Journal sketch & digital alteration

Journal sketch & photoshop alterations...

A sketch a day...

I received these great Moleskin monthly planners for Christmas and decided to use them as daily sketchbooks... I've turned the first sketch into a new blog header with some Photoshop fun...

Just art!

Here's a journal page exercise that I created about a month ago when I got together with my friends Laura and Marilyn. Laura "prompted" us to cut out magazine faces and then have fun doodling around them.

I am off to visit my niece at Children's Hospital (Boston) this weekend, so this post is brief.

Thank you all for your caring and inspiring comments. Your words are a source of strength and comfort and sheer joy!!

Creative flow...

My horoscope the other day...
"You can unblock your creative flow and ease your frustrations by letting go of the need to think too much. Simply enjoy what you’re doing and your creativity will flow naturally. You will find relief if you can focus your attention on the specifics of your task instead of worry about the future."
I taught one of my art journal classes over the weekend (at Stampassion in Latham, NY) and that horoscope was the perfect piece of advice to share with students. Of course, in order to get everyone warmed up, I do teach some quick background techniques, but art journaling is such a personal act that I don't like to give too much instruction or advice. I prefer to give encouragement and ideas and prompts, as well as a room full of art supplies to play with, and see what emerges. It is amazing to watch what happens when that creative energy starts to build up in a room. The class is three hours long, but we could easily have continued for five or six hours once we got started.
I was excited to teach this class again, as it's one of my favorites, and we decided to offer it at the request of one customer who had missed it the first time around. This is always a bit risky because we never know when we have saturated our market for a certain kind of class, so I was thrilled that it filled up.
I marveled at the abandon with which the students in this particular class took my techniques and just embraced the moment. And I love that they leave with a work in progress, something they can add to and make completely their own.
After a class like this, I feel immense gratitude to be able to get others excited about art and about claiming their own unique artistic voice.