Art journal · Gel print · Mixed media

Success / Failure

Anita

Here’s a recent art journal page of mine –

An art journal page with a hand-drawn flower in hand-colored orange/pink tones as the focal element. The background is textured in blue tones, with contrasting marks and splatters.

This page had some remnants of previous gel plate play–there were metallic acrylics that had been printed through a stencil, as well as regular acrylics with texture from a corrugated cardboard piece. (I’m trying to use up and finish the blue in my acrylic stash since it’s drying up, so it’s become an unintentional favorite lately! 😉 )

Over this, I used acrylics and an old card to add some lines. I applied gesso at the edges and corners to add back some white. I then added areas and marks with pastels, which I smudged and then used a spray fixative. I then added acrylic splatters.

Closeup of an art journal page showing part of a hand-drawn flower in hand-colored orange/pink tones. The background is textured in blue tones, with contrasting marks and splatters.

I then made my focal flower–I hand-drew it on a different piece of paper with a fineliner, and fussy cut it. I then added light coloring using watercolors, and adhered it to the background. I used a gel pen and a Posca marker over it for some highlights, and drew on a stem using a fineliner.

I then applied watercolors lightly over a pre-printed quote, adhered it to the background, and added a fineliner outline. I finished the page by adding marks with a Copic marker. Ta da!

With this page, I’m joining these challenges –

Challenge wins –

Published by Anita

A software engineer at heart and by profession, I take my creative skills seriously.

10 thoughts on “Success / Failure”

  1. Thanks for including the additional close-up, the detailed texture shows up there and is really lovely. I learned to draw/sketch with a Carbon Platinum Fountain Desk Pen, the kind that literally fits into a well but luckily also has a cap. I have relied on that and my Pitt pens for years as they are both waterproof when dry. Curious as to what brand fineliner you use. It always gives you a nice sketchy line. XOX

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    1. Thank you, Aimeslee! Yes, I’ve learned to show a close-up for my work to highlight textures and finer elements–sometimes, that’s what I concentrate on, and the overall look pales in comparison to the details.

      I’ve only used fountain pens for writing, and that was decades ago, so there’s some nostalgia when I think about them. 😉 I remember a lot of paper-scratching, but that is a given with the cheaper pens. Sketching with a good pen must feel wonderful! My fineliners are Uni pin fine line (been using it for a long time) and Sakura Pigma micron (a new addition), and they both work well for me.

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