Orange Spiral Arts

Getting Started with Visual Journaling -Class at Wet Paint

“Our creativity-that is, our fearless engagement with the world around us- is the source of our happiness and purpose on this planet.” –Peter Himmelman, Let Me Out: Unlock Your Creative Mind and Bring Your Ideas to Life

 

Dear Creative Ones,

 

I’d like to invite you into the wonderful world of visual journaling. This is a world where anything goes; there is no right or wrong way to express yourself in your journal. My style is not going to be your style, and that is the beauty of sitting with others who are also engaging in the process of keeping a visual journal. You are unique, and your own artistic style will show up. You don’t even have to think of yourself as an artist; you are born a creative being.

 

In my upcoming class at Wet Paint, Getting Started with Visual Journaling, I have a few goals. The first goal is to help you overcome your fears of the blank page. The second goal is to have you feel seen, heard, and loved while you are in class. The third goal is to have fun playing around with various mixed media supplies, so that we may breathe a little easier, let go of the stress we carry, and just be present to the moment.

 

I will be guiding you through creating initial backgrounds, adding to those backgrounds, as well as doing some low stress drawing and journaling exercises.

 

This experience is for you, and I want you to see yourself reflected in your visual journal.

I have been keeping visual journals for over twenty years. Some of my journals have tons of writing, and other journals are explorations into various art materials. The journals that mean the most are the ones where I’ve included bits and pieces of my life. Those bits and pieces could be photographs, ephemera from the day, or a deep writing session.

We are all on a journey, and a visual journal is your companion along the way. Whether you are in a place of healing physical or emotional pain, in some sort of transition, or riding life’s waves with ease, we all need a safe space to express ourselves. That’s what a visual journal is for me. When I am present to the creative process, I connect to something greater. To illustrate this, one woman at a recent MN Visual Journal Collective meeting said when referring to her journal, “It’s time I start working on a better relationship with myself.” That resonated with so many others in the room. Can you relate, too?

 

Gather your supplies, begin to open your heart, and let’s create together.

Register for Getting Started with Visual Journaling here: http://info.wetpaintart.com/index.php/event/getting-started-visual-journaling-taught-by-briana-goetzen/

 

 

“Without dreams, without risks, only a trivial semblance of living can be achieved.” –Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Finding Flow

 

May we all go about our days with a greater sense of aliveness.

May it be so.

 

Sending Blessings to you,

Briana

 

Artist’s bio

 

Briana Goetzen, MA of Orange Spiral Arts is an expressive arts coach, artist, writer, photographer, and teacher. With a background in Elementary Education and Human Development, Briana brings gentleness, a sense of calm, and a never-ending enthusiasm for the arts wherever she goes. Briana’s art teaching philosophy is “process over product,” and her personal mission is to inspire your creative spirit.

www.OrangeSpiralArts.com

Briana is offering a variety of classes at Wet Paint in 2019 for children, youth, and adults. Please look at the Wet Paint site for upcoming Events and registration information. Thank you! I am ever-grateful for your interest and support.

 

 

 

Beautiful Butterfly Mixed Media Art Journal Page

 

Greetings Everyone!

One of the things I love about stencils is that they provide a structure and/or texture that helps a page come alive.

Today I am sharing a tutorial where I use only a few supplies to create a dynamic journal page.

Supplies Used

Tam’s Whimsy Series-Butterfly Wings stencil

Traditional Japanese Series-Cherry Blossom stencil

Ranger Dylusions-Alphabet border stencil

Mechanical pencil

Distress Stain

Water-soluble pencils

Dylusions Spray Ink

Golden Molding Paste

Palette Knife

Small paintbrush

Jar of water

 

Step 1:

Use Tamara Laporte’s Butterfly Wings stencil and trace the inside parts with a pencil.

 

Step 2:

Grab the Traditional Japanese Cherry Blossom stencil, as well as some molding paste by Golden, and a palette knife.

 

Spread the molding paste through the Cherry Blossom stencil. Decide if you want any of the pattern to go over the butterfly or not. I chose to let in some of the pattern.

Step 3:

Thinking about the rule of thirds, add the pattern from the Dylusions Alphabet Border stencil underneath the butterfly area on the page.

 

Use Distress Stain through the stencil, and blot up the extra with a paper towel.

 

Step 4:

Add water-soluble pencils to the butterfly. Then use a small paintbrush and water to make the pencil move like watercolor.

 

Step 5:

Create a rough paper mask for the butterfly.

 

 

Step 6:

Use Bubblegum Pink spray ink over the butterfly area of your page. Use a paper towel roll to soak up extra ink.

 

Step 7:

Remove the paper mask and take a look at your page!

 

In case you are curious, below is a photo with the spray ink and Distress Stain that I used.

 

I hope you have tons of fun in your art journal this week!

 

Sending Blessings,

 

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

PS If you are local to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul), Minnesota, be sure to check out all of the wonderful classes I have coming up at Wet Paint! The first one is Getting Started with Visual Journaling. It starts on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, 10:30am-1:30pm, and runs the following two Tuesdays after that, too! Please tell all of your retired friends, friends who work the second shift, or entrepreneur friends with a flexible schedule. It's going to be a great class!

Markers, Stencils, and a Spray Bottle-An Artistcellar Design Team Post

 

Would you like to hear my best-kept secret? Children’s art supplies, in combination with professional art supplies, are wonderful for mixed media artists.

There, now you know.

Today, I am sharing an easy tutorial that will add color, scent, and fun to your creative endeavors.

 

Supplies Used:

Chris Cozen-Bodacious Pods stencil by Artistcellar

Lynn Krawczyk-Marked Series stencils by Artistcellar

Scented markers by Mr. Sketch

Water spritzer

Watercolor paper

Paper towel roll

 

Step 1:

Place the Bodacious Pods stencil on a piece of watercolor paper.

Use the Mr. Sketch markers to loosely fill in the spaces of the stencil.

Enjoy the scents as you go!

 

Step 2:

Spritz the marker and stencil with water.

Use a paper towel roll to soak up extra water before removing the stencil from the paper.

 

Step 3:

Remove the stencil and see what you’ve got.

 

Step 4:

Place the Marked Series stencils all around the rest of the paper.

Color in some of the spaces with more colors from your Mr. Sketch scented markers set.

 

Step 5:

Spritz the stencils and marker with water.

Use the paper towel roll to soak up extra water, if desired.

Lift the stencils and take a look at the paper now.

 

Step 6:

Draw some wobbly rings around the pods stencil.

Spritz them with water.

 

Step 7:

Let the paper dry and then bask in the wonder of water spritzed over Mr. Sketch markers.

 

Step 8:

Use your watercolor paper as a journal cover, mail art, or tip into your art journal. A white gel pen would like great over some of those dark areas, would you agree?

Enjoy!

 

Thanks for being here! May you have a wonder-filled day!

 

Blessings to you,

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Time of Water: An Art Journal Spread

This post was originally written as a design team member for artistcellar.

In the Time of Water: An Art Journal Page Spread by Briana

Greetings Everyone!

Today, in my art journal, I played around with the 12 x 12 Water Series stencils by artistcellar. It has been a very snowy February, and now a very wet March here in Minnesota, USA. It felt appropriate to use these stencils!

I chose the Ripples stencil from the 12 x 12 Water Series.

 

I was having trouble sleeping last night, so I was envisioning what I would do for my artistcellar post! Pink and water was the inspiration behind what transpired.

 

Supplies Used:

12 x12 Water Series stencils by artistcellar

Jane Davenport Mixed Media 9 x 12 journal

Acrylic paint

Paint scraper

Brushes

Foam roller

 

Step 1:

Make it pink.

I used pink and white acrylic paint and scraped it across the two pages.

 

Step 2:

Using a foam roller and deep periwinkle acrylic paint, I applied paint in the spaces of the Ripples stencil by artistcellar.

Tip: Foam rollers work great to cover an area quickly when using large stencils.

 

Step 3:

Using fluid black acrylic paint and a long-handled no. 8 brush, I loosely drew a mandala.

 

Step 4:

Add some details, using a script liner brush.

 

Step 5:

Finally, add a contrasting color of acrylic paint around your mandala and the background designs.

 

I am sending you encouragement to play around with your art supplies this week. Make a mess; draw something simple. Do not worry about the end result, but do enjoy the process.

 

May it be so.

 

Blessings to you,

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

Stencils and Pencils by Briana (artistcellar design team)

Hello Everyone!

I recently pulled out a beautiful set of colored pencils that I may have been saving for a “special occasion”. I decided that being alive today is reason enough to use my “good supplies”, so out from the bottom of the shelf they came.

 

 

Supplies Used

Mechanical pencil

Coloursoft Pencils by Derwent

Steampunk Series Stencils-“Steampunk Lace”

Jane Davenport Mixed Media 9 x 12 journal

Step 1:

Choose a stencil design that intrigues you, and that you’d like to trace.

 

Step 2:

Trace the stencil in your journal, using a mechanical pencil. Note: you don’t have to trace the entire design. Give yourself the freedom to pick and choose.

 

Step 3:

Remove the stencil from your page, and begin coloring in the shapes of the design with colored pencils.

 

 

Step 4:

Use your own imagination and library of symbols to add designs around the square shape of the traced stencil.

 

Step 5:

Continue to work back and forth, filling in the stencil design, as well as your own hand-drawn imagery.

 

 

Here’s a closer look at the inside of the stencil design.

 

Step 6:

Snap a photo and notice if there are any areas you’d like to develop further. Add your finishing touches and call it done!

 

In Summary

I hope this post inspires you to use your “good supplies”, knowing that now is as good of a time as any. May it be so!

 

Blessings and Gratitude,

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

February MN Visual Journal Collective Meeting Summary

 

(Tags above are created by Kari)

Greetings and Welcome to Orange Spiral Arts. I am so glad you are here.

This post is all about the February 2019 MN Visual Journal Collective meeting. We are an eclectic group of artists, makers, and creative people who are interested in keeping visual journals. Meetings occur once per month, and they are free and open to any adults interested in keeping a visual journal. We are located in Minnesota, so this post is for those who live far away, or for those who wished to attend the meeting, but were unable. This post can also serve as inspiration for those who were in attendance at the meeting, as sometimes we can't get a good look at what everyone else is working on.

Meetings are held at Wet Paint, and participants must pre-register each month, as space is limited. Please register only if you are able to attend that specific meeting. 

Thanks in advance to everyone who agreed to have their work (and themselves) photographed for this post. You are awesome!

Before the meeting began, Briana was drooling over these and these colored pencils available at Wet Paint. Here's some eye candy for you art supply lovers out there! This is just one of the benefits of having our meetings hosted at the best art supply store in the Twin Cities! If you are not local, Wet Paint ships orders, too! These pencils are smooth like "buttah"!

February 18, 2019 MN Visual Journal Collective Meeting Summary

Theme: Tags

Collaborative Project: Create tags for a swap at the July 15 meeting. Participants will end up with a mini book of tags created by various artists, that can then be used for prompts, inspiration, and ideas for their visual journal explorations.

If you would like a free PDF of information on creating your own tag mini book, you may download the hand- out here. (This is the first time I am trying to link a PDF download, so if you have trouble, please leave a comment below this post.)

 

Welcome to the February MN Visual Journal Collective meeting!

Tag Art In Process

Here are some photos from the February MN Visual Journal Collective meeting when participants were working on their tags, or in their journals. Sometimes I took photos of people's supplies and containers, as that's always fun to see, too.

One of the beautiful things about a gathering like this, is that creative people get to be together. We chat, we share supplies, we share stories, and ultimately, we inspire one another to keep going, not only on our creative journey, but on our human journey, as well.

End of Meeting Sharing Time-Share Your Journal or Tags Created

(Above: tags by Kathy)

(Above: Journal page by TJ Goerlitz)

Photo credit: TJ Goerlitz; Photo of LisaMarie LMNOP

(Above: art by Sue Rowe)

(Above: Journal by Deborah; Photo credit: TJ Goerlitz)

I didn't get a great picture of Deanna's tags, but what I love about this photo is that we love to see each other's work. Deanna is a photographer in Hudson, WI. She used photos on her tags.

(Above: tags by Nell)

(Above: tags by Kim)

(Above: tags by Kari)

(Above: journal by Molly)

(Above: tags by Nancy)

(Above: journal by Kelli)

(Above: tags by Jenny)

(Above: tags by Ann)

(Above: journal cover by Heather)

Thank you to everyone who showed up, participated, and shared their art. You are an inspiration. Keep creating and sharing!

Please forgive any mistakes or omissions, as it is a challenge to move as fast as each of you. I am happy to make corrections. Please leave me a message in the comments section below this post.

Thank you to those of you reading this lengthy post. I hope you have felt inspired to create!

Meeting Summary

We talked about making tag mini books, either for ourselves, or for the optional tag swap happening at the July 15th, 2019 MN Visual Journal Collective meeting. 

We had time to work in our journals or on our tags.

At the end of the meeting, time was made for people to stand up and share what they've been working on, either in their journal, or on the tags created that evening.

A big shout out of thanks to Wet Paint for hosting our group!

Creative Opportunities for You

Briana offers a variety of affordable classes online via her Orange Spiral Arts website for beginning artists and creatives. Click the LEARN tab on www.OrangeSpiralArts.com, or go here.

Wet Paint has a wealth of upcoming classes, demos, and free events listed on their site. Go here.

Briana is thrilled to announce that she will be offering in person workshops at Wet Paint, starting in April 2019. The first offering is called Getting Started with Visual Journaling. Find out more and register here.

Do you prefer a smaller group for your creative exploration? Briana offers a "portable art studio" where she comes to your home to facilitate a workshop with you and a few friends. Download the Orange Spiral Arts Services PDF here.

 

In Gratitude,

Briana

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep the Vibe High-Music Moves Me-Art Journal Spread

This post was originally written as a design team member for Artistcellar.

Keep the Vibe High Journal Page with Briana

I am a person who loves music. Music moves me! Can you relate? As many of you may know the Grammy Music Awards was recently on TV. While I did not watch the Grammys when it aired, I was paying attention to Alicia Keys’ Instagram account, as she was the first female in over a decade to host the Grammys. She was so excited! The morning after the Grammy Music Awards, I scoured the Internet, trying to see a little bit about what went on. I saw a video of Alicia’s welcome speech. She was all about spreading love, kindness, and keeping the vibe high. I loved it! She also called on some special people to help her out. You can watch the video here.

 

I felt so inspired, that I decided to make a journal page, and I am calling it, “Keep the Vibe High.”

Supplies Used:

Artistcellar Stencils-Tamara Laporte-Inspiration Series Stencils

Artistcellar Stencils-Tamara Laporte-Whimsy Series Stencils

Spray Ink (on sale at Artistcellar)

Acrylic Paint

Cosmetic Wedge

Posca Paint Pen

Ballpoint Pen

Step 1:

First, I wrote some bubble letters across the page spread that represented the energy I wanted to capture.

 

Step 2:

I used spray ink through a stencil. I love how spray ink fills a background with color!

 

Step 3:

I used acrylic paint to fill the color around the letters of the background.

 

Step 4:

I added some of Tam’s Inspiration Words with black acrylic paint and a cosmetic wedge.

 

Step 5:

Using a variety of Posca Paint Pens, I outlined certain words that I wanted to stand out more.

 

 

Step 6:

Finally, I added some flowers from Tam’s Whimsy: Flower Garden stencil, using white acrylic paint.

 

May this post inspire you to play that music that moves you, spread the love, and keep the vibe high.

 

May it be so.

 

Sending Blessings,

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

 

 

 

Coffee and Stencils

Greetings to you! 

Thank you for reading this post. This was originally written for artistcellar as a design team member. I hope you enjoy it!

Coffee and Stencils-They Really Do Go Well Together with Briana

 

Hello, hello! I hope this post finds you well!

 

I am about to share something a little different from my normal, colorful style. Today, we will use coffee and stencils!

 

I have been intrigued lately with earth-based pigments. I recently checked out a really cool book from the library by Nick Neddo called The Organic Artist: Make Your Own Paint, Pigments, Prints and More from Nature. While I am a lover of vibrant colors, I also greatly appreciate yellow ochre, various browns, and berry stains on paper. Are you with me?

 

So, instead of my usual acrylic paint, I poured some leftover coffee into a glass jar, added a little vinegar, and decided to paint with it.

 

Supplies Used:

Watercolor paper

Coffee

Vinegar

Bristle brush

Round brush

Artistcellar Stencils-Traditional Japanese Series-Cherry Blossom and Pleasantville Series-Big Sister’s Room

Shipping Tag 2” x 1 3/8”

Hole punch

 

Step 1:

Dip your bristle brush into your coffee and use both a round, and up and down, motion to get the color through the stencil.

 

 

Step 2:

Remove the stencil and check how the coffee looks. Add some coffee painted doodles of your own, using a round brush.

 

 

 

Step 3:

Use the Pleasantville-Big Sister’s Room stencil, to add some interesting lines.

Note: It’s okay to go over both your painted doodles and the marks from your first stencil. The layering actually ends up looking pretty cool!

 

Step 4:

Keep playing around until your entire paper is filled with coffee stained stencil layers.

 

Step 5:

Let your paper dry completely. (It does not take that long).

 

Step 6:

Trace a shipping tag as many times as you like onto your background, and cut them out to make your own tags.

 

Step 7:

Use a hole punch as a final step. Now you are ready to decorate the tags with stamps, ink, fabric, collage paper, washi tape, or pen doodles. Hooray!

 

I am feeling really excited about how these turned out. I hope you’ll give this coffee and stencils idea a try!

 

Thank you for being here.

 

Happy Creating!

-Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

PS I am excited to share that at our February 2019 MN Visual Journal Collective meeting, we will be working on creating mixed media tags for journaling ideas and inspiration. Interested participants may also sign up to exchange tags to create a mini tag book. It will be a fun project! More information coming soon!

 

 

January MN Visual Journal Collective Meeting-A Twist on Bleigiessen (A German New Year Fortune Telling Tradition)

Greetings Everyone! Thank you for visiting Orange Spiral Arts to learn about the January 2019 MN Visual Journal Collective meeting.

MN Visual Journal Collective Meets at Wet Paint

This year the Visual Journal Collective has a new name, a new meeting location, and a new meeting time. We had our first meeting in our new location on Monday, January 21st at Wet Paint. Let me tell you right now that we are going to learn a s*it ton from the knowledgeable staff at Wet Paint. They are right there, pretty much at our disposal, happy to answer supply questions, and even let us try some things out. It's quite nice! As a bonus for them, most of us in the group LOVE art supplies, so it is quite likely they may see their revenue go up on the third Monday of the month.

January Meeting Topic

The MN Visual Journal Collective currently has two volunteer facilitators; myself and TJ Goerlitz. TJ married a German, and lived in Europe for about ten years. She's back in Minnesota now (with her husband and son), and shared with the group about a German New Year's tradition called Bleigiessen. You can learn more about this fun fortune telling activity here.

TJ introduced us to this idea of Bleigiessen, but by way of using homemade walnut ink and a string.

We each had a turn to visit the ink and string station to create our own image in our journals. After we pulled that inky string through our journals, we went back to our spot and used our imagination to see something in the ink design. 

What everyone came up with was spectacular! It was so fun to witness all of the unique, personal, and artful journal pages come to life at our two hour meeting.

Below are some examples from the group. (If your journal is pictured here, and you'd like me to add a link to your site, I am happy to do so. Leave me a comment below.)

Jenny:

Kari:

Deborah:

Steve (Deborah's husband):

Kim:

TJ:

Kathy:

Molly:

Beth:

Lisa Marie (LMNOP):

And Lisa Marie's gorgeous portable paint palettes:

Peggy:

Gail:

Connie:

Lakin:

Londa:

Kaya:

Briana (That's me):

Nell (bottom left):

Sue:

Summary

The MN Visual Journal Collective January 2019 meeting was a success. We so appreciate everyone who was able to show up and share their wonderful journals. 

We thank Wet Paint for hosting our meetings on the third Monday of every month from 6pm-8pm. (If you'd like to come to the February 18, 2019, please register on Wet Paint's site, so we have an idea of how many people to expect. There is a limited number of seating, please only register if you are able to attend.)

Thank you in advance for your interest. Meetings are independent, so you may choose to come when the topic interests you, when your schedule allows, or come every month as a way to connect with other local creatives. We are cool and flexible like that!

If you can't make one of our meetings, I typically blog about them, so check back often, or at least once per month.

Also, Wet Paint has many awesome and interesting Events, Workshops, Classes and FREE Demos. Please take a look!

MN Visual Journal Collective February 18, 2019 Meeting

The MN Visual Journal Collective is an eclectic group for any adults interested in keeping visual journals.

Our February meeting will be the beginning of a mini book project. People can also sign up to create a certain number of tags for their mini book and then participate in a tag swap at one of our later meetings 6-8 months from February 2019. For example, if 20 people sign up to participate in the mini book tag swap, you will make 20 tags. More information to come at the February 18th meeting. Even if you don't want to participate in the swap, but would like to learn how to make your own mini tag book, that's what we'll be doing in February.

We announce meeting reminders on our MN Visual Journal Collective Facebook Group and through our MN Visual Journal Collective Google Group. Feel free to request to be added to these groups if you are a local visual journal keeper, interested in attending one of our meetings.

Gratitude and Blessings

Thank you for being here. Thanks for reading this post. May it inspire you to work in your journal, create your art, express yourself, heal, feel loved, and connect with others. May it be so.

-Briana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New Year Art Journal Spread-Design Team Post for Artistcellar

Greetings, Everyone!

I hope your 2019 has gotten off to a good start. That could mean lots of rest time, planning time, or simply a sigh of relief after the holidays.

I am about to share a post originally written as a design team member for artistcellar. I feel like anytime is a good time to open up an art journal and express your inner world. The New Year, or sometime in the month of January, is an appropriate time to do a New Year art journal spread.

I am about to share mine. May it inspire you to pull out your supplies, both old and new, and just PLAY, PLAY, PLAY! Here we go!

(Post below originally written for artistcellar)

It’s 2019, which feels sort of surreal! Time keeps on moving forward, right?

 

Today, I invite you to make an art journal spread that reflects who you are and what you’d like to bring into your life.

 

Here are the supplies I am using:

 

Rag and Bone Bindery Large Journal

Jill K. Berry –Map Art Series stencils

Dylusions Ink Sprays

Acrylic Paint

Cosmetic Wedge

Sakura Pigma Pen

Rubber Stamps

Ink Pads

Mermaid Markers by Jane Davenport

Letter Stickers

Watercolor Paint

Sakura Koi Waterbrush

Paper Towel Roll

 

Step 1:

Use spray ink to get your background going.

 

Step 2:

Choose some stencils with themes that inspire you.

Below is the “Angel Cartouche” from Jill K. Berry’s Map Art Series.

 

Tip: I made the mistake of putting the face in a dark area, so maybe take a look at your placement before you stencil a face!

 

Step 3:

Create a block of color using acrylic paint. Then use a cosmetic wedge to apply paint through the stencil.

 

Step 4:

Add additional stencils with acrylic paint and a cosmetic wedge. You can also use a pencil to trace through your stencils, and then color that space in with markers.

 

 

Step 5:

Use a permanent pen to do some journal writing.

 

Step 6:

Add some colorful letter stickers to spell out words that sing to you.

 

Step 6:

Use stamps and ink pads to add more symbols to your pages.

I love, love, love these Vintage Number Stamps!

 

 

Step 7:

Take a photo of your journal spread so far. Squint your eyes to see the light and dark areas.

Finish off your page by adding some watercolor, water to the spray ink areas (they react to water), and anything else to tie things together.

The most important thing is that your art journal pages feel good to you. Do they represent the things you love? Do you see colors that make you happy? Are there symbols that sing to your soul? If so, then you’ve done it! You’re awesome and creative!

 

Thank you for being here.

 

Sending Blessings,

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com