transform a composition notebook into an art journal
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- If there is one things I get asked most, it is why and how I use cheap composition notebooks as art journals. I am hoping this videos sheds some light on my process!
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I purchase a cheap, blank book at a thrift store. I thought it was 100% blank. When I got home I discovered several drawings. Stuff that is not really my style - fantasy, fairies and castles and such. I've decided to keep them and make a story around them. So thrift stores are another thought.
Omg that sounds sooo cool
I love thrift / scrap stores! The one in my town is so much fun. There’s always a treasure to find.
I also bought a blank, 8x10 blank journal at a thrift store! There were a few scribbles in it and I will leave them and work around! I recovered mine as it had unicorns on it! I covered it with a paper bag, that gives me a blank canvas to decorate!
Loved this video. I have tons of art supplies, but also this terrible thing about ruining my journals and art paper, which keeps me doing NOTHING MUCH. Great idea to use very cheap composition notebooks. That is something I can't possible see as wasting since I see it as waste paper to begin with (until now). Love, also, the idea of filling the page with paint because how could I possibly ruin it by adding more paint. Maybe this is the turning point I have been wishing for in many decades. I actually turned 74 today. Not even remotely planning on dying in the next couple of decades.
You sound exactly like me. I have a horde of expensive materials that just sits idle while I lament. Sadly by the time I go to use them they’ll probably be all dried out. I love this idea and look forward to stocking up on composition books during the back to school sales.
Belated happy birthday Carmen. I completely understand your post as I suffer from the 'not good enough', 'don't want to waste supplies', blah, blah, blah. I turned 71 last week and like you, I'm in it for the long haul, my grandmother lived to 102. Blessings to you.
Can you paint the front of the composition books?
@@Sam_Hedgehog
Yes of course, paint, embellish, decorate, glue things on any and every surfaces you want 😊
@@mariach46 Thank you!
My 10yr. Old granddaughter does this. She used to just draw on loose paper now she displays them in a notebook. Plus she can get away with drawing in school on the sly. Pretty sneaky of her.
I got a ten pack of graph lined composition books for my children’s math assignments during COVID. They don’t need them anymore. I have been using them for Morning Pages but don’t like all the lines. It makes it hard to see what I’ve written. Had planned to get rid of them but now I’m inspired! I’ll go back over my Morning Pages and I’ll start making layouts in the blank ones! Thank you!
Good idea...I use them and it's so fun. I even use water colors in mine and do layouts like a comic book. If you made a mistake, just glue something over it. LOL
You can put a coat of gesso when it I is time to use markers or paint.
What about using watercolor ground? I think I will use the ground on drawing paper books which are much cheaper than watercolor books. Thank you for your ideas!
Wow! Total game changer! I’m disabled so I live on a pretty small budget to begin with, but this has really opened up the playing field for me. I can’t wait to get started now. Thanks for sharing ur knowledge!
You can also take a glue stick and glue 2 pages together before painting them. This results in sturdier pages.
i have been using Compositions for years. i am supper big on using them for junk journals. i just started learning about all the other more expensive paper this year. honestly its a bit intimidating to work with. i still preferer to use composition. i also go to goodwill or other thrift stores and i buy old planners and i use those to make my collages. I had and still do get creative because i dont have money to spend on art supply's. and i didnt want that to be the reason why i dont get to do art. Art plays a big roll in my life. its therapeutic to me and helps me with my homeless situation. thank you for showing that its okay to use compositions books and that getting creative is okay!!! thank you
OMG! Thank you so much for saying this! Please keep spreading the word. I just said this on another UA-camr’s channel. He actually told people they would want to use better watercolor paint to give a painting to someone as a gift. A free gift! I’m so over it. 99% of all art is going to end up in the landfill. Telling people they can’t create art unless they buy expensive supplies is just privileged gatekeeping.
This principle is applicable to so many practices, not just art. I constantly have to remind myself of this, because it’s so easy to fall for the FOMO and to procrastinate on starting a new hobby, craft, or project. I love how you explained it here. Thank you so much!
WOW!!!! I accidentally came across this video & am sooo pleased I did. It's great to see a real down to earth artist who is practical re: what we can use as supplies. I'm a newbie & have spent way more than I ever thought I needed to on art supplies, BUT I have used books glues 2 or 3 pages together to make them thicker & used them. My face is a $12 hard cover sketch book which I glue 2 pages together & that seems to be working well so far. Having watched yr vid I really don't think I even really need to glue these pages together as they are pretty thick. I have subscribed to yr channel & will be looking thru all yr vids. So glad to have found you & again a great big thankyou from the land down under. 😆
Love your encouragement and demystifying...the message...”just go make art, have fun, play, enjoy, allow your critic the day off” makes the whole process so much less stressful! Thanks for being such an inspiration!
Early 1980s, one of those oldies here, my love of art was enough to revel in any art supply. But I did do several things to slowly experience more expensive supplies. Back then Michaels and the rest were small town, hole in the wall, art stores that usually had one or two sales a year. Mine did a 50% off for 4 hours once a year. I'd take inventory, draw up a shopping list, and beeline to the seconds and dents/scratches table. One year I was able to afford expensive watercolor brushes for $7 each instead of $30! My other art store was the hardware store who had a sale bucket that might offer a cheap treasure like house paint sample cans, masking tape, etc. These days the trends fads, glitter, and glitz are huge sales jobs. That stuff is always over-priced, sometimes insanely over-priced. One stupidly over-blown craft personality was selling cheap paint for the same price per ounce as professional Golden Acrylics. Being a smart consumer is vital. One year in the early 2000s it was harlequin diamond pattern rubber stamps. The flaming hot trend popped out months after the crazy buy-buy-buy started. Why? The pattern was impossible to use, it was just too loud and busy, even tone-on-tone. People were embarrassed that they spent $10-$30 on a dust collector. While that was going on I went out and bought 4 single NeoColor II crayons. After working with them I went and bought a few more to fill out the spectrum. The price for full sets was beyond my means but I never stopped looking. One year Amazon had their black Friday sale and I found a 64 color set in a metal tin for a miracle price. I *Love* my NeoColors. A year later my local art store had a modest set of semi-professional watercolors that someone returned -- the store manager knew me and my budget. I've since swapped that set and celebrated my 60th birthday with a set of handmade, natural-pigment watercolors. I did the same thing I had done so long ago. The creator sold single half pans in the most used colors. $$$.$$ later I have grungy watercolors in the pallet I prefer instead of the factory-made ones. The only supply that I'm absolutely fanatic about is a single type of Fiskar scissors. I buy two or three a year and have them professionally sharpened once. Part of my art making is being smart about my supplies. I hate composition books. I save for months to buy my favorite watercolor art journals -- I fill one a year.
Thanks so much. You are just delightful! This info was so good to hear. I’m excited to try this out. I know nothing about art but really want to try and see what an old lady in her 70’s might be able to do😁. GOD bless you my dear. Great job ❤️👍
I use the same techniques to transform old planners/to-do list journals into art journals :) (I made a video on that too.) I hate throwing paper or cardboard away if there's a possibility of reusing it in some way. The writing underneath can sometimes still be visible in the final page and that gives it a kind of visual texture, similar to composition notebook lines. I've actually spent a lot more time during the past year working in my recycled journal than in my fancy sketchbooks because I can allow myself to make "bad" art.
❤this thank you~
I use those books or even junk mail books for any extra paint on my brush/ palette before changing colors in the washing water. If I am Gelli printing I use a page for brayer cleaning. You paint a free page for later use... suits my frugal spirit 😂 Kate
Just an idea: Your journal pages can be used to make your own stickers and pattern paper for others, or yourself to journal.
Hi Nalani! Can you please elaborate on this? Do you mean by taking a photo and converting them into stickers and pattern paper?
Yes, Gabrielle. You can take a photo of anything, your art, a landscape, etc and turn it into a sticker or pattern paper.
@@nalanihao9044 thank you for replying!
@@nalanihao9044 how does one do this, specifically?
Hi Alisa, just now found you on here and subscribed! 2 questions for you. 1) It looks like you never use any gesso to prep pages, prior painting on them and 2) It also doesn't look like you ever double or triple your blank pagers together for strength with a bit of glue? Gotta say, I find your pages shown in here just amazingly beautiful, and have never seen an artist go with out using gesso prior and/or doubling up the pages. I love that. Saves lots of time and cash-o-la! You do look like a little kid just painting with abandon! I cannot wait to try this fun, carefree technique. I'm excited to see what else you have on your channel. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, I asked a similar question. I hope she answers.
@@megancampbell3914 Sorry Megan, I wrote that question sometime ago, at least a year, but sadly never heard anything back. I wish either she, or an assistant, would actually read these responses to her vids and give us some sort of answers. I know the artists are busy...but come on! :(
I just saw a little further down the comment feed she answered similar question. She stated she does not glue the pages together or gesso in her composition books to save on products ( glue and gesso) because these are just to play with
@@Zwendysue Wendy, thank you so much for responding! I never did see an answer to the question!
@@lynnboyd33 I was looking for the answer too and just happened to read through all the comments
Your explanations are so clear and precise. You have a very pleasant voice and presentation style. I am guilty of buying supplies instead of using them. I am going to try your suggestion and just do it. Thanks for sharing❣️
Thank you so much! One class I took had us first gluing every other page together then going back in and gesso it every page, that took forever and I felt like it was wasting supplies. Another video I saw they ripped every other page out then went in and gessoed all the pages. Whenever I’d seen you showing yours they looked nice and thick like you still had all of your pages and it didn’t appear that you’d used gesso! Again thanks so much for this video!!!!
Yes! You can certainly glue pages, remove pages and even use gesso but for me I just go straight for the paint because my art journal pages are just for experimentation and play and I save supplies like gesso and even expensive materials for projects that I sell or use for my business.
@@alisakburke thanks! I’m taking both your chasing freedom and your pattern class right now, I am LOVING this art journal method!!!
Love using these, the lines add a definite something! I cut off the spine, make holes and put a ring binder through them. That way I can take out each page to work on. I also use them to use up leftover paint. The pages that end up being made get recycled into collage etc.
This one weird art trick makes 46 year old woman look 30! Love this principle. Have been buying unused, second hand everything and it's so freeing.
LOL, this is so fun! I just mentioned your use of Composition notebooks as Art Journals in a recent video on making one into a Rainbow Glue Book! I am a fan of cheap materials too! It makes it so easy to just start and play and not think about the outcome, right?!
Thanks Alisa, you rock!
I really love this idea! I work in a adult inpatient psych facility and this would be perfect for expressive art!!
Cheap acrylic is sticky so I dust it with baby powder and it has satin finish not matte but it's easy and quick
I really thought you were going to apply Gesso. But, you went right to the acrylic paint, and why not? As you say, the idea is to provide a prepped spread to have pages ready to be creative with. Acrylic paint, gesso, some other acrylic base, it doesn’t matter as long as there is the base and the bulk up of the paper to work with. I also very much like the idea of the watercolors as a base. And nothing would prevent collaged pieces of paper or thin fabric to get on there too! Great inspiration, thanks for this! There’s endless inspiration here! 🌺
Yes! Since my art journal is just my place to experiment I don't care that much about gesso on those surfaces but you certainly can use gesso!
Love seeing how you prep your notebooks and also getting a glimpse of what yours look like once they are done. So many beautiful pages and lots of inspiration. Thank you for being so generous with your art and techniques!
I agree totally. I use a particular cheap brand of paint in my journals that is matte. I see so many artists and journalers using very expensive brands in their journals because so and so told them to. Beginners often feel that they can’t do anything if they can’t afford that top brand. The trend for specifying the brands of. Materials in. Videos is particularly annoying. Beginners and learners should be able to use what they have and not feel they must have what the video specifies. Learning to be flexible and to use what you have is more budget friendly and in the long run is much more likely to develop your own style than copying everything down to the specific colour of a specific brand that another artist uses. I applaud you heartily in this regard.
May I ask what brand of paint that you use?
@@suzannapoleon7998 I am in australia and use kaisercraft paints
Love this video, it came up in my feed and I'm a new subscriber. Thinking everything was precious was a huge problem I used to have until I started to junk journal. I hoarded everything and was so worried that I would ruin something or it would turn out bad. We as a society need to stop comparing our creativity to others and just be inspired to do our own thing. S glad I watched, I was surprised you didn't gesso anything, it's drilled into artists all the time. Off to play
I am here while learning art exercises in a course. And you gave me so much joy and hope coz i cant afford all fancy Journaling supplies trendy these days neither am an artist like you but i still enjoy creating art, expressing my heart on paper.
This is awesome. I learned to glue the pages together first, but that takes forever and s I rarely do it. Can't wait to jump in and just play with paint. Thanks!
I have used fancy nice leather journals and sketchbooks too. But I ALWAYS go back to the composition notebooks!!! I love them. They’re low pressure but so inviting and easy to create in. They also feel nostalgic of school and child/teen hood.
Your composition notebooks are lovely. I deeply appreciate you sharing your hints!
Thank you!
I LOVE this!!! I’m trying to tap back into my creative side and I love that this is friendly and on a budget!💙
Your art journals are beautiful! I felt the same nervousness about fancy art pads. I have lots of composition book that I purchased from the thrift store. Thank you for sharing...Can't wait to begin my composition art journal
Thank you for enlightening me to the composition notebook enhancement process. 👍🏼You taught this in one of your courses and I have loved it ever since.
so glad that you found it useful!!
Well said and very welcome point of view. I've been using composition books for years for notes, sketches, etc. I coat the cover with acrylic painting, stamping also - that way I can tell my numerous journals apart. Thanks for your wonderful outlook. (I have unused expensive sketch pads also - - too nice to mess up.)
Thank-you. I'm going to watch this with my 14-year-old. It's his first year of HS art and he thinks he's terrible and he's actually quite good( you know I'm sure he is comparing himself to the graphics on his video games😒). I got him a big tote of art supplies for Christmas and this idea will show him that everyone starts somewhere...and starting with color is already started! What a terrific idea!
New here.
I also only use composition notebooks. I paint pages to. I do it right before bed. If I get to much paint. I place bubble wrap on top and smash it into the paint.
During the day I work on another jornal.
Thanks for more ideas about painting
i actually used to work in compasition note books all the time years ago. alot of people asked why , it wasnt about price for me but the visual effect. i had some really good works come out of that. sometimes the best way to inspire creativity is to do whatever without thinking about if you will like the end result. love ❤ the work by the way
Can’t wait to explore this on my own
Thanks for sharing
I just found you and I've subscribed and purchased the Finding Freedom class. I think it will really help me dig deeply into my own innate creativity and help me find my own style. I was one to get on the bandwagon with all the latest and greatest, but want to get back to basics. I have a composition notebook that I've wanted to use, so now I have the perfect thing to use it for! Thank you!
YES! Chasing Freedom is a fun class for simply digging into expression and creating without pressure. I hope you enjoy it!
I just started art journaling on my dollar store note book and glue paper in to fortify it. It’s so great to just play around and not have to make a masterpiece on canvas. I’ll have to give this a try.
Thanks for pointing out using a dryer so you can move quickly. That has been my problem with using a composition notebook so far.
Very, very helpful video. I adore comp notebooks and this bulking up of the paper with paint is an excellent idea. By the way, your artwork is quite beautiful. Thank you so much!
Yes!! My very favorite paintbrushes are a certain multi pack for $3 at Michaels. They have every shape in a size I can’t find anywhere. I grab a new pack every time I walk through the store. If I had t started with cheap supplies I would never have found these!
I love mine, and they've held up so well too! {And love the crinkly sound}.
Thank you thank you thank you! I’ve been wondering how to use my old food journals for art journaling… Now I have the answer… Love your site, just subscribed… your art is amazing! Keep creating☺️
Composition notebooks are also great for junk journals or combination junk/art journals. Experimentation is easier when price doesn’t hinder creativity! TFS your ideas. Luv them.
Thanks Alisa!!! You have so inspired me to play.
Love this! I love a composition notebook and do feel freer when it comes to playing. Thanks for these super tips!
Yeahhhhh! This is what i was looking for to redo the poetry of Frost's. I've got a really really old book of his total poems.. i wanted to recreate all the poems with paintings.. and yea this is what i can do with it! Thanks!
Excellent .. . I was doing one page at a time.. Excited to start filling all my many many drawing and composition books. thank you for sharing Alisa
Thank you for everything you sharing all these years! 💝💝
What a refreshing message! Thanks for the reminder that money isn’t the most important factor in being creative. Most appreciated. 😃
I used to prep my composition books but now I use them as they are. The paper is amazingly sturdy and holds up well.
Thank you for the lovely info, I love using comp books, but have only used acrylic, you have inspired me to slap some water color in the next one.
Thanks Alisa, this is the right way to practice and have fun!! 💕
I love this! I used to get in trouble for doing this in highschool, but I loved using cheap paper to just make art and get creative, thank you for sharing! I'm gonna steal some of my kids books they don't use and test it out :)
This was so helpful. Thank you so much. I am the opposite of an artist, (don’t know the word for that). But I am getting into junk journaling and want to make art journals for my granddaughters ages 6 and 8. I really enjoy your non stress teaching style.
Thank you, Alisa, for sharing your process and sharing your beautiful composition book painting process with us. It was great!
Thank you, I’m just learning. I’m using many supplies from my son’s school art class. I love how you prepare your pages. I found your work fantastic as you flicked through the pages. ❤
Thank you! I love this idea for practice and teaching ideas!
I just found your channel and I have plenty of composition notebooks that I am going to use for art journals. I love all your pages and I love those flowers that you draw. Thanks for the inspiration.
You look like you are 26 yrs old!! I love your positive energy. Thank you for your videos. I am a beginner and am going to learn a lot from your channel.
I honestly never even thought about a composition book! Like DUH!! Wow! Thank you!!
I have to say... you look half your age! Must be the creativity that keeps you so young and vibrant!
Did you glue the 2 pages together before you started painting the acrylic backgrounds on the pages? When you GLUE the 2 pages together, did you use paste? Glue sticks? Wet glue? What was your method to putting the pages together?
The mandalas you have in this composition book-are they stamps or stencils or your own creative hands do them? Same for that big white lined flower by the crescent 🌙 moon 🌙?
I was one of those people that went out and bought the paper, brushes, paints and ink....😔even before watching you I will not start in them....
That’s why I want to try the composition book first.
Great video! Great comp books!🙋♀️✌️👏👏👏🙏😁👍👌💗♥️💗♥️
I do not glue my pages together but you certainly can! You can use anything from a glue stick, craft glue, gel medium, Mod Podge to glue them together. All of the mandalas, flowers and patterns in my journals are my drawings and paintings. Drawing is my favorite way to work over the top of all the messy color.
@@alisakburke WOW! Even use them with wet medium?
@@alisakburke m
Thank you !will definitely try this
I subscribed at 4:50 timestamp because all you need to get started is cheap paper and a ballpoint pen. I do my best work on bulk printer paper with gimme pens from the bank.
Alisa, i am so grateful for your willingness to share your journal-making process. I am an art teacher in an urban school district. This idea is perfect for my budget-conscious lesson plans. Question: Do you think that 90 lb. watercolor paper would be adequate for beginners/student journals?
I think its funny because I got a drawing book of like 89lb paper off the clearance rack and I bought a more expensive type 140lb mixed media paper and seemed to have more fun and experiment more in the cheap one. Some pages I gesso and some I don't. I have some composition books lets PLAY.
This was the exact video I was looking for thanks. I've just ordered some of these books to use. It actually cost me just over £10 for 3 coz I'm in the UK. But I still thought that was pretty reasonable.
That was awesome thank you I'm a newbie I by second hand everything paper books paint stamps ect it then allows creativity with out the price tag if I get into it more then I might spend a little money ❤
I do this with just about any book form available. (Using an old photo book right now.) Tip: I tear off an oversize piece of wax paper and place beneath/between each page, on both sides. It helps a lot with bleed through especially if it gets a little too wet sometimes, which is easy to do on single sheets. Helps keep color themes separate. I do the same with collage pages. And bonus, you can use painted wax paper for other art pages, tearing , cutting, etc.
That wax paper idea is a good one.
Skip introduction - demo starts at about 11:05 mark
Omgosh ty so much. The only reason I even went through the comments was to find this.
I scrolled through the comments just to see if someone did this. Thank you!
Great video! Your work blew my mind! This is what I want to do!😊
Thank you so much for your Inspiration!! Just love your ideas. Your mandalas and flowers are so beautiful.
I love this approach and your style. I have taken your classes and do appreciate the low cost supplies you recommend.
THANK YOU Alisa!!! Wonderful inspiration and creative sparks!!! :-)
I use old college textbooks that dont have any resale value. I figure someone is just going to throw them out, so I might as well give them new life.
YES! old textbooks make for great art journals!
Thanks for the idea. I knew they would be good for something .
@@ellenkass9410 lol you're welcome! 😂
Great video! I just started taking a couple of your classes - I am COMPLETELY obsessed with my tiny journal in the mini composition book - and could look at your journals all day! You are such an inspiring teacher.
Absolutely inspirational. I know all about the fear of messing up fancy paper. Love the enthusiam.
Great ideas, I just brought one for journaling this week and have been doing some collage and painting, it really does enable you to feel free to experiment :)
Alisa you always, always inspire me. I can't believe how talented you have both in art and teaching.
I couldn't even afford to complete the art fundamentals course at my college because it was so expensive... so I definitely understand!!!! Thank you for this wonderful video.
That was an icebreaker for me, thank you
I just found you…. I love that you talk about art on a budget that’s fantastic!!
I totally agree. I discovered mixed media about 6-7 years ago….
So fun, so many ways to do things. I think I love that so much because I can be messy and you don’t need to be precious about it.
Make a “mistake or create something you don’t like…… GESSO” …. Lol 😂
Thank you for this video 💜💜
Ps your art journals are beautiful to look at!
Liberating! I do more art on old envelopes, essay drafts, takeout coffee cups and old shopping lists than anything else. I’ve also discovered used printer paper is really great for acrylics too, they must add something to stop the wet printer ink crinkling it. And second place goes to those cheap softcover sugarpaper scrapbooks, they’re bigernthan A4, really durable and much like fancy pastel paper. My old art teacher had us sketching with twigs dipped in mud, so we wouldn’t have to starve to buy paint😂 What’ve you used?
I just watched three of your videos in a row. Despite them being all about freeing yourself up, I’m now overwhelmed! LOL…. Time to step away and start prepping some pages… with markers, watercolours and acrylics… Thanks Alisa, truly inspirational!
I agree to all you said. !! Watching from Germany ❤️🙋
Thank you for all the information you gave, it is hard right know to get everything in my head to the paper. I hope this will help me release all my bottled up creativity to flow again. Hugs from Utah
I need my 13 yr old granddaughter needs to see this. She’s so creative.
Great video! I love your Art and how you go about it.
Love this! I used to art journal with comp books but would get so stuck. Your process of filling in with color first really spoke to me! I can't wait to try it again.
Wow!!! Love the little flip through! Your work is so colorful!!!
tqvm... you always inspire me to be creative... 🥰
Thank you so much for the inspiration.
I loved this video!! I go back and forth between enjoying painting and not enjoying it. But this gave me a whole new idea. I also feel like this would be a great idea to do for my toddler boys to document things they say and that I always want to write down but rarely do. Thank you! First video I’ve watched of yours. 😊
I enjoyed this video and have recently started using a composition book to play in and loving it. Thank you!
They are so cheap...dollar tree pick up too. Great ideas.
Thank you for the video...... Will try it soon bec i dont need to paste 2-3 sheets of paper together......or apply gesso if using paint....