- Katie Smith
Get Messy Thursday- A New Journal
This week marked the start of a new season in the Get Messy community! What season? This is the season of Introspection.
Get Messy Art Journal is an art journaling program that is a school, art playground and family. We are a group of like minded art journalers who have come together under this art form to learn, share, practice our skills and push past our creative limits with hopes to inspire. Our community values consistent creating, encouragement and suppport and trying new things. We would love to have you join us as a member of Get Messy Art Journal.
You can read more about why I love the Get Messy community here.
I have been hoarding this old atlas for a few months now. I found it at a thrift store and I love maps so it came home with me. A lot of us in the Get Messy community are altering books to use as journals for this season, So I decided it would be a great time to put my atlas to use.
It’s old and the spine needed reinforcing, so I took it apart and rebound it with some of it’s original maps but also watercolor papers and scrapbook papers.
My pages this week:
I created a cover page with vellum, so you can see the map underneath.
This world map! I couldn’t bear to cover it up, so I just left it alone. Maybe I’ll eventually add a quote to it.
For this next spread I got out my black gesso. I love white and color, but a black page is always good as well. I created a flap with this watercolored scrap of paper I had.
For this page I experimented with acrylic paint blots. I squirted paint onto one page and then closed the book to see what happens!
The girl is from my sketchbook, I made a copy of her to include here in my art journal.
As part of the new Get Messy season of Introspection, GMAJ started an instragram challenge for Get Messians and other artists alike, using the hashtag #TheImperfectArtist. I made this page inspired by that.
I had actually made this next page before deciding to work in the altered atlas. So it’s in a spiral bound journal.
She’s a self portrait, which I am usually so terrible at. I actually like this one although I’m still not convinced she looks like me.
I used my Tombow Dual Brush Pens to color her in.
So there we have it! I think I’m going to like this new season in my art journal.
Have you ever worked in an altered atlas or book?