Illustration Friday - Packed

After months of thinking about using Illustration Friday as inspiration for journal pages, I have finally been able to use one of the topics to complete a page. As I began to think about the word "packed," I first thought of having a page packed with stuff, and then as I worked on it evolved into a representation of how my days have become so packed with things to do, that I have to write it all down just to remember it all, and there never seems to be enough time to get it all done. And that point was driven home when fellow Journal Fodder Junkie, Dave, reiterated the same thing today when he told me how his days are nothing but running. He said that he felt like he started running the moment that he got up to the moment that he went to bed. Just constant running without feeling like anything gets done - without getting anywhere.

So this packed journal page is my first foray into IF. I hope that it is the first of many.

Fodder

I wanted to post something different than my usual "Here Are Some of My Pages" post that I normally post. So I instantly thought of fodder. If you are new to this blog or new to the idea of Journal Fodder, it is simply the "food" for your journal. Over the years I have amassed a bit of digital fodder - images, words, and other things, that I can print out anytime. This saves a lot of actual space in my fodder bins in the studio. So, I decided to post these images. They are relatively large - 8.5x11in., and they should print off quite well.These two images were inspired by paper that I had seen for scrapbooking. I remember seeing some of this 12x12in. paper in a store once that looked as if it had been painted, and it was obvious that it was originally painted and then scanned. I thought to myself, "I can do that myself and save myself some money." So, these two painted papers were created the same way. I crumpled some drawing paper, and then proceeded to paint them with watercolor paint. The wrinkles soaked up the paint differently then the smoother sections and enhanced the texture. Then I scanned them in and saved them. Now I can print them out any time, cut them up and use them in the journal.
Feel free to print these and use them as you see fit. Post to the Flickr group if you like, so that we can all see what you have done. Happy Foddering.

Old Artwork

As an art educator of more than 12 years, I always have lots of demo samples around that I begin and work on with my students when I share new projects with them. Often these samples lie around in a cabinet where sometimes I pull them out in later years to show students. But more often than not, they stay in their cabinet. Occasionally, I purge the artwork and use it as journal fodder. This page was done in Journal #2 (quite a few years ago) using several portraits that I had created from demonstrations on proportion. I cut the drawings apart and recombined pieces to create something new. I need to do more of this.