Art Journal Page Tutorial with Inky Friends

Hello, fellow artists and creative souls! and I’m happy to be here today to share with you this beautiful Art Journal spread. In the spirit of autumn hues and green vibes, I’ve delved into my art journal to bring you a page revolving around this lovely bee from the Inky Friends set. This piece features a variety of mixed media techniques, including stenciling, white embossing with text stamps, a mix of marks stamping on the background, and a couple of additional materials like delicate black threads and translucent vellum paper.

Leave you with some insights into my creative process for this page, of which I’m very proud.

1. Laying the foundation for my autumn scene:

To capture the cozy warmth of fall, I began my creative journey by crafting an antique inspired backdrop. I achieved this by skillfully adhering kraft paper adorned with vintage advertisements.

Then I applied a light layer of white Gesso, making sure not to cover the edges. In this way I preserve a light frame full of nuances and textures that give it a special touch.

Using a palette with soft greens and delicate browns, I tinted the background with a very delicate color. These carefully selected colors served as a delicate canvas upon which our buzzing friend, the bee, would take center stage.

2. Adding texture and layers to the background

I stamped in permanent black ink using stitch-like stamps (from the Mixed Media Marks 1 set) in the shape of axes on a graph. This allowed me to structure the main line of my composition and draw attention to my focal point.

The stencils added an extra layer of texture and dimension to my art journal page. I chose the Marks 1 stencil with distress ink in a light green tone to add layering depth.

I stamped more markings in brown near the axes to create interesting eye-catching dots.

To give the page a touch of elegance, I used embossing powder with text stamps (Mix a Sentiment 2023). This technique not only added depth but also introduced meaningful text elements that complement other white elements that I will use later. The embossed words are like whispers of nature itself.

Finally I made a frame with a fountain pen and splashed the entire background with some green, brown and gold paint.

3. Compose and give meaning to the page

To introduce an ethereal quality, I incorporated vellum, allowing the background to subtly peek through, creating depth and intrigue.

Stars and circles from the Grungy Stuff set gently peek out from under the torn vellum, while on top I placed an intricate die cut of beehives. To highlight my beloved little bee even more, I added delicately painted leaves with colors that perfectly match the autumn theme.

Giving meaning to the page is the storytelling behind all these elements that I select to carefully build it. The juxtaposition of the delicacy of the vellum and beehive with the strength of the black thread and the leaves further emphasizes the theme of the fragility and strength in nature.

In closing, this journey into the world of stamps and mixed media in company of my Art Journal has been a delightful creative adventure. We have seen how a simple bee stamp can be transformed into a rich and captivating composition using different techniques and materials.

Hope this inspires you to explore the endless possibilities of your own art journal and experiment with the incredible variety of stamps and mixed media tools available.

Now I let you some detailed pictures of my spread.

Thank you for joining me on this artistic voyage, and may your creativity continue to flow like the seasons’ changing hues. You could see more inspiration using these stamps here and here.

And finally, don’t forget to share your creations with us in our FB group (Rubber Dance Stamping Lounge), we’d love to see them!

Until next time, happy creating!

Hugs, Priss

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These are the products I used