Art Journal About Memories
Memory Books Do Not Have to Be Reserved Just for Scrapbooking!
Preserve some or your favorite memories on the pages of your art journal using mixed media art techniques.
This mixed-media art journal prompt can be approached a couple of different ways. Artists can choose to incorporate these page spreads into their existing art journals, or they can create a themed art journal dedicated to nothing but memory related page spreads. How this is approached is an individual choice.
For this mixed-media art journal prompt, you will need the following materials:
- Art journal
- Waxed paper
- Acrylic or watercolor paint
- Paint or sponge brushes
- Small containers of water
- Heavy-duty glue stick
- Decoupage medium
- Photographs depicting the memory (reproductions are best)
- Collage items associated with the memory
- Ephemera collected at the time of the memory
- Decorative paper associated with the memory
- Scissors
- Walnut distress ink
- Black ultra-fine sharpie
Follow these simple instructions to complete this mixed-media art journal prompt:
- Open your art journal to the first blank page spread and place a piece of waxed paper beneath each page in the spread to protect the rest of the pages in your book.
- Create a color wash using colors (either watercolor or acrylic paint) complimenting the photographs, collage materials, ephemera, and decorative paper chosen for this mixed media art journal prompt.
- While the paint is drying, alter the collage items, ephemera, and photographs by cutting them to size, deckling the edges, and applying walnut distress ink. This will give them dimension and an interesting appearance on the page spread.
- Apply decorative papers to the page spread in various areas (torn, with clean cuts, or however you want them to appear) of the page spread to act as a backdrop for the rest of the layering that will occur. You may wish to add walnut distress ink to the edges of these papers, as well.
- Layer collage items and ephemera over the decorative papers, but do not use it all up. Reserve some pieces for later.
- Add photographs over the collage work and decorative papers. Collage over pieces of the photographs with remaining materials. If you chose acrylic paint, you may wish to create more layers of color as well.
- Using the black ultra-fine sharpie, add text, quotations, and journal entries about the memory you have themed the page spread about. Try using interesting text, create a border of words, or write directly over photographs.
That is all there is to completing this mixed media-art journal prompt. Repeat this art journal prompt as often as needed to fully depict the memory you are attempting to preserve. Another option to consider is reproducing the photographs several times and creating several different page spreads using the same photographs.
