"Bring it On!" Winter Coping Skills - Artist Journal Pages by Nancy Laliberte

"Let it Snow"

© Nancy Laliberte

Artist Journal page

acrylic paint, gel pens on paper

It is only mid-November and we already have A LOT of snow. Instead of hibernating, (which isn't necessarily a bad idea, except you would miss out on some amazing winter beauty) I turn my creative journaling mojo up an extra notch or two to warm me up inside and out. It helps me TREMENDOUSLY to have fun playing with art supplies while letting anything and everything spill out while I am also filling my creative cup. 

I've included a few of my "winter coping skills" art journal pages to encourage you to try creative journaling. Even if you live in a warm and tropical climate (journal savoring the sunshine), or will be sporting wool and fleece for the next six months (journal rejoicing you have some awesome wool socks and kick@$$ fleece), fill your creative cup with some art journaling.

"Winter to Spring"

© Nancy Laliberte

Artist Journal page

watercolor, gel pens, stamps, ink on paper 

"Winter Solstice"

© Nancy Laliberte

Artist Journal page

acrylic paint, ink, stamps, gel pens on paper 

"The Journey"

© Nancy Laliberte

Artist Journal page

acrylic paint, collage, markers, gel pens on paper 

You're still with me! Sweet! I love creative journaling and will be sharing my favorite journaling techniques in two upcoming workshops in Wausau, WI, and Stevens Point, WI. Now you do not need to have any artistic skills or prior experience in journaling for these workshops - just an open mind and a desire to have fun while playing with art supplies. The Wausau workshop is this Saturday from 10 am - 2:30 pm at the Center for the Visual Arts, downtown. There is still time to register - let Rose know by Friday - 715-842-4545. The second workshop is next Saturday, November 22, from 12 noon - 4 pm in Stevens Point, WI. Give Nancy a call at the Riverfront Arts Center to register - 715-343-6251. Additional details are on my website.

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See additional artwork at www.nancylaliberte.com

Connect and follow along with the studio on Facebook

Looking for a Creative Time Out? Join me for a class or workshop  

Creative Journaling: Sharing the Love...

"Sweet!" 

© Nancy Laliberte

 ink and watercolor journal page

On Saturday, March 22nd, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach a creative journaling mini-workshop at the Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau, WI. The class was comprised of a very fun and creative group of artists who loved learning and giving their own spin to some of my favorite journaling techniques. Loved it! 

We got our creativity flowing with a couple of writing exercises, moved on to sketching and watercolor techniques, followed by designing our own stencils and learning handy tips and techniques for working our pages in stages, and then put it all together in creating beautiful and unique journal entries during some studio time.  

Here are a few pictures from the class...

 After creating handmade stencils, the fun begins by building up 
layers of shapes, texture and color

Found and hand-made stencils layered with drawing and doodling

Bring on the layers--a journal page with watercolor, acrylics, printing, 

handmade stencils, and purchased stencils 

Tissue paper transforming into painted paper for future collage or journal work

By the end of the day, one of my demo pages had evolved into a journal page. I will add more to it, but so far I am liking the layers and lighter color palette.

I will be teaching this again at a later date in the fall at the Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau. The dates will be announced on my blog and website, and it will be in the CVA newsletter.  

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See more work at www.nancylaliberte.com
Connect and follow along with the studio on Facebook
Looking for a Creative Time Out? Join me for a class or workshop 

The Sketchbook Project with artist Nancy Laliberte

A couple of months ago I signed up to be a part of The Sketchbook Project. For those not familiar with it, it is a traveling exhibition of handmade books. Anyone from around the world can participate--you don't even have to be an artist. This summer my book will be hitting the road on the midwest mobile library tour which will include stops in Chicago, IL; Madison, WI; and Minneapolis, MN. I will keep you posted on the dates as it gets closer to the tour. I can't wait to see the incredible books participants have created! 

It has been a fun project as I LOVE creative journaling. In this post I am featuring several pages from my book which is now at the Brooklyn Art Library. (They just emailed me today. Thank you USPS.) More pages will be featured over the next couple of posts including some step-by-step processes of a couple of pages. Some pages were created as spreads and some stand alone. All are a direct, intuitive, and creative response to what was going on in my life--inside and out--at that moment in time. 

Viewing...from the Heart

© Nancy Laliberte

We'll start in "reader's spreads" at the beginning, but this was not the first set of pages I created. I left the inside cover and first page blank until I had something I wanted to say that would set the tone for the rest of the book. In the end, the inside cover page was set up for practicality purposes--handling of the book, and securing the cover art. 

These two pages were done on different days, before starting my regular studio painting practice. Typically, I dig through my mixed media materials and pull out ephemera and paint colors that "speak" to me at that moment. One thing leads to another and a page is completed. 
  

This spread incorporates many layers and materials. The first which included using leftover paint from another project, then stenciling, adding bits of hand-painted collage paper, more paint, ink, and ephemera. Sometimes the text may be a phrase or song stuck in my head, other times the text comes later as the imagery falls into place. All intuitively driven. 

When I first started working in my sketchbook, I randomly opened pages and added whatever paint was left on my palette or painted on a color that I don't typically use--a good way to experiment with color in a fun, carefree way. This page is an example of that. I had also just treated myself to a new checkerboard stencil and used that as a starting point, and then added the chevron washi tape for no other reason than, "hey, a roll of washi tape I haven't used yet..." A few days later I came back to this page and began drawing with my favorite pentel pocket brush pen, added some paint, a stamp, a bit of text, and my daily journaling fix is satisfied. 
  

Loving the pocket brush pen! It makes beautiful calligraphic marks depending on now fast and how much pressure you apply. I was watching a Green Bay Packer game (they won!) during this page, hence the green and gold color inspiration. Other materials used were watercolors and inktense pencils. All fun stuff! More pages to come in my next post...

Curious to give this a try, but don't know where to start?

Don't be shy, come join the sketchbook movement! I will be teaching a mini-workshop, "Creative Journaling for Busy People" at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, WI. Two dates are being offered (same workshop, feel free to repeat). The first is this Thursday, January 23, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, and the second one is Saturday, February 1, from 12 noon to 4:00 pm. Cost is $50 + $8 material fee. Just bring a 9 x 12 sketchbook preferably with 90 lb. paper or more, all of your other materials are included making it super easy for you to show up and have fun! Register with the CVA at 815-842-4545. More information is on their website and mine. See you there!