Lower Gear - Journal Pages

Hi there my friends! I'm back!

Do you ever have these days when you feel you can't start creating? I do, especially if I had a longer break from my studio - traveling to teach for a long time or finally having my vacation time, when I can enjoy the company of my family and admire the most beautiful landscapes in the world (I mean Ireland of course!).

This Summer - all of the above happened and when I finally returned home and I started unpacking my things, I did not feel like creating at all...

So, what to do if you feel stuck?

One of the things I try is just looking at my art supplies. Whenever I try to figure out where on earth I put my paint, stamps, foils, mica powders... that's when, most of the times,  this searching makes me want to use them all again. :) Just touching them and looking at them makes me really happy and starts my creative process almost immediately.

And what if that doesn't work?

Believe me or not - I simply start making stuff. I put some simple elements together, throw some gesso on it, repeat the ideas I've done in the past... this is my way of creating on the lower gear, to make the machinery work again, make the juices flow and old wheels to turn - and yes, today I've got an example for you!

I was showing similar art journal pages in this post, sharing my progress in my "Book of Possibilities" online class Moodbook.

I liked the idea of creating simple, effortless pages which just make me happy - by adding colour, photos, stamps, pencil lines - I followed this idea yesterday and made 2 spreads - and believe me - maybe they are not impressive, but yes, it felt too good!

Here are the simple steps I took to create this journal spread.
I hope you will get a bit inspired too, enjoy!

I've started by simply gluing a few layers of old papers from old books. Art Basics Soft Gel will be a great choice for gluing your papers!

I added some washi tape, scraps of papers and trim and used Art Basics White Heavy Gesso to create a protective, white coat  on my page. I dried everything with my heat gun.

I've added some more paper scraps, elements, tape, then I've made a few really organic, rough and freehand marks with a soft pencil. Why not?

Later I took my super-duper black tea infusion in a sprayer bottle and added a vintage color tone to everything. I had to dry my pages again.

After the tea was dry, I added some more pencil marks and one more layer of gesso, just in selected places.

Using my Art Basics Soft Gel again I glued the vintage photo in.

Then it was high time to start playing with colour. My choice were Prima Water Soluble Oil Pastels which I was watering down with a Water Brush. On a coat of gesso this technique is very easy to do, the colors float and mix on dry gesso beautifully and if you have too much color you can simply pick it up with a wet wipe! I think you can't go wrong this way... (side note: you can get similar results with Distress Crayons and Gelatos too!)

When I was happy with may colors - in some places they were very delicate, in other quite intense - I started adding shades and lines with a soft pencil (in my signature, a bit crazy manner) and added a bit of simple background stamping to add contrast to the pages. I've used Ranger Archival Ink which is permanent after drying.

After adding hand-written journaling with the same soft pencil I wanted some bling on my page. Prima Adhesive Rub-ons a re great choice if you'd like to add some creative lettering or shiny background textures.

After applying the rub-on I used my Gold Mica Powder applied with a soft brush. The effect of delicate shine was just amazing! After that I splattered a bit of Art Alchemy Metallique Paint (Gold Rush) for a good measure. 

Here you can see the details of the finished spread! I LOVE the shine of mica here!

You can get even more shine on your project if you will use foils instead of mica powder. Sometimes an extra kick of metallic is just what you need - like on the pages below. I've made them with the same techniques as shown in the tutorial, just added Prima Rub-on Foils in the last step! 

I hope you enjoyed the post. 

Please remember creating on your lower gear is nothing to be ashamed of - it may be a warm-up step before making something something serious, or just simple, everyday happy creating for pleasure. 

Here is a short list of some items I've used for my creations - all linked to Mixed Media Place Store!

Wishing you a great, creative week!