Your handwriting. The way you walk. Which china pattern you choose. It’s all giving you away. Everything you do shows your hand. Everything is a self-portrait. A diary. Your whole drug history’s in a strand of your hair. Your fingernails. The forensic details. The...
I love to incorporate artist affirmations into my art journal practice. Let’s create a beautiful and meaningful art journal spread to silence our inner critics.
At the core of who you are is your truth. We often need to remind ourselves of this truth. The world likes to try to get us to forget. Journaling.Meditating.Heartstorming.Creating. All of these are great ways to remind us of our truth. For MIND, meditate on the...
Moments #gmseasonofmoments Your challenge, should you choose to accept it: Create an art journal page using the word Transformation as the theme. Bonus points: Limit your...
Mindfulness#gmseasonofmindfulnessMindfulness. Turning towards ourselves and listening. Being patient and curious and open. Imagine how much our...
#getmessyrecipes painted papers floral images circle punch alphabet stamps ink pad glue Punch several circles out of your painted papers and floral images....
#getmessyrecipes two black and white photographs black acrylic paint white gel pen gesso old gift card small paintbrush large paintbrush stamp and ink pad...
#getmessyrecipes watercolor floral images word phrase stamp ink pad paintbrush scissors glue Choose three colors of paint that coordinate with your floral...
#getmessyrecipes Background papers (see the PDF for printable options) Clip art (see the PDF for printable options) Scrap paper, ledger paper, favorite paper...
#getmessyrecipes Background papers (see the PDF for printable options) Clip art (see the PDF for printable options) Ledger paper or any paper you love to write...
#getmessyrecipes Background papers (see the PDF for printable options) Clip art (see the PDF for printable options) Scrap paper, ledger paper, favorite paper...
#getmessyrecipes Art Journal Water jar Brushes, one medium flat, one small flat Colorful, art paper scraps, magazine ephemera, scrapbooking paper, wrapping...
#getmessyrecipes Art Journal - the paper should be able to withstand watery media (watercolor paper and high quality mixed media paper works well) Water jar and...
#getmessyrecipes Art Journal - paper should be able to withstand watery media Water jar and brush (any kind) Several watercolor crayons or Stabilo Woody pencils...
#getmessyrecipes Food packaging, cleaned and cut out (choose the ones that will fit your current journal) Acrylic Paints and brush. Pick your favorite paint....
#getmessyrecipes Dried and emptied used tea bags, coffee filters, leftover painted papers, magazine cut-outs and security envelope (choose the ones that will...
#getmessyrecipes Unfinished/ extra tags and magazine cut-outs (choose the ones that will fit your current journal) Any homemade embellishments – I used clay....
Worthiness#gmseasonofworthiness This lesson was originally released in the Season of Kindness. It holds so much value for the Season of Worthiness that - for the first time...
Worthiness#gmseasonofworthinessThis season's artwork is created by @valloves2create Dear Messy Artist You are worthy. Not because you have done anything, but simply because...
Your Story is Worthy of Being ToldHello dear heroines, I feel so lucky to be back with you for a little bonus lesson. When Caylee mentioned that the next Season was that of Worthiness, it sparked some ideas when it comes to this class. The Inner Heroine is quite a...
Sometimes, things get in the way of our art making – whether it’s time, emotions or life in general! But I want to impress upon you that you are worthy of taking this time for you, that your story – your journey – is worthy of being told as well.
Self#gmseasonofselfWe as human beings are complex. By focusing on the details of ourselves, we are able to fully appreciate and celebrate them. Process Step One: Digitise your...
Self#gmseasonofselfDownload the Season of Self: Soul Sidekick Save this file to your computer, print it out, and keep it inside your journal to spark journal ideas.For each lesson...
Self#gmseasonofselfDownload the Season of Self: Body Sidekick Save this file to your computer, print it out, and keep it inside your journal to spark journal ideas.For each lesson...
Self #gmseasonofself Download the Season of Self: Mind Sidekick Save this file to your computer, print it out, and keep it inside your journal to spark journal ideas. For each...
A zine is a handmade magazine or mini-comic about anything you can imagine: favorite bands, personal stories, subcultures, or collections. They contain diary entries, rants, interviews, and stories. They can be by one person or many, found in stores, traded at comic conventions, exchanged with friends, or given away for free.
Finishing#gmseasonoffinishing[wpseo_breadcrumb]Let's finish our journal spreads with unfinished things. I know I have a lot of sketchbooks and journals of pages I didn't finish, forgot about, or...
Finishing#gmseasonoffinishing[wpseo_breadcrumb]Let's set ourselves up to finish strong this year. I'll be showing you how to create and easy envelop pocket journal that can be accommodated into...
Free Lesson - Choose Your CompanionThe Inner Heroine class is all about documenting a journey that we have undertaken and that has allowed us to grow. In telling our story through the lens of a heroine embarking on a grand adventure, we can be free of self-censorship...
Spark#gmseasonofspark[wpseo_breadcrumb]Ok so let’s get started! The goal is to create a ‘scene’ or a full painting spanning 2 pages or a spread in your art journal. Use whatever...
Steven#gmseasonofsteven[wpseo_breadcrumb]Getting an entire book into a journal I am not going to teach you exactly how to script letters and how to combine them. Please use my own...
Steven#gmseasonofsteven[wpseo_breadcrumb]Getting an entire book into a journal Before we get into the techniques, let's talk a bit about how to process your book.Steps for...
Steven#gmseasonofsteven[wpseo_breadcrumb]Prep Your Journal In the video I'll go through the initial prep for an altered book journal. Remember that your journal is a work in...
Bloom#gmseasonofbloom[wpseo_breadcrumb]Let's get messy with color and bloom the cover of the Bloom Book. Using collage elements, lines and color, create a...
Bloom#gmseasonofbloom[wpseo_breadcrumb]After a severe winter full of rain, snow and wind, nature is reborn and shines for us in a stunning beauty. Blooming...
More#gmseasonofmoreWe're going to take our art to the next, deeper, level today. Grab a journal and pen and spend some time answering these four questions: What was the process of...
More#gmseasonofmoreFor this workshop we are going to focus on adding more depth into our art process. Whatever that means for you, take your time, in these crazy times, and go deep...
In the class I teach you how to draw faces from start to finish, but for this free lesson, I wanted to share a printable with y’all and demonstrate how you can use faces in your art journal. So I’ve created 4 different printable faces for you to use (whether or not you take the class!) in your work.
Botanicals in art journaling > Bonus BECOMING BOTANICAL BY COLLAGING FLORALS It's kind of obvious now that one of my muses in art journaling is all things botanical. I have a fun...
Focus#gmseasonoffocus[wpseo_breadcrumb]In this video I’ll be sharing a layered spread from start to finish in my handmade journal. These spreads used to intimidate me, but not any...
Focus#gmseasonoffocus[wpseo_breadcrumb]In this video, I’ll take you step by step through my process of creating a spread which combines all the elements of my work. I will show you...
This workshop gives you a run down of 5 simple things to strive to include in your journal pages to ensure you are filling them with meaning, purpose, story telling and emotion. How to successfully encapsulate the significance of a moment no matter how small it may be.
Belonging#gmseasonofbelongingTurn your monoprinted pages into lettering with Mou's technique.Transcript (this transcript is automatically generated and is sure to contain...
Belonging#gmseasonofbelongingIn this workshop, Mou walks you through the supplies she uses for monoprinting, and guides you through her process for creating a monoprinted...
Season#gmseasonoflessTaking everything we've learned in the first tutorial, we are now going to take the same colours and techniques and go large. When you open up an A3 sketchbook...
Season#gmseasonoflessIn the previous lesson, we explored our colour palette and mark making. Now we'll be bringing it all together. Action Steps pull everything together in a...
Season#gmseasonoflessIn this tutorial learn how to explore the full possible range of a limited colour palette, and experiment with mark making. In the next lesson, we'll pull it...
Reflection Reflection happens often for me, I define it as giving serious thought to something. That something usually involves a good measure of self-reflection too. For...
Welcome to the class!
Holly guides you through mindful art practice to go from unkind self words to positive affirmations.
Reflection The end of the year is a good time to reflect on the past year and our hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. This tutorial will show you how to combine written...
Reflection We’ll make a journal page reflecting on a dream we’ve had for this week’s Artist Date with Thea. This can be a recurring dream, a recent dream, or a daydream! Thea...
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...
Reflection In this tutorial, watercolor pens and a squirt bottle magically transform paper towels, as the process of appreciation changes your reflections about yourself....
We are going to start with a simple, but versatile stitch that will enable you to quickly start creating your own beautiful, handmade art journals.
Reflection Learn how to create a beautiful art journal with a quick and easy binding. The Japanese Ledger binding looks impressive but it’s very simple and can be made with an...
Reflection [wpseo_breadcrumb]Life Mind Maps are a fantastic way to reduce anxiety. They give a bird’s eye view of your life and helps you be objective. When you know exactly...
Reflection Learn how to create a beautiful art journal with a quick and easy binding. The Japanese Ledger binding looks impressive but it’s very simple and can be made with an...
During this hangout, Jenny shared a creative warm-up exercise that can be used for those busy days when it’s hard to fit art in.
The long stitch is a beautiful yet simple way to bind your signatures into a cover. You will be attaching the paper to the spine of your book. The width of the spine and its strength will determine how many signatures you can add into your book.
Habit Gilly guides us through the relaxing art of making a grid by colour, doodle, paint, collage or mixture of different things.Using a thick piece of paper or art journal we'll...
Habit This lesson will take you through a week long creative habit that I like to do in my own art practice. For 6 days, we will set ourselves up to create an artist trading card...
The Coptic stitch is an open spine binding. This means that you only need covers, not a book with a spine.
Habit Art as a habit is great! But creating lots of art also means you'll create some you're not happy with. With these ideas, transform old art into something new & beautiful!...
Documenting This Season was so FULL don’t you think? There is something about having two long months to really explore a subject and to get our creative juices flowing. Here is a look at...
This stitch is very decorative one and is at the top of our list for difficulty. Just like the Coptic stitch, it allows your journals to lie very flat. Because the open spine is so pretty to look at, I tend to bind thicker journals with this stitch.
Documenting In this lesson, you'll learn what junk journaling is and see examples of Meg's own junk journals. She'll show you how you can create your own floral inspired junk...
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...
This is the easiest way to bind leftover paper scraps into a great little booklet that is incredible versatile.
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...
Starting Tanyalee Kahler Tanyalee Kahler is an Australian mum turned artist. She loves creating mixed media art journals, dabbling with watercolours, publishing magazines...
Further bookbinding resources
Starting can be difficult. The way ahead is obscure, we are afraid of failing or of getting lost on our journey. So how can we set off boldly, how can we be daring? We must embody the Fool. The Fool is an archetype that allows us to take a leap of faith, to go ahead even if we are fearful. When we are able to look ahead with enthusiasm and energy and when we know that whatever lies ahead is part of our journey and will support us, we are embodying the Fool archetype. This allows us to feel free as well as (perhaps paradoxically) in control of our own destiny. That is when we are happy to start. We will use water soluble media to create an inspiration wave to encourage us to start. Let’s gather this wave of positive energy and let’s be intentional in finding the mantras that carry us forward and let’s take that leap! Let’s start in this creative journey together.
Starting Beautiful artist! Welcome to the Season of Starting. No matter what kind of starting you are doing, I'm excited for you. The first week of a season is dedicated to...
#getmessyrecipes acrylic paint in a bright or fluorescent colour black and white image or Xeroxed image (if you don't have one, you can download one of flowers...
#getmessyrecipes black and white image or pattern (e.g. music sheet, old book, handdrawn pattern, if you don't have this, print the ephemera below) tissue...
#getmessyrecipes a poem on paper - written by you, from a magazine, or you can use one scanned in from an old e e cummings book (just click below) image from a...
#getmessyrecipes /your gorgeous self pencil modeling paste acrylic paint stencil (if you'd prefer, you can download and print the background) brush pen (if...
#getmessyrecipes magazine image to use as the focal point pattern from a magazine to use as a background text from a magazine ledger paper (if you don't have,...
#getmessyrecipes dried tea bag typewriter or computer printer collage fodder - 2 pieces that mean something to you, 1 piece that you simply love, and 1 piece...
#getmessyrecipes paint your favourite paper old ledger paper or book paper (click here to print if you don't have your own - make sure to print on both sides)...
#getmessyrecipes two colours of paint in the same colour family pencil a dark or light colour paint paint in an opposing colour old credit card, gift card, or...
#getmessyrecipes four colours of paint - acrylic, gouache, watercolour, whatever acrylic ink or fluid acrylic paint marker stencil One Add small smears of...
#getmessyrecipes scraps of artwork, preferably matching scissors and glue brush pen or actual paint brush dipped into paint thread - either on a sewing machine...
#getmessyrecipes old book or book pages (if you don't have any, click here to download and print with a laser printer) gesso or white acrylic your favourite...
#getmessyrecipes collage papers tape - washi or masking tape glue acrylic paint watercolour, ink, or watered down acrylic a typewriter, computer, or magazine a...
Home [wpseo_breadcrumb]Char DeRouin Char is an artist, designer and maker whose work is abstract, intuitive and organic in style, with a no-rules approach. She is influenced by...
Connect with your deepest self in your journal, and discover a vantage point on the current crisis that offers meaning and hope.
Inspiration Who are you? First, to figure out what we want to create about in the future, let’s take a stroll through the past and visit some of the...
Inspiration Now that you have your muse, it’s time to dig into it! First, we’re all about creating here. So stop and make a page using your muse! You’re at a...
Inspiration Now that you have a better idea of all the smaller influences that have helped shaped who you are and what you are interested in, its time we find...
Inspiration How To Create a Muse Dictionary A 'Muse Dictionary' is simply a catalog of your muse and it's definitions, symbols, meanings, etc. It's a quick and...
Failure Art is the perfect imperfection. - Alvaro Castagnet If you joined this season hoping for ways to get over failure, or to learn how to prevent failure and...
Failure It's not about perfection. It's about the joy of striving. - Thomas Keller We're jumping head first into the Season of Failure with two extremes - a...
Failure To do better is better than to be perfect. - Toba Beta This lesson is all about the new. By directing our aim, by focusing on just one thing at a time, we dance naked in...
Failure Lesson by Emily Mulroney Emily is an artist. She’s also an explorer. Curious and open-minded, Emily enjoys exploring an array of creative pursuits and...
Failure We must understand that the drive for perfectionism is a corrosive waste of time. Because nothing is ever beyond criticism. ... At some point, you really...
Failure Comparing ourselves to others is one of the most debilitating ways we stop ourselves from creating. We create our own idea of perfectionism from others....
Failure [wpseo_breadcrumb]Action Steps go through the five steps again, and again Feeling like you're not good enough