Well it feels like so long since I have posted anything to my blog that I have been enthusiastic about. I have been struggling with a few things over the last 6 months, and it has resulted in a complete lack of desire to complete anything in regards to paper crafting/artiness.
I have found some comfort in my old favourites of crochet and knitting, but have not posted any pictures of completed projects - this is something I must catch up on and share.
Those of you who have been still visiting every now and then may have noticed the calendar pages I have been working on this year - this is one of my favourites, as was this one.
I really want to try my hand at art journalling, and to this end, my hubby purchased me a Moleskin art journal, but time has been against me in commencing work in it (also the horrible thought that I don't want to muck up the FIRST page, so therefore I am putting off starting the first page......I think I have identified a small issue here... don't you?....)
But something that has caught my eye recently, is art journalling in an old book - art journalling over a text background. I was lucky enough to pick up a book from my local library that they had in a 'give-away' section. It had a hard cover (just what I wanted), wasn't too big to work in (not so daunting), and the pages were a little thicker than normal books (perfect, I'd say).
And so, this led me to what to do in it. Well after a couple of weeks of thinking it over, I've decided to explore 'abstract nouns' in my book-art journal. For those of you thinking - "what is an abstract noun?" - I will share.... The Free Dictionary lists a noun as...
noun (noun) n. Abbr. n.1. The part of speech that is used to name a person, place, thing, quality, or action
An abstract noun is listed as...
abstract noun n. A noun that denotes an abstract or intangible concept, such as envy or joy.
I'm not sure how frequently I will be able to post my art journal entries - I'd like to think weekly, or fortnightly, but I am all to aware that things come up and tend to get in the way. So, I'll try. I started last Thursday with "artistry"...

You can see if you look closely this is the contents page. And here is a closer look at some of the layers of book page, ink, journalling and paint.
I do think I will be using alternate pages, because I've decided not to gesso every page, so I can achieve different looks with different mediums. As a result, there is bound to be some leaking to the reverse sides of the pages. Case in point....
I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. Looking forward to the next one. I used mainly Dylusions spray inks on this page, but I will put a list of supplies underneath if you are interested.
Thanks for stopping by and reading through if you made it to the end ;)
Fiona
x
Supplies Used:
The Crafters Workshop - Mini Chicken Wire Stencil
Distress Ink - Ripe Persimmon
Dylusions Inks - Lemon Zest, Fresh Lime, Cut Grass, Vibrant Turquoise, Pure Sunshine
Gesso
Black acrylic paint
Faber Castell pitt pen - black
Uniball Signo white pen
Date Stamp
Stamps Used:
Paperbag Studios - Journal impressions; dots
Darkroom Door - Artist; Alphabet Medley
Stampers Anonymous - Stuff to Say