One: The Journal

I challenge YOU to play along with me. Weekly, I will be posting an art challenge for you. It doesn't matter if you only draw stick people, or are an advanced artist. Man, woman, teenager or grandparent... do this for yourself. You'll grow as an artist, and as a person.

I thought it might be a good idea to have all of the challenges together in one book, so we can track our progress. I will not be giving deadlines to you, or to myself. I will try and post a challenge every week, but you can do them whenever you like. Mix them up, skip one, do one five times, whatever you like! All I ask is that if you have a blog, you post a link to it in the comments under the right challenge, and post a photo of your work on your blog so we can all give you comments! So this weeks challenge is:

First, find a journal. Preferably blank, sturdy pages, however any old book will do. I chose a large scrapbook that was lying around.

Next, get together some supplies. You'll need paint, brushes, water, and whatever else you feel like putting on the front of your journal. I like to use an old magazine as a pallet. When I am done painting I rip off the sheet I was using, leaving a clean surface for my next painting adventures. I used Golden Acrylic paints for this, but you can use a cheaper version if that's what you have on hand. The idea of this is not to go out and spend a fortune, but to let yourself play.

I mixed the blue with a bit of white and painted just the top of my journal with it. You can paint the entire cover if you wish, although it may get messy.

Now play. Look around your house for things, scrap paper, flowers, buttons, etc. Stick them on the cover. Write your name, a poem, a sentence, or just draw pictures. It's your journal, make it represent you.

Once everything is stuck on and the paint is dry, use a sharpie to outline shapes and add detail. I also sanded some of the edges and my chipboard letters, just to add some personality.

Finally, I coated the entire front in a coat of varnish to protect it.