on creating art from travels

On creating an art journal.

I follow a lot of art journals on Instagram and have been inspired to create spreads capturing aspects of my travels.

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
Virginia to Ohio

Here are some ideas for keeping an art journal.  This is new to me, so I’m learning as I go along, and I’ll pass on ideas to you as they come to me.

  1. Make an art journal spread depicting some aspect of your travel.  Use drawings, watercolor, lettering, paper cut-outs, paper ephemera, maps, stickers, rubber stamps, song lyrics, photographs, stencils – whatever your heart desires.
  2. If you are going to do watercolor, it is probably best to use a watercolor journal, or paint your drawing in a watercolor sketchpad and then glue the watercolor into your journal.  That’s what I did in the journal spread above.

On painting or drawing.

On drawing maps.

  1. Incorporate maps into your journals.  Write about the meanders you take on a map, indicating sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch.

On hand lettering.

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Below is a list of great resources for creating art from travel.

Art Journaling:

  1. Art Journal Courage: Fearless Mixed Media Techniques for Journaling Bravely by Dina Wakley *****
  2. Art Journaling magazine

Painting or Drawing:

  1. Birds in Watercolor, Collage, and Ink: A Field Guide to Art Techniques and Observing the Wild by Geninne D. Zlatkis *****
  2. How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael J. Gelb ****
  3. Journal Sparks: Fire Up Your Creativity with Spontaneous Art, wild writing, and inventive thinking by Emily K. Neuburger ***
  4. The Complete Artist’s Manual: The Definitive Guide to Painting and Drawing by Simon Jennings
  5. drawing for the absolute beginner: A Clear & Easy Guide to Successful Drawing by Mark and Mary Willenbrink
  6. The Artist’s Journey: Bold Strokes to Spark Creativity by Nancy Hillis, M.D.
  7. Draw Your Day: An inspiring guide to keeping a sketch journal by Samatha Dion Baker
  8. How to Draw People by Barbara Soloff Levy
  9. be an artist in 10 steps by Ian Sidaway & Patricia Seligman
  10. How to Draw What You See by Rudy De Reyna

Drawing Maps:

  1. How to Make Hand-Drawn Maps: A Creative Guide by Helen Cann *****

Hand Lettering:

  1. 100 Days of Lettering: A Complete Creative Lettering Course by Jay Roeder ***