creative

starting points

Hello lovely artist!

Do you know the fear of the blank page, or the blank canvas? That’s where creative starting points come into play! I haven't been making a lot of art this week, except for gardening and rearranging furniture (which definitely counts as art to me), but I've still taken a few moments of creative play and I'm excited because my art journal officially no longer has any blank pages! I still have four spreads left to go before I can call this journal complete, but now at least they all have a "starting point": just a few random layers really, but I find that it helps me so much.

For instance on the page above, I simply had fun scribbling with water-soluble crayons in a variety of peachy pink tones, which I love, then smudged it all with matte medium. It's one of my favorite techniques because it activates the pigment and seals it in place at the same time, so fun! I've no idea what I will create on top, but I bet it will turn out to be an uplifting, happy page.

This other one, below, simply has a few layers of left-over paint in light neutral tones, and on a whim I simply pressed a piece of bubble wrap into the fresh layers. It took me less than five minutes, but these were fun and relaxing, so they definitely count as creative self-care (which I talk about in my previous blog post). Not only did it feel good, but it also helped not waste any paint, and just like that I have a whole spread ready to go!

This third one, below, is the very last spread of my journal, how exciting!! It’s done with just one book page and a left-over scrap from a magazine, which I used as image transfer. I like to call these my "not so blank" pages (or canvases for that matter), because I could literally create anything on top: a floral, a landscape, an abstract, a collage...

Most of these layers will get covered up eventually, but what matters is that they get me moving. And sometimes it helps even more to create a truly ugly mess, because it motivates me even more to cover it up with something beautiful!

Creating these kinds of "starting points" has been such a game-changer in my painting and art journaling practice. It's a great way to warm up and get playful. And above all, it helps me overcome resistance and procrastination, and actually make some art!

I share 10 favorite ways to get rid of the blank page in The Artist & the Journal, together with many more  fun techniques! This is my main art journaling class where I share absolutely everything I know about this wonderful creative practice. I used to open registration only twice a year, but by popular demand, it’s now available all year long so you can jump in any time. Click below to find out more.:

Below are plenty of before / after examples of first layers and finished pages from my art journals. I hope they give you plenty of ideas to get your own pages started! Sometimes I start with left-over paint, other times it’s writing or collage… For some of them, it's amazing to see how much the page has evolved, and for others you almost feel like all the elements are there, right from this early stage.

Whatever the starting point, I know that when that first layer is down, the page is already turning into art, and I know it will surely take me on a unique and beautiful journey. It won’t always be easy and some pages will take longer than others to complete, but it’s the very first step that matters the most.

A magical adventure through art journaling and mixed media painting. Build your personal art journaling practice, grow your wings and take the leap from the page to the canvas!

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