REFRESH WITH DAWN HERRING: WHERE BEGINNINGS ARE CELEBRATED!
Picture
  • BEGINNINGS
  • About Me
  • ART
    • Dawn's Art Demo Videos
    • Commercial Cartoon Illustration Art Gallery
    • Personal Cartoon Illustration Art Gallery
  • MUSIC
    • Dawn's Spiritual Music Videos
  • JOURNAL KEEPING
  • Blogs
    • Beginnings
    • THE WAY I SEE IT
    • The Sweet Spot
    • Refresh Daily Blog >
      • Your Authentic Refreshment Blog
  • Resources
    • The Way I See It Podcast
    • Keepin' It Sweet Show
    • The Art of Journaling Toolbox
    • The Art of Journaling Prompt Play Book
    • My Favorite Sweet Spots

3/2/2016

Art Journal: Bloom

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
BLOOM Full Art Journal Spread Copyright 2016 by Dawn Herring
I had so much fun with this art journal spread, Bloom. I started the process by putting on my finger cuffs and finger painting with blues (unusual for me), purples and reds. I love doing finger painting because it gives me a very visceral experience with body to art which is highly enjoyable, dare I say, even blissful! 
Picture
Up Close of bloom word in Bloom Art Journal Spread Copyright 2016 by Dawn Herring
Once I had the finger painting part down, I decided to use some flower stencils to highlight various parts. Some I did removing the paint leaving it white for contrast. Others I used blue and red, sometimes layered over each other in different sizes. It was fun to determine where to put the flowers and where to layer them. 
Picture
Flower Stencil Close up from BLOOM Art Journal Spread Copyright 2016 by Dawn Herring
Once I had those down, I added bits of watercolor to add more definition where I felt it would be appropriate. I also highlighted the flowers with white Uniball pen and with red pen as well. I highlighted some of the finger prints with the white pen to give them more pop. I painted in a wash of red for a background color and I drew a red pen line all around the circumference of the fingerprinted area. 
Picture
Word Narrative up close from BLOOM Art Journal Spread Copyright 2016 by Dawn Herring
I decided to call the spread, BLOOM, since flowers were featured. So I cut out letters from colored construction paper to spell, Bloom, very organically. I did not use a stencil for the letters. I adhered them with matte medium, then I highlighted them with white Uniball pen and some purple oil pastel, and then outlined the letters on the background with white pen. 

For the final application, I decided to write my insight from this spread in white pen which reads: Life happens in layers. Sometimes it's hard to see them all. It takes some excavating to discover the beauty within but it's there if you take the time to discover what lies beneath, and when you do, you will see that you're always in bloom. 

Sometimes it may be hard to imagine when you don't feel like you're blooming, but I think that's where faith and trust in the process comes in. We are all beautiful inside; we just have to find that beauty, and it may come in ways we least expect. But when it comes, we KNOW. And it's a beautiful thing. 
Picture
Letter Close Up from BLOOM Art Journal Spread Copyright 2016 by Dawn Herring

Journaling Prompt:
Describe a recent time when you really felt like you were blooming. What was the situation or occasion that prompted you feeling that way? Now describe a time when you felt like you weren't blooming. What did that feel like for you? What was the trigger of not feeling it? Now determine if this trigger came from within and if it's based in truth or a misconception of some kind. See what TRUTH you can reveal about yourself through this new understanding. 

Art Journal Prompt:
Using Flowers as an image or using Bloom as a word prompt, do an art journal spread to honor the beauty within you. What makes you feel beautiful? You can commemorate a most recent experience that made you feel fully flowered. Recognize the beauty, whether it's obvious or not. 

Share

0 Comments

11/24/2015

Art Journal: Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
Follow the Yellow Brick Road Full Art Journal Spread Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring
Hello, Art Journal Friends. Today's featured spread, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, had an interesting start. I recently got my hands on a different kind of bubble wrap from a package containing a book that I used. I applied watercolor to one side and then applied the paint on the wrap to the page with a brayer. And--whalla! Lovely, colorful texture! I applied this on repeat with several colors: red violet, yellow, and violet. 
Picture
Up Close of "Follow the" of the spread, Follow the Yellow Brick Road Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring
Once I had those layers down, I found some magazine pages with yellow and violet colors, tore them in bits and adhered them with matte medium. Once I had that down, I had to give this beginning some serious thought. I didn't have a "message" come to me right away. But once I came back to it, I eyed the "path of yellow" created by the torn bits of collage and it reminded me of the Yellow Brick Road in the Wizard of Oz. Aha!

I now had my message: Follow the Yellow Brick Road! 
Picture
Up Close of "Yellow" from Follow the Yellow Brick Road Art Journal Spread Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring
Once I knew this, I went to work/play on how I would display each word. The words, Follow and Yellow, I cut out free hand from colored construction paper. I love the long, exaggerated letters. I then adhered them with matte medium in a random fashion. Once the letters were down, I used oil pastel to bring out the edges and highlight them.  I also cut out rectangles of purple and stamped each one with a letter to spell "the." I also highlighted the letters with pen. 
Picture
Up Close of "Brick Road" from Follow the Yellow Brick Road Art Journal Spread Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring
Then I got to work on the words Brick Road, and I knew I wanted to do my own lettering with Uniball Pen. I love doodling in my evening journal entry, so I applied my same lettering techniques here, adding lines to each letter and alternating the colors. I  added black dots to every other space to create bricks in the letters. I also accented the letters with a black brush pen to give them a bit of shadow for more pop on the page. I added musical notes and other stamped words to enhance to purpose of the spread. 

I did want to say a word about the message behind, Follow the Yellow Brick Road. The thing that stood out to me the most about it was the difference between when being able to recognize when the road you are traveling leads to HOME or if it's a situation where you feel you've been confused by an illusion. And when you realize it was an illusion, it's as if you've seen behind the "curtain" to what's really there, and it's a true disappointment. Yet, the silver lining is what Glenda the Good Witch told Dorothy, "You've had what you needed all along." What I say is this: The Truth Comes From Within. And you will always find the Truth if you are seeking it, even if you have to get past Illusion to find it. 
Journaling Prompt: 
Can you remember a time where you felt like you were on a yellow brick road and how what you thought it would lead you to was an Illusion? How did you reckon with this discovery? Were you disappointed? Where you relieved to discover it when you did so you could get past it? How has it impacted you in your life today?

Art Journal Prompt: 
Create Your Own Yellow Brick Road and show where it led you and where you are now. Honor your path by validating how you felt at that time and how you have responded to the Truth you have discovered since. You can use map pieces to create a travel perspective as a background visual. 

Share

2 Comments
Details
    Subscribe to Refresh Daily

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Dawn Herring

    Dawn engages in many roles:  As Writer/Blogger and Artist/Creative and Founder of Refresh with Dawn Herring: Where Art and JOY Align, She enjoys sharing from her vast experience as award-winning, life-long artist and leader in the field of written journaling, offering encouragement and proven tips to other journal keepers. Dawn's focus is on written journal keeping, artistic expression and finding your Creative Voice, and positive change that leads personal empowerment, encouraging you to  leave your authentic and positive mark in the world. Dawn is a Commercial artist, hand letterer/illustrator and writer/blogger and enjoys sharing insights, humor, and encouragement as she shares from her life experiences as a woman, wife, mother of two grown daughters and as a Grandparent to a special needs grandson. She enjoys keeping a journal and reading spiritual texts to help keep the light on.  May JOY Align with Your Creative Heart.

    Archives

    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All
    2016
    2017
    2018
    2019
    5 Minute Refresh
    Acid Free Card Stock
    Acronym
    Appreciation
    Artists
    Art Journaling
    Art Journal Prompt
    Authenticity
    Autism
    Awareness
    Back To School
    Birds
    Birthday
    Body Language
    Brayer
    Change
    Clothing
    Collage
    Color
    Contentment
    Costume
    Creative Conversations
    Creative Expectation
    Creativity
    Creativity Is A Gift
    Decision Making
    Design
    Doodle Dynamics
    Doodle Prompt
    Emotions
    Fabrics
    Facebook Live Video
    Family
    Fashion
    Filling Your Creative Well
    Food For Thought
    Fresh Perspective
    FUN
    Generosity
    Gift Giving
    Gretchen Rubin
    Halloween
    Handbag
    How Curiosity Can Enhance Our Creativity
    How To Gain Clarity In Challenging Situations
    How To Recognize Illusion When You See It
    How To Recognize New Growth
    Illustrated Birthday Doodle
    Illustration
    Interview
    Intuition
    Jewelry
    Jill Winski
    JournalChat Live
    #JournalChat Live OPEN HOUSE
    Journaling
    Journal Prompt
    Joy
    JOYFest
    Layering
    Layering With Watercolor
    Listen To Your Intuition
    Memoir
    Merry Christmas
    Mindset
    Mix And Match
    Mocking Bird
    Modeling Paste
    Movie Review
    Music
    Nurture
    October
    Oil Pastel
    Patterns
    Periscope Broadcast
    Physical Well Being
    Place
    Refresh Daily Audio
    Refresh Daily Book Review
    Refresh Daily Interview
    Refresh Daily Movie Review
    Refresh Daily Podcast
    Refresh Daily Product Review
    Refresh Daily Rewind
    Refresh Daily Video
    Refresh Intensive
    Refreshment
    Refresh With Dawn Herring
    Self Care
    Sketchbook
    Sleeveless Blouse
    Staying Present
    The Art Of Journaling
    The ART Of JOY
    The Birthday Wall
    Video
    Watercolor
    Why Documenting Your Life Is Important And Beneficial
    Winsor Newton Watercolor Markers
    Work Habits
    Working With Card Decks
    Your Authentic Path
    Your Creative Center
    Your Creative Practice

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • BEGINNINGS
  • About Me
  • ART
    • Dawn's Art Demo Videos
    • Commercial Cartoon Illustration Art Gallery
    • Personal Cartoon Illustration Art Gallery
  • MUSIC
    • Dawn's Spiritual Music Videos
  • JOURNAL KEEPING
  • Blogs
    • Beginnings
    • THE WAY I SEE IT
    • The Sweet Spot
    • Refresh Daily Blog >
      • Your Authentic Refreshment Blog
  • Resources
    • The Way I See It Podcast
    • Keepin' It Sweet Show
    • The Art of Journaling Toolbox
    • The Art of Journaling Prompt Play Book
    • My Favorite Sweet Spots