Thomasville Art

I missed the first couple of classes because I was in the snowy north, so last night was my first session of Visual Journaling, with artist Julie Guyot at the Thomasville Center for the Arts in Georgia. Sounds far away, but it's just 40 minutes north of here, past plantations and pecan groves, intersected by red dirt roads. Yes, the dirt really is red in South Georgia.

My friend Cindy raved about this class; she said I'd love it even though I don't want to make a journal  and really prefer to work alone, thank you. (I sound like a snob determined to learn as little as possible.) I do love books, and have stacks of filled journals and notebooks already. When I teach writing -- whether little children or adults -- we always make our own books and I love the whole process.

But now I crave printing, painting, collage, and (most of all) quilts. My notebooks are for art inspiration, plans and progress. So I don't care if I make a journal. What I want from this class is to have some fun with other artists, snoop into the Thomasville art scene, and learn a couple of new techniques.

Last night was a good start. The art center is in an old building with rough brick interior walls and high ceilings. They are generous with supplies, and Julie orchestrated a balanced, relaxed mix of procedure and practice. Here's what I learned:

1. Make a 1" spine for your journal cover.

Julie used her quilter's ruler to measure 1", then scored the cover, and bent it back and forth.

2. Because pages have two sides, mark an X on the front so you don't get confused.

3. Punch two holes through the covers. This is where you will bind the book.

4. When gluing paper onto pages of your book, work on a big piece of cheap paper to catch the mess. Julie also had plastic spread on our work tables.

5. In placing papers, consider color, contrast, value, and size -- those elements are everywhere, and of course design principles determine how wonderful your piece will be. Last night, though, I was kind of slap-dash. Wish I could say it was a Picasso-like trance, but it wasn't.

6. Start gluing in the middle and brush outward. Then press or use a brayer.

7. Paper has a kind of grain. Tear paper one way to have white interior show and the other so it doesn't.

8. Ways to incorporate text: Paint it. Cut it out and glue it down. Stencil. Print.

9. JG tip: Julie said she heard this over and over in art school: 

"The eye needs a place to rest."

OK, she also hears design friends repeat my least favorite phrase, "pop of color".  She says those in the know say simply POC.

Green circles provide POC

10. Try using water-soluble oil pastels. Crayon-like, they offer more control than watercolor but still mix with water for that thinning-out effect. Julie uses them to outline elements, then dilutes them so they wander a bit.

Caran d'Ache Classic Neocolor II Water-Soluble Pastels, 15 Colors 

Julie is using water on a brush to enhance outline made with water-soluble oil pastels.
They came in that red and blue box in the front.