Art Journal Round Robin

I am participating in my first Art Journal Round Robin (AJRR) with Janet, Mary, and Danielle.  We are just now sending out our prepared journals for the first round of the swap.  We are four different women of different ages, living in different states in different circumstances, making different styles of art, but with a common interest in art journaling and building creative friendships.  Let me share the journal I have sent on to Janet, who will send it on to the next participant in four weeks.  After a couple of months, I will have a chance to see it again, before sending it on for another round of swaps.

We are keeping our journals roughly to the size of 6"x8", so I chose a Strathmore Mixed Media notebook.  Maybe I will make my own journal sometime in the future, but I decided to face one new challenge at a time!  I kept it simple, with a photo from Mollie Makes and a clear Dymo lable.  (This was my second choice of cover, as I destroyed the first in the process of creating it.  Such is the way of art projects sometimes!)

I thought it would be fun to have a sign-in page on the inside, so I left a section for each person to include her signature, and some sort of "artistic signature":  a note, a collage, a drawing, a rubber stamp image, whatever.

Do you recognize the inspiration for my first art journal spread?  I knew as soon as I saw a certain Puffs tissue box in our family room that I wanted to create an art journal page based on its design.  It is a true testimony to the fact that art journal inspiration can come from anywhere!

My second spread began with a painted background, using watercolor paints, stencils, and a sea sponge.  Then, I created a silhouette from a fashion catalog and painted it in black acrylic paint.  Next, I doodled around the edges using design inspirations from Zenspirations by Joanne Fink.  I thought up the sentiment on the left, then added some inspiring Bible verses written around the edges of the woman's silhouette.

At the end of the art journal, I thought it would be fun to include an envelope of scraps to share.  I figure that people can take as many scraps as they want, for their journal spreads or other projects, as long as they replace them with just as many as they take.

I am excited to see all of the different styles of art journals that will come to my door over the next several months.  I try to consistently face new challenges that stretch my creativity and build connections with the people whose online presence I enjoy. 

How are you challenging yourself creatively today?