Art Journaling 128

One of the journal page ideas that I really like is having a pattern of writing in the background of a drawing. With my class full of kinders and 1st graders, I'm finding that they really can't write that much, so starting with a magazine page full of type is a good substitute.

1. I prepped by collecting type only magazine pages, and trimmed them down to easily fit within our journal pages (6" x 9"). The students used ink pens to trace a body template, and then Sharpies to write things around the outside about themselves.

2. When the writing was done, I demonstrated how the students could take watercolor pencils, color a band of color around the body, and then paint with water to make soft edge.

3. When complete, I had some cool colored tape the students could use to attach the art to a journal page.

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Art Trading Cards, or ATCs

Art Trading Cards are miniature works of art (2.5" x 3.5") that fit inside standard card sleeves. This type of art was started in Switzerland in 1996 and grew out of an interest in mail art. ATCs are now produced all over the world in various media, including pencils, pens, markers, watercolor, acrylic paints, collage, papercuts, found objects, etc.
I’m starting an afterschool ATC Class next week, and am working out ideas to do with the kids. I usually have a lot of really young ones, like kinder and 1st grade, so I’m trying to keep the art really simple.
1. I started with watercolor paper, and drew some simple ocean life shapes in pencil. (I actually got inspired by art from one of my favorite coffee cups.) During class, I will probably draw these on the board to help the kids get started. I plan to have a different theme for each class, so this one will “Sea Life” or something like that.
2. After my drawings were done, I traced them with a black Sharpie marker.
3. I used my favorite Prismacolor® watercolor pencils to color and paint the cards. (Sorry Crayola®, I use your watercolor pencils to stir paint!)
4. After the cards were dry, I went back with my fine point Stabilio® markers and drew some details in the cards.

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Art Journaling 110

This could be called a “My Favorite” page, which could include food, pets, flowers, clothes ... anything that is easy to find in your average magazine.

1. I found my photo first, and glued it to the center of the page.
2. I wrote in curved lines, “My Favorite” on top and then “Oatmeal Cookies” below with a permanent marker.
3. Radiating lines were drawn with watercolor pencils. I started with pairs of dark orange, filled them in, and then filled the remaining areas with yellow. A little water turned the pencil into paint.
4. After drying, I used regular colored pencils to define the edges and the letters a little more. I think this would be cute also with a photo of a cat or dog – any subject matter that they can cut out of a magazine.

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Art Journaling 108

Today had a very prominent number attached to it – my son turned 13. There was lots of talk and cards and cake all revolving around this special number, so I'm thinking that must happen with other occasions to. Maybe a really good test score, or jersey number or locker number could be the starting point for a journal page.

1. I started by writing a little about the day in very spaced out lines with a black pen. I continued until the background was filled with evenly spaced lines.

2. Using watercolor pencils, I drew an outline of a big “13” on the paper. The area around the letters was shaded in, changing colors in some areas. For those unfamiliar with watercolor pencils, the cheap ones from Crayola will not give you bright, pretty colors. My favorite are the Prismacolor brand, which you can find at Staples.

3. I brushed water over the pencil and blended the colors when necessary.

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