Art Journal to Express Needs
What Do You Need? Articulate Your WishesThrough an Art Project.
Mar 30, 2008
The purpose of this art journal prompt is to separate your needs from your wants. Everyone has needs, but expressing them verbally is not easy for some. There are various reasons for this, so getting them down in writing is important. This will bring you one step closer toward communicating your needs to someone who understands.
For this mixed-media art journal prompt, you will need the following materials:
- Art journal
- One playing card
- Pencil
- Ballpoint pen
- Black ultra-fine sharpies
- Watercolor paint
- Paintbrushes, variety of sizes
- Small containers of water
- Your favorite magazines
- Ephemera
- Straight edge scissors
- Heavy-duty glue stick
Follow these instructions to complete this mixed media art journal prompt:
- Open your art journal to the first blank page spread. Trace out the playing card in five to seven spots randomly placed throughout the page spread, using pencil. Clean up any mistakes or loose edges.
- Using the ballpoint pen, write out what all of your needs are. Really think this through. Separate what it is you really need from what you want. Do you want some things that you think are needs? This is why it is important to give this step a lot of thought.
- Color wash all the areas that do not have the playing card tracings using watercolor paint. It does not matter what color. Allow to dry completely before moving on the next step. (Speed drying time by using a heat gun or a hair dryer.)
- Flip through your favorite magazine cutting out every image, piece of text, and article that is of interest to you. After you have cut them out, ask yourself how many of these clippings have to do with your needs. Using the glue stick, collage in various areas of the painted areas.
- Layer over the collages with ephemera. Do not be afraid to overlap the edges of the playing card areas. Keep layering until you have reached the desired look you are after.
- Take out the black ultra-fine sharpie and trace around the playing card areas. Make the lines so they match the pencil marks, create patterns, make them wavy, or create some strings of additional text. Whatever you want to do is fine so long as you are framing in your needs somehow and making them stand out.
Repeat this art journal prompt as often as needed to accurately convey your needs. Were you able to sort through what you need, as opposed to what you want? Do you feel you are one step closer to being able to express these needs verbally? Explore these thoughts on additional art journal page spreads, in your text only journal, or in your blog.
