5 Art Journaling Prompts for the New Year

The new year is upon us, and on this blog sometimes I like to write about art journaling prompts because art journaling can be a fun, creative hobby. Think about it- curling up on the couch with your art journal, sipping tea, binge watching LOST on Netflix. It's a good day, if this is what you're doing- so here are 5 prompts if you're stuck on what to do next~

1. If you could have an unlimited, INFINITE amount of ONE thing- what would it be? 99% of people are gonna say money, but you gotta be different. What is it that you're thinking? Try to make a collage of things you would consider. Write the question in big bold letters at the top of the page, then in the bottom right corner, make a little box big enough to write an answer in. If you can't answer it today, then don't- answer it another day of another week of another month. 

2. Make a list of A to Z. This list needs to have a theme, and that theme is up to you! Maybe places you want to go (Australia to Zimbabwe!) or things that inspire you, or maybe even your favorite things to do on a rainy day. There are endless possibilities, and you don't have to pick just one- make a whole chapter of A to Z lists in your book!




3. Grab a heart stencil. If you don't have one, then make one out of card stock by cutting out a heart and using the paper with the heart-shaped hole in it. Tape this piece of paper to a page in your art journal, and then get your watercolors out because now you're gonna paint the inside of this heart! Use all of your favorite colors, and let them bleed, let them run, do whatever you want with them. Now let them dry for a couple of minutes while you get another cuppa because you drank the last one. Finally, get either an ultra fine tipped Sharpie or a fine liner, and fill in the heart with all of the people, things and places that you LOVE! 

4. For this one you're gonna need a cup of coffee. Not for drinking, so no cream and sugar, just plain black coffee, and let it cool because the heat could damage either your brush or your paper. That's right, we're gonna be painting with coffee! Just grab a brush and some watercolor paper in addition to the coffee, and try painting something with it. Don't use any other watercolors, just the coffee. Are there any subtle differences in texture, etc? When you're done, let it dry and go over it with ink, I would use India Ink but a fine liner/Sharpie would work just fine. Now you have a caffeinated masterpiece~

5. This one is another watercolor-stencil thing, but with India ink? Get out a stencil, of anything, it doesn't matter- just pick out your favorite one. Tape the stencil down to the paper. Now, wet your brush heavily and fill a certain part with water, like at the tip of something (if you were doing a cat, the tips of their ears). Now dip your nib/brush in the jar of ink and then touch the very tip to the part of the page with the water. See what happened? Doesn't that look cool? Now experiment with it on other parts of the paper. Have fun!

I can't wait to try a couple of these out for myself, and leave a comment below if you've done one of these! Which one was your favorite? Any suggestions? 

xx Savannah

15 Artful DIYs to Fill Your Summer With

So, today is my birthday! *woop woop* My family is going to see the movie I have been DYING to see since last fall, Jurassic World, in 3D. I'm so excited to see this, because I've been watching the trailer practically every day for months now, and I just wish it would clear up because it's been cloudy ever since I woke up, which is totally inspiring a lazy day, and that's the last thing I need (I wanna put on leggings! :c), so I'm just doing laundry and browsing Pinterest in my PJ's until it's time to go. Am I not the only one who does this? Anyway, after we see the movie, we're going out for pizza at THE best pizza place in the entire world (can you tell it's my favorite?), Abby's Legendary Pizza. It really is legendary. But I've been feeling super arty lately, so here are 15 artful DIYs to fill your summer, because every summer deserves to be oh-so arty farty~

1. Sharpie Tie-Dye Crafts by Sharpie 

2. Watercolor Bubble Art by Better Homes and Gardens 

3. Tissue Paper Full Bloom Roses (as shown in photo)by Lia Griffith

4. Make Your Own Macrame Wall Hanging by Brit + Co 

5. DIY Printed Pillow Covers by Uk Kunooa 

6. Iron Transfer Tote by The Crafted Life  

7. Transform Broken Pots into Fairy Gardens by My Modern Met 

8. DIY Crayon + Wax Candles (as shown in photo) by Warm Hot Chocolate 

9. DIY Geometric Sculpture by And Then We Saved 

10. Embroidery-Wrapped Earring by Creature Comforts blog

11. Make Your Own Felt Gift Boxes by Red Fly Creations

12. Stamped Tile Coasters by The Girl Inspired

13. DIY Faux Metal Planter by Paper n Stitch blog  

14. DIY Utensil Organizer by A Beautiful Mess 

15. Super Easy Chunky Leather Bracelet by Buzzfeed 

Well, I guess I just can't get through a DIY post without mentioning A Beautiful Mess, can I? Oh well, they're just too fabulous. What is one DIY you'll be doing this summer? Tell me in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

xx Savannah 

Doodling Inspiration

Watercolor Koi Fish

Art Journaling Inspiration

Keeping an art journal is a great way to maintain a creative mind. They have been called a bunch of different things on Pinterest, such as art journals, art books, smash books, inspiration book, etc. You can call it whatever you want, and if you don't know how to make one, here are  few tips: simply grab a regular old sketchbook from the art store. Nothing fancy, but a hardcover works well. Then, get all your art supplies together and decorate every single page to your heart's content! Do anything you want- paint, draw, sketch, paste, cut, etc.; your creativity is the limit! One of the funnest things to do with art books is make them out of actual books- grab an old book either of your own or from a thrift store- not a picture book, but a big book with mostly words. Now use that as your surface! I did that in art class, and it was one of the best projects I've ever done. Here's some more inspiration for your pages:

1. Draw the outline of a spider on a page, put some glue in it, and sprinkle tea leaves on it- it will look like a tarantula! This is a great one for young children, but also people who just like spiders or have a tarantula (I WANT ONE).

2. Like in the photo to the right, draw a few boxes- however many you want- and fill them all with different things, like patterns and designs, words, etc. Give them some color, and viola!

3. Write a favorite recipe on a page in black marker- big enough so that ti covers the whole page- and then watercolor over it lightly. It adds a small splash of color and hunger. 

4. Collage a few photos in there and write captions around them- if you'd like, write on the photos themselves. 

5. Use tape in an old book or newspaper to pick up words and phrases straight from the paper- I love this technique, I have used it many times!

6. Watercolor or put random paint on a page, then use a white gel pen to write over it, draw designs on it, etc. (Cover the whole page with paint)

7. Write in a 30 day drawing challenge that you made up for others to see, then use the next 30 days & pages to demonstrate the prompts. 

That's all I have for right now, but trust me, I'll be posting more soon upon request. (There have been multiple requests in person & by email) Thanks for reading!

xx Savannah

Art Print

MaryDoodles' Watercolor Wishlist • Watercolor Supplies

Colored Pencil Art

I Just Simply Love This

10 Art Journal Prompts

A little while ago, I did a post on Art Journaling Prompts, and since that got so many views, I've decided to do another one. This one has some fresh new ideas, and I really hope you like them. If there are any ideas you'd like me to add to another post, please leave a comment below :)
 
1. Take a playlist of your favorite songs, write them all out on one page, and doodles around them, perhaps with the lyrics of one song. 

2. Use this tutorial to make a DIY paper bag, but instead of using regular paper, use newspaper or an old book page. 

3. Write a letter to your future self- in code.

4. Write a letter to your past self.

5. Copy down a favorite recipe with a bunch of pictures of the finished product. 

6. Or use the paper bag tutorial to glue a paper bag into your art journal as a little pocket :)

7. Use this tutorial to make even more little pockets!

8. Find all of your favorite origami tutorials, make a bunch of little works of origami art, and glue them all on to one page. ORIGAMI CENTER!

9. Make a mustache page- draw mustaches, cut them out, doodle them, write about them, everything. A page just for mustaches (and maybe monocles)!!

10. Test out all of your makeup on one page, sorting it into categories (e.g. favorites, leas favorite, for a night out, every day wear, etc)

Thanks for reading, I hope these inspired you! :)

xoxo

How to Start an Art Journal

This was recently requested by my friend, Nisha, because a little while ago I did a post on art journal prompts. I now realize that some of you don't really know how to start one, so I'm doing this post to help you out. Remember- it's all about the process, not the outcome. I hope this is detailed enough c:
 
Supplies: 
-Paint??
-Scissors
-Sharpies
-Washi tape
-A sketchbook
-Construction paper
-Other crafting paper
-Magazines (to cut pictures out of)
-ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT :)

1. First, you'll need a sketchbook. Or a journal. It's a matter of opinion, but I prefer a sketchbook, though it doesn't really matter and you can do whatever you want. 

2. Now, (this is optional) decorate the cover! You can decorate it however you'd like, with words, a collage, pictures, your name, paint, Sharpies, etc. Make it yours!

3. The third step is to write your name on the inside and your email, if it gets lost, but this is also optional if you simply don't want to do this part. 

4. Now, fill your book with funky paper, drawings, collages, paintings, and more! There are so many ideas on Pinterest and I'd be happy to post more art journal prompts for you like here. Thanks for reading! 

xoxo

5 Art Journal Prompts

A little while back, I did a post on 10 art journals to keep, because I love art journals and I think they're really inspiring. Well, if you made one and you have no ideas as to what to put inside, then here are a couple of prompts to get you started, which may eventually lead to a couple more ideas, thus the cycle of inspiration c:

1. Like in that photo to the right, make a cool border around the page, with enough room to write inside, and make a list inside the border, or simply a journal entry. Use that photo as a starting point, if you'd like!

2. Using a piece of paper, make a stencil of the first letter of your name and draw that letter on a piece of paper. Then, cut pictures out of a magazine and glue them on or around the letter!

3. Go out and collect as many leaves as possible- all different. Then, tape them all down, overlapping and under lapping each other, thus one big nature page!

4. Make a page for every ticket stub you collect when going to the movies. If you go to the movies a lot, this will be like a memory log for every movie you see!

5. Separate a page into 2 sections- in one section, draw something. In the other, try to draw the same thing- BLINDFOLDED. 

Thanks for reading, I hope this helped! 

xoxo

10 Art Journals to Keep

Art journals are so much fun- they are great for creative people who need a place to get it all out and write it all down and draw it all out to keep in one little book. You can write, draw, sketch, paint, collage, glue it all down, anything. They are a must have for any artist.

If you're at a loss for ideas, here's some inspiration to get you started- I hope it helped. 

1. Watercolor journal.

2. Sentence a day quote art journal. 

3. Sketching journal. 

4. Planning journal. 

5. Scrapbooking/ collage journal. 

6. A smash book. 

7. A memories journal. 

8. A travel journal. 

9. A photo album collage. 

10. A book of creative lists.

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