timeworn beauty

in my art journal

Hello beautiful creative,

Today I have a brand new, super sweet art journal page to share with you!

There are so many ways to start an art journal page (and I share plenty of them in The Artist & the Journal!). This one began with some paint left-overs (one of my go-to ways to get rid of the scary blank page) but I had no idea what it was going to be about until I started looking through my stash of cut-out words and phrases from magazines. I found this one that said “I’m drawn to anything beautiful with a story.” This is so true for me! And the whole page unfolded from there.

Timeworn Beauty art journal page by Laly Mille

Then I kept looking and pretty soon found the words “timeworn” and “beauty”. What a perfect match! I glued the words to the page and started to add more layers of collage. I also journaled on the page, asking myself why I have this love of nostalgia.

I’m not someone who likes to dwell much on the past, yet something in me feels a strong pull towards timeless stories, fairytales, old homes, weathered textures… All of which often show up in my art in various forms: from my color choices to the use of vintage materials like old book pages and prints, wallpaper, lace… You will find them all in the many layers of this page!

The page stayed open on my table for a week or two, and at the same time we were putting our beautiful old home on the market (we’re downsizing and moving back closer to the city), so I guess vintage beauty was pretty much on my mind… including fixing its not-so-pretty flaws to get ready for viewings!

Our next house is a lot more recent and doesn’t have any of that old-time charm, but it’s right by a little wood, surrounded with nature, and I know this is going to inspire me so much too. Plus, I have plenty of pretty vintage finds that I know will find their way into our new home.

For a while, the page was pretty much just an abstract mixed media background, very neutral and not that exciting, with some journaling, the magazines words and a gap in-between. Then one evening before going to bed, I started doodling this dainty little tea cup that reminds me of tea-time at my grandma’s. I personally prefer using a big mug that warms my hands, but it was always a treat to have tea in her pretty china. I guess it’s memories like that that make me love “timeworn beauty”.

Once the teacup was roughly sketched on the page, it made me so happy and I started adding plenty of color and whimsical details. For instance the polka dots on the cup inspired the round “bubbles” that float over the tea, maybe symbolizing its fragrance as well as sweet memories.

I had some bright new paint markers that I wanted to try, and I played with my trusted Neocolor II water-soluble pastels and alcohol inks. All these pops of color really made the page come alive!

Something else that makes me happy, is that this page filled a gap in my art journal. I don’t do my pages in order and I often have unfinished pages that sit in the middle of the finished ones. I still have a few spreads to go before I complete this journal (my third one), but at least it’s now 3/4 complete.

Having this big chunk of the journal finished feels so good and motivates me to keep going! I can hardly wait to hold the finished book in my hands. To me it’s one of the best feelings in the world, so satisfying and exciting!! And of course when it’s done, I’ll share another flip through video (you can find the first two HERE).

I hope this page inspired you and I’d love for you to leave a comment for me, and tell me what YOU’ve created recently?