Another art journal page that starts with absolutely no plan. I just did it! I wanted to keep the blue paint imprint that was already on one of the pages but it went into a completely different direction. I didn't stop it, just kept following the feeling to see what would happen in the end. At so many different points I was thinking "What a MESS?!" and "What do I do with this now?"
The best question I kept asking myself was the last one "What can I do now?" Keep asking that and trying different things. I saw faces in the paint, but they were scary ones. So I decided to try and soften the colors a bit. I used yellow craft acrylic, which is not very solid, and that didn't work. I then try to use some gesso, but that also didn't really help much because that was also transparent.
I had to take a deep breath and grab the white paint, which I know is thicker than all that I have tried. I also had the fear that this might cover the whole thing and all my texture and beautiful raised colors would be wiped off... I then remembered that I can use sandpaper, I have plenty of that. And that was just what I did. I've never tried this technique before. Everyone else makes it all look so easy!
Anyway, so I did that, got over my fears and then... what next... I had no idea.... I put the page down for a few hours and kept looking at it from time to time. Every now and then I kept seeing some eyes, lips.... but mostly alien looking features :) And I didn't feel like getting into any discussions about Aliens!
I wanted to have more vibrant colors on the page, but that didn't look as if it was even a possibility, not for me anyway!
Take another deep breath and just go for it. I started outlining the faces I saw and making them more visible. I didn't want to use other colors than the initial ones I had used. I didn't know what else would happen, I had also been spending too much time in contemplating what to do, instead of just getting on with it!
I have to admit, that it was funny how, as soon as I got the courage to start outlining and painting the faces, that more faces kept popping out from the page!!! It was only scare when I asked myself "should I show this face?" Only when I decided to just get on with it and show it anyway, since it was already there, that I started having fun with it.
I made piece with all the white space on this page spread and I'm happy with all the lessons I learned from the process of making it :)
When was the last time you started something and kept doubting yourself half way, and then had a blast towards the end?
Supplies used:
- Gesso
- old book pages to protect other pages (better to use paper matching the same colour of your background)
- matt medium to glue down paper (better to use glue stick, cheaper and dries a lot faster)
- acrylic paint
- pencil, for outlining
- permanent markers
