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Taking on Texture Project

I’ve recently noticed a trend emerging in art journals where artists just pile on the paint and other goodies to create a lot of texture. As someone who has always made sure my journal pages are nice and smooth, I was instantly intrigued by such a different style from my own. While looking over the spring issue of Art Journaling, my eye was once again drawn to the look of thick paint layered with fibers and scraps, among many other things. This time it was Tiffany Goff Smith’s work that captured my attention. I spent so much time just looking to at all the layers and texture she managed to create.

So, I dusted off my art journal, grabbed my paints and got to work. My usual technique is to brush light layers of paint onto my pages, blending everything as much as possible. My tools of choice are usually paintbrushes and my fingers. I’d consider my style to be “neat-messy,” meaning I carefully plan out each smudge and stroke. I put all of that aside, though, and grabbed a brayer and an old gift card.

I got to work, squirting paint directly onto the page and spread it around with a brayer. From there, I tore off bits of masking tape and applied them randomly all over the page. Next, I slathered on more paint — yes, slathered — using an old gift card. My mind kept questioning the amount of paint I was using, and I had to stop myself from smoothing it all out, but I also began to say to myself, “Hey, this is cool!”

It quickly became a game to find more ways to add some texture to this page. I tore an old tea bag into pieces, scrunched it up, and applied that to the page too. The tea-bag tag also found a spot for itself. To add a few more colors to the page, I added watercolors in random spots, and moved the book around, allowing the wet paint to drip in different directions.

I noted that Tiffany used a lot of various fibers in her work, so I found some thread to add to the page, using a staple to attach it rather than glue. The finishing touches were a grubby tag, old book text, and a sticker scrap, all attached with staples.

I had such a fun time working in this way. My eyes keep scanning my workspace to see what I can add to my next page. When you see Tiffany’s artist profile in the Spring 2019 issue of Art Journaling, I think you’ll be feeling the same.

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I’ve recently noticed a trend emerging in art journals where artists just pile on the paint and other goodies to create a lot of texture. As someone who has always made sure my journal pages are nice and smooth, I was instantly intrigued by such a different style from my own. While looking over the spring issue of Art Journaling, my eye was once again drawn to the look of thick paint layered with fibers and scraps, among many other things. This time it was Tiffany Goff Smith’s work that captured my attention. I spent so much time just looking to at all the layers and texture she managed to create.

So, I dusted off my art journal, grabbed my paints and got to work. My usual technique is to brush light layers of paint onto my pages, blending everything as much as possible. My tools of choice are usually paintbrushes and my fingers. I’d consider my style to be “neat-messy,” meaning I carefully plan out each smudge and stroke. I put all of that aside, though, and grabbed a brayer and an old gift card.

I got to work, squirting paint directly onto the page and spread it around with a brayer. From there, I tore off bits of masking tape and applied them randomly all over the page. Next, I slathered on more paint — yes, slathered — using an old gift card. My mind kept questioning the amount of paint I was using, and I had to stop myself from smoothing it all out, but I also began to say to myself, “Hey, this is cool!”

It quickly became a game to find more ways to add some texture to this page. I tore an old tea bag into pieces, scrunched it up, and applied that to the page too. The tea-bag tag also found a spot for itself. To add a few more colors to the page, I added watercolors in random spots, and moved the book around, allowing the wet paint to drip in different directions.

I noted that Tiffany used a lot of various fibers in her work, so I found some thread to add to the page, using a staple to attach it rather than glue. The finishing touches were a grubby tag, old book text, and a sticker scrap, all attached with staples.

I had such a fun time working in this way. My eyes keep scanning my workspace to see what I can add to my next page. When you see Tiffany’s artist profile in the Spring 2019 issue of Art Journaling, I think you’ll be feeling the same.

 
Taking on Texture Project
Taking on Texture Project
Taking on Texture Project

Customer Reviews

1 Review
  • Love it! 5

    Posted by Sherri Boswell on Sep 21st 2021

    Very pretty. Love the colors and texture

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