the wonderful world of art journaling & altered books.

warning // once you enter the world of art journaling & altered books, it's hard to return to life as normal. you will find yourself perpetually inspired & continually jotting down phrases or sketching images.  

ok, now that the warning is out of the way, i am thrilled to share some resources & materials to get started on your own art journal or altered book. 

first things first, there are no rules and there's no right or wrong in art journaling. i'm just sharing what i have learned along my {short} journey with this art form.

what's an altered book?
basically, a mixed media approach to creating art from the pages of an ordinary book full of text. you can choose to incorporate some of the already written text into the page {or not}.

what do i need to get started? 

here are some of the basic supplies i use: 

paint brushes of all sizes

old books

magazines

scissors

mod podge

acrylic paint 

sharpie thinline pens

markers

again, there are no rules, so feel free to use any art supply you have! {however, try to be careful with using something too heavy or watery, as it may bleed through...BUT since, there are no right or wrong ways of transforming it into an art journal, embrace the "bleeding through" if that's what you were going for!} i have found that the thin sharpie pens work well!

what are some online resources? 

this is my favorite art journaling resource that provides fantastic inspiration & support.

mandy and teresa are the artists that form "the art journaler." they have kits & prompts available!

wendy and donna post pictures and videos of their creative process. {so inspiring!}

{there are SO many amazing art journalers out there! these are just a few that i have found helpful!}

how do i connect with other art journalers?

i've found an amazing community and support system of artists on instagram and twitter. 

{you can find me there---> eesimpson}.

just use these hashtags to connect: #taj #artjournal #alteredbooks

a beautiful + brave fellow artist is hosting an incredible giveaway on her blog of your very own personalized "secret message" page designed by mandy.  check it out here.

i would be delighted to answer any other questions you have about art journaling & altered books! please feel free to leave a comment. happy creating!