How to Art Journal the Stress Free Way: The One Art Journaling Secret I Wish I Had Known from the Beginning

If there is one thing that I have learned over the past 5 or more years about mixed media art journaling it is this: I need to totally let go of the outcome and simply embrace the process and the materials and the having fun making a mess!!!

I don't need to ever come to my art journal with the idea that I am going to create a spread from start to finish. In fact, it is quite the opposite! For me, the secret to phenomenal mixed media art journaling is simply to play with one concept or material at a time and then just jump around all over the journal as I play with that idea until I feel complete.

This YouTube video of me playing in my art journal was over two hours of play time condensed into just over 15 minutes. I cannot wait to play more, letting go of the outcome!

This method definitely requires the use of a heat tool to dry the wet paint in between applications so that you can "quickly" move between pages in your journal.

Here are just a few art journaling prompts to get you started:

-scrape favorite colors of acrylic paint with an old credit card

-dip any mark making tool into acrylic paint and press into any page, anywhere that feels like it needs that mark

-using a regular pencil, make sweeping marks around the pages of the journal

-using a Stabilo All water-soluble pencil, or any water-soluble mark making tool, dip the tool into water and then write words in large type with the wet tool. Repeat the dip every with every letter or as needed.

-splatter acrylic ink onto the pages

I hope you enjoyed watching me make messy art in my art journal! If you would like to create your own handmade journals for your art journaling, the Willa Journals course is a wonderful class to learn the art and craft of making journals! Check that out here!

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