It’s taken me a few days to do this layout. I started it on Wednesday and finished up with it today (Saturday). I feel like it’s still not complete but that’s sometimes how these things go. I feel like it’s missing something (and I do have some idea of what that is).
I started it with a prompt from my dream manifestation class. I’ve been journaling with my dream daily – asking it what does it want me to know, etc. – and the main theme recently has been to play and have fun (something that’s not always easy for me to do).
My big dream is to be a successful best selling author who opens people’s minds to greater possibilities and their dreams. (I’m mainly a writer and a life coach.) I did a small version of this layout in my manifestation journal that was a lot more text heavy. I wanted to do something in my bigger journal that was a more playful and loose. Again, my perfectionist has been rearing its head trying to dictate to me what to do (which hasn’t been doing me any favors).
I thought it’d be fun to show you part of my process so here are photos of my first and second layers of paint. I used acrylic paint that I watered down a bit to give it more of a wash consistency. I really like how these layers turned out.
I got a bit messier with the second layer (in a good way) – painting it on and then wiping most of it off with a baby wipe. Again, I watered the paint down to start, making it more of a wash.
I love how messy and uneven it looks. I also appreciated the white of the paper poking through in some areas. I am slowly learning how to let go and be in the process without trying to make it all perfect and symmetric.
I drew a picture of a girl based on a picture I have hanging in my office right above my art journaling desk. Originally I had photocopied the picture I have and cut it out but then I thought it’d be more fun for me to draw it. I don’t consider myself a drawer but I didn’t do too badly. This was my first attempt and I’m pretty happy with how she turned out. I cut her out then colored her in using gel pens plus some watercolor paints.
Here’s the finished version (for now). I bought a really cool opal glitter medium that I’m considering painting over the whole top. I also feel like it needs a bit more embellishing but I will wait until inspiration hits me to add those, too.
It’s crazy how long it takes me to do a layout (even with force drying layers with a heat gun) but I’m really loving the process. Stay tuned for more!