch of one page while leaving another page very white
- Find a public spot where there a great number of moving things. Try sketching them as fast as you can with as much detail as possible.
- Limit you colors to a neutral palette and create a subdued portrait that might reflect a bad day you’re having.
Level II. Book Art
Illustration courtesy of Ahmara Smith.
For those visionaries who underestimate the written word, try centering a few pages in your art journal on text. Poetry, song lyrics, a story or even letter stenciling are all excellent sources for inspiration and challenge yourself further by incorporating print media as well.
Prompts:
- Illustrate a beloved song lyric or line of poetry and express how its significance has played a role in your life.
- Practice different typographies by recreating the text on different product labels in your living space: soup cans, shampoo bottles, a pack of gum; anything will do. The goal is to thoroughly examine the advertising.
- Write a flash fiction story – any made-up story 300 words or less – and cut and paste print media like old book pages, magazines, newspapers or printed-off digital images to bring the story to life. The challenge is to ONLY use found text or images.
Level III. Mixed Media Collage
Illustration courtesy of Ahmara Smith.
This is where art journaling can get crazy fun! Channel Robert Rauschenberg or Richard Hamilton by gathering forgotten foundations supplies and embedding found materials into your art journal.
Prompts:
- Use two pages in your art journal to create a pop-up map that illustrates a journey you went on or a problem you recently overcame.
- Create an abstract self-portrait using childlike supplies such as beads, stickers, buttons or Popsicle sticks.
- Create a mosaic of a landscape using solid materials like pebbles, sequins or ribbon or found print materials like playing cards, brochures or fashion photos from magazines.
The purpose of art journaling is to play to your strengths while also stepping outside of your comfort zone as an artist. So put aside some time from class to paint, stitch, sketch, write or cut and paste your way to self-discovery.
All art journal prompts courtesy of Daisy Yellow Art.