Art Journal Backgrounds

 

I watched a free online Strathmore workshop called Sketchbook Fury - The Art Ninja’s Handbook taught by Graham   Smith.  Lesson one has  great tips on designing background pages for your art journal.  I created blended backgrounds in my art journal with Graham’s tips in mind. 

For these backgrounds, I choose 2 to 3 translucent paints per page.  I made sure I picked out colors within the same color family.  For example, I used cool colors (blues and greens) per background, or warm colors (reds and oranges).  This strategy ensures you won’t create a muddy brown background.  For a more blended look, I sprayed the pages with water prior to adding paint. 

After I applied paint to one page, I closed my journal so that the paints would bleed and blend onto the adjacent page.   Upon opening my journal, there were a couple of places where the paint didn’t do what I wanted it to.  In these areas I simply used a baby wipe to help spread the paint where I wanted it.