Art Supplies: my favorite pens

I am a COLOR LOVER at heart, but adding black and white details into the final stages of my art journal pages really makes everything POP! There are SO MANY options out there for pens. Some pens work great on certain paper textures and on top of paint and some DON'T. Its all about experimenting with your own tools to find out what works for you, but here's a list of my favorites and the ones I grab time after time. I have given a short description of the pen, how I use it and an example in my own art work below!

1 and 2 . WHITE and BLACK SHARPIE PAINT MARKER - oil based.
This marker has GREAT coverage. When I want to fill in letters or go over paint that I don't want to show through this is what I use. It's bold and thick - not great for fine details, but rather for filling in bigger spaces. It also will not come off if I use other water or paints around it because it is OIL BASED. These also come in a variety of colors and sizes of tips!

3. KURETAKE BRUSH PEN
This is a newer pen in my kit of tools, and I use it a lot less for writing and more for big drips, drops and splatters and the occasional scripty font. I also love it for doodling loose florals/botanicals. It has a brush tip, so it definitely feels more like using a brush than a pen. The pigments inside are actually ink, so it too will not bleed when water is used around it.... after its dry of course!

4 and 6. GOOD OLE BLACK SHARPIE - Fine point and Ultra fine point
I'm lumping these two together. A classic basic. The Sharpie. Typically gives good coverage over paints and different papers. Great for doodles! They even make a Sharpie pen with a wide tip on one side and a FINE tip on the other! two in one! heck yes!

5. MICRO LINE FINE LINER PEN
Ok - so ask almost any long time artist and they are going to be familiar with a fine liner pen called a MICRON. They are amazing for tiny small details. My husband got me the MICRO LINE pens for Christmas and they are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than the name brand MICRONS and work just as well if not better! These are my GO TO pen for outlining my drawings and letters!

6. See number 4 - Sharpies!

7. SAKURA WHITE JELLY ROLL PEN
I love this little white pen. I use this one for those small little white highlights and accents. Its a fun one to use. It comes in lots of colors and metallics too! TWO TIPS for you... pressing lightly on the paper gets this pen to roll best. If you're having trouble getting ink to come out of the pen, roll it on the back of your hand til it starts flowing again! Best hack ever! ha!

So that's it! My go to pens! I like changing it up from time to time and trying new pens and supplies, but these will always be my tried and trues! You can find a list of all my favorite supplies including all these pens over on my Amazon Shopping List 

New Collage Art Journal PEEK!

With the start of another new year, I wanted to document some of my creative goals. I needed something to help remind me of WHY I want to pursue creative goals, along with the things that make me, ME! It is so easy to look at someone else's life and to have feelings of inadequacy or desire for their life. I wanted a fun, creative and VISUAL reminder of my style, interests and things that inspire me ... so the BEST LIFE EVER collage art journal was born!

I love Moleskine Cahiers journals and use them a TON for to-do lists and journaling. I really like the size of them. They fit perfectly into the Journal Covers I make. They are versatile with the types of paper that come inside and I have many of them lying around. This book has the grid boxes and I love the look of that showing through the collage. The paper is rather thin compared to most papers you might consider using for collage or heavy layers, but I don't mind that the pages buckle. I think it give the book such amazing texture!

I wanted to start the journal out with the single most important thing that motivates my life. My faith. This is sort of generic verse that I sometimes feel is over used, but for me it always brings me back to the core of WHY I should do anything. No matter what I DO, (in all my daydreaming) I want it to be work for God. 

I made the verse from Design Kit app on my phone and printed it. There's an assortment of magazine paper, scrapbook paper, paint, stamps, washi tape and some black fine liner. 

For the second spread, I wanted to show me and that I am a continual work in progress - aren't we all!  I often need the reminder that I don't have to have everything figured out. Especially when it comes to my creative interests! I love the symbolism in plants and butterflies as imagery for growth and renewal. Monarchs are my absolute favorite and I love that they are readily seen around my home in summer and fall. I photocopied the butterfly from a vintage insect book I own and same for the Rumi poem. I photocopied it and thought it fit perfectly for this spread's theme. 

... people too must wilt, fall, root, rise in order to bloom.

I've been super into these more muted natural tones lately. Plus black and white. I'm such a sucker for that contrast pop! The picture of the plant is my Fiddle Leaf Fig named Frida. I've had her since she was a wee start. I like that we are growing together... took her picture with my phone and printed it out!

Love this verse too. Good reminder of what's most important to grow in.

How good are the lines and textures of these pages?! 

Definitely have a lot more spreads I want to add, but this was such a fun start! I'll let you in on a little secret too...  I've been brainstorming ways on how to turn this idea of 'Best Life Ever' collage journal into an online class! Stay tuned for more pages and potential class! An online class has been on my bucket list for SO LONG!

Here's a peek into the process!