Color the Emotion

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Using Fabric on Art Journal Pages

So Much Gardening to Do, an art journal page that uses fabric pieces. A fabric collage by Peony and Parakeet
At this time of the year, at the beginning of summer, there’s a lot to do in the garden. I started early this year, but recently there has been so many activities that I feel I have neglected the garden. This guilty feeling also showed up on my latest art journal page!

This page is made on a spread of Moleskine Sketchbook, so the image is fairly small, about 10 inches in width. A special feature here is that I have added two small cotton fabric pieces to boost my imagination. Using the technique of fabric collage was just a sudden idea, but I love how the page feels when touched!

Creating fabric collage with fabric pieces and freehand drawing, by Peony and Parakeet

I attached the first fabric piece at the early stage. Golden Soft Gel Gloss Medium was used for attaching the fabric.

Using Fabric Pieces on Art Journal Pages, by Peony and Parakeet

After attaching the fabric, I doodled with a black drawing pen to get the creativity going.

Using Fabric Pieces on Art Journal Pages, by Peony and Parakeet

When I began coloring, I realized that I want to create a spread instead of a page. So I attached another fabric, purposefully a bit different from the first.

Using Fabric Pieces on Art Journal Pages, by Peony and Parakeet

While coloring the page, I added more details. As my garden looks wild at the moment, I wanted to show the growth on the page too.

Tulips in the garden

Here’s one corner of our front garden. Tulips bloom beautifully, and peonies (my favorites, of course!) grow fast.  Lots of weeding to be done!

Using Fabric Pieces on Art Journal Pages, by Peony and Parakeet

Why not try some fabric collage in your journal?

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7 thoughts on “Using Fabric on Art Journal Pages

  1. Oh Paivi, this is a beautiful spread but I was thinking about your wildly growing garden. Sit back and relax, just let it do its thing – it is making wonderful detailed “marks” on the whole scene and it is going “further” like a drawing. Once it is finished to your liking, go in and begin cleaning it up and enhancing parts. Some of my favorite things to see are the tiny wild “weeds” with even tinier blossoms that only the insects know about but we rarely stop to see. Your garden is a living Paivi drawing just very busy doing what it does best – growing wildly. There will be time once you have enjoyed the messy part. Patience! LOL, I’m giving you back what you have taught me.

  2. I love so many things about you and your art. You are a human’s Human. The comment about the garden needing attention and yet you just sit touches the place in all of us where we are not on top of our chores. This can become an excuse not to do our art, which feeds us. Instead you incorporated the emotion and beauty came forth!
    Thank you. I will look at the moment with compassion for myself and go with the overwhelming desire to feed my soul with art!

  3. Thanks Päivi – once again- for your inspring ideas! After joining your web course I have been drawing a great deal. And in addition added Haiku-poems into my pages. Yes, I can draw!

  4. Taking your “Inspirational Drawing” class now, I am really enjoying the freedom and inspiration of doodling all over to see what the imagination and unconscious has to offer. The use of fabric enhances the process and adds wonderful texture. Will have to try this.

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