The process of art journal for me has been deeply gratifying. I've found myself able to pull ideas out of the recesses of my dark and dingy brain, lay them down onto paper and then color over them. I've found myself exploring ideas that are complicated, to hard to write out on their own. Ideas about my religion, my relationships, my life, my family. I can get pretty deep.
Or I can stay right on the surface. Like sketching. Some of the work I love the most is just simple pencil sketchings, with very little to no "extras" thrown in, like paints, stickers or collage. They are quick, the instant coffee of the art world. Instant gratification, and the chance to play. I do lots of sketches like this girl here, playing with whimsy faces, shading and movement. I sketch while dinner is cooking, while I'm sitting in work meetings, while on the phone. I sketch in journals, in calendars and on work spreadsheets. I doodle in coffee shops, on newspapers, while playing board games. It keeps my hands busy and actually in many ways helps me to focus.
Art journaling should be about the freedom to play, the freedom of expression. But I strongly believe it should also be a place where you are NOT REQUIRED to be complicated. You can be as simple as you want. Let your mind unclutter, leave your page unclutted. Just get in and play.
I think they are more the espresso of the art world and not instant coffee. ;) But that's the coffee snob in me.
ReplyDeleteEither way....COFFEE!
ReplyDelete