At the beginning of the month, I joined Julie Fei-Fan Balzer’s Art Journal Every Day community. I have wanted to start art journaling for a long time now, but I’m as far removed from “artistic” as you can get. The family joke is that I can’t even draw a good stick person. And it’s not really a joke. It’s the truth!
Add to that the fact that I haven’t tried to draw since I was a teenager and had to draw in Art class.
But I want to create an art journal like all those gorgeous ones you see out there, but I didn’t know where to begin. Julie has inspired me to try, though. She’s taught me that it’s not about where you begin, but that you begin, period.
And begin I did!
Remember when I said I wasn’t artistic? Well, the thing I’m afraid of the most is drawing people. And painting. And showing people what I created. And I don’t know what brushes to use, or what kind of paper or journal to use, or what paint goes best on what surface.
But today, I just let all that go and drew this. And I don’t think she’s too terrible. I actually kind of like her.
I know you’re wondering about the words all over her. Funny story about that.
I had intended to just play around with some watercolor pencils and oil pastels while trying to draw a “long-necked girl” like I had seen in Violette’s book, Journal Bliss: Creative Prompts to Unleash Your Inner Eccentric
I thought to myself, well, I’m just practicing and will probably throw this away so I’ll just use this first page.
And so my long-necked girl lives with “Pfizer” stamped on her chin and the years 2008 and 2009 for eyebrows. Ironically, my daughter had to point out the eyebrow dates. I was so focused on getting the facial features to actually look human that I was no longer registering the words on the page. How funny that they ended up perfectly over each eye! I think I like it, too.
But that “Pfizer” is kind of bugging me. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll get some of that gesso Julie is always using and try to cover it up.
Or maybe I’ll just leave my long-necked Pfizer girl the way she is.
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LOVE this post! LOVE the page! And I’d leave the Pfizer. It’s so a part of the story of this page! I think it’s fab!
Thank you Julie! I agree with you. It is a part of the story so I’m leaving her as is. I had originally thought about adding more flower stamps, bling, etc, but then I thought it’s not about whether the page looks finished. It’s about whether I’m done learning from the page. And I am, so I’m done.
Thank you so much for your encouragement and your inspiration!
She’s beautiful! I love your story (and the pfizer chin). Thanks for the encouragement to take the art journal plunge myself!
Lydia, thanks so much! The “pfizer” has grown on me so I’m leaving it. Hope you visit again and share a link to your journal pages.
Love your page! I can’t draw worth a darn either but your girl is so sweet. I kind of like the phizer on her chin!
I am taking a free class by Tamara LaPorte. She draws and paints the beautiful whimsical girls/fairies. Here’s a link to it. You might enjoy!!! http://willowing.ning.com/group/theheartofart
Thanks, Christine. I’ll have to check that out.
Love this. LOVE those eyebrows, and I agree that pfizer is part of her story. I’m new to this too, and have been reading that same book about those long necked girls, but haven’t tried one yet. In response to Julie’s tweet earlier I spray inked a stencil. Ha. Baby steps. See you at the Art Journal Every Day site!
Gracie, some days all we have time for are baby steps. But let’s keep walking!
This made me smile! When I was a girl my dad was a drug salesman for Pfizer! We always had tablets around the house with “Pfizer” on them.
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