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.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's Why I am Signing Up for Life Book 2019

Here's the truth: I am not into creating faces and portraits. Even though 30-40 percent of the lessons in Life Book will have some sort of face, that leaves 60-70 percent of the content that does NOT focus on creating a face. What I appreciate about Life Book is that there is a focus on personal development and healing. I completely believe in the power of the arts to help us heal our emotional wounds. I know that imagery is a powerful tool that helps the subconscious deliver messages to our conscious mind. Once we are aware of what's going on inside our hearts, bodies, and minds, there is the opportunity to shift, change, and transform our lives for the better.

It is important to note that Life Book does not take the place of professional therapy. The offerings in Life Book are tools for personal growth and development. 

This year, I am particularly excited about Andy's offerings related to NVC (Nonviolent Communication). As an expressive arts facilitator, I am always looking to add to my own list of resources and skills that will help me to be a better facilitator. 

If you are interested in developing your mixed media skills, in being playful and experimental with art supplies, or in creating a Life Book for 2019, I hope that you will join us. You may click the image above, or click here. Don't forget to enter coupon code "LOVEBOMB2019" to save 20%, valid through December 31, 2018.

Sending Blessings to you,

Briana

PS I loved the Life Book Creativity & Wellbeing Summit, and that content is included once you register for Life Book 2019. It's truly a win-win.

New-COLLAGE PAPER PIES online class is open for registration

It has been a dream of mine for nearly twenty years to create what I call a "collage paper pie." I had been seeing them created by several artists, in many different styles. They seem to be a modern art motif. They kept grabbing my attention and entering into my psyche, as something I wanted to create "someday." Well, finally something clicked, and I am making them, and I want to share this process with YOU!

Come read more about the story of how this online class came to be. And if you feel inspired, you are welcome to sign up today! You receive unlimited access to the course material. Learn more by clicking here.

Paint, Paper, and Stencil Play with Briana

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

Greetings creative one! I hope this post finds you well.

Today we are going to play with a pre-painted piece of copy paper, some Dina Wakley acrylic paint, and the Old World Maps Series stencils from artistcellar.

Step 1:

Place your stencil of choice underneath your copy paper.

(In the picture below, I have the stencil on top just so you can see how the size matches well with my paper.)

Step 2:

Squirt out a few small drops of the Dina Wakley acrylic paint in a contrasting color to your painted paper.

Step 3:

Use a plastic card to scrape the paint over the paper, leaving a “rubbing” of the stencil underneath.

Doesn’t that look awesome? (I would like to give credit to the fabulous LK Ludwig who taught me this stencil under the paper technique.)

Step 4:

Let your paint dry. TIP: It does not take long, as the scraping process, plus acrylic paint, equals fast drying time.

Step 5:

Use your imagination and create something out of your painted paper.

I chose to create an envelope for some mail art.

I folded the paper to make three sections.

Step 6:

Use decorative tape to seal the sides closed. Also, fold in the corners on the top fold to give it more of an envelope shape, if desired.

After gluing down the corners of the top fold, I’d like to show you the front and back of my envelope.

Here’s the front:

Here’s the back:

Now all I need to do is add a sticker address label and a stamp!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial using the Old World Maps Series stencils by artistcellar!

Have a wonderful day/night, wherever you may be!

Blessings and Gratitude,

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

PS Did you know I have a NEW online class starting on Tuesday, October 16th? You can get in on the pre-sale, as well have the chance to receive some artful snail mail from me! Sign up today!

Register for Mixed Media Paint Scraping-NEW Online Class

I am so excited! I am working hard on my next online class, Mixed Media Paint Scraping.

Go here for more info and to register!

Class opens on Tuesday, October 16th, 2018 and runs for five weeks through November 13th, 2018.

After November 13th, 2018, the class will be self-paced.

 

Sending Blessings and Creative Vibes your way!

-Briana