This week’s Art Journal Adventure prompt was provided by my friend Jana. Jana has a way of creating wonderfully curated collages with mixed media elements and lots of visual texture. She produced one such piece as her exemplar for her guest blog post. I aspire to put together collages as wonderful as the ones Jana produces but I am not there yet. I don’t have a collection of ephemera to riffle through either, just random papers. I, therefore, decided to use Jana’s page as jumping-off inspiration rather than strictly adhering to the prompt.
I did technically start the page with a collage but it was just a case of roughly adhering some book page scraps to the journal page and then knocking the whole thing back with a layer of white acrylic. I loved the colour scheme in Jana’s collage so I too opted for a palette that was monochromatic and neutral with a pop of red. What I was really taken with was the use of stitching as a mark-making tool. I am not someone who has much skill or ability with fabric arts or textiles and my sewing skills are limited to hand-sewing and are very basic. I, therefore, would not normally think to add stitches to my art journal pages but that was precisely why I wanted to do so in response to this prompt. I really enjoyed it as a different way to add marks to the illustration and what it contributed in terms of a different visual texture.
A Pict in PA 
Great piece! The sewing adds such a wonderful dimension, figuratively and literally. You might want to think about including something like this in more of your work because it turned out beautifully.
Thank you, Ellie. I often include marks in my work that look like little stitches so I think maybe I will add more actual stitches to my work from now on. I like the tactile quality it provides. The only downside is it wrecks the other side of the page (and I use both sides in my art journal) so I need to figure out a way to use those reverse pages with all the knots and stitches showing through.
I like how you have used the stitching here very much. Your ‘you’ style is just getting better and better it is so exciting to watch! I wonder if stitching is a ‘thing’ at the moment, I made a paper quilt, just to use up all my scraps, but with faux stitching. I am turning it into cards rather than a journal page though ……
Thank you. I often use marks in my work that look like faux stitching – though I have always seen them just as dash marks – so maybe it is a thing at the moment. When I drew the figure, I had planned to place something in her hands and then stitching it in place, like a sewn piece of collage. However, I could not make a final decision over what to place in her hands so I just started stitching a bit aimlessly but I rather like how it turned out.
The stitching creates a sense of magic in this piece. It’s so cool.
Thank you!
I find your art journal projects fascinating. It would never have occurred to me to try all the media you use on a regular basis.
That’s the main reason I join an art journal prompt group each year. It gives me a nudge to try new things.
I love this one…
Thank you!
This is exciting. More. Definitely.
Thanks, Claudia. I think maybe an art journal is where my terrible stitching comes into its own.
Quite creative!
Thanks.
I really love this one! The stitches are a great addition… They add such colour, texture and movement. Nice one!
Thank you. As a creator of textile arts and someone very skillful with a needle and thread, my uneven, scruffy stitches might make you twitchy. I’m glad you like the page. It was fun to create.
Not at all, they’re just right! I imagine that sewing on paper is pretty nerve-wracking, because once you’ve pushed the needle through, that hole is permanent! Fabric is much more forgiving. Oh, and to solve the tricky question of how to use the reverse of the page… Why not do a “negative” version of your original?
That’s a possibility. Thanks.
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