Art Journal Catalysts

Pencil

Part 4 – Claiming the Female

Part 4 – Claiming the Female

Women’s lives and stories have been interpreted through the masculine lens for a long time. The idea of the witch came out of men being afraid of the knowledge that certain women had. They wanted to control women and so invented this idea of witchcraft as something to be afraid of and repress. And I would like this lesson to be about not being embarrassed to tap into that shared knowledge and history. To acknowledge that we are women and that we participate in society and matter just as much as anyone else. I want women to be proud of this and to be intentional in our art and lives.

Dig in
It’s Happening Now: Making Art Fast and Slow to Create a Page of Opposites

It’s Happening Now: Making Art Fast and Slow to Create a Page of Opposites

First we will work as fast as we possibly can, going wild on the page without stopping to think about what we are doing. Next, we will move to the opposite extreme and work incredibly slow, slower than we might have imagined possible. Lastly, we will bring these two extremes together to create a page of opposites, inspired by the principles of yin and yang.

Dig in
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.

Dig in
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...

Dig in
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!

Dig in
How to make an accordion folded journal

How to make an accordion folded journal

Fairy Tales Surprise! It's Misty! Normally Vanessa kicks off our seasons but she was kind enough to switch with me for Season of Fairy Tales so I could show y'all how to make...

Dig in
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...

Dig in
Art Journaling with Children

Art Journaling with Children

Hey, it's Sarah here. „Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.“ - Pablo Picasso. Every child is born with an unbroken will to discover the world...

Dig in
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...

Dig in
Bonus – The Witch’s Garden

Bonus – The Witch’s Garden

Welcome to the bonus lesson where we will stretch and blend and reimagine the symbols and techniques we have created so far. The idea for this bonus spread is to use all of the elements of the first four lessons to create an all-encompassing art journal spread. This is how I usually work: my art process is all about seeing and showing connections. The theme for these pages is the witch’s garden where all sorts of amazing things flourish. What would you like to have in your garden? What will you feed and nourish and what weeds will you take out? This is your chance to work intuitively and tie together all the totems that you have identified throughout this class.

Dig in
Bonus: Going large in an A3 sketchbook

Bonus: Going large in an A3 sketchbook

Less#gmseasonoflessTaking everything we've learned in the first tutorial, we are now going to take the same colours and techniques and go large. When you open up an A3 sketchbook...

Dig in
Colour Mixing

Colour Mixing

Season#gmseasonoflessIn this tutorial learn how to explore the full possible range of a limited colour palette, and experiment with mark making. In the next lesson, we'll pull it...

Dig in
Part 2 – Archetypes

Part 2 – Archetypes

Totems > Part 2 From Vocabulary.com: “In the psychology of Carl Jung, an archetype is an inherited pattern of thought derived from the past experience of the whole race...

Dig in
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. 

Dig in
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...

Dig in
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...

Dig in
Hand Lettering Bold Statements

Hand Lettering Bold Statements

Freedom Hello! Alicia here from Vine & Thistle. In my last tutorial as a part of the Get Messy Creative Team, I am going to be showing you how to create a bright and bold...

Dig in
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...

Dig in
Lesson 4 – Sketching a Face, Front View

Lesson 4 – Sketching a Face, Front View

Guess what? In this lesson I’ll be showing you how to sketch a face from start to finish! You can sketch faces at many different angles, but the angle I’ve always found easiest was just a front view, which means the girl is facing directly towards you.

Dig in
Lesson 2 – Facial Features

Lesson 2 – Facial Features

Hey everyone, Welcome to lesson 2! In this lesson I will be showing y’all how I sketch different facial features, such as eyes, mouths, etc. The important features that will make up your characters!

Dig in
Lesson 5 – Sketching a Face, Profile View

Lesson 5 – Sketching a Face, Profile View

Okay, in this lesson I am going to teach y’all how to sketch a face from a profile / side view. I used to be pretty intimidated by drawing a profile and every time I did it it would look wayyy weird. Like my girls would have a big forehead, or tiny nose, etc. How did I get better? Practice. I was determined I wanted to learn how to draw a girl in profile, so I started sketching girls in profile… a LOT.

Dig in
Lesson 3 – Sketching Hair

Lesson 3 – Sketching Hair

In this lesson I’m going to show you how to draw a variety of different hairstyles you can use on your faces! In the video I show some different ways to draw both straight and curly hair, and how to use the lesson printable.

Dig in
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...

Dig in
Our Archaeological Dig by Lisa Goddard

Our Archaeological Dig by Lisa Goddard

VulnerabilityYour challenge, should you choose to accept it: Work in layers to express different aspects of yourself and your life. Imagine an archaeologist peeling back each layer in 200...

Dig in
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...

Dig in
04 – Stitch a Meadow

04 – Stitch a Meadow

In this lesson, we begin working in our journals by creating a collaged meadow landscape and adding stitched flowers. I’ll take you through my collage process and how I would build...

Dig in
Texture

Texture

Texture is used to describe the surface quality of the work, referencing the types of lines the artist created. The surface quality can either be tactile (real) or strictly visual (implied). Tactile surface quality is mainly seen through three-dimensional works, like...

Dig in
Wild Abandon

Wild Abandon

Moments#gmseasonofmomentsYour challenge, should you choose to accept it: Create with wild abandon. Let go of perfection and expectations and gather things that you love. Art...

Dig in
03 – Warm Up Collage + Front Cover

03 – Warm Up Collage + Front Cover

When I am feeling stuck, uninspired or unsure I love to make mini collages. Using all of my favourite scraps of paper ad small journal, I create these mini collages as a way to warm...

Dig in
Online Inspiration to Art

Online Inspiration to Art

We always hear about using Pinterest for inspiration. Let’s make a pin board of things we love and use it to inspire endless journal pages!

Dig in
The Sticky-Note

The Sticky-Note

Get creative using sticky-notes (post-its) in your journal pages. The humble sticky-note is often overlooked as an art material, but there are lots of fun ways of using them. We’ll share a few of our suggestions and we’re sure you’ll have lots more ideas of your own.

Dig in
Warm up: Create Inviting Journal Pages

Warm up: Create Inviting Journal Pages

In this bonus lesson, I am sharing a really quick and easy way to make your journal pages inviting to write on. Once we have the pages prepared, we will start adding the wonderful...

Dig in
1.3 Background

1.3 Background

Now that we have our paper dolls ready, let's add color to our spread. We’re going to create a watercolor background with hues that best represents ourselves. Remember to skip the first 3...

Dig in
1.2 Paper Doll of Self

1.2 Paper Doll of Self

First things first, we’re going to create a paper doll that represents our wonderful selves. This doll is going to be the focal point of your spread, so don’t be shy. Give her the spotlight...

Dig in
Imperfect Face by Iris Fritschi-Cussens

Imperfect Face by Iris Fritschi-Cussens

OKYour challenge, should you choose to accept it: Draw and paint an imperfect face with simple raw art journaling techniques Action Steps Bring your imperfect, messy self, take what you need, and know...

Dig in
Three, Two, One

Three, Two, One

Explore ways to create pages with a simple formula of 3 colors, 2 words, and 1 image. This formula opens us up to endless possibilities to create unique layouts.

Dig in
3.2 Highest Self

3.2 Highest Self

Growth is a marker of life. As we grow, we learn. As we learn, we simplify and purify. This is a transformative alchemical process where our creativity, spirituality and self-awareness...

Dig in
3.1 Our Transformation

3.1 Our Transformation

In the next three lessons, we will create a series of windows leading to an ‘altar’ to the divinity present within each one of us. Our altars will be the seat of our highest self - that is...

Dig in
3.3 You at Your Greatest

3.3 You at Your Greatest

In this lesson, we'll wrap up this journey to the divine within. Action StepsWrap up this stage of your journey to the divine within

Dig in
1.4 Windows

1.4 Windows

Remember those first 3 pages? In this lesson, we’re going to use them to create 3 windows to admire our dolls from. Let's first decide where our dolls fit best.Supplies Art journal &...

Dig in