the "together" art journal page

This “Together” art journal page was created with a little help from “Elegant Floral Designs,” by Dover.

       I designed a simple heart pattern, transfered it directly onto my original book page and then drew lines where I needed to cut with an Xacto blade. As you can see in the photo, I slipped another magazine beneath my page to give cushion for the blade. This was very important! If you don’t remember to do this you will have multiple slashing throughout the entire volume; xacto blades are sharp!

       I then cut along the lines in order to begin a paper weave. See how clean the cuts are? I have chosen to incorporate parts of the images on the original page into my design. This will not only be a lesson in paper weaving but also in the repetition of colors, lines, shapes and themes in order to create a cogent artwork.

A collection of papers I keep just for paper weaving.
 

I wove a paper heart directly into the page and glued down the edges as I went.

       Three entirely different surface treatments are pictured in this art journal page: a paper weave, applied lace, and Dover clip art cut and pasted into the arrangement.

I frequently combine paper and textile fiber in the same collage. I love the added textures.

       The tan parts of the design were colored with layered tissue papers and Mod Podge. I also drew directly onto the layered surfaces with black ink markers.

       A wedding photograph of my Aunt was also incorporated into the page. Wasn’t she lovely! The verse I included here is in the public domain. I only had room for the first and last stanzas. I will post it on the blog for those of you who would like to include it on your own journal pages.

       I love a sophisticated palette. The subtle variations of white and the formal black lines combine well with this vintage wedding theme.

The finished product. I submitted it to Dover for their 2012 contest. You can visit their pinterest files here and submit something yourself.

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