It seems in this day and age, if people are not impossibly busy and stressed out to the max then they are not accomplishing enough career-wise. The same can be said for students, as well. And for those juggling work, school, family, and the household everyday this is especially true. It is important, no matter how impossible it seems, to take time to sort through the chaos when life is overwhelming. Why not sort it out using art?
Materials:
- Art journal
- Decoupage medium
- Fibers: scrap fabric, ribbons, yarn, string, etc.
- Acrylic paint: a variety of bold colors
- Magazine cutouts
- Paint or sponge brushes
- Small containers of water
- Waxed paper
- Newspaper or cardboard
Instructions:
- Completely cover the work surface, including where supplies and materials will be placed, with newspaper or cardboard.
- Open the art journal to the first blank page spread, and place a piece of waxed paper beneath each page.
- Create a color wash using the acrylic paint. Work as dark or as light as desired, but consider keeping the edges of each page dark.
- Before the paint has dried completely, use the decoupage medium to add fibers. Wiggle them in the paint a bit to create different patterns and textures.
- Allow the page spread to dry completely before moving on to the next step. Speed drying time through use of a heat gun or hair dryer.
- Create another layer on the page spread using the magazine cutouts. Choose images and phrases that best help relieve the tensions that are currently experienced. Consider adding further embellishments with additional fibers layered over the magazine cutouts to add more weight to the collage work.
- Add a final layer of decoupage medium to both sides of the page spread, and allow to dry completely before attempting to close the book. Depending on how many layers and how much medium is applied, it could take up between 24 and 48 hours to completely dry. (An alternative that works quite well is gel medium)
Variations:
- Rather than using acrylic paint, spray on different shades and colors of distress ink.
- Tear up pieces of drawing paper creating a deckled edge, and rub distress ink on them before adding them to the page spread. Write out snippets about why chaos is present and what solutions are possible for smoothing things out in life. Add them to the collage.
- Use paperclips, broken zippers, buttons, and staples as embellishments to give the collage a ‘this is stuff from my life” addition.
- Write out everything that is causing stress in chaos before beginning this art journal prompt using an ultra-fine black sharpie, and then add the paint wash. Allow the color to bleed in with the writing.
Experiencing stressful situations is common, and reoccurring. How these situations are dealt with makes all the difference in the world. By taking an art project, such as this art journal prompt, to help work through these issues then it is more likely to have a positive outcome. It is difficult for anyone, art journal or not, to stay positive when surrounded by chaos. So, try to work on this art journal prompt with a close friend or family member. However, if comfort is found in solitude, then defiantly do what works best for the best possible outcome.
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