Freak Show DAJ: Welcome!

Overview:

I’m back with another DAJ series! This one will be called “Freak Show”. Traditional Halloween activities have often included visiting a traveling “dark” circus that featured oddities, curiosities, and “freaks”. This swap will be a series of assigned deconstructed art journal (DAJ) pages that can be complied into one journal. The overall theme is “Freak Show” and you may participate in just one or two individual DAJ pages, or the entire series as they are posted.

At this time, there will be six pages in this series; Welcome (overall view into the show; oddities, curiosities, and freaks), Conjoined Twins, Things in Jars, Bearded Lady, Fortune Teller, and Creepy Clowns. You may work ahead if you'd like and send off when you're assigned a partner. If there is enough interest and swappers, I may expand the series to 13 pages.

Please Do:

•See video listed at the bottom if you are not familiar with what a DAJ is.

•Follow the assigned DAJ page theme and think vintage, dark, and strange [Not cute, horror or gore].

•Use an 8 x 8 inch piece of cardstock, watercolor paper, or heavy double-sided scrapbook paper as your base and cover all sides with your original artwork.

•Include at least one tuck or pocket.

•Include a coordinating blank journal card to fit in the pocket or tuck space.

•Write your username and the title of the swap on the back.

•Once folded, the DAJ page should be no thicker than ½ inch as these will be bound into a book.

•Include enough postage to cover sending your DAJ. Anything too thick will cost extra.

Optional:

•Add small, flat, Halloween or Freak Show goodies in a tuck or pocket such as cool stickers, die cuts, a piece of a book page, creepy image, etc.

•Make an interactive element on your DAJ such as those shown in this video for ATCs: Interactive_elements

•Make and attach a tassel, bead dangle or an altered paperclip.

Medium/Supply Ideas:

•Collage with found items and images

•High quality printed images

•Die cuts

•Flat ephemera that is handmade or store bought

•Stamping with ink

•Watercolor, ink, acrylic paint, colored pencil, charcoal, etc.

•Stencils and texture paste

•Please do not use stickers unless they are high quality, modified or an accent to the overall design

•Thin fabric, thread or other textile

What is a DAJ you ask?

The idea behind DeConstructed Art Journaling is to create single pages to be bound into one art journal. This cuts cost and helps prevent loss of passing on entire journals for collaborative art work.

For more information on what a DAJ is please watch this video by Rosemary Morris:

DAJ Basics

For inspiration and techniques see:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Link 4

Link 5