Back in February I started to art journal.  What is art journaling?  Art journaling is a way of expressing yourself in illustrated form in journals and diaries.  It really has no set rules.  Which is great because I don’t believe art should have rules.  I believe you should be able to express yourself however you like. When I had first looked into art journaling a few years ago I had come across websites that stated art journaling had to be done a certain way and that there were certain rules to follow.  Due to this I decided to not art journal but this year when I started to do artist trading cards I was again interested in art journaling.  This time when I looked into it I found that the majority of art journalers don’t believe there are rules so I decided to start.  You can read more about art journaling at Twelve Squared Creations or you can google art journaling and you will find many pages that talk about it.

I have had fun art journaling these past few months.  My first art journals have been about figuring out what I like and don’t like, trying new techniques and trying my hardest to not be a perfectionist. That has been the hardest but it is something that doesn’t go well with art.  So if I make a mistake I just keep going instead of tearing the page out and starting over. Despite how a page turns out I always post it.  I have also tried not to plan anything.  I just sit down at my art table and just do whatever comes to mind or express however I feel.

I completed my first art journal in August.  There are a few pages I don’t like at all but there are many I like and a few I love.  It has been a great experience and I plan to continue art journaling.  Below is a slideshow with all the pages in my first completed art journal which I titled Beginnings.  The images are in the order that they are in the journal and not in the order I created them.  You can also view the pages in the portfolio section.

I hope you enjoy my art journal.

Art Journal 1 – “Beginnings”