Today's guest post is by Amy Lapi.
Texturing Techniques
Hello there! I'm Amy from Creating Myself and I'm so happy, honored, & excited to be contributing to one of my favorite blogs today! I'm especially excited to be posting about one of my favorite hobbies!
Since I was a kid, I've kept journals, scrapbooks, notebooks (basically anything made of paper!) stuffed to the brim with memories. I collected photos and memorabilia and cut & pasted until my hands were tired. But the collecting and pasting were never my favorite part about keeping journals- it was the "getting messy" part that I loved most. The paint splatters, the endless lines of emo feelings, the stamps and inking everywhere. It wasn't until several years later that I learned the term for this mess: art journaling. And that apparently... I'm not the only one who loves it. ;)
There are so many things to love about art journaling. Of course, there is the documentation. Your journals are like a time capsule into your mind. Your photos, memorabilia, and most of all journaling, will last forever. My favorite part about the journaling isn't the end result, it's the process. Dealing with the stress of everyday life, work, and relationships can be so daunting. I love having an outlet where I could release my emotions and dreams, free of charge, where no one judges me and I can say what I want, as much as I want.
The "background", or the base of the page, is where I always get started in my process. In my opinion, the background sets the tone of the page. Often, that means getting my hands dirty with some paints, inks, and mists. So today I want to share a few of my favorite texturing techniques!
Splattering
This technique is basic, but can take a few tries and a lot of courage to get it right. A good general rule is to hold the paintbrush pointed, with a light grip, near the tip of the brush like so:
Cover the brush with a generous gob of acrylic paint and tap the brush all over the page.
Here is my page, where I've started with one color:
I then chose to add a second color of paint:
And here is the finished page:
Don't be afraid to try this technique. It's okay if your splatters aren't in precisely the "right" places- the goal is to randomly splatter all over the page, so there's no pressure.
Tips:
- Another way to hold the brush: With a tight grip, hold the brush towards the middle of the brush handle. With the other hand, bang on the end of the brush.
- If you're still looking for another way, use a short, stiff, fat brush and use your fingertip to "flick' the paint off the bristles and onto the page.
- Put paper down or try this technique outside. It can get messy!
- Use a journaling pen, such as an UltraFine Sharpie, to outline the splatters. It gives it a totally different look:
Circles
(or as I so eloquently call it, "cupping." You'll see why.)
Begin by dipping the opening of a styrofoam cup into acrylic paint. Use a generous amount of paint, because when the paint dries, it should be raised, not flat.
Press the cup randomly onto your cardstock. Reapply the paint to the cup after "stamping" each circle.
Important: Wait for the paint to dry! Then cover the entire paper with a thin layer of paint or ink. You can play with different colors...I like to use the same color so that it actually looks like the background is raised.
Great tone-on-tone texture! Some ideas to take it to the next level...
- overlap circles
- use different sized circles
- use different shaped items! (squares, the opening of cupcake liners, etc.)
- cupcake liners give a cool zigzag effect!
Check out the finished page:
Tapes
I love placing and layering tape in rows all over my journal for texture. Remember this page from the splattering technique? I used masking tape to create a space for my journaling.
For this next page I used dry wall tape from Home Depot -- it has holes in it. You can get a huge roll for a very inexpensive price and it's great for texturing! Cut it or tear it into strips and paint over it for texture (bottom right).
See the white areas above the first and second strips? I like to tear off bits of the painted tape strips so that I get the "negative" effect of the tape; as if the tape were a stencil.
You can also make your own hole-y tape using masking tape! Use a tiny hole punch to make holes in your tape.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial about creating textured backgrounds for your art journal! If you use any of these techniques, I would love for you to stop by my blog and share them with me. If not, please stop by and say hi anyway! I love new crafty friends! :)
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A little more about me (Amy Lapi)... I'm 24 years old living in South Florida by way of Long Island, NY. I'm a therapist at a psychiatric clinic by day... and an artist by night. :) I love art journaling, painting, crocheting, reading, drawing, and watching movies. I've been blogging since 2005, and in 2008, I started my online business, Peace, Love, & Cupcakes.
