diGiTaL pHaNtoM
Hello! I am still alive. Still making art. Lately it’s be a lot of digital stuff, and I started thinking about the ol’ blog and decided to give it a go again. So, this is the first installment of a series on digital art. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep the momentum going.
So, when I say “digital art,” for me it means specifially iPad art. I have a desktop computer, but I use it more for storage (old photos, music, etc) than actually playing around on it. I had an ipad 2 for a few years, but I recently decided to swap up to an iPad Mini Retina. Mainly, I just wanted something a little smaller that I could throw in my purse. I’ve taken a couple of courses, played around with a few (hundred) apps, and I feel like I’ve gotten a decent handle on iPad art journaling, so I’ve decided to focus on the digital aspect for the time being. I’ve been looking for a “theme” lately, browsing online art journaling courses, trying to pick something simple, yet meaningful, as a jumping off point for my work. I happened to stumble across Gala Darling’s Radical Self-Love Bible Course and knew it was the one for me.
One of the things I missed when creating iPad art was that cohesive, flip-through-the-pages feel. I hated having all my work as individual pieces scattered throughout my camera roll. Just a couple days ago, I found a sketchbook app called FlipInk that lets you import photos into a flippable book, and I was set. Above is the current cover of my journal (I tend to change it depending on my mood). It’s a digital reimagining of an sketch from my sketchbook. As for the inside of the book itself, I started by adding just ten pages to play around on. I can always add more later. With this digital journal, I tend to make bits and pieces in other apps, then paste them in here and there. So, each page is always a work in progress. I thought I’d share them with you guys each week and let you see how they change with my mood. Here we go:
This, by the way, is the flip view, I can also save the pieces I make as flat sheets. That’s the first page, which Gala suggested we write a dedication, the way novelists dedicate their books. I haven’t done that yet, but I left a little space for it. Apps used: FlipInk, Procreate, Rookie, Hipstamatic, Rhonna designs.
Page Two: A little survey sheet from Traci Bautistia’s iPad art journaling course that I’m currently working my way through, a selfie, some tarot art I yoinked from Pinterest, a photo of me and my besties’ shadows, a mock-up cover for my novel, on top of a background I made in Procreate. Apps used: FlipInk, Rhonna Designs, Procreate, and Pinterest.
Page 3. the background I scribbled out using the art tools on FlipInk. I added a couple of pieces of art, one I made and one from Pinterest. Apps used: FlipInk, Rhonna Designs, Pinterest.
Page Four: A while back I choose a prompt from the book Soul Pancake (what drains your soul? what recharges it?) and made the piece shown on the top left. The rest are clippings I found online. Apps used: FlipInk, A Beautiful Mess, Rhonna Designs, Pinterest.
Page Five: a self portrait on top of a background I created in one of my non-digital art journals. Apps used: FlipInk, Afterlight, Rhonna Designs.
Pages Six and Seven are just backgrounds for now. I made both pieces in Procreate.
Page Eight. This was another Gala prompt, a gratitude page. I used a freebie background I found on Flickr and the FlipInk art tools. The photo on the left is one I accidentally took when I dropped my phone–isn’t it cool? Apps used: FlipInk and Rhonna designs.
This morning, I decided my Radical Self-Love Bible definitely needed a friendship collage. These are all my best buddies (bonus points if you can name the celeb friend in the top left). I raided all my friends’ Facebook profile pics, plus there’s a really old one of me and my childhood best friends in the top right. Aren’t they all so cute?!
And this last page is just a background so far. I picked it up off a Flickr page of free backgrounds. Speaking of Flickr (and Pinterest) I always try my best not to step on anyone’s toes where copyright is concerned, but I’ve been treating this digital journal much like a moleskine full of collage images ripped from magazines. In other words, I’ve just been grabbing stuff that inspires me off the web and pasting it right in. So, if you see something you’ve made and would like either credit or for me to remove it, just let me know.
Okay, that’s my digi journal so far. I am loving it. I’ll be back again sometime soon with more musings, tips, and tutorials on digital journaling.
Um, hi…
Hi…so I haven’t talked to you in a while. There is good news and bad news. The good news is that I’m not dead or deathly ill or anything. The bad is that this blog is most likely kaput. I feel like I have never properly apologized for my very sudden departure from the art journaling world. I do still make art occasionally, but, as I have mentioned before, the depth of my creativity has been swept away with writing this book.
I think about writing constantly. That journal page up there? It’s about my book. If I’m not writing, I’m wishing I were writing, or painting about writing, or sleeping. That’s about it. I do carry a little guilt for not blogging here, but I have always found it best to stick to the types of creativity that bring me the most pleasure. When I wrote in this blog, I did so because I enjoyed it. Now that it seems like a chore, I don’t think it’s worth it for me or my readers. At some point, I may start a new blog that will either be all purpose or specifically about my experiences writing, but I don’t see myself posting on here much anymore. And, of course, these archives aren’t going anywhere.
I feel like I’m making pretty good progress with this book. I’ve been writing for about nine months and I have completed a first draft and I’m now hacking my way through the second. I have almost completed the first third of the book, which is about seven chapters. Back in March I enrolled in a ten week writing workshop taught by my favorite author in the world, Francesca Lia Block. It was amazing! Not only did my favorite author read my work and give me lots of feedback, I made friends with a tribe of totally awesome girls. Francesca hosts these workshops every few months and if you need help with a manuscript, I highly recommend her. Friend her on Facebook so you can catch her next class.
I also wanted to tell you that I’m addicted to Pinterest. It’s a great tool for writers. Want a peek into the world I’m writing about? http://pinterest.com/birdandvine/bird-and-vine/ (Yes, it has literally been so long since I’ve blogged that I can’t figure out how to hide links anymore, sorry). Check out my other boards, too (though most are book-related), and feel free to follow me.
Thanks to everyone who’s read and enjoyed my blog! If I start a new one, I’ll let you know!
How AEDM Turned into NaNoWriMo
There is something about November that makes me go completely insane. I think it has something to do with working in retail. I have to find a creative outlet in November or I will lose my mind. One year I taught myself to knit. Another year I made a really bad zine. The past two years, of course, it’s been art journaling. And this year…it turned into novel writing. About a week ago, I Stumbled Upon a web article about the snowflake method for writing a novel and I thought, hey I wanna try. It is NaNoWriMo, after all. Five hours later I realized I hadn’t moved from the couch. And it’s been like that ever since. So, I’m sorry, but I think AEDM is off for now (although, I think writing could be considered an art). Anyway, I don’t know if my novel will ever be fit for human consumption, but I am enjoying myself tremendously! First of all, I have been getting to sleep at a decent hour every night so I can get up early and write. It’s sort of a strange experience, though. It has completely changed the way I interact with the (real) world. I have trouble concentrating at work, because I’m thinking about my plot. I have conversations with my characters in my car. I smile to myself on my lunch break when I think of something funny one of them has done. The downside is that I do not want to hang out with my buddies and my family. I have to tear myself away from my iPad! My house is a disaster!
Okay, so despite my crazy and antisocial behavioral issues, I find working on a novel to be one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had in my adult life. It’s a bit like being handed a few pieces of a puzzle and being told to make up the rest. First, I thought of a general idea and a few characters and I’ve been slowly working out the reasons why these people ended up together. One of the characters is very real to me in a strange way. He even managed to tell me I’d gotten his name wrong! After I got his name right, it seems like he just won’t shut up! I get pieces of dialogue from him all the time!
I’m really shy about my work. The only person I’ve told that I’m writing is my husband…about ten minutes ago. He asked me what I’ve been doing all day, so I mumbled something about writing a novel and he was pretty unconvinced. So, I said, “No, I have seriously been writing a novel.” He didn’t harass me too much about it, so I’m thinking about announcing it to my Facebook friends next.
I suppose you might want to know a bit about what I’m writing, but my inner critic is in my ear telling me how dumb it all sounds. Especially since I haven’t gotten it all figured out. So, I will just tell you a couple of things. It has a title! Bird and Vine. It’s probably going to be YA, because that’s what I like to read, but I suppose it could end up being for adults. It’s also Fantasy, which I never imagined myself writing, but the ability to build my own world was too much to resist. And that character I love so much? His name is Jinx!
Current Word Count (8 days in): 15,236. I told you I’ve gone insane!
AEDM Day 16: Image Transfer Two
Here is my finished image transfer. It didn’t turn out very well, and I started to do a paint-over, but then I realized I don’t have any darker flesh tone for shading. Poo! I’ll have to pick up some tomorrow.
Day 15: Image Transfer
Another 5-minute art journaling session tonight. I grabbed a magazine, flipped through, and found a photo I liked. I applied some glue to the image and stuck it face down in my journal. Tomorrow I’ll peel off the back and have a pretty photo in my journal!
Day 14: Stamping
Wow, I didn’t get much done today either! I made sure to sit down with my journal, if only for 5 minutes. I grabbed a few stamps and stamped all over one of my painted backgrounds. Hopefully I’ll have more free time tomorrow.
AEDM Day 13: A Lazy Day
I am having a particularly lazy day today. I have barely moved from the couch. I did a little painting in my journal this morning, but really I have been daydreaming all day about wizards. I am kind of obsessed with Howl’s Moving Castle. I think next year I might actually try NaNoWriMo! How was your Sunday?
AEDM Day 12: Kit
Tonight I’m putting together something new for my shop–an art journal kit. I figure it can be for a new art journaler or used as a travel kit. The journal included is an upcycled board book. And I’m gathering all kinds of goodies to go with it. A set of craft paints, a container of gesso, an envelope full of papers and collage items, a stamp pad and a small alphabet stamp set, a large stencil, a travel watercolor set… It’s gonna be pretty sweet. I’ll be sure to post a link to the finished product tomorrow.
AEDM Day 11: Brainstorm!
This morning I didn’t have much time before work, so I just grabbed a notebook and did a bit of brainstorming. A scribbly notebook isn’t much to look at, though. So how about a photo of the kittens that have been hanging out in my yard?
Sooooo cute! Happy 11.11.11 day!
AEDM Day 10: Shrine
I woke up this morning and was playing around on my iPad when I came across a shrine someone had made inside a matchbox. I have always wanted to make a shrine, so I decided that today was the day.
Actually, I think what I made is technically a triptych gothic arch card. It’s the thing on the right.
Inside is a shrine to Courtney Love. A real rock goddess. I used photos from the Internet and photocopies of pages from her book Dirty Blonde, which is essentially an art journal. It’s hard to photograph the entire inside of the shrine, so I’ll be sure to show it off in my next journal flip video. Okay, now I’m going to snuggle on the couch and watch Howl’s Moving Castle. I finished the book last night and it was amazing!
The Paper Phantom 