About a year ago I started keeping an illustrated journal. It’s just a simple watercolor pad sketch book, about $5 at the local art supply store. I love it because it’s watercolor paper and I can paint on it, draw with pencils, markers, pen and ink, I can write, I can do mixed media collage, and then repeat. And the thing about keeping an illustrated journal is, it’s not for finished art to sell. It’s really pretty private, just a place to start ideas. It’s not about showing it to people. It’s about having a place to record thoughts, plans projects, ideas, etc, and then illustrating them.
My winter morning routine involves going out to the studio, starting the fire in the wood stove, feeding the cats, and then opening my journal to a new page and giving it a fresh wash of watercolor.
It just gets the juices flowing, so to speak, to get some color on a plain page.
I don’t even like the art on this page. I would never actually do a painting like this. But that’s not the point. I worked out my thought patterns and a lot of design issues on this page, and recorded some thoughts on harmonious blends. I learned from it, and will use what I learned in the future.
Last Spring I took an online workshop from fellow blogger Alisa Burke. She’s the one who got me started with the whole illustrated journal. Thank you Alisa! You can find her here.
I totally recommend her workshops and classes. Although her art is completely different from mine, the workshops really helped me find new ways to get out of the box and make my art process fun!
Stay tuned for more pages!
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