How to Save an Ugly Art Journal Page

We've all been there right? A page starts out OK but then very quickly decends into pure ugliness. This happened to me recently when I picked out one of the worst colors in my paint repertoire and there was a lot of work to get it somewhere I was happy with.

just keep going

I think that the most important thing to remember when working through the ugly phase is to remember that it is just a phase and you can reach the other side. There are lots of ways to work through it and for this time around I relied on my old friend, gesso to dilute the color and push it back again before moving on.

start over again

Remember, this is just paper and paint, everything can be fixed. Either by adding layers of more paint on top or even by painting over completley with gesso and starting from scratch. This is YOUR journal page and you can do what you dang well please.

Don't forget to subscribe!

Please don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel if you haven't already. That way you can be sure to not miss any tutorials that are coming up this month and many more to come!

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You can sign up right now for my free online class, Play with Black!

Black is often a color which is overlooked when working with our mixed media projects. With so many other amazing colors available, it's easy to do.

Join me as we delve into the dark side of mixed media! Working with only a few supplies, let’s explore a variety of ways black and its values  can be used to create a gorgeous, layered art journal page.

more tutorials to enjoy

Get your fingers messy!

There is nothing I love more than messy, painty fingers. There's something about getting your hands right in there when creating and this art journal spread is the perfect mix of this!

Gesso gesso gesso

I use a lot of gesso in this journal spread but not just to prepare my pages for paint like you would expect. I use it as a white paint here for sections of the page and also to blend my sections together. Gesso is a great medium, so versatile!

scribble your thoughts

I love adding in snippets of journaling to my pages but it can be hard to share anything too personal online. So I like to make sure that I write things in a really messy and hard to read way. I can just about make it out but often it's just a feeling or whatever ever is going through my mind at the time of creation. Give it a try next time you're creating!

Don't forget to subscribe!

Please don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel if you haven't already. That way you can be sure to not miss any tutorials that are coming up this month and many more to come!

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You can sign up right now for my free online class, Play with Black!

Black is often a color which is overlooked when working with our mixed media projects. With so many other amazing colors available, it's easy to do.

Join me as we delve into the dark side of mixed media! Working with only a few supplies, let’s explore a variety of ways black and its values  can be used to create a gorgeous, layered art journal page.

Photocopies and Art Journals

Ah the humble photocopy. I don't think that there is an more overlooked and underrated mixed media art supply out there! There is just so much that you can do with them! Play with the toner levels and contrast, photocopy a photocopied coy (say that five times fast!) the possibilities are endless.

Copy Cat

I've taken the simpler route today in my altered book (have I already said how much I love this book??) and just copied a flower illustration to use in my spread. I fussy cut around the edges and then used masking tape to give it a bit of texture and to make it almost look like a pressed flower stuck into the book.

Mark it up

When I am putting down paint onto my journal spreads it may look like a totally random process but I promise it isn't. Well most of the time it isn't! I like to think of the colors that I am putting down as almost like a patchwork quilt. In the video you'll see I use these patches of paint to define where a particular color of mark or type of mark making is going to take place. This way there is always a kind of plan in place for when I come to the next layer.

Don't forget to subscribe!

Please don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel if you haven't already. That way you can be sure to not miss any tutorials that are coming up this month and many more to come!

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You can sign up right now for my free online class, Play with Black!

Black is often a color which is overlooked when working with our mixed media projects. With so many other amazing colors available, it's easy to do.

Join me as we delve into the dark side of mixed media! Working with only a few supplies, let’s explore a variety of ways black and its values  can be used to create a gorgeous, layered art journal page.

Creating with Digital Printables

I am so excited to create this tutorial for you because I am actually using my own supplies for a change! Creating my digital downloads has been a dream of mine for quite some time now and they are finally ready to send out into the world!

Grab your altered book journal!

I'm creating today inside my altered book journal and I have to say, it's fast turning into one of my favorite places to create in. Starting off with text already on the page means that you don't have to worry about breaking that pesky blank page.

Shop my supplies

I'm creating using my very own supplies here and they are available here in my Etsy Shop! Creating digital supplies means that you get access to them straight away, no stalking the post man! Plus you can print these supplies again and again and print them onto anything that will fit through your printer!

Don't forget to subscribe!

Please don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel if you haven't already. That way you can be sure to not miss any tutorials that are coming up this month and many more to come!

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You can sign up right now for my free online class, Play with Black!

Black is often a color which is overlooked when working with our mixed media projects. With so many other amazing colors available, it's easy to do.

Join me as we delve into the dark side of mixed media! Working with only a few supplies, let’s explore a variety of ways black and its values  can be used to create a gorgeous, layered art journal page.

Image Transfer with Packing Tape

In this tutorial I am going to be sharing how to do an image transfer with packing tape. Using image transfers can be a lot of fun in your art journals and mixed media projects and they are a great way to achieve an easy, no bulk, layer to your work.

Packing tape and spoon

The supplies for this tutorial are pretty small. You need your packing tape and you need a spoon. After that you just need a magazine image to work with for your transfer.

Layer it up baby

The packing tape has very little stick left in it once it has been soaking so you'll need to apply some extra glue to adhere it to your page. I'd recommend something like a glue stick (I used UHU) Wet glue can cause the tape to buckle.

Don't forget to subscribe!

Please don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel if you haven't already. That way you can be sure to not miss any tutorials that are coming up this month and many more to come!

---

You can sign up right now for my free online class, Play with Black!

Black is often a color which is overlooked when working with our mixed media projects. With so many other amazing colors available, it's easy to do.

Join me as we delve into the dark side of mixed media! Working with only a few supplies, let’s explore a variety of ways black and its values  can be used to create a gorgeous, layered art journal page.

Easy Embroidery Hoop Gift Tutorial

Welcome to my series of tutorials this month covering gift ideas that you can easily make and give away to your arty friends or even end up keeping for yourself.

Today I am sharing these simple and easy embroidery hoops that will make a perfect present for that special someone over the holidays. These would actually be perfect no matter what time of year!

paint with brushos 

I am using my Brusho powders from Colourcraft for this project. Using these powders to paint or color on fabric is one of my favorite techniques. These powders are super heavily pigmented and they just explode across your page or fabric when activated with water.You can substitute watercolor paints if you don't have Brusho's in your stash.

Embroidery is Fun!

I promise even the most beginner noob can manage at least the stamped embroidered hoop! If you are feeling adventurous or need some more instruction here is the link to the tutorial on Sublime Stitching covering French Knots. They really aren't as hard as you think so please give them a go!

Personalise, Personalise, Personalise!

The wonderful part about these little hoops is that you can completely personalise it for the person that you are making it for. Spend your time selecting the perfect dictionary definition to add in to make it extra special.

Don't forget to subscribe!

Please don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel if you haven't already. That way you can be sure to not miss any tutorials that are coming up this month and many more to come!

---

You can sign up right now for my free online class, Play with Black!

Black is often a color which is overlooked when working with our mixed media projects. With so many other amazing colors available, it's easy to do.

Join me as we delve into the dark side of mixed media! Working with only a few supplies, let’s explore a variety of ways black and its values  can be used to create a gorgeous, layered art journal page.

Make Your Own Custom Notebook Cover

Welcome to my series of tutorials this month covering gift ideas that you can easily make and give away to your arty friends or even end up keeping for yourself.

I picked up this little set of three notebooks for super cheap in Flying Tiger but I am sure you can find something similar very easily. Their sturdy kraft covers mean they are perfect for altering.

Full moon half moon

I could seriously make these inky moons all day everyday. It never gets old watching the ink move across the page on the water never fails to amaze me.

All tied up with string

These little notebooks are perfect to give away as a set wrapped up in a pretty little bundle. You could totally change the color of your moons to perhaps a pink or blue moon depending on your recipients color favorite.

Don't forget to subscribe!

Please don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel if you haven't already. That way you can be sure to not miss any tutorials that are coming up this month and many more to come!

---

You can sign up right now for my free online class, Play with Black!

Black is often a color which is overlooked when working with our mixed media projects. With so many other amazing colors available, it's easy to do.

Join me as we delve into the dark side of mixed media! Working with only a few supplies, let’s explore a variety of ways black and its values  can be used to create a gorgeous, layered art journal page.

Make Your Own Envelope Journal Part Two

Welcome to my series of tutorials this month covering gift ideas that you can easily make and give away to your arty friends or even end up keeping for yourself.

This is part two of making your own envelope journal, if you haven't already checked out part one make sure you do as this tutorial builds on the previous one.

Decorating Your Journal 

Now we have less exciting part of making our journal done we can get to the fun part of decorating it! I've used stencils and paint for the front part of my journal as well as some book text and printed gelli papers I had in my stash.

Personalise, Personalise, Personalise!

The wonderful part about this little journal is that you can completely personalise it for the person that you are making it for. Spend your time selecting little bits and pieces to add in to make it extra special.

Don't forget to subscribe!

Please don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel if you haven't already. That way you can be sure to not miss any tutorials that are coming up this month and many more to come!

---

You can sign up right now for my free online class, Play with Black!

Black is often a color which is overlooked when working with our mixed media projects. With so many other amazing colors available, it's easy to do.

Join me as we delve into the dark side of mixed media! Working with only a few supplies, let’s explore a variety of ways black and its values  can be used to create a gorgeous, layered art journal page.