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Art Journal Prompt About Harvesting

Harvest Creativity Through Book Art Projects

Oct 11, 2008 Jenn Greenleaf

There are so many harvest festivals occurring in communities around us just about every weekend. Why not turn them into artistic opportunities?

Some really enjoy getting out into the community and embracing the various festivals, parades, and events going on to celebrate fall and the harvesting. There’s apple picking, hayrides, pumpkin picking, cider tasting, just to name a few. Even for those not interested in partaking in the various games and celebrations, there are still ways to quietly celebrate at home through mixed media art explorations.

Materials:

Art journal
Faux fall leaves
Twigs
Acorn caps
Pinecone pieces
Fliers for harvest events
Magazine clippings of fall related items
Black ultra-fine tipped sharpie
Decoupage or gel medium
Watercolors or acrylics, fall colors
Paint or sponge brushes
Small containers of water

Instructions:

Open your art journal to the first blank page spread. Arrange all materials in the workspace so it is easily accessible. Do not forget to put down some newspaper or something else to protect the work surface.
Create a color wash that is either vibrant or muted using the acrylic or watercolor paint. Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on to the next step. Use a heat gun or hair dryer to speed drying time.
Use the magazine clippings to create the first layer of the harvest themed collage. Place them randomly on the page, or set them up in a structured manner similar to a scrapbook page lay-out. Set them in place using the gel or decoupage medium. There is no right or wrong way of doing this.
Tear the edges of the event fliers collected and add them to the page spread using the gel or decoupage medium.
Add the faux leaves, twigs, acorn caps, and pine cone pieces. Because some of these items are weighty, you may need to use a hot glue gun to keep them affixed securely on the page.
Use the black ultra-fine sharpie to write out inspirational quotes, thoughts about the events portrayed on the page, or anything else that comes to mind. Use this as a vehicle for expressing thoughts and feelings about this time of year, as well.

Variations:

Rather than using actual pieces of ephemera collected from nature, create a less weighty page spread using stickers depicting items from nature.
Print out quotations, short journal entries, and thoughts about harvest festivals on fall themed paper to collage into the page spread.
Distress the edges of the pages using distress ink, as well as all the items added to the collage.
Affix envelopes to the page spread that have been distressed, paint them, and add event fliers or newspaper clippings inside them.

There is a lot of opportunity for on the scene art journal work, as well. Consider setting up an area in an out of the way place to paint or sketch what is around you. Think outside the box and truly enjoy the moment. Harvest as many ideas as you can in your art journal to incorporate into future pieces of mixed media art.

The copyright of the article Art Journal Prompt About Harvesting in Mixed Media Arts is owned by Jenn Greenleaf. Permission to republish Art Journal Prompt About Harvesting in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.