My first Art Journal page

Lenna has long been an inspiration to me and we have been following each other's art journeys for many years now. We did classes together (online as she is in Florida and I'm in Scotland!) and she taught me about stamping while I hope I have shown her how much fun sewing and fabric can be. We did the Sketchbook Project last year and again this year, as well as the Vintage Gluebook class. Lenna herself teaches many great classes online, such as this one.

So when she started an Art Journal and started working in it every day, I paid attention, not just because her spreads were beautiful but also because I had many journals in my studio but sadly they had remained empty so far. I had purchased them to make me start but that hadn't worked and all they were doing were making me feel guilty. However what those journals couldn't do, Lenna achieved by simply showing me the way. So I have started, and with a vengeance. I have one altered book on the go to journal in and 2 Moleskine Sketchbook Journals, one portrait and one landscape orientation.

If you want to start too, have a look here where Lenna gives you some hints and tips to do so! And for further inspiration you can't do better than to look at all the spreads she has produced so far on her blog.

I'm not aiming to journal every day like she is, but I will try and finish at least a spread every week or so and show them here, without much explanation, but simply to demonstrate how I journal and what I end up with. Having the shed to work in is a great help as that way my quilts and my paints don't get to meet up unless I want them to! I started this first spread in the altered book and had painted and sprayed the pages weeks ago when I was painting something else. Then I added my pictures of a red geranium, added the tape, started doodling flowers and then wrote. I found doing it in different stages really worked for me, I like letting things just happen. No idea where the Persevere idea came from, perhaps because I was having a difficult day at the time but it seems to be rather appropriate for the start of my Art Journal journey!

It took a few days before I finally decided this page is most definitely done and showing it here means I won't go back to it again.