Art Journal Catalysts

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Lesson 4 – Layering Image Transfers

Lesson 4 – Layering Image Transfers

For this final lesson, I will demonstrate how you can create a really cool art journal spread by layering multiple image transfers on top of one another. This particular process does take time to complete, only because you have to wait until each transfer is completely dry before you add another transfer over it. But the outcome is so worth the time and wait.

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Creating a mixed media self portrait

Creating a mixed media self portrait

Connections "A portrait affirms; it gives the gift of self to its subject. It says, 'Yes, you are worth spending this time over, your story deserves to be told, you should...

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Lesson 4 – Lines, Lines, Lines

Lesson 4 – Lines, Lines, Lines

Lines can be utilized in many different ways to create visual interest in your artwork. Lines can be used as a graphic element to create drama, help draw the viewers eye across the page to a point of interest, create backgrounds with controlled line work and more.

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The paintbrush of power: Using comics and cartoons to turn yourself into a superhero

The paintbrush of power: Using comics and cartoons to turn yourself into a superhero

When I read all our posts and conversations on the Facebook group or on the forums, I am continually blown away by the incredible human beings that make up this community. I see courage, creativity, friendliness, and love. I see artists making the world a better place each and every day. Lets play at being superheroes, celebrating these incredible qualities and bringing them to life in our art.

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How to paint intuitively

How to paint intuitively

Contrast "The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them.” – Elizabeth GilbertHello my favorite artists! It’s Riet here...

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Art journal your spirit animal

Art journal your spirit animal

Art 101 Hi guys, it’s Riet here. Today I want to show you my Raven Nest Journal. It’s about my spirit animal that I discovered last year. I dedicated a whole journal...

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How to create a collage of hands

How to create a collage of hands

Hey Messians. It's Nina here with a fun and simple idea for your next art journal spread. Since we're in the season of Gifts I thought it only appropriate to make this piece about...

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Lesson 5 – Prompts

Lesson 5 – Prompts

How I interpret prompts and how I utilise the techniques I have demonstrated so far to make my pages. The goal is to give you a starting point for using prompts in your own pages. It will include a run-through of my interpretation of four prompts, with hopefully four very different spreads at the end.

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Lesson 4 – Journaling and Scripting

Lesson 4 – Journaling and Scripting

In this lesson we will cover different ways you can use journaling in your art journal spreads. We will be thinking a bit outside of the box as I am a big believer that the journaling you include in your spread does not need to be a huge story. It can simply be one or two words about how you are feeling or it can be a quote or song lyrics that represent your thoughts. Or you can let the art itself tell the story and skip the journaling part all together.

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Lesson 8 – Resisting Ink

Lesson 8 – Resisting Ink

In this lesson, we are looking at how to resist ink. Since ink is such a fluid and water like medium, it can be fun and interesting to pair it with something opposite. We will work with elements that are basic for any artist – nothing fancy, not even masking fluid!

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Creating maps to illustrate the seasonal landscape

Creating maps to illustrate the seasonal landscape

Sometimes a season can seem like a country with it’s own landscape and culture, quite distinct from other seasons. In this tutorial, we are going to choose one season to work with and create a map showing its unique terrain. We’ll add some simple symbols to represent each place and touches of colour to bring the map to life. This map can serve as a helpful guide when you find yourself deep within this realm, reminding you of the roads you can take and places you can visit to make your stay more enjoyable!

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Storyboard Sunday: Using comic book panels to tell your tale

Storyboard Sunday: Using comic book panels to tell your tale

Comic book panels are a great way to focus in on the small moments while, at the same time, building up a bigger picture of the story we want to tell. In this tutorial, we’re going to be telling our stories by combining a comic book page layout with a mixed media, art journaling style.

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How to give your figures colourful hair

How to give your figures colourful hair

Colour Hey Y'all, Katie here today to share a tutorial with you! As you know I love drawing and painting, and with it being the Season of Color, I wanted to share with you how I...

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How to work with negative space

How to work with negative space

Contrast Hello dear Messians! Vanessa here, I am thrilled to welcome you to the Season of Contrasts. I am feeling very inspired by this theme. When I was thinking of how to...

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How to use lines expressively

How to use lines expressively

Art 101 Hello Messians! I'm so excited to be back on the creative team this year and today I am sharing a very simple how-to guide for creating expressive lines in your pages....

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10 Songs 10 Minutes 10 Pages

10 Songs 10 Minutes 10 Pages

When I’m staring at a blank sketchbook or art journal page, feeling the call to create but at a loss for where to start, I often turn to music. A good song can evoke so much. I draw from...

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A beginner’s guide to drawing faces

A beginner’s guide to drawing faces

Hey friends, it's Katie here today! Your resident doodler! I'm the girl that always has ink on her hands! Really. This year I'm doing a challenge to  draw or paint something...

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Easy watercolor tiny book

Easy watercolor tiny book

Hey messy people! Nina here. When you’re taking on a huge project – like a daily challenge or a 30 lists album – it can prove quite necessary to take a shortcut on some things. Like the...

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Writing letters to your past self

Writing letters to your past self

Hello everyone, Nina here. One of the most humbling experiences in life is learning just how much we don’t know. As we get older we realize that the things we used to be one hundred...

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A guide to hand lettering

A guide to hand lettering

Hand lettering is something that everyone can do. I think it’s really important to embrace your writing, it’s part of you and your personality. I love to use my handwriting on my journal...

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Lesson 9 – Replacing Water with ink

Lesson 9 – Replacing Water with ink

For our first lesson that uses both felt tips and inks together, we are re-visiting lesson 1. Lesson 1 taught us how to blend out our felt tips with water – this time though we are replacing the water with ink, or a mix of water and ink. This will give you a more pigmented finish and also allow you to mix colours and opacities.

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Lesson 3 – Felt Tips + Magazines

Lesson 3 – Felt Tips + Magazines

In this lesson, we are using magazine pages instead of our art journal. Try and gather 5-6 different pages to try out these techniques. I always gravitate towards black and white imagery – or pages with a lot of blank space on them. This way, your felt tip marks are the star of the show with their bright colours and the images don’t steal focus.

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Lesson 2 – Felt Tips + Water

Lesson 2 – Felt Tips + Water

Taking what we have learned from our first lesson, we are repeating some of the same layering techniques but this time, adding water. The inclusion of water changes the aspect of felt tips so much and there is a lot of different ways to approach this method. Grab your supplies and let’s make a splash.

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Lesson 1 – Layering Felt Tips

Lesson 1 – Layering Felt Tips

We will be learning how to layer felt tips on a page. Using multiple colours to create new blends for backgrounds and patterns. Playing with warm colours, cool colours, light and dark colours together.

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Bonus – Marks Imitate Art

Bonus – Marks Imitate Art

In this bonus lesson, we will create an art journal page transforming a found image with marks! This is a great technique to practice creating marks but also makes for a really lovely art journal page!

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Scientific illustration: Curate your own seasonal collection

Scientific illustration: Curate your own seasonal collection

Art and science combined are great passions of mine and so naturally I really enjoy Scientific Illustration. 
So today I wanted to share with you the rules of scientific illustration and hopefully show you some ways that you can level up your drawing skills, and illustrate the seasons. 

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How to tell your story

How to tell your story

Story Amy Tan is here today to teach us how to tell our most important story - the every day one. Watch her incredible tutorial and learn how she uses everyday life + art to tell...

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How to draw faces

How to draw faces

Divyam shows you how to draw a face so you can add unique characters to your art journal.

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Doodling for beginners

Doodling for beginners

Nature Hey everyone, It's Katie here! You've probably heard of zentangles, right? It's a method of line drawing where you create repeating patterns and turn them into designs. I...

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How to paint faces in your art journal

How to paint faces in your art journal

Contrast Hi you, beautiful creative souls! I am so happy to be back with another tutorial for a brand new Get Messy Season of Contrast. Can I just start by saying that I feel...

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Drawing with pen and ink

Drawing with pen and ink

Art 101 Hi, lovely Messians.  It's Elizabeth here.  I hope to serve as your personal creative cheerleader this season and throughout the year, chiming in with a "Just give it a...

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Cataloguing and swatching your pens

Cataloguing and swatching your pens

Art 101 Hey Messians! EmK here for my first post, and I could not be more excited to be sharing these videos with you! You may have realized that this season is special! The...

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How to create flowing journaling

How to create flowing journaling

Art 101 Hi Get Messians! Jennifer (@stitchandletter) here. I'm so excited to show you one of my favorite lettering styles, what I'm calling "connected lettering." I've been...

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How to produce detailed layers

How to produce detailed layers

Art 101 This technique is an art journaling step by step that anyone can do, whether following the steps as I have done, or adding your own unique spin to the steps. There are...

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Creating expressive pages without looking

Creating expressive pages without looking

Hello, Julia here again to share a new type of creative practice with you... This past year, I have started to create in a new way (for me, at least). It’s something I have started to...

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Including song lyrics in your art journal

Including song lyrics in your art journal

Music is such a powerful part of life and memory. You can hear a beat, a lyric, see an album cover and be immediately transported to another place and time. I have strong connections...

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Making and filling a grid

Making and filling a grid

Habit Gilly guides us through the relaxing art of making a grid by colour, doodle, paint, collage or mixture of different things.Using a thick piece of paper or art journal we'll...

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Floral Junk Journaling

Floral Junk Journaling

Documenting In this lesson, you'll learn what junk journaling is and see examples of Meg's own junk journals. She'll show you how you can create your own floral inspired junk...

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Lesson 11 – Creating Independently

Lesson 11 – Creating Independently

For our final lesson, we will be creating freely! Take all that you have learned in this course and put your favourite techniques into one page. Be inspired by the pages I am sharing in this lesson as well as your own discoveries along the way. We all are drawn to different things so take stock of what you have been more drawn to throughout the course and think of how you can combine your favourite parts into one (or more!) art journal pages.

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Lesson 7 – Mixing Ink Colours

Lesson 7 – Mixing Ink Colours

Using what we have learned from our first two ink lessons, we will now start to mix our own colours. Most ink sets are quite basic which gives us lots of blending and mixing possibilities. You can blend either directly on your page or on a palette. Depending on how much pigment (ink) and how much water you mix, your colours can differ immensely. Mixing ink colours is different to paint, as you don’t have the option of adding any white. I like to think of water as the white when mixing with ink.

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Lesson 5 – Ink + Water

Lesson 5 – Ink + Water

In our first ink dedicated lesson, we are simply mixing it with water. Super simple, but really cool and a perfect example of stretching your supplies. When you begin altering your materials, it gives you artist status for sure!

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Lesson 4 – Colouring In

Lesson 4 – Colouring In

For this lesson, we really are going back to kindergarten. Colouring in is one of life’s simplest joys. It is remarkable for calming your nerves as well as creating bold and fun pages.

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Part 3 – Elemental Magic

Part 3 – Elemental Magic

Humans are in and of this world, we interact with it; there is an exchange of energy. This is one of the first principles we learn in Anthropology and we sometimes forget this. We are the product of our environment, we are linked to it. Elemental magic encompasses those symbols, seen and unseen, that surround us.

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A Zillion Ways to Fill a Sketchbook

A Zillion Ways to Fill a Sketchbook

Play There are a zillion ways to fill a sketchbook.  Danny and Koosje share tips to push you out of your comfort zone and help you grow your sketchbook into a work of art. After...

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Make mandala magic

Make mandala magic

Kindness Hi fabulous messians, this is Clare and I am here to show you two ways to make a mandala.  Both are meditative and lovely to draw and create. Let's practice some self...

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A guide to continuous line drawing

A guide to continuous line drawing

Connections Hello, messy tribe!Sasha here again for the Season of Connections. This Season seems so intimate and deep to me, so I wanted to come up with a tutorial that...

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How to keep an illustrated dream journal

How to keep an illustrated dream journal

Guys, it’s Julia here with the most exciting thing ever. Be prepared to put a journal under your pillow because we’re about to get early morning creative! Creating a dream journal is...

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Movable Idea Catchers by Kiala Givehand

Movable Idea Catchers by Kiala Givehand

IdeasYour challenge, should you choose to accept it: Create an interactive way to explore and discover the ideas that live inside you. Part 1Bonus Save this file to your computer, print it out, and...

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Lesson 2 – Scribbles

Lesson 2 – Scribbles

Ah, scribbles, the most instinctive of all the marks to make! I use scribbling heavily in my work because to me it’s an open ended expression and can easily be modified to reflect my emotions. You can use scribbles in so many ways to build backgrounds, create color blocks and add more expressive details.

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Art journal your personality type

Art journal your personality type

Introspection is the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes. When I found out the topic of this season was about introspection, my first thought...

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Making A Tag Book

Making A Tag Book

Hello, favourites! It's Essie again, back to share how I've been approaching this season of lists. Now, I am a crazy busy person. Like a lot of women, I wear many hats, and routinely...

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04 – Visual Gratitude Pages

04 – Visual Gratitude Pages

While I love writing in my journal, there are also times where I just want to get my paints out and play. This lesson focuses on just that. We will still be documenting things we are...

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Words and Lists by Abbey Sy

Words and Lists by Abbey Sy

OKYour challenge, should you choose to accept it: Create a journal spread with a list of things that make you feel OK. Start with the phrase "I feel ok when..." and get creative with your...

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06 My Story

06 My Story

Your handwriting. The way you walk. Which china pattern you choose. It’s all giving you away. Everything you do shows your hand.  Everything is a self-portrait. A diary. Your whole drug history’s in a strand of your hair. Your fingernails. The forensic details. The...

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02 – Creating Writing Spots

02 – Creating Writing Spots

In this lesson, we are going to start putting our journals to good use by creating writing spots. There are lots of fun ways to do this and I will be sharing some of my favourites....

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Vanessa – Feminist, Anarchist Zines

Vanessa – Feminist, Anarchist Zines

Zine-making is historically a mode of expression used by marginalized groups. Zines are inherently underground, queer, feminist, anarchist, punk, and rebellious. They were photocopied works of...

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Flip Through

Flip Through

Here’s a complete flip through of how I documented my days using The Diarist, the A5 journal I’ve used for the previous year.

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Textured Reflections by Amanda Trought

Textured Reflections by Amanda Trought

ChaptersYour challenge, should you choose to accept it: Create a reflective texture-rich art journal page. Bonus Save this file to your computer, print it out, and allow it to accompany you on...

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Collage Relaxation

Collage Relaxation

Promise#gmseasonofpromiseYour challenge, should you choose to accept it: Relax with your art and get into flow state with this easy art journaling technique. Repurpose scraps...

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05 – Hand-Lettering Headings & Quotes

05 – Hand-Lettering Headings & Quotes

In this lesson, I will be talking you through some of my favourite tips for hand-lettering and faux calligraphy, along with providing you with a brush-lettering workbook. We will then...

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07 – It’s a Matter of Perspective

07 – It’s a Matter of Perspective

The integrating self grows in confidence and is open to other perspectives. As the new integrated self builds its new habits, it makes choices based on its core values. It acknowledges...

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06 – The Integration

06 – The Integration

The self is ready to bear the discomfort that might come from realigning with its own truth and re-integrating with its core self - its inner child. The self has finally committed to...

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05 – The Leap of Faith

05 – The Leap of Faith

Despite its fears and doubts, the self takes the leap of faith! Doubt and uncertainty feel overwhelming to the self. It weighs the pros and cons over and over again. Fear paralyzes any...

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