Today: Get Messy Art Journal | Weeks 5 + 6
Weeks 1 + 2 were all gold and glittery. Weeks 3 + 4 were all dark and brooding. Weeks 5 + 6 are… well… all over the place. I only worked on (and I feel like all three are sort of unfinished) three pages, but so far… so good-ish.
Get Messy Art Journal | Weeks 5 + 6
The left side is a page from last week peeking through, plus a little laminated bookmark (ribbon and magazine clippings). I quickly sketched the birds with a Micron pen and then went back in with watercolors.
The other morning I noticed that our little neighborhood city birds are back, chirping at the crack of dawn. Maybe that’s what got me doodling birds all week. That blue bird, in particular, keeps showing up in my sketchbook. Once I finished up with them, I started thinking… what the heck do birds have to do with love? Clearly this was a case of working outside the boundaries of the weekly prompts. Anyway, I was thinking about how these little guys come and go, and somehow that lead to thinking about bizarre bird-related phrases like flying the coop and empty nesters.
Last fall, I saw a mother dropping her daughter off at college. They were both crying. And then I closed the door to my office (which is near several campuses) and cried because I don’t want Grace to ever leave. But I also think she might turn into a weirdo if I try and home-college her (that’s like home-schooling a 20-year-old). Anyway… birds, man.
Oh, and I realize seagulls don’t belong in trees.
The succulents and cacti are watercolor with detail in Pitt pen. The letters are left over from a display board I made for work (which, frankly, looked very third grade).
Is it me, or are succulents the new pineapples?
One of the prompts this week was to create a dating profile for yourself. I had trouble suspending reality (and what happily married person would want to), so I started thinking instead about what it must take to love me– all the wonderful things, and all the things that are less than wonderful.
I can be prickly.
I gesso’d the left side page and added some magazine clippings and a wash of purple watercolor before writing down a little Khalil Gibran. I broke out the laminating pouches (obsessed) to seal in a tiny bouquet of lavender. I sketched a little sprig to go with it.
The last page I worked on incorporates two prompts — a quote from a favorite author and dried flowers. I wanted to press some flowers, but ran out of time so I cheated and picked up some dried lavender at Whole Foods. It smells divine. This page reminds me of sort of a grown-up version of those scratch and sniff books.
Yep. All over the place.
Also On Tap for Today:
- This could be fun: 15 recipes for cooking with lavender
- Some lovely art journaling inspiration and a new class from Alisa Burke
- Workin’ for the weekend
What’s your most lovable quality?
Comments (2)
Julia
March 20, 2015 at 9:44 am
I think you’re right, succulents are the new pineapples and foxes are the new owls – everywhere! I really enjoyed your pages this week 🙂 the story about the mother and daughter makes me think of me and my mum. When I was dropped off at Uni (college) I thought we were a really cool family because no one cried – she told me years later that she cried all the way home and continued to, every time she visited. She just didn’t want me to worry <3
Julia recently posted…POST 30: GET MESSY: SEASON OF LOVE #6
Emily@squiggleandswirl
March 23, 2015 at 6:29 am
I just loved reading this post and seeing what you’ve created with the prompts. I’ve been hunting for some dried flowers I used to have, but now think I must have thrown them out. Don’t you hate that when you keep something for years and as soon as you throw it out you want it? Great idea with the lavender and those birds are cute! I’ve used a Kahlil Gibran quote too ( different one ). I just think it’s so interesting how the prompts get you thinking about all sorts of random things. I totally can relate to you all over the place comment. Emily 🙂