"Light" - an Art Journal Page

Hello crafters! 'Twas the day after Christmas and...as much as I enjoyed all the Christmas crafting, it felt good to get back to basics a bit! I haven't done any art journaling in ages and along with my Bible journaling, I want to start taking the time to create at least a page a month. I found a verse I really liked on Facebook and it inspired me to put this page together:

I started by tearing a piece of Inkido paper to fit the page in my art journal; I roughed up the edges a bit and added a few extra tears.

I sprayed with yellow Ayeeda mist; the paper buckled a bit when it was wet but flattened as it dried. If your page doesn't flatten you can either put it under something heavy for a bit or run a hot dry iron over it.

I placed my frame where I wanted it then marked where my journaling would go. I can't print straight so I drew light pencil lines, one for each line of writing.Be sure to use a pen that won't smudge when you erase your pencil lines (test on a scrap if you're not sure).

I painted the chipboard pieces with yellow acrylic paint, then dabbed a paper towel in white paint and randomly patted it on when the yellow was dry. I set them aside to dry and moved back to the journal page.

I stenciled with texture paste, putting the starburst pattern where my light bulbs were going to go, and added the other designs randomly for interest. I used homemade texture paste made with baby powder, white glue, and acrylic paint, but the commercial pastes are great as well-just make sure it's fairly thick to get clean lines and no bleeding under your stencil. Some people don't mind a less crisp look, but I confess I freak out a bit if my stenciling isn't at least pretty crisp and clean!

While the texture paste dried, I heat embossed the chipboard pieces with clear embossing powder; it brightened the colours and added a nice sheen. For a perfectly smooth finish I usually do two coats, but I liked the irregular and slightly bumpy effect of the single coat on these pieces.

I attached yellow vellum to the backs of the light bulbs for a semi-transparent look and placed them over the starburst rays. One of the bulbs had a cord on it which I cut off so they would both be the same; the chain stickers were perfect and have been in my stash for ages!

I used the hot glue gun to attach the frame and light-bulbs. The ladies were cut from a 7 Gypsies paper and popped up with foam tape.

This was fun to put together; I love adding meaningful pages to my art journal and playing around with techniques and products. It's a great way to express yourself and get a little messy-thanks so much for stopping by, and I wish you a happy, creative and colourful New Year!

GYPSY SOUL LASER CUTS ITEMS USED

Scribbled Frames and Lines

Steampunk Lightbulb Set

OTHER ITEMS USED

DecoArt acrylic paints

Inkido and 7Gypsies papers 

Ayeeda mist

clear embossing powder and Versamark ink

Prima and Crafter's Workshop stencils