Wanderlust 2024 - Weeks nine to sixteen - Texture

The art journaling course is going along well so far this year and here are the pages from the theme 'Texture'.  Above we were drawing a portrait using watersoluble graphite and adding gesso mixed with plaster of paris as well as texture paste.  My portraits are improving but I do find them tricky.

I loved week ten where we used a book as inspiration - mine was 'The Secret Garden' (with a bit of Alice in Wonderland thrown in - both with gardens, and finding keys to unlock doors.) 

Week eleven was adding texture to an image by sticking tissue paper over it.  I didn't really find this lesson very inspiring, but like the bird image I chose to use.

For week twelve were encouraged to think back to our childhood and my thoughts went back to a lovely house we used to live in which had stone walls and a climbing rose 'Albertine' in the back garden.  I then thought of the blue and white flowery material which my granny used to make me a puffed sleeve dress.  I loved that dress! Under the rose is a pocket which houses...

...some tags - here is Granny with me in the dress.  The image to the right is from the pattern she used, which I found in a bag of patterns.  The plan at the back is how I got to the different elements I used in the final page.

I enjoyed week thirteen as it involved inks and texture paste and a stamp for the focal image. This woman stamp is a Jane Davenport one and I love the movement in the image.  

Week fourteen was really fun.  We had to make pen nibs out of drink cans and stick them to a wooden skewer. These pens were then used to write and make marks.  I thoroughly enjoyed making all the papers which were used in the big circle.

Being grounded was the theme for the next week, so I chose a photo of the lilac and magnolia trees in the garden.  We were shown how to mix used dried tea leaves and sand into white gesso or clear gesso to create a textured paint.  

Week sixteen was the 'Artful Musings' week and it was about using an art journal to process emotions, in this case, grief.  The writing is quoted from the end of this blessing, which struck a chord with me and I knew I needed to include it:

"May the sun bring you energy every day, bringing light into the darkness of your soul.
May the moon softly restore you by light bathing you in the glow of restful sleep and peaceful dreams.
May the rain wash away your worries and cleanse the hurt that sits in your heart.
May the breeze blow new strength into your being, and may you believe in the courage of yourself.
May you walk gently through the world, keeping your loved one with you always, knowing that you are never parted in the beating of your heart."
                                                               Apache grief blessing, by unknown author(s)

On to our next theme, which is writing.