Art Journal: Summer of Love

Ah, summer, I have a love-hate relationship with the summer. I spend much of the year wanting summer to get here.... then when it does, I'm too damn hot and sticky to do much of anything except hang out in the air conditioning. I do love Rhode Island thought because we get lots of nice sea breezes which helps break up the heat... plus it's always cooler near the water.

I had fun making this page on an art date with my boyfriend, Nick, tonight at Panera. Panera is a fantastic place to art journal because you can get free refills on coffee and tea, the food is fabulous (when you aren't being gluten-free that is, sigh!), and they have nice big tables. This started as a prompt from the In The Sun online art journal class. I wanted to work with the color blue for the Summer of Color class that I just discovered... two birds, one journal page. (Psst... both classes are FREE!)

I glued a vintage dictionary page and a paint splattered paper towel with gel medium to make the background. I added blue with Portfolio watersoluble oil pastels (love these!). When Nick was cutting stuff out of a magazine, I saw the white-framed blue image so I asked him to cut it out for me. I drew the flower on top with paint markers. I journaled on graph paper (my new favorite-- thanks, Natty!) and cut a scallop shape on one side to show off the lovely washi tape better. At first I put down the yellow, then decided to pull it up and put down the black&white so the yellow would pop better. When I pulled it up, part of the dictionary page came with it & I think it looks so cool! Might try that on purpose for another page!

I used a Dymo label marker, old school, for the "summer of love" text. Put that on washi tape to bring everything together. I decided to do a dashed line down through the middle of text, then decided to extend it the whole way around for an off-center rectangle. The left side needed something after that so I started drawing the half circle shapes. At first I thought, "Oh crap, I messed this up" but then I kept going and decided I loved it. (Art is awesome, isn't it?) I then decided that I needed to cut the side of the page into the scallop shape. I totally didn't realize until after I was done that I had continued that scallop shape subconsciously. Very cool.

I adore this page. I am pretty sure it's my all time favorite that I've made... Yay!

The text reads:
Summer makes me feel:
* sticky
* like taking lots of showers
* happy when the skies are blue
* up for an adventure
* young @ heart
* creative
* melancholy for summer's past
* glad it's not winter
* cranky, if there's no shade
* athletic (almost!)
* night owl - I want to take siestas!