Showing posts with label Art Journaling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art Journaling. Show all posts

Friday, April 4, 2014

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.

Related Articles:

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

the "warhol" art journal page


       These art journal pages were obviously inspired by Andy Warhol. Can you guess what they are made from? Vinyl. The flowers come from a recycled old shower curtain. These were stitched into the book of course, no glue would properly hold them. On the right page, I included a pocket for mementos and letters.


A close-up of the loud, splashy design. I made no attempt to conceal the stitching. 

       
       My art journal sampler is getting loaded. Soon I will need to paint on my sample pages only. I like to work with a variety of textures, however, so that my students can learn that the sky is the limit in the manipulation of materials. “Upcycling” is the key to creating unique art journals.

Related Articles:
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

the "may basket" art journal page


The “May Basket” page from my art journal is sewn from cast-off lace mounted onto red fabric. The lower half of the basket was a sleeve from an old gown and the handle is made from gathered lace. The lace flowers came from a tattered doily of some kind. The verse is by Longfellow,
Maiden, that read this simple rhyme,
Enjoy thy youth, it will not stay;
Enjoy they fragrance of they prime,
For O! it is not always May!
I thought the rhyme appropriate given the condition of the lace. May baskets bring to mind old childhood memories. My little girlfriends and I would hang bundles of freshly picked wild flowers from the door knobs of our neighbors, then we’d ring each door bell and run to hide before it was answered. The older Residents always looked so surprised as they would exclaim loudly, “I wonder who gave me such beautiful flowers!” knowing full well tiny imps were hiding in the bushes giggling softly.


Related Articles:
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

selecting and preparing an art journal


A selection of store bought journals from my oldest daughter’s stash.
How to Choose And Prepare An Art Journal
  1. Old books make great altered journals but select these carefully, some are quite valuable. Research a books’ value by surfing the web a bit. If you take a valuable book to a dealer for an opinion, he or she may not give you an ‘accurate’ point of view. This is because if you should decide to sell it to them, they want to get it for as little possible. This will allow them to sell it for a greater profit. I took an antique book in once to ask a dealer about it’s market value. He told me that he wouldn’t give me more than five bucks for it. So, I kept it. However, I discovered later from an English bookseller that it was worth approximately 100 pounds! It’s a good thing that I didn’t use it in an art project.
  2. Bindings on old books should have stitched signatures because these will withstand rough handling without falling out.
  3. Choose an old book that has no mold if you can help it. Mold, if not killed, will just keep on growing and growing and growing.
  4. Interesting pictures or photographs inside of an old book can either add to or detract from your own art work.
  5. Old smelly books just keep on smellin’ bad, don’t use these.
  6. If your old book has yellowed pages this means that there is a high acid content in the paper and possibly the inks as well. These pages will eventually fall apart. Even if you Gesso them or reinforce the pages with glue, eventually they will crumble into dust. A less valuable, contemporary, hard cover book with sewn pages is really a superior canvas to work with.
  7. Don’t forget to consider how you will alter the cover of the book as well. Some covers are easier to alter in particular ways than others.
  8. You may wish to simply purchase a blank journal with or without lined pages. These are very affordable and some come with covers that are quite decorative.
  9. I prefer to either start a journal without lined pages or to use a book that has specific images on it’s pages but don’t feel guilty about your preferences. Journaling is personal and every artist has their own way of interpreting the quality of a ‘blank canvas’ so to speak.
  10. You may wish to select a particular type of book for it’s original written content as well. Your journal project may in fact include the original text or the text’s meaning to lend to it an overall quality.
  11. If you select a large book and add heavy layers to the pages, the pages may tear. So if you plan to add a significant amount of ‘stuff’ to the pages, choose pages that are heavy and durable to begin with.
  12. Think about gluing some pages together for strength and also about removing some pages to make room for new content.
  13. If you intend to carve the pages of your book, use old phone books for the task. These pages are easily manipulated in paper carving.
  14. If you intend to emboss your pages, choose heavy weight pages without a glossy finish.
  15. If you intend to cut elaborate designs with an xacto knife, choose a resilient pages with a glossy finish or acid free paper pages.
  16. If you intend to fill your art journal with keepsakes or precious drawings I recommend that you purchase a blank journal with acid free pages.
  17. Pages from a book should be prepared with an acrylic sealer if you intend to paint these with oil paints!
  18. Ink can bleed into watercolors, acrylics or oil paints depending upon the chemical nature of the materials used to make the original book.
  19. Some glue does attract mice, crickets and other insects. If you must store an art journal that is valuable, store it in an airtight container/tin container that can not be gnawed through.
  20. Attach hangers securely to your altered book prior to working with it, if you intend to display the book on the wall.
  21. If you are working with wet materials on the pages, give each alteration plenty of time to dry before continuing to the next alteration. Books can and do warp when they are altered. Allow for plenty of drying time and you may be able to prevent some warping.
  22. Press dry pages by stacking heavier books on top of your altered book over night.
  23. Use spray fixative to bond pencil, chalks or pastel drawings to your art journal pages. The odor fades in time and your work will be better preserved.
  24. You can use a soft pink eraser to remove excess dirt from an old book.
  25. Leaving a book with exposed moldy pages in the bright sunshine for a day or two will kill some very common mold spores. However, you will still see the mold on the pages if you do not cover it up with something else.
  26. Using a copyrighted book for a personal art project is not illegal, nor is photographing your altered pages and posting these within the context of an article. Copyrights for books are breached when work is republished in it’s original state by someone who does not own it or when similar derivative works are published without giving appropriate notice or payment due to the original owner. Neither of these copyright laws are applicable to artworks made with actual books used as raw materials. Books of any age or publication may be used as raw material in an artwork if the book is being treated as an object of interest, not as a republished text. This is why, for example, film makers may use any books they like as objects on a set or why photographers may take pictures of books without being penalized. In both instances, those who use the books alter them far less than a typical collage artist does. I have included this information because there are many people on the internet who do not have a clear understanding of copyright law.
  27. There are also teachers who are misled about their own use of copyright from books as well. Although teachers may use information from books within the context of a classroom without fear, this does not include republishing that same information on the web. In other words, just because you are a teacher in a classroom, this doesn’t give you the right to republish somebody’s work “carte blanche” via the internet as actual text unless it is in the public domain or is used as a quote. In either case, teachers are allowed to photograph books and post these photographs inside of articles about the books or other content. Those quotes I use on this blog fall inside of what is considered to be legal use. Poetry that I give to students to include in their art journals is always in the public domain.
  28. The conservative use of one artist’s artworks within the context of a cut and paste collage is also legal if those images are cut and pasted from original product that is sold to the masses. In other words, anyone may purchase wrapping paper, cut and paste with it onto a collage without asking for permission to do so from the designer. The same almost always is true of magazines and books as well, if you are first purchasing the product in order to do so. The circumstances change, however, when you photocopy a copyrighted image that is under copyright and that has not been deliberately distributed as product in the first place. Then you must get permission to copy it and paste it from the artist. Now there are exceptions to the rule. If the image comes from a web file where the artists have given permission in advance for artistic, private use, then you are free to use the work in collage. How do I remember all of this? Well, did you pay for a product in the first place? If you did, then you can certainly dismantle it for a one-of-a-kind art journal. Just don’t misrepresent the pictures as your own actual photographs or try to profit from them as newly published product, capiche?
I selected this old fairy tale book for an altered 
quote/art journal. I like the humorous illustrations; 
I feel these will lend themselves to very silly quotes.
The edges of the book are covered with mold.
 I will need to clean this off before I begin to use it.
I have removed many of the pages to 
make room for new artistic additions.
I left the pages with funny illustrations in my book. 
I will include these within my design.
It is easy to see where I have begun to remove pages 
from each signature in an alternative art journal.

Resolve general problems with an old book before you begin to alter it by:
 More Articles About Art Journaling:
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

assigning art journals to art students

The inside front cover of my “Art At The Museum” journal. The pocket on the left contains art history games I learned while taking a course at the St. Louis Art Museum for k-12 art certification.
      An excellent art journal reflects the personality and intimate experiences of it’s creator. My journals are about topics that I am interested in either exploring or sharing with others. These interests do not always appeal to the young however.
      I believe it is necessary for art teachers to keep assignments in the classroom current and challenging. Art activities are often influenced by trends but to produce work for this reason alone is not necessarily sound judgement. Fortunately, I discovered many years ago that educators can easily produce popular academic assignments for their students with just a bit of tenacity and a large portion of study.
      This summer I will be working on an art journal that I intend to use as a sampler in my future classroom. This is one of the many ‘perks’ of my teaching profession. In order for me to teach a project well, I must produce it myself. The sampler, I feel, should reflect diversity in both methods and topics in order for it’s contents to inspire so many different personalities inside an art classroom.
      I’ve posted here a brief listing of those pages that I’m considering for an art journal assignment in order for student industry/study to measure up to state and national academic standards. Apart from these required pages, my students should also be expected to include several of their own page ideas.

One of 50 some odd pages dedicated to lesson plan ideas from my
 “Art At The Museum Journal.” This page was dedicated
to a chair design project.

10 Broad Ideas for Art Journal Page Assignments:
  1. Include an illustrated poem on a page. The poem should either be written by you or be in the public domain. The poem should be about art and a work of art.
  2. Observe a behavior assigned in class and journal a reflection based upon your thoughts concerning the behavior.
  3. Watch and assigned video and create an artistic response to the video. Then record your response on a page in your journal.
  4. Read an assigned article and articulate a response to it on a journal page.
  5. Work with one or two other people in the classroom to create a collaborative work and then include a piece of it on a journal page.
  6. Reflect upon a visit to a museum, art fair, open art studio event or gallery exhibit as a journal entry. Include a couple of photographs depicting the event and yourself in the same photo as proof of your attendance there.
  7. Include a page inspired by your own genealogy.
  8. Include a page inspired by your own cultural heritage.
  9. Include a page using paper pop-up technology.
  10. Create a thematic page based upon the artistic technique of your favorite painter.
More Articles for Art Teachers:
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

“true vision, authentic art journaling” by l. k. ludwig

cover of "True Vision, Authentic Art Journaling"
      I purchased “True Vision, Authentic Art Journaling,” by L. K. Ludwig to use in my art classrooms. It is full of project ideas, journal prompts and  techniques that high school art teachers will find very useful. She writes about many inspirational artists. I will link to a few of their studios below for those of you who would like to expand their research in the development of lesson plans. Ludwig’s book does most of the work for art educators who need lesson plans about art journaling. She explains the hows and whys of art journaling in a very informative and entertaining way. I have many books about the “book arts” in my personal library but this is the one that I would recommend to my fellow art teachers.

Artists Known for Art Journaling:
  1. L. K. Ludwig’s “The Poetic Eye.“
  2. Joe Ludwig
  3. Katie Kendrick “Joyously Becoming“
  4. Brenda Beene Shakleford “between assignments“
  5. Bridgette Guerzon Mills “bridgette g mills“
  6. Liz Lamoreux “be present, be here“
  7. Carol Parks “CarolParks.com“
  8. Corey Moortgat’s blog “Corey Moortgat – Collage Artist“
  9. Juliana Coles “Me and Pete“
  10. Karen Michel “Mixed Media Art & Musings“
  11. Tricia Scott “Tricia Scott“
  12. Amy Hanna “Amy Hanna“
  13. Melanie Sage at Pinterest
  14. Sarah Fishburn “Sarah Fishburn“
  15. Melanie Komisarski
  16. Elizabeth Bunsen “Be…Dream…Play…“
  17. Nikki Blackwood “Moon Pie Daze“
  18. Loretta Marvel “pomegranatesandpaper“
  19. Kelly Rae Robert’s “Kelly Rae Roberts“
  20. Sandra Hardee
  21. Carla Sonheim “Snowball Journals“
  22. Leighanna Light “LeiGHaNNa LiGhT ThingG MaKEr“
  23. Traci Bunker “Welcome to My World“
  24. Tina Abbott
  25. Syd McCutcheon “Sheep floozy“
  26. Lyn Huskamp “The Red Door Studio“
  27. Bee Shay “Heart 2 Hand“
  28. Ruth Fiege “Sk3tchbook!“
  29. Mary Anne Moss “two dresses studio“
  30. Shirley Ende-Saxe “In the Name of Art“
  31. Michelle Remy “Lost Coast Post“
More Related Articles:
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, October 31, 2011

elements of art: art journal pages


       The following pages are from a journal created by my child when she was in seventh grade. Her teacher was Alvina Becker. Mrs. Becker taught her art students from a manual that she wrote herself, “Elements of art: a practical  approach for teaching art in the upper grades:  step-by-step projects for one full year."
       The first example is the cover page of her "Elements of Art" art journal. I have included only a few of the sample pages but, I think most of these will give teachers some ideas about what is normally assigned to this particular type of art journal.

In this journal, she was required to take notes
about the elements of design and then complete
simple projects demonstrating these elements;
space, light, color, line, shape, and texture.
After the completion of the project, students
were then required to include a few design
pages to demonstrate the use of materials.



This page and the one just above demonstrate
the use of positive and negative space. I did
not include the notes among these pages for
obvious reasons. Should I ever need to give
a similar assignment, I want my students
to write their own answers, instead of copying
what they may find here.



I think this magazine collage demonstrating a "textured
landscape is my favorite page.



Texture is experimented with again in this
rubbing.


This is her texture duplicate page. Those of you
who are art teachers know, texture must be assigned
several times in order for the student to demonstrate
both literal texture and implied texture. This
was her implied texture page.



Here is her exploding shapes page. This is fun
for students to experiment with, I think.



Here is her light source page. This is her first
attempt at shading, I'm happy to report that
Natalie became much better at this process
over time!



This is perhaps the most difficult page her art teacher assigned, the
reflective light page.



This is the paper strip design demonstrating line.



Above is a crazy quilt design showing monochromatic
color relationships.



This design shows the use of oil pastel medium.
I believe students were required to demonstrate analogous
and complimentary colors in at least three of the
squares above. What I like most about these
art journal pages is that students were encouraged
to "show case" the aesthetic qualities of the
art elements. My daughter's journal included
notes but these were even written attractively.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Sunday, October 30, 2011

the benefits of assigning student art journals

"An art diary, art journal or visual journal is a daily journal kept by artists, often containing both words and sketches, and occasionally including Mixed media elements such as collages. Such books will frequently contain rough workings, in cartoon form, of ideas later to appear in finished works, as well as acting as a normal diary, by allowing the artist to record their day-to-day activities and emotions. These diaries not only give art historians a valuable opportunity to explore the creation process of these finished works, but they are a useful biographical tool." (Wikipedia) 

 Types of art journals used within the context of a fine arts course include:
  • Art journals may be created to address specific subjects or themes about art in general. The  elements and principles of design is probably the most common art subject assigned to student journals. Click here to view a seventh grade journal about the elements of design. I've also posted worksheets that were used to teach the same material to ninth graders. There is a very distinctive difference between the two assignments. One of them is definitely more pleasing to look at. Don't forget, young people also want their work to look attractive!
  • Journal themes may also closely relate to the course of study for the specific class in which the assignment is made. Sketch books in a fashion design course, for instance, are frequently assigned to students. Fashion sketch books become art journals when additional notes and written entries are also included among the pages of these visual documents.
  • Journals may be a collective work addressing a wide variety of questions that the student is required to reflect upon throughout an entire year or semester. Bell questions may be assigned to students as soon as they enter a classroom in order to promote attendance, class participation and discipline. Art instructors may choose to include these bell questions within the pages of an art journal along with a selection of short stories, biographies and research papers designed to teach students about art appreciation. 
  • Art journals are also very helpful when integrating a specific subjects into student art activities such as: zoology, botany, literature, poetry, history etc... Students may be assigned additional reading or research that coincides with art projects that address specific topics that their art teacher is either very familiar with or trained in professionally. 
      Requiring art students to keep journals promotes excellence in the fine arts. This is because much of the student's free time must be spent thinking and researching how art becomes important to different communities, both professional and novice artists, and to themselves. This reflective practice stretches the brain and offers yet another venue type for students to achieve goals dedicated to comprehension, interpretation, and literacy. By these means, art teachers may also be able to assess whether or not their students are understanding the concepts necessary to the completion of art projects.
      Art journals are also excellent replacements for final or midterm exams in an art class because these diaries are the accumulative proof of the students participation in the classroom. If kept under lock and key within the room, art teachers will soon discover this to be the case. However, in order to teach through journaling, art instructors must be prepared in advance to assign pages to the class on a regular basis.
      I prefer to require a mix of pages that not only assign art methods but also the reading of short articles and reflecting upon the content found in them. (approx. 150 words) Once students become familiar with the process, many of them learn to look forward to it. Do not make the pages too difficult. Students should be encouraged to share their own opinions and not to fear censure for them. As long as they are responding with genuine care or enthusiasm, this can be a very successful assessment process.
      There are also many disciplinarian benefits that may be derived from this activity, benefits such as: the productive use of time, the use of technology for research, the active necessity of participation, and the creative interpretation of events or written materials.
      Free time in the classroom after the early completion of art projects may be used for journal entries and so may the few minutes at the beginning of each class period. This teaches students to use their time wisely and to also direct their attention to a task at hand until it is completed.
      Teachers may include research to be performed in the library or computer lab in order to complete assignments or they may also design a reflection dependent upon outside visits to museums or sculpture parks. It is important for students to actively respond to a project that requires physical research and discovery. This form of discipline builds self confidence and independence. Give students a task to perform in order to fulfill an assignment outside of the classroom. They will discover that art is a part of life on a much grander scale.
      Not every page should include written reflection of an event. Sometimes the pasting of brochures, tickets, or photographs of a visit to a play, park or museum may suffice. Encourage the discipline of creative interpretation. Not every page needs to represent "written words." There are multiple forms of communication in art, so require students to think differently about how they produce material for the journal. For example, if they should choose to produce video for a page assignment, play their alternative "page" for the class and develop a fun discussion around the topic. Help students copy their video for their journal on a CD. Cut and paste an envelope to hold the CD on a journal page. This encourages students to see their journal as a record of their school experiences as well. Your students may treasure their art journal above all other mementos by the time they graduate; don't be surprised by their concerns for it's safety.

Artists from the past sometimes kept journals: Many famous artists are known for their art diaries - the sketchbooks of Leonardo da Vinci are probably the best known example. More web pages:  Da Vinci's Secret's * Joseph Mallord William Turner * John Constable * Conrad Martens * Vincent Van Gogh * David Hockney *
More opinions from teachers about student journals:Why Should Students Journal? * Reflective Journals * Encouraging Students to Keep a Nature Journal * Instructional Strategies Online * Learning Journals * Academic Reading Journals *
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)