A silly conversation happened while playing in my art journal. It wasn’t about how I decide when to stop adding layers or the fancy close the page technique- although both of these are in the video. It had to do with how I started painting the buildings on the page and why that triggered that [...]
Are We There Yet
![Playing with Acrylic Gouache and Some Nonsense thumbnail](https://acolorfuljourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/art-play-english-lit-interpretation-carolyn-dube-1-300x300.jpg)
What’s the play for today? A rainbow of Liquitex’s Acrylic Gouache, some cardboard, and taking a risk. I took a risk, used something that set off my inner supply hoarder and that almost ended the fun. But there was a way to quiet down that noisy supply hoarder and I’m sharing it with you in [...]
![OOPS, The Epic Journey of Doubt and Play thumbnail](https://acolorfuljourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/stencil-canvas-layers-carolyn-dube-10a-300x300.jpg)
Going from the blank canvas to a finished one can feel like the the 12 trials of Hercules, an epic journey. I had a gesso’d canvas, actually a wood panel, fully prepared to tackle the challenges that were waiting as I began playing. The first challenge happened when I started layering some colors and pattern and it looked hideous [...]
![No Clarity. No Focus. And a Loud Inner Perfectionist. thumbnail](https://acolorfuljourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/stamped-stenciled-flower-art-journal-page-carolyn-dube-2-300x300.jpg)
You know that feeling of clarity and focus you have when inspiration strikes? When there is no doubt as to what you should do. That’s NOT what was happening here. I had no clarity. No focus. Every decision was full of doubt because of that inner perfectionist pestering me. So what do I do when I have days [...]
![I Was Having One of Those Days thumbnail](https://acolorfuljourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6990-300x300.jpg)
I was avoiding an inevitable grown up task, thanks to leftover paint. My must do project for a deadline was finished but I just had to use up the last remnants of the paint. Since I really didn’t want the play to stop, I used a small brush. It had to take me longer to use it [...]
![The Ugly Pink Rectangle OOPS in my Art Journal thumbnail](https://acolorfuljourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/collaged-scraps-stenciled-stamped-art-journal-tutorial-carolyn-dube-6-300x300.jpg)
Treasures were used to create this art journal page. Were these expensive treasures? Nope. Would they be considered trash by many? Yes! These treasures were a bag of scraps of paper that I had been saving in my studio for a very long time that I decided was time to use them or lose them courtesy [...]
![A Purple Bunny Hopped Right Into My Art Journal thumbnail](https://acolorfuljourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cardboard-art-journal-bunny-tutorial-carolyn-dube5-300x300.jpg)
What do I do when I want to play but a blank page doesn’t inspire me? I grab a Spark of Art-spiration and see where it takes me. This Spark brought a purple bunny into the studio for another cardboard page in a Permission to Play journal. https://youtu.be/arZKvXOFOV0 Watch Starting an Art Journal Page with a [...]
![Love adding pattern to tags with stencils!](https://acolorfuljourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/tags-stenciled-travel-carolyn-dube-200.jpg)
Sometimes I just play around without a plan. I know, you’re shocked. That’s how all 3 of these tags came about – just random play with Pebbles Layer Me, Iron Grate Layer Me, and Connected Eyes Layer Me stencils. The muse gave me the imperfect vibe today so I went loose with the paints. That means getting paint under the [...]
![Video playing it loose with a stencil and paint on a junk mail envelope with Carolyn Dube](https://acolorfuljourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stencil-paint-loose-envelope-play-carolyn-dube-200.jpg)
I’m playing it fast and loose with a stencil and paint on a junk mail envelope. It was the end of the day and I wanted to use up my leftover paints. When time is short, anything within reach is fair game for me…and this was what I grabbed! When I go loose…there is usually [...]
![Video using baby wipes and a stencil in my art journal](https://acolorfuljourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/art-journal-travel-journey-carolyn-dube-150x103.jpg)
I’m about to say something surprising…I’m giving away one of my new stencils and the details are below. But that isn’t what surprised me. Brown…I used brown. Are you surprised? I know I am! And…get this…I apparently liked it so much that I had to wipe off the paint way more than I ever expected. [...]