Journaling, journals and class news!

Images by Land of nod studios

Well, I've got all sorts of bits and bobs to share with you today, so let me start by sharing very quick journal page I did in my mini Moleskine today. I only did this page because I was supposed to be doing something else but I am the queen of procrastination, and there was a blank page right in front of me that needed filling ;-)  I have also got some new paints which just so happened to fall into my shopping basket yesterday when I was at the paper Artsy stand at the Great Northern Papercraft Extravaganza yesterday, and it would have been rude not to try them out!

Saturday was preview Day at Art from the Heart which is always a fab day ... lots of people, great atmosphere, different mini-classes run by lovely tutors, and lots of cake! What more can you ask for?! Dyan is away doing all things Dylusional in USA so it was very strange to be doing preview day without her, but the show must go on!

Teaching a mini-class of just an hour ..... and this is what we were making..........

Me, and the very lovely (if a little mad) Kaz Hall

And while I was at AFTH I finally got my mitts on one of these, woohoo!! This is the journal that everyone is going to NEED, not want, but NEED. Mixed pages of manila cardstock and heavy white cardstock, so there is finally a journal which can take layers  and layers of acrylic paints, and is also happy to take ink sprays yay!

*New* Dylusions Journal available for order here.

All the latest classes have now gone live at AFTH so if you want to see them all, or book any classes have a look here. There are lots of different classes, in different styles with different tutors, offering a huge variety of things to make and do!

If you fancy taking a class with me over the next few months, here are the deets of my up and coming classes. Maybe I'll see you soon?

17th / 18th November: 

Art journaling weekend. The weekend will begin with a few techniques to experiment with some of the many ways of adding paints and inks to your pages to create vibrant and colourful backgrounds. Kate will offer advice on selecting colours, and there’ll be hints, tips and step-by-step instructions to create fabulous multi-layered backgrounds using inks, paints, stencils, pastels, crayons, gesso, charcoal and anything else we can think of!  We will experiment with stamped images and digital collage images to create focal points on the page. Kate will give you loads of ideas of how, what and where to journal on a page.
Bring your own journals, fill them with colour, and by the end of the weekend you’ll be raring to go on your own art journaling journey:

10th Nov: Make this quirky and colourful concertina journal, perfect for journaling on-the-go, using some of the fab new stamps by Pam Carriker, along with a few extras from Dina Wakley and Tim Holtz! Kate will show you how to make beautiful coloured pages using a combination of Dylusions ink sprays and Golden Fluid Acrylics, before stamping the images, and adding extra journaling pages. Complete the journal with a bit of random stitching, and a hand-dyed ribbon:

14th Nov: Christmas art journaling. There are some wonderful new Christmas Stamps and goodies around this year, from Dylusions and Stampotique, perfect for a bit of Christmas journaling. Kate will give you lots of ideas for funky and colourful Christmas journaling, perfect for your Christmas to-do lists, or your thank-you lists, or just a general rant about the stresses of the season of ‘joy and goodwill’:

21st Nov: Mono printing with gelatin is nothing new, but Gelli Arts have just made the process so much easier, quicker and better with their fantastic new Gel plate. This Gel printing plate is the latest ‘must have’ to be enthusiastically embraced by mixed media artists. Create multi-layered prints with ease in just minutes; experiment with wild and wacky colour combinations using Golden Fluid acrylics; make patterns with stencils and masks … the possibilities are endless. We’ll begin by playing and experimenting on pieces of card which can be cut up and used in smaller projects, and then we’ll move on to making backgrounds in journals:

12th Dec: Make a hand-made journal from scratch, packed with vibrant colour and full of different inky techniques, separated into monthly sections for you to journal throughout the year. Use Dylusions ink sprays, stencils, gesso and a variety of rubber stamps to create a journal bound with book rings, allowing for this journal to grow and grow! Add pockets and tags for extra journaling space, or just somewhere to stash a few precious photos. Finish with a bit of stitching, and a few Chit Chat words by Tim Holtz:

Byeee for now ....