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Art Handmade leather journals Inspiration Notebooks Paper Stationery Stationery

A quick guide to using colour in your handmade journal: pens, pencils & paints

Do you want to use your journal for painting or colouring? Will the paper take it ok? Well, it does depend on the paper type; but generally, if you’re buying a quality handmade notebook, it should take some form of paints. I’ve chosen a few things here for adding colour, including coloured pencils and felt tip pens – just to cover different options!

As mentioned in the pencils/pens write up (which you can find here) the paper in my journals is 140gsm cartridge paper; it will take paints and inks, but some better than others. Ideally for watercolour, you need proper watercolour paper; however, if you’re just starting out or experimenting, the sturdy paper in my journals is fine for testing things out.


Coloured pencils are readily available and easy to use. You can create more in the way of shading and texture with coloured pencils, simply by pressing harder for a darker tone. You should be able to work quickly and easily with pencils, starting light and building up colour where needed.

Felt/fibre-tip pens are nice and bold and bright, creating clean defined lines. While you can’t shade with them as you can with pencils, you can create a graduated effect by overlapping colours slightly with swift, light strokes. Issues? Leave the pen on the paper too long and it’ll bleed through. You can easily write or draw with pens too, making them more versatile. 

You can create simple watercolours quite easily. Start with the lighter colours and build up to the darker washes. Blend/merge colours using wet on wet paint; for more defined areas, you’ll need to wait for the previous layer to dry. The paper may buckle slightly, but will warp if you get it too wet. You can place a scrap piece of paper or card under the page you’re working on.

As with watercolours, you can get heavier paper to use with acrylics, but the paper I use is great for a mixed media art journal. Acrylic paints are easy to just pick up and use. They’re quick drying and, once dry, you can easily paint over the previous layer. You can thin them with water. 

Here you can see the other side of the paper from the mushroom drawings – it shows how much you can see the colours on the other side, and how much the paper warps. If you’re using watercolour or acrylics, I’d suggest not using paints on the other side of the page, but pencils should be ok to use.


Head to my Etsy shop for handmade blank
journals and notebooks.

Categories
Art Craft Inspiration Origami Paper

Weekly Inspiration – Origami as Art

It is said that origami (from the Japanese ‘ori’ (folding) and ‘kami’ (paper)) is the art of folding paper. Without getting too philosophical, does that make all origami art?!

Well, no, but some of it certainly ticks that box. Personally I like making things that either look pretty or are functional (flowers, hearts, boxes – the usual, in fact); while other people have actually challenged themselves. Go them! Note to self: challenge accepted.

Of course there are some really great articles to be found already on this subject- see here for one such article from the Huffington Post.

Here, though are my favourite finds and inspirations from the wonderful world wide web.

This awesome Parisian street ‘graffiti’:

Origami Street Art Graffiti

This cosmic 3D project, using folded paper, tape and lights:

3d-origami-art

This epic elephant, folded by Sipho Mabona (with a little help!) from a specially-made single sheet of paper:

origami-sculpture elephant

This totally fabulous dress:

Origami dress

And finally this great example of jewellery from the linen cat:

Origami necklace

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Art Books Craft Origami Paper Tutorial

Creative book folding

First proper attempt at creating art/sculpture through book folding! Quite pleased with the result. I just did a very basic one, folding the top and bottom edges back to align with the spine, creating a point. I left a few pages free and simply tucked the pages round. Will be more adventurous next time.

Book folding

Categories
Art General Inspiration

Weekly inspiration – The Big Draw!

It’s officially drawing time, as the 2013 Big Draw – The Campaign for Drawing – kicks off. Well, technically it’s already kicked off, as the official start was October 1st – but panic not, most of the events and key dates have yet to happen. Phew. And relax.

The Campaign for Drawing’s Big Draw is taking place in 15 different countries, from 1st October to 3rd November. They’re an independent charity and the basic aim is to encourage everyone to draw – as they state, drawing is a tool for “thought, creativity, social and cultural engagement.”

Want more info about them? There’s plenty to be had here.

 Country-wide events

You can go on their site and search for events near you but here are some of the ones that caught my eye:

  • Golden Images at the British Museum, London, October 26th. It’s free and it’s for all ages, so there’s no excuse for not joining in!
  • Imagined Cities at the National Gallery, London, October 4th. In this free workshop you get to help create a futuristic paper city!!
  • Autumn Glory: Half Term Family Fun at Harewood House, Leeds- various events from October 26th to November 3rd, including Children’s Crafts, a Literature Trail and a Carved Pumpkin Display.
  • Sandal C’ART’stle at Wakefield Museum, Wakefield, October 30th. This event is for ages up to 11 and they get to create their own shield designs on cotton fabric, using examples from the history of Sandal Castle as inspiration. Awesome.
  • Frankenstein’s Workshop at York House Centre, Milton Keynes, October 5th. An all day workshop for all ages – help transform York House into Frankenstein’s Workshop!
  • Draw Like A Fashion Designer at the Fashion Museum, Bath, 28th, 29th and 3oth October. “Draw your favourite fashions.” ‘Nuff said.
  • Hopscotched at Cambridge University Sidgwick Site, Cambridge, from October 17th.

Signage populates our urban spaces, guiding us, affecting our movements around the city. We are told to ‘push’, ‘pull’, ‘return’, ‘access’ or ‘stop’ as though the city choreographs us in a dance. Claire Weetman, an artist based in the North West, will select verbs and symbols from signage around Cambridge, then jet-wash them into the pavement of the University’s Sidgwick Campus. There, you’re invited to be led through the public spaces in a playful way as though you’ve stepped into a board game, or found a new way of playing hopscotch. 

  • Your Park, Your Big Draw at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, October 12th. One of the main events, this fun-filled day for all ages is packed with DIY and art activities!

ypybdw1

 

If you’re unable to get to an event, you can always take part online.

Here are some key dates for your diaries – join in if you can and don’t forget you can donate anytime:

1st October:        Big Draw Starts

5th October:        Big Draw Day!

18th October:      Family Arts Festival Starts

3rd November: Big Draw Ends- last day of Family Arts Festival

6th December:   Drawing Inspiration Awards: submission deadline

Happy drawing everyone!

Categories
Art Craft Paper Tutorial

Book art sculpture – first attempt

I just googled, looked at various tutorials, then played around with an old magazine – the chunkiest I could find!
Found the middle then worked my way out, alternating the types of folds evenly.

Categories
Art Inspiration

Des Contes De Grimm at L’Art De Rien – Rue D’Orsel, Paris

On a recent trip to Paris with the husband, I stumbled across L’Art De Rien and instantly fell in love. It helped that they had a “Contes de Grimm” exhibition on at the time, celebrating the bicentenary of the first Brothers Grimm stories.

The inside of the shop was just fabulous- fake grass on the floor and a creepy (in a good way!) woodland feel. And I just loved everything in there! I highly recommend you go to their online shop and check out some of these artists:

And if you’re ever in Paris, stop by, because it’s a great space to look round. Here’s a shot of their window display, when they had an Alice In Wonderland thing going on:

It’s in Montmartre, on rue D’Orsel.

Categories
Art Craft Inspiration Notebooks Paper

Weekly Inspiration- Books and art

I’ve been thinking recently about what kind of books to make and decided that maybe it would be a good idea to figure out what kind of book I would want for myself. What is about a book that makes me want it when I see it? It’s most definitely the look of the thing, initially – it will always be the cover that caught my eye – but also the overall look and feel of a book, including the insides and how it’s been put together.

After that all important Google research, I discovered a wonderful world of artist’s books – and a concept that I was familiar with but that for some reason hadn’t registered fully.

Having started to become familiar with bookbinding techniques and thus able to start putting things together by myself, I think I may be almost ready to try my hand at something a bit more… well, a bit more.

Categories
Art Inspiration

Weekly Inspiration- colouring in

When freezer_girl told me about her new colouring book I was very excited. Yes, colouring in. Quite true, we’re not children. And yes, genuinely excited.

BECAUSE IT’S AWESOME! Not only is there colouring of pretty pictures to be done, but you can doodle your own designs in there. And they’re all fun things that you’d really want to doodle designs for.

So, I got one too, and we’re going to colour and compare.

Categories
Art Craft Inspiration Lunchtime Lusting

Lunching Lusting- the Yorkshire Sculpture Park online shop

What do you do if you were all excited about seeing the Miró exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, but were too ill to go?

Sulk, then remember about their website, then get distracted by the wonder of their online shop.

I particularly like these letter press cookie cutters:

And I have no idea what I’d do with it, but I want one of these:

Totally inspired by this farm stamp set:

Oh, and the Miró stuff in the exhibition shop is pretty good too.

Categories
Art Inspiration Stationery

Weekly Inspiration- Cardcaptors

Ok, so this isn’t reeeally 100% about crafts. As I may have mentioned, we’re going to Florida soon. I’m making a notebook to take; it’s a little one, handbag sized, with a pocket in the back to put theme park tickets etc. The cover will be decorated with cartoon figures representing everyone going. 

My first thought was DISNEY, even though we’re only going for one day. Awesome. Job done. Plenty of Disney characters to choose from. But then, none of them really have my hair.

And I got to thinking.

Who does?

Cardcaptor Sakura!

Little manga versions of everyone would be awesome. Manga always inspires me to draw.