Liquid Acrylics and India Ink

From Bold and Beautiful, to soft and subtle... using liquid color can give you a very unique element to your Art Journal pages. I personally like the Bold look better... but, play with your options and find what works for you.
To achieve a softer look try:
~ diluting a few drops into some water and apply with a brush or a spray bottle.
~ apply gesso to your page, let dry, then add your liquid color.
~ spray your page with water and apply the color with a dropper or paint brush.
~ apply color to the page and then spray with a water bottle.
Play around and see what effects you can create. You can also stamp, blot and stencil liquid color.

To achieve a dark, bold look:
~ stamp, paint, stencil, blot, drizzle, dab, etc the color directly onto a fresh, untreated page of your art journal.
~ you can also spray with water to give it a more water color effect.

But, above all else, Have FUN!
Here are two pages I did with India Ink.

I created the backgrounds together using the same colors to create unison and flow.
The left side I added Gesso ~ so it's a softer more washed out color. On the right I added it directly to the paper for a bolder look.
I love both looks.

 The softer color palette was perfect for me to embellish with words and art. I wanted to just play with the, "I am..." prompt which I had seen the day before, after all that is one of the main purposes of keeping an Art Journal - Positive Affirmation
~ I added more color to the words and banner at the top
~ Played with a package of ephemera that I had laying around until I achieved the right dynamic.
~ Before gluing them down I edged them with pigment ink stamp pads in bright colors then in black.
~ Lastly I grunged the edges and the whole page.

I actually did quite a bit more to this page after the initial liquid ink application.
~ To start, Black stamping and writing in white gel pens over the bold color added contrast.
~ Washi tape and ribbon help to create motion and lines.
~ Messy circles in pen and marker around my bright, bold dots enhance and emphasize the shapes.
~ Added ephemera creates interest and a three-D element. As with the other side I added color to the edges with pigment ink stamp pads then again in black.
~ Because all my ephemera is game pieces I thought it fitting to  use the phrase, "Life is NOT a GAME" in  my heart.
~ I also finished this page by grunging the edges and the whole page.
Smile ~ Laugh ~ Create Art

Be Bold

I have always been BOLD and different, it's just the way I am. My whole life I have swam up stream, cut my own path through the forest and danced to the beat of my own drum. For a long time I thought being BOLD and different meant you were just being strange and weird. It wasn't until much later in my life that I began embracing my differences and realized that those were the things that made me special. So now for me,  being BOLD is about taking chances, trying new things and stepping outside of my comfort zone. It's about living the life you have always dreamed about and not feeling guilty for doing so. When you're BOLD you listen to your heart and intuition to find out who your authentic self really is and then you let her shine through. This is the intent of my latest art journal entries and a whole new venture I've begun.

It is to all the BOLD and fearless women out there who dare to be different and live their authentic lives that I dedicate, "BE BOLD", my new line of art. With strong - BOLD colors, chunky - BOLD shapes, and heart felt phrases that reflect the inner beauty of these strong, vivacious women.
I look forward to sharing them with you.
Hugz,
Danine
Prairie Mroz

Sow thy Self

Seed Journal #3-2012 - S-Words

So I'm sitting in front of a blank piece of paper trying to think of "S"-words that are seed related and have meaning to me OR perhaps define me in some way, shape or form. And believe you me, it's a lot harder than it looks. These are the words that I was able to come up with; Serendipity, Seeds, Sow, Stand, Self, Signature, & Strong.

As always I wrote a short journal entry upon the finished work, today I used orange ink which blends quite nicely into the background.

As my skill as an artist becomes stronger

I feel a greater sense of self.

Life is full of happy accidents, in art this is especially true.

This year I hope to learn from these mistakes 

And maybe even create my signature style from one.

2012 is going to be an outstanding year!

So in short I hope to SOW the SEEDS of good STRONG habits to become a better artist in 2012. Learning new skills, finding my SIGNATURE style and simply being my Authentic SELF. Perhaps finding a little SERENDIPITY along the way as well.