Art Journal Prompts

Every month in our Australian Art Swap Group I am putting up art journal prompts - this one is all about layers and is one of our February prompts. 

It was created for a travelling Art Journal and we are getting ready to launch our next round of the Australian Travelling Art Journal, it will be round 4 and numbers are strictly limited. 

Reveal your True Self- Wendy's travelling art journal

I have spoken before about how I love to be in a journal swap,

 I love having the journals travelling around between us all, and I love having them arrive to be mine for a short while. It is like having an intimate gallery arrive right into your home, that you can visit over and over while it is here, and can share with your friends and visitors. 

And then it is gone- 

you have done your piece and added your energy and sent it on its way and then you are eagerly awaiting the next one and contemplating the theme.

This journal belongs to Wendy Pepyart 

who is a very talented and creative member of this round of 

The Australian Art Journal Swap

Wendy's gorgeous art journal is a repurposed childrens story book and her title is 'Reveal Your True Self'

Well, asking me, Who my true self is?, 

just about turned me inside out, lol- I do love how these journals challenge us and as Wendy is a very intuitive artist I just got out some supplies and started to play and let my own intuition guide me.

I pulled out some colours that were calling to me on the day and arranged them into a rainbow and then I started to get some ideas.

My thinking went along the lines rainbow, 

colours, 

colour groups,

 different aspects of me are all my true self

- paper dolls!

 I chose six colour themes and six aspects of me,
I pulled out the gelli plate, a brayer, some stencils and some watercolour paper and just played.

Once I had created my 6 dolls, I then played with stamps building up their mixed media texture and finally I journaled on them about who this aspect of me really is.  

Momento Mori - travelling Art Journal

Happy New Year and Solstice Blessings to you all.

With the long hot summer holidays here we have been doing a bit of travelling

 so I have found it hard to get to the waiting art journals I have.

Both of the journals I have waiting for me for the Australian Art Journal Swap
at the moment are altered books and
I chose to work in Mary's amazing "Momento Mori" first.

 Mary has created the most incredible sculptured cover, the detail and colour are amazing for something I was initially thinking quite macabre.

Mary is one of the artists from The Art Shed in Townsville Queensland and her journal shows her sense of fun and colour from the start.

 I really appreciate the challenge of this journal,

I love things that make me think and reconsider and feel.

Come with me for a wander through this gorgeous journal.

This is a lovely page Deb Parkes ,

I find this page so beautiful and moving.

One of the really lovely things about doing a journal swap like this, is getting to know your fellow artists and their work. These pages are by Sharon Williams from WA and I have fallen in love with her beautiful style and use of colours.

I also love Sharons use of printmaking.

Over to Victora and these pages are from our gorgeous Nicole Dixon and her quirky style has won all of our hearts I am sure.

Nicoles pages are always fun and make me smile.

Still in Victoria, Jan Mullane did these hauntingly beautiful pages.

I love Jans use of the skull in these pages, so subtle and ethereal.

Jan also shared some personal experience of a loved one in ICU and the significance of the 1000 cranes- the book we are altering is about the cranes as well. 

Now we head up to NSW for Roz Willoughby's  beautiful pages

her colourful skull looks rather friendly I think.

And I really like this page by Roz, 

all the pages in this journal are beautiful, 

I feel so lucky to receive an art exhibition in my mail box once a month.

Into NSW Janene McAnally did this delicate and beautiful page,

Janene's grungy style is also distinctive and she loves to play with texture and detail.

This is my page and after lots of thinking

 about just how mortal we are and how little time we get

 this is what I came up with.

My flying clock because "Tempus Fugit"opens up to reveal an hour glass and a quote

 We really do need to make the most of this wild and precious life.

And I close with Mary's back cover that is all about infinity and rebirth.

We have a new group on Facebook

 if you want to join in with art swapping within Australia

 in an effort to save on postage - 

we would love to see you at Australian Art Swap Group 

and we also have another blog for this journal swap

 and I have shared some of my process in making my Momento Mori page today.

The Australian Art Journal Swap

I am so excited- today is the day finally when I and my fellow artists in the Australian Art Journal Swap  send our lovingly crafted little journals our on their maiden voyages.

There are 13 of us covering really different themes- 

1) Nicole - Out of the Box
2) Jan - Just Three Words
3) Roz - Oriental
4) Pam - The Music in You
5) Janene- The things that make you truly happy
6) Louise - The Art of Transformation
7) Reniet - Laughter in spite of Pain
8) Monika - Grimoire
9) Wendy - Reveal- Your True Self
10) Mary - Memento Mori
11) Deb - Natura
12) Sharon - A Touch of Alice
13) Danielle - Book of Mirrors

 Wont you follow along on our blog and share our journey with us?  It is going to be so much fun working with this wonderful group of women, getting to know them and getting to work in their journals- Hooray 

Setting up a travelling art journal

There are many ways to set up a travelling art journal,

I am just setting up this one for the Australian Art Journal Swap

I like to have a title on the outside and a title page when the front cover is opened.

I also have a little mini booklet just inside the front cover to welcome my fellow artists and to share any hopes or guidelines I might have for that journal.

I tend to offer a variety of different pages, here there are pages with extra flaps and others without, I also do the initial spread to set the tone for the journal. I think it might be harder for others to be the first to work in a pristine new journal that belongs to someone else.

In the back I like an area for each artist to sign in.

Here I have included tags in pockets.

I also have a bigger pocket in the back of the journal for people to leave anything extra they might like to leave.

Animal Totems Travelling Art Journal

A journey through my wonderful journal Totem Animals

It has been travelling around the world

Gathering beauty and wisdom from fellow artists.

Stunning details and embellishments.

Beautiful colours and different techniques.

I feel so spoiled to have this private gallery on my shelf.

You can see more and find out who contributed on my facebook album