Pvt technique / inspiration journal

Prompt: Texture can be visual or tactile. Examine your day-to-day surroundings and try to capture some of the textures in your journal.

Google for Inspiration: "art technique frottage", "art technique rubbing", "texture"

YAY! I love frottage. My late husband and daughter used to make beautiful pieces we'd hang in the tv room from HUGE elephant ear plant leaves.

Cool!! Prompt: Color your life. Pick one color (or color combo) each day for the next seven days and record it somehow in your journal.

It could be squares of color or images collaged from magazines, it could be pictures caught with your digital camera, it could be something you paint or draw... how you represent it is totally up to you!

This one is awesome. My favorite color is indigo and hard to capture but I am always looking. WEEEE!

Prompt:a childhood art supply

I'm thinking some sort of childhood art supply like: white glue, mucilage, cheap watercolors and bad brushes, crayons, stickers, scissors....anything that's usually thought of as either "tacky, immature" or "just a useful tool" by grown ups in general and even by most established artists.

Explore new ways to use this forgotton toy! suggestions to get you started: What have you never done before with a pair of scissors? Can a pair of scissors be used for something other than cutting? How could you use white glue as a primary component instead of a hidden helper? How could you apply watercolor paints without a brush?

Oh! This sounds like fun. I'm looking forward to this portion!

Prompt: Just a pair of scissors

What can you do with just a cutting tool? A pair of scissors (or a knife)

Is there a way to integrate your creation in your book without extra tools? no glue, no staples...

Possibilities include: cutouts in one page that will reveal the page beneath (which might have more cutouts that line up differently! etc), or slices through which you can weave other strips.

Sometimes we get great results from explorations that take place within very narrow boundaries. See what happens with this one!

Prompt: monoprint

Apply paint to a piece of acrylic, a sheet of glass, or a sheet of plasticized butcher's paper (plastic side). This can be a solid color or multicolored, abstract or figurative. Now lay some thin items down on top of the paint-- they will act as stencils-- feathers, pressed ferns or leaves, and papercuts all work very well. Place your sheet of paper on top of it all, and press evenly to transfer the paint that is not masked onto your paper. This is probably easier if you use a seperate piece of paper to add into your journal rather than trying to imprint directly into your journal.

Should I be actually journaling on the pages as well? I haven't been, but have an idea for each page if you'd like us to journal about the technique or what that item means to us.

I'd love the journals to be open to your interpretation! If you want to add writing about the explorations, go right ahead!! That would be wonderful!! (I probably will as well.)

These prompts are meant to be ideas to fuel our explorations! If a journal wanders off in unexpected directions along the way, that's fabulous! I want it to have the freedom to become whatever it wants to be and for the creation of it to be an enjoyable pursuit, not a dreaded chore!

Prompt: scraps from your workroom

-- make a collage from the scraps you'd normally throw away. Let it be a record of your creativity, and also an exploration of the beauty that can be found in things normally discarded or disregarded.

Awesome! I think these will be wonderful. I'll scan mine when it's all done.

Prompt: I found it in the kitchen.

-- Find inventive ways to use tools from your kitchen as art supplies. Ideas: use a spatula as a stencil, a sieve for frottage texture, carved potatoes for block prints....

Want a bigger challenge? Try this one: everything must come from the kitchen! ...that means the marks you make, too! Try carrots, beets, cherries, etc for coloring and mark-making objects. Try flour-paste fro glue!... If you get stuck, remember you can use labels from your canned goods, etc. This page will probably not be archival -- don't let it stress you! .... but do keep international postal customs in mind, and don't go too far overboard. ;)

Prompt: draw with your toes.

...or paint with your elbow, or sculpt with your nose. -- use an unusual, untrained part of your body to make today's artistic exploration! Let this week be about the process of exploring, rather than about the achievement of an end-goal. How does drawing with your toes feel? Can you get past the frustration of the untrained motor skills? Is it fun? Is the tactile sensation appealing? Write a paragraph or two about the experience and how it helped you (or forced you to) approach your artistic vision from a new angle.

Prompt: A week in my life

-- make a collage from the detritus of daiy life: straw wrappers, food labels, the paper wrap from a skein of embroidery floss, maybe a flattened bottlecap... whatever catches your eye and defines the moment.

OMG this is so much fun. I love finding stuff that I use and putting it in my art. You are such an awesome hostess! HUGS!!!

Prompt: Trace shadows!

It's starting to be summer weather here now, with occasional bursts of bright sunlight casting dark, clear shadows that looked really interesting. I thought it might be fun to try to trace some of the shadow patterns we see!

Given that I live in Seattle, I know how fickle the sunlight can be and that it isn't always reliable for creating crisp, clear shadows, so feel free to use indoor lighting to stage interesting shadows if that's easier or more appealing.

Consider, too, that you can try layering shadows; perhaps tracing each different shadow pattern on the same sheet as the previous one, but in a different color to create a layered, intertwined composition.

prompt: doodles and zentangles!

any format, any materials, any colors. just grab up a drawing implement of some sort and scribble away to your heart's content. google "zentangle" for inspiration, or check out the zentangle pool on Flickr!

Prompt: folding

Whether it's origami, tea-bag folding, iris folding, or something completely different, try exploring how folds can manipulate a sheet of paper. You can experiment with folding the pages of your journal, or folding other pieces of paper (or whatever!) to then include in your journal somehow.

http://www.google.com/search?q=paper+folding+techniques&hl=en&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=yH32TbK0GYP2tgPTxoG0Bw&ved=0CBoQsAQ&biw=1494&bih=855

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1494&bih=855&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=iris+folding&oq=iris+folding&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gssm=e&gsupl=117775l120266l0l18l10l0l1l1l0l410l1224l0.4.1.0.1

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1494&bih=855&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=tea+bag+folding&oq=tea+bag+folding&aq=f&aqi=g8g-m1&aql=&gssm=e&gsupl=16513l19867l0l15l12l0l0l0l0l533l3043l0.4.6.0.1.1

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=1494&bih=855&q=paper+folding+techniques&aq=0&aqi=g4g-v6&aql=&oq=paper+folding+techni

Prompt: If I were.....

We played this game in art school to help generate images we liked to work with. The blank phrase is "If I were (a) ......, I would be (a) ....."

examples: If I were a dog, I would be a pomeranian. If I were a type of weather, I would be a tsunami. If I were a season, I would be spring. If I were a body of water, I would be a koi pond. If I were a cartoon character, I would be Jessica Rabbit.

Start by brainstorming a list. The sentences can be anything that comes to mind: If I were a novel... a quote... a sentence.... a scent... a tv show... a famous actor.... a color.... a texture... Write down as many as you can think of. Keep adding to your list whenever you think of something new.

second stage: create a collage of images from your favorite list items! This will be a very abstracted 'self portrait' -- of things that you are drawn to rather than an attempt at realistic self-portrayal.

Have fun!!

Prompt: Pockets

Add pockets to your journal! You can create pockets by adhering two pages together, by gluing in envelopes, or any other technique that strikes your fancy. Tuck something special into each pocket: a favorite quote, a foreign coin, anything you like.

You are coming up with some great ones. I am really enjoying this journal. I think we're going to have a really hard time letting it go! I think I'm going to go back and recreate the past pages and do another one for me.

That's definitely why I suggested making a side-by-side companion for yourself! ;) For some of the challenges, I am doing my explorations on a separate piece of paper and then affixing it in-- especially for anything messy! but also for things that aren't easy to recreate exactly, like collages. I may be able to make a second collage, but it won't be exactly the same, and if I make it (them) on separate sheets of paper, I can choose which one goes into which journal. ;)

Also, color photocopies, or digital camera images are really good ways to at least capture the essence of what you created! :) They don't capture the tactile texture, of course, nor do the colors stay absolutely true, but they're better than nothing! and at least they serve as a good memory trigger! :)

Prompt: Holidays

This week was 4th of July-- lots of fireworks, patriotic colors, and backyard barbecues here in states. Pick a holiday (could be any holiday-- 4th of July, Christmas, Talk Like a Pirate Day.. really. Any holiday that's special to you) and create a page (collage, sketch, essay, photos, whatever) that gives a sense of how that holiday is significant for you.

The first impulse might be to latch onto a holiday that fills you with joy and a sense of purpose-- a holiday that you celebrate, in other words. That's fine! ... But not all holidays are wonderful. For a real challenge (perhaps for your own private copy of the book, rather than the one that you're going to share), make a tribute page for a holiday that was particularly difficult--a time when a loved one was away for Christmas, perhaps, ...or a Halloween when your costume sucked or you got sick pigging out on too much looted candy.. a Thanksgiving in which, instead of a roasted turkey, you ended up with a char-broiled home from a house fire... or the first birthday after a loved one passed away.. --these dramatic examples are all things that happened to people I know and care about.

Sometimes a journal page can provide a healing catharsis. Let the process take you wherever it will. Maybe this will be an 'ugly' page, full of dark emotions and unsettling images... that's very likely. ..but it's also possible that there will be elements of beauty and healing in the page. That's okay too. If you start out thinking of a devastating moment, and half an hour into working on your page, suddenly everything turns into daisies and roses in bloom, meadow larks singing, and rainbows over waterfalls, that's okay too. Sometimes our subconscious heals and forgets to let our storytelling narrator brain know about it.

I love the idea of the holiday that was difficult. I know exactly which one I'm going to do. It was one of my favorites until 16 years ago, and to this day I dread the day because of the memories that fill my mind.

Prompt: Transparency

Explore the idea of transparency in some way. Maybe by layering and overlapping tissue paper or thin plastic sheeting, maybe by taking a photograph of an image viewed through patterned glass, maybe by embedding objects in acrylic gel or white glue and letting it dry. The choice is entirely yours!

Prompt: Words and images

Very quickly go through a magazine and cut out ten words that catch your eye. Then go through another magazine (could be the same one, could be a different one) and cut out images to pair with the words. The image can illustrate the word (word = sunset, picture = sunset), draw a tenuous connection or association to the word (word = sunset, picture = romantic dinner or a retirement home (sunset of life)), or can give stark contrast to the word (word = sunset, picture = city lights, light polution). Let theprocess direct itself- don't try to find a 'right' answer, just put together whatever feels interesting in the moment!

Prompt: patchwork

Use whatever materials you wish to create a patchwork quilt image. You can cut patterns from magazine articles and paste them down in your journal, or you can use fabric scraps, or you can use zentangle patterns--whatever you like. Let this be an exploration of color / pattern interactions

Does it have to actually be a "quilt" image? Or can it be a face or something like that? I've been wanting to do a face for a while, but haven't yet.

Does it have to actually be a "quilt" image? Or can it be a face or something like that? I've been wanting to do a face for a while, but haven't yet.

It can be anything you want it to be!!! These are prompts. They are just intended to start your brain whirling and excite you about possibilities. If the creation that results from them holds absolutely no resemblance to the prompt that generated it, I really don't mind! Mostly, I just want to keep us both excited about the project and the possibilities! The prompts are meant to be inspirations, to help wake us up to possibilities and to help keep us working. Inspirations are rarely interpreted literally! :) This is just to help us dream big! ...speaking of which...:

Prompt: Dreams!

Interpret this how you wish-- does this prompt bring up the idea of your night dreams, your subconscious ponderings? your daydreams and imaginations? The achievable dreams you hold for your future? However this idea manifests, embrace it!

Oh, I love all the work you've done on these prompts! I only hope you'll love the book as much! I'm seriously considering trashing the one I've started. Starting all over with a handmade book with the art in it instead for you. I mean I have months to redo it if you think that's cool. Let me know.

OMG there's not much longer on this I can't believe we've been doing it this long. I'm sooooooo going to love yours & I HOPE you'll LOVE mine!

I think it's totally cool to trash your original and remake it into a more refined version, if that's where your vision takes you!! I have been seriously thinking about doing the same thing! ... I've really been using the journal as a working journal / scrapbook for idea gathering and experimentation, and now as the year comes to a close (really? A whole year??) I'm thinking about how I might make a refined version that is less haphazard and doesn't have quite so many glitches in it! ;) ... on the other hand, I really like the glitches in a way, so I might decide to make a refined one to accompany the original.

I will still continue to put up prompts (every or so) Mondays, and as always you can use the prompt as written, let it spark a different idea, or not use it at all. Personally, my brain got ahead of my fingers and my time allotment, so I am doing a lot of catch-up as I go!

I am ABSOLUTELY certain I will love your journal! I hope that you love mine too! hugs!

Prompt: Ends

I'm brought to this prompt by thinking of the end of summer, the end of a relationship, the end of an era, the end of a long wait... But how you interpret this prompt is entirely up to you. Is an end really an end, or is it a beginning of something new? Are endings uncomfortable or exciting? Or does the word "ends" make you think more literally? Will this be a collage of the leftovers from a finished project? Will this be an abstract study of lines with distinct end points? This seems like it could be a tricky prompt! It leaves a lot of room for interpretation and exploration, so remember that there is only one right way to do things-- the one that calls to YOU the loudest. ;) JK! There is more freedom than that. We are using these journals to step away from the idea of "right" and "wrong" ways to pursue our creative process and vision, and instead using the prompts like fuel. Putting gas in your car does not predetermine where you can travel with it! The same is true of these prompts.

I am so glad you have been enjoying doing this project as much as I have! Hugs!!

I totally endorse disassembling and reassembling your journal as we head into the final stretch if that is what calls to you. And if you do, remember to keep the very best of your pages for yourself. That isn't cheating your partner in this case! You can remake a replica piece for your partner if you like or a similar piece that explores the same methods or ideas if you need to, but if the original speaks strongly to YOU, then honor yourself and keep it for yourself. Don't always give your best work away. Keep it around to inspire you, to teach you, and to show to the people who are interested in you.

Hugs!

Prompt: Autumn. Changing leaf colors, pumpkins and squashes, wind whirls, back to school, forest fires, colorful sunsets. What do you associate with autumn?

Prompt: The coming of winter

I don't know why, but the first days of autumn always seem to me like the start of winter. We just had our first heavy rain-and-wind storm here, and now, with autumn just barely starting, I find myself thinking of winter stores and winter hobbies and winter clothing. What does the impending coming of winter bring to mind for you? Is it a time of introspection and solitude? or a time of parties and extroversion? Is it a monotony of white and grey or a colorful burst of blinking lights and wrapping paper? Is it cold and bleak or warm and toasty? Feel free to interpret this prompt as you wish!

Hugs!

Prompt:Charcoal

Winter is on my mind lately, and with all the rainfall and cool weather, I get to have fires in my fireplace, so fire and the smell of fire, and the charcoal that the fire leaves behind when it fades at the end of the night are my prompt for this week!

Feel free to interpret this prompt as you wish! Maybe you want to focus on fire and charcoal as a subject matter, or maybe you want to use charcoal as your drawing medium. The choice is yours! ... or maybe charcoal and fire are just your starting prompt, and your thoughts wander away from them all the way to hot chocolate and marshmallows, or summer camping, or a dream that you had when you were six. Seriously, let the prompt take you whereever you like.

Prompt: Favorite Things or List for Santa

They seem the same thing, somehow, or related at least. Make a collage of images of things that you like, desire, or otherwise feel connected to, or make a list instead of a collage. Interpret this prompt however you choose, or skip it if it does not call to you. :)

I have been thinking about this journal for so long. So, this is the last entry. It's been a journey. Let me know what you'd like to do about it.