Art Journal Journey

 It never fails to intrigue me how we can be so unaware of something and when it finally comes into your awareness you wonder where it's been your whole life. I've always been a writer and I've always loved blogging and journalling both art and written but it wasn't until Effy's blog-along that I got back into blogging and now I don't ever want to stop. Thanks to Elle and her awesome blog Empire of the Cat, I have now discovered Art Journal Journey! They have a theme each month as a prompt for art journalling. Elle is the one who is hosting this month's theme, which is "Language". What a great theme! There is so, so much that can be done with such a theme.

This is my first time participating and I wasn't quite sure where I was going to go with the theme this month so as is my way, I just began by putting down some colours.

But I wasn't happy with how muddy and dark they came out, which is ok because I love layers and it's a good base for all the layers to come. So I gessoed over the top of it.

I have this old book in a foreign and beautiful language that I have been using to collage with over the years (I believe it is Indian) and I thought well, what better prompt to use it with than this one, amIright?

Now I needed more colour though. As I definitely didn't want the darkness of the first layer I thought I'd pull out my Faber Castell Gelatos. I don't use them very often because they feel almost sacred to me. They are so lovely to use because they are so soft and creamy and bright and beautiful. I truly do love them so I use them with reverence and not very often because I just never want them to run out!

Much better with the pretty colours! Then I used one of my most favourite stamps to use, my script stamp, because **language** and it looks like an old love letter written to someone's lost love. As is my way I then gessoed lightly over the top. I'm not sure what it is but I love a light gesso to top things off. 

As is also my way, I prefer to have a dark border around the entire piece of my journal spreads. I used Caran d'ache neocolor II dark blue for this one. Normally I go for the black but for some reason the blue called to me today and I always, always just follow the call whatever it is. With that the background was done. I have a quote prepared, because again, I pretty much always put some kind of quote on my spreads. It's just what I like doing. I think after all these years of learning techniques from my art ancestors I have found my thing that I love to do best. Faces or figures with quotes. So even when I do not intend to do so, my journal pages almost always end up this way. As I often do when I do not know what to do next, I just sit with the page and look at it and then, more often than not, I see the outline of a face, even where the mouth and nose and eyes go. Sometimes, it feels like magic. It just appears and I have to quickly reach for something to place down the lines.

I originally reached for a pencil but then all of a sudden I knew to use the same neocolor II crayon for the outline as I used for the border and there she was. This style keeps showing up on my pages lately. I have done journal cover after journal cover in a similar style. Maybe I will grow out of it one day but for now I've been deeply loving this. I think originally I wasn't even sure I'd put a face on the page (laughs at the naivety) and then when I decided I would, I was envisioning it filled in but then she showed up and I realised I love her just the way she showed up - an analogy for life perhaps? To love what shows up exactly as they show up. So I knew this was exactly where I was going to leave her. It then became time for the quote.

I did the words on a separate piece of paper and cut them out. I don't normally do that but for this one, I felt it might be easier to fit it all on the page. What a wonderful journey I went on in the land of language. Thank you Elle :)