Key to Your Soul Art Journal Page by Barbara Rankin

Hi everyone!  Today I'll be working in my art journal, and using Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts chipboard to add dimension without lots of bulk.  If you've ever wondered how to get some added dimension in your art journal, consider chipboard.  It is perfect for items like art journals and greeting cards, mini albums with thin spines, and of course, your mixed media canvas pieces.

I want to warn you that this post has lots of photos, but I believe a picture is worth a thousand words, so I hope it will be more helpful than a hinderance.

I started out with my 6"x9" Dylusions art journal and gave the pages a coat of Old Paper Distress Crackle Paint I had in my stash.  You can, of course, use regular crackle paste and color it with paint or just leave it natural.

Spread Modeling Paste through Pixels stencil with a spatula.  Let dry or use heat tool to speed drying time.

While the paste is drying, use gesso to prime chipboard pieces chosen from the Mixed Media Fragments 2 chipboard collection.  I cut some  pieces apart to piece together in the background.

Use small stamps or portions of larger stamps to make some texture on the Fragments with black archival ink.  This will not only add interest but also a bit of texture to the pieces.

Spray background with Color Bloom Glistening Waves, leaving some areas white.

Spray background with Color Bloom Lime Wedge.  Let dry.

Spray background with Color Bloom Tea Stain.  Let dry.

Spray background with Tattered Angels Frosty Nights.  Let dry.

Spray background with Color Bloom Iris.  Let dry.

Stamp damask background stamp with black archival ink.  Stamp off once before stamping onto page for a lighter image.

Prime two keys and two plates with black gesso and let dry.

Computer generate your phrase onto inexpensive printer paper and and spray it with a fixative to keep the inkjet ink from bleeding when we add more color.

Cut the phrase apart, then glue them to a piece of chipboard.  You can use cereal box chipboard from your kitchen, or you could glue several layers of cardstock together to get the added height.

Glue Fragments, Keys & Plates, and phrase pieces to journal pages, as shown.  I weighted them down while they dried.

Use a spatula or brush to spread some regular gel matte medium randomly over the background, concentrating around the fragments pieces, and then sprinkle on texture pebbles, filling in any open areas with the smaller texture sand.  Let dry,

Spray both pages the same as before.  It is really neat to see how the different pieces will take on the colors differently.  I started with the TA Frosty Nights, then CB Glistening Waves, CB Iris, CB Lime Wedge, and finally CB Tea Stain.  I dried each color layer before spraying the next color.

Next, I dry brushed Vintage Gold Metallique wax over some of the high spots on the page.

Then I added a small amount of Brushed Iron Metallique wax over the black gessoed chipboard pieces.  Next, I added the Bronze Age over them, and applied  it to the edge of the pages with my finger.

One last blast randomly with the CB Glistening Waves, and let dry.

The addition of all the sprays lightened the printed words, so I used a black Sharpie pen to go over the letters in the phrase.  It was easy and best of all, it made it look like it was hand-written rather than computer-generated.

I used a Pitt Black big brush pen to add some shading beneath some of the pieces to add dimension.

Next, I made splatters over the background by making a wash of white gesso + water and a fan brush.

I made dots with a bronze pearl paint pen to resemble brads or nail heads in the key plate holes.

Next, I added more Vintage Gold wax over the high spots.  They had gotten covered up some by the sprays, but that is why mixed media is so fun.  You can just keep adding layers and layers of the same stuff until you like the end result.  I also edged the pages with Black Soot distress ink and a blending tool.

And now, I have some close-ups of portions of the pages for you. 

Supplies Used:

GSL Mixed Media Fragments 2
GSL Keys & Plates Shape Set
White Gesso (Liquitex)
Black Gesso (Liquitex)
DecoArt Media Modeling Paste
Stencil Girl S509 Pixels Stencil (6x6)
Distress Crackle Paint (Old Paper) (or substitute any crackle paint)
Black Soot Distress Ink
Blending Tool
Dylusion 6"x9" art journal
Prima Color Bloom Spray Mists
  Glistening Waves
  Lime Wedge
  Tea Stain
  Iris
Prima Metallique Wax
  Vintage Gold
  Brushed Iron
  Bronze Age
  Mystic Turqouise
Tattered Angels Mists
  Frosty Nights
Viva Decor Bronze Pearl Paint Pen
Art-C 26885 San Serif Alphabets stamps & stencil set
Archival Black ink pad
Fast Grab Tacky Glue (Aleene's)
Golden Regular Gel (Matte)
Krylon Workable Fixatif
Black Sharpie pen
Pitt Black Big Brush Pen (Faber-Castell)

I hope you enjoyed today's project tutorial and maybe I've inspired you to get working on your art journal or other projects.  Art journaling is fun!  

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a fun and crafty day!

Hugs,
Barbara