PEP tangles - my Zentangle Inspired Art blog

Friday 24 January 2014

Art Journalling & Acrylics Work in Progress

Many months ago (June last year) I enrolled in a Mini Online Workshop run by Valerie Sjodin focussing upon Embellishing Edges & Fitting Text into Shapes; this was a 'taster' for her series of online workshops, the first 3 of which were launched at the end of December 2013. Valerie introduces these on her blog HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE

As I've neither used acrylics nor done any art journalling before I was rather intimidated by the 16 page size of the journal Valerie suggested making. So, I decided to work round that by creating a smaller journal from a sheet of 10 x 7 inch watercolour paper. For copyright reasons I'm not detailing Valerie's techniques or materials information.

fold over format open prior to completing internal pen work
flap closed
flap open
internal pen work
the outside with both flaps extended & lying flat

I was thinking about the kind of home I'm hoping for when we sell our house & was struck by how Gertrude Jekyll writing of the house she commissioned Edwin Lutyens to build for her reflects my own hopes for a Victorian or Edwardian property retaining some of the original period features. So, that formed part of my design together with references to the Celtic & Anglo-Saxon art I find not only delights but provides me with inspiration for drawing (the internal pattern is somewhat in the manner of a carpet page). "THE ART OF CREATION" wording has a double meaning: firstly, my belief that Creation is God's artwork; & secondly that artwork is an act of creation/creating.

Quite frankly I was astonished at what I was able to draw & how it flowed from looking at the centuries old artwork that I find thrills me. I've not thought of myself as an art journaller but this freedom to draw & create with colours using patterns that suggest themselves is something quite new to me.  I'm not a planner - I have to start & then the pen & my mind will start providing suggestions.

In my next post I'll show some of my experimenting with acrylic colours ………….

Wednesday 1 January 2014

New Year Tangles

Firstly, Happy New Year to everyone.

Favourite Tangles on my PEP tangles blog.