Select one simple starting point from nature and recreate it several times in different ways in your sketchbook.
Challenge: Starting Points
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Art Journal Catalysts
Marker
Messy Mandalas
Reflection In this Artist Date, Clare will guide us on how to make a ‘Torus’ mandala base using a compass, along with a freeform method which needs no equipment apart from a...
Document your Inner Landscape
Documenting In this lesson Caroline shows you how she uses her everyday journaling practice as a resource for art projects and inspiration. She believes that our inner...
How to include yourself in your art
Documenting Sasha Zinevych Sasha is a memory keeper and mixed media artist from Ukraine who currently lives in Poland. She is mesmerized by other people's journals and...
Sneaking around fear
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Expressing your current mood through a painted selfie
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Abstract Emotions
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Watercolor Mosaic Background
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Lesson 10 – Contrast in Pen + Ink
In our previous lesson, we learned how to use these two mediums together harmoniously. Lesson 10 however, is all about the contrast.
Lesson 9 – Replacing Water with ink
For our first lesson that uses both felt tips and inks together, we are re-visiting lesson 1. Lesson 1 taught us how to blend out our felt tips with water – this time though we are replacing the water with ink, or a mix of water and ink. This will give you a more pigmented finish and also allow you to mix colours and opacities.
Lesson 4 – Layering Image Transfers
For this final lesson, I will demonstrate how you can create a really cool art journal spread by layering multiple image transfers on top of one another. This particular process does take time to complete, only because you have to wait until each transfer is completely dry before you add another transfer over it. But the outcome is so worth the time and wait.
Lesson 4 – Colouring In
For this lesson, we really are going back to kindergarten. Colouring in is one of life’s simplest joys. It is remarkable for calming your nerves as well as creating bold and fun pages.
Lesson 3 – Felt Tips + Magazines
In this lesson, we are using magazine pages instead of our art journal. Try and gather 5-6 different pages to try out these techniques. I always gravitate towards black and white imagery – or pages with a lot of blank space on them. This way, your felt tip marks are the star of the show with their bright colours and the images don’t steal focus.
Lesson 2 – Felt Tips + Water
Taking what we have learned from our first lesson, we are repeating some of the same layering techniques but this time, adding water. The inclusion of water changes the aspect of felt tips so much and there is a lot of different ways to approach this method. Grab your supplies and let’s make a splash.
Lesson 1 – Layering Felt Tips
We will be learning how to layer felt tips on a page. Using multiple colours to create new blends for backgrounds and patterns. Playing with warm colours, cool colours, light and dark colours together.
Lesson 7 – How to Layer Marks
How to successfully layer different types of marks without causing chaos or muddying up your pages.
Lesson 5 – Simple Shapes
Often we see shapes as separate from the idea of mark making, but shapes are comprised of marks to create them. We use marks to build the shapes we want to see. Shapes can be used to portray all kinds of expression and emotion to a page.
Lesson 4 – Lines, Lines, Lines
Lines can be utilized in many different ways to create visual interest in your artwork. Lines can be used as a graphic element to create drama, help draw the viewers eye across the page to a point of interest, create backgrounds with controlled line work and more.
Lesson 3 – Dots + Dashes
Creating organic patterns with dots and dashes, altering images, and sippling.
The Freedom to Get Inspired From Art History
Freedom Hi, it’s Moriah here and this is sadly my last tutorial for you all as a member of the Get Messy creative team. It’s been such a joy to serve on the team this year and I...
It’s Happening Now: Making Art Fast and Slow to Create a Page of Opposites
First we will work as fast as we possibly can, going wild on the page without stopping to think about what we are doing. Next, we will move to the opposite extreme and work incredibly slow, slower than we might have imagined possible. Lastly, we will bring these two extremes together to create a page of opposites, inspired by the principles of yin and yang.
Windy Waltzing Leaf: Using Bold Letters to Create 3-Word Poems
Ubuntu Hi, lovely Messians! It’s Divyam here and I’m totally excited to share with you this tutorial for the Season of Ubuntu. This season feels like a great moment to include...
Storyboard Sunday: Using comic book panels to tell your tale
Comic book panels are a great way to focus in on the small moments while, at the same time, building up a bigger picture of the story we want to tell. In this tutorial, we’re going to be telling our stories by combining a comic book page layout with a mixed media, art journaling style.
Layers and Layers of Life with Cindy
In this Artist Date with Cindy, we will glue and paint and then gesso and then glue and then paint some more. And then maybe some more.
Use vintage photos and found words to tell a familiar or fictional story in your journal
Let’s explore ways to use vintage photos and papers in your art journal. Make a found word sentence or two to enhance you story, be it autobiographical or fictional.
Paper dolls: making your illustrations interactive.
For our final play date of the season we are making paper dolls. Animal, monster, human, cartoon superhero? Turn your illustrations into moving characters.
The paintbrush of power: Using comics and cartoons to turn yourself into a superhero
When I read all our posts and conversations on the Facebook group or on the forums, I am continually blown away by the incredible human beings that make up this community. I see courage, creativity, friendliness, and love. I see artists making the world a better place each and every day. Lets play at being superheroes, celebrating these incredible qualities and bringing them to life in our art.
Playful Printmaking
Kindness Hello Get Messy Family! I am thrilled to share one of my favorite art journaling techniques with you. This is one that I find easy to do, inexpensive, great for all...
Make mandala magic
Kindness Hi fabulous messians, this is Clare and I am here to show you two ways to make a mandala. Both are meditative and lovely to draw and create. Let's practice some self...
How to journal with leaves
Nature Hi Messians! Today I am going to share with you some ideas on how to get nature directly into our art journals. I have used different types of leaves for all of my...
How to create layers with transparencies
Connections I love being inspired by what I learn from other artists. Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned so much from talented, and generous artists, and I’ve...
How to make an envelope journal
Connections Hey y'all! It's Katie here with my tutorial for the Season of Connections! Have you ever had a penpal? I used to have half a dozen of them when I was a...
How to make a folded accordion book about everyday details
Connections One of my most favorite ways to include my life in my journals is to make the mundane magical. I love taking the day’s routine and drawing it out with color and...
Creating a mixed media self portrait
Connections "A portrait affirms; it gives the gift of self to its subject. It says, 'Yes, you are worth spending this time over, your story deserves to be told, you should...
Imagining and creating fantastic creatures in your art journal
Fairy Tales Hello Messians, it's EmK again, and I am thrilled to be here for the season that I've been anticipating the most: Fairy Tales! I've always fancied myself a writer...
Techniques for creating woodland backgrounds
Fairy Tales Hi Messians! As we are in the season of fairy tales, I thought a cool idea for my tutorial this week would be to explore that woodland, forest look that is...
How to make an accordion folded journal
Fairy Tales [wpseo_breadcrumb]Surprise! It's Misty! Normally Vanessa kicks off our seasons but she was kind enough to switch with me for Season of Fairy Tales so I could show...
How to make and use your own colour catalogue
Colour Hello, hello! It's Ashley here. This season has been such a blast, so I wanted to round it out by sharing a simple color catalogue you can create and use for continuous...
Journaling in monochrome
Colour Hello all, it's EmK again, and I'm here to talk to you about using color! I know that you’re probably not surprised that I'm talking to you about color this season, but...
How to give your figures colourful hair
Colour Hey Y'all, Katie here today to share a tutorial with you! As you know I love drawing and painting, and with it being the Season of Color, I wanted to share with you how I...
Expressing yourself through colour
Colour Welcome to the Season of Colour! Vanessa here to usher you in to this Season. As is always the case when we start a new theme, I need to find a way in. I need to figure...
Creating contrast by juxtaposing moods
Contrast Hi, lovely Messians. Elizabeth here with some wisdom from Victor Hugo. (And, hopefully, some workable inspiration for you and your art journaling). First,...
Combining warm and cool colours to create contrast
Contrast This season has been a blast, and I can barely believe that there are only two more weeks left in this wonderful world of contrast! But, thankfully, I have prepared for...
How to combine contrasting media
Contrast Hi again messians!In this post, I will share with you quick tutorials on contrasting mediums. These are the tools and products you wouldn't necessarily think about...
Masking and resist techniques
Contrast Hey Y’all, Katie here! For today's tutorial I wanted to share a few different techniques for doing watercolor resists and masking with with a variety of supplies....
How to paint intuitively
Contrast "The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them.” – Elizabeth GilbertHello my favorite artists! It’s Riet here...
How to create flowing journaling
Art 101 Hi Get Messians! Jennifer (@stitchandletter) here. I'm so excited to show you one of my favorite lettering styles, what I'm calling "connected lettering." I've been...
How to use lines expressively
Art 101 Hello Messians! I'm so excited to be back on the creative team this year and today I am sharing a very simple how-to guide for creating expressive lines in your pages....
How to produce detailed layers
Art 101 [wpseo_breadcrumb]This technique is an art journaling step by step that anyone can do, whether following the steps as I have done, or adding your own unique spin to the...
Creating self portraits through blind drawing
Gifts Hello lovely Messians, Vanessa here for the last time in 2016. What a year it has been, no? For me it was a year of change, of adapting to new surroundings, of...
How to create a collage of hands
Gifts Hey Messians. It's Nina here with a fun and simple idea for your next art journal spread. Since we're in the season of Gifts I thought it only appropriate to...
Creating depth and dimension without bulk
Dreams There are a ton of ways to get some gorgeous depth into your art journaling that doesn’t involve a lot of bulky doo-dads. I’m going to show you how you can use...
How to keep an illustrated dream journal
Dreams Guys, it’s Julia here with the most exciting thing ever. Be prepared to put a journal under your pillow because we’re about to get early morning creative! Creating a dream...
How to find animal shapes in your paintings
Dreams Hi everyone, Vanessa here. I hope the Season of Dreams has been full of inspiration for you so far. Interestingly enough, both Essie and I came up with the...
How to add drawn features to watercolour backgrounds
Dreams Hello, excellent ones! It's Essie again, this time with a really simple post about adding pen details to watercolour artworks. I feel like I need to start this...
Including song lyrics in your art journal
Music Music is such a powerful part of life and memory. You can hear a beat, a lyric, see an album cover and be immediately transported to another place and time. I have strong...
10 Songs 10 Minutes 10 Pages
Music When I’m staring at a blank sketchbook or art journal page, feeling the call to create but at a loss for where to start, I often turn to music. A good song can evoke...
Using your own photography in your art journals
Introspection Hi Messians, Julia here with a confession - I am awful at documenting my life. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t quite get into that format. I always...
A beginner’s guide to drawing faces
Introspection Hey friends, it's Katie here today! Your resident doodler! I'm the girl that always has ink on her hands! Really. This year I'm doing a challenge to draw or...
Using Ink Blots to Connect to Your Intuition
IntrospectionHello lovely artists, Vanessa with you for this first tutorial of the Season. I am very much looking forward to where this Season of Introspection will take...
Writing letters to your past self
Magic Hello everyone, Nina here. One of the most humbling experiences in life is learning just how much we don’t know. As we get older we realize that the things we...
Art journaling with text when you don’t like your handwriting
Magic Hey there, it’s Kathleen here and today I want to share some ideas with you for how you can incorporate words and phrases in your art journal pages...
A guide to hand lettering
Words Hello Get Messians Karen here to share with you a few tips on handlettering and how I go about getting my lettering ready to use in my art journal. First off I...
Art journaling from a kit
Serenity For those who are struggling to get started with using your kits, Julia, Karen, and I (Caylee) thought we'd share what we made with the mini...