Art Journaling in the new year

Start as you mean to go on. I started my new year with sparkles, my journal, and a sky filled with stars.

I am planning to have a fantastically creative 2011. A year filled with writing, projects and art. I’m also planning to have a great art journaling year because Art Journaling is growth to me. I choose to art journal because I feel so happy when I fill it (and more free inside its pages than anywhere else on paper or canvas). In it I try new things, experiment with challenges and follow book prompts. There are so many great new books on mixed media coming out this year that I want to check out. My Art Journal is a great place to house both thoughts, doodles, art, paintings and experiments!

Happy Blue Bird Year by iHanna, Copyright Hanna Andersson

The first finished page in my new hand bound art journal. I drew a Blue bird, the symbol of happiness. I wish for 365 happy days, or at least happy moments in each day. Moments of creativity, laughter, friends, sunshine, walks, coffee, music, writing, adventures, exhibitions, good literature and an income that I can live on.

Making a pattern in watercolors by iHanna, Copyright Hanna Andersson


Watercolours. Filling a whole page with a pattern, making a pattern page for the first time. Even when you don’t have an agenda sometimes “new ideas” emerge from nowhere. Like this page, that I really like.

First page of the year by iHanna, Copyright Hanna Andersson

The whole spread. Blue bird, happy new year statement and a whole page filled with the brush stroke pattern.

New Art Journal 2011 by iHanna, Copyright Hanna Andersson
My new Art Journal. I made it, I bound it, I love it!


I made the new art journal this summer, before I went to live away-from-home on an island for a month. But then when I was away my creativity too a much needed break. I only read books and swam in the ocean. So the hand-bound journal is still “empty”. Well the water colour papers are empty, the envelope pages are filled with sewn in ephemera, postcards, tape and magazine images. I will show more of it as I work in it. I love how it feels. I love the plastic fabric cover. The little piece of book cloth that I bought at a flea market once was just perfect for the cover. It has been waiting for the right place. This is a beautiful book that I am excited to start working in. The blue bird is just the beginning.

Today is just the beginning!

Happy new year from us in Sweden (photo copyright Hanna Andersson)


Let us have a beautiful and exciting creative year! No matter what your plans are, if any, each day is a fresh start.

Cheers and a Happy New Year to you!


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9 Responses

  1. Happy new year Hanna!
    I, too, wish for a year filled with moments of happiness every day.
    Your blue bird is absolutely adorable and I love the pattern page. You could definitely photocopy it and use it as a collage paper!
    Hugs,
    Sophie

  2. Happy New Year. I hope you have many, many happy moments. I love your new journal can’t wait to see it unfold. Love the vibrant colors of your bluebird!

  3. Thanks sweets! Happiness is a good goal, for everyone. I will make more patterned pages and remember to take photo copies of some of them to make more collages from. Great idea! Cheers!

  4. It sounds like a decision and a priority.
    I wish you a fantastic New Year. May all your wishes get fulfilled.

    xoxo
    Tally

  5. Good luck with your goals for the new year. I too intend to extend my creativity and pay more attention to my sketch book making it more of an ‘art journal’. I love the look of art journals but haven’t used one in that way- mine is usually a mass of drawings, lists, measurements and are rarely very beautiful. So having gained some inspiration here I’m going to give it a go.

  6. Hope you have an amazing year.. looking forward to many more beautiful and inspiring posts from you :)

  7. Happy new year Hanna! Hoppy you have a really happy, creative new year. I can’t wait to see what you get up to. I just adore the bluebird and the pretty patterned page next to it. It makes my smile from top to toe!

  8. Great goals for the New Year! Loving your new art journal & can’t wait to see how you fill it. Here’s to a fabulous 2011.