Green

Getting back into the swing of working on my 365 Art Journal has been a challenge, and I recently went on a quest to find some new inspiration.  One source is the Facebook group “Art Journaling”.  I rarely post in this group, but I do love to look at the work of others and I often find inspiration or learn new techniques as a result of the posts there.  One in particular, talked about using layers upon layers and then stamping and painting on those layers some more.  It’s something I’m not very good at, so I thought I’d try it again.

This journal page is my very lame attempt at layering.  The topic for this page was "the color green", so I used various green paints and some of my favorite stencils.  One of the tips I picked up from a recent Tim Holtz video was to use his sponge applicators to dab the paint through the stencil.  I was really pleased that this went very well, and was actually an easier and “cleaner” way to apply a stenciled design.  The only stencil that gave me any trouble was the honeycomb – the dividing lines between the little hexagons are so thin that the paint just goes right under it. 

I used four different stencils, three different colors of green paint, and at least six different colors of Tim Holtz distress inks.  I layered the two lighter paints first, drying between each layer, before applying some ink through a stencil to get the tree branch and bird cages.  I used the same sponge applicator to sponge on the colored ink in different areas, and then I came back with the dark green and honey comb over the top.

I had to stop there.  I know a lot of artists keep going, adding layer after layer until they get that fabulous “art journal” look, but my layering always stops short of that because I’m never really sure what comes next.  I think this page is fine the way it is, but I wonder what would take it to the next level.  What do you think?