The art journal quote: why, how and where

by | Blog - Tutorials | 8 comments

NEED A LITTLE HELP WITH YOUR ART JOURNAL QUOTE?

Let me show you my process, in the hope that it will help you πŸ™‚

Studio Time 16 - free mixed media tutorial with Mimi Bondi


 

FIRST, WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO USE AN ART JOURNAL QUOTE OR WORDS?

So you just got busy for the last hour or so spreading gesso, bright coloured paints that barely had time to dry before you started stamping over them like a mad person, throwing stencils around at the same time… You stop for a second and feel pretty satisfied with what you just created but… (Damn, there’s always a ”but” in good stories, right?!)…

You feel like it needs ”something” to make it complete. You know you have already used all the supplies in your arsenal and judging by the slightly concerned look your fluffy companion is giving you from below your desk, you’d know you’d better calm down! (Don’t worry, it is a familiar feeling around here ?)

So, if you feel like you are missing something, then how about using a quote?
– Words will make things pop because you haven’t used that kind of element yet in your design
– Your spread will feel a lot more unique if you use meaningful words to finish it off

It doesn’t matter if the words you use are not that β€˜original’ so put your thinking cap on πŸ™‚
If nothing specific come to mind (after all, you have been breathing various paints and mediums β€˜fumes’ so you can’t be blamed for feeling uninspired at this stage) then you need a source of inspiration…


Choose to Be Happy! Inspiring quotes from the sunny side of life | mimibondi.com

THEN, HOW DO YOU DECIDE ON AN ART JOURNAL QUOTE OR WORDS?

Let’s pretend that lightning hasn’t struck recently and turned you into a poet capable to write verses at a moment’s notice… I haven’t (but there is always hope!) so if I know from the start that I will probably end up adding a quote as a final touch, I pay attention to what happens during the creation process to see if any words or feelings come to me while I am creating…
But, if by the end of it, if I am still unsure, this is what I do:

  • I stand back from my art journal and try to look at what is front of me, a little as if it was someone else’s work (now is not the time for negative judgement!)
  • I look at the colours, shapes, texture etc and let themΒ SPEAK TO ME. As an example, imagine I used lots of yellow and turquoise… This might remind me of summer, the sea… To me summer and sea rhymes with holidays and then, a happy memory surfaces of a relaxing and fun weekend away with my beloved last month. Let’s pause for a second and see what words we could extract here:Β summer,Β holiday,Β love,Β fun,Β relaxing… These words make me realise how lucky I am to be able to go away on holiday, to visit unknown parts of the world, to have someone special to share my life with… Then suddenly, the wordΒ GRATITUDEΒ feels right because it encompasses all the above.
  • Now I have words I could use on their own in big bold letters if I wish, such as ”grateful” or ”gratitude” or ”thank you”. Or I could turn them into a sentence or a quote. Remember, this does not mean you have to write anything amazing! A few words such as ”I feel so lucky to have you” or ”So grateful…” are enough, as long as they are meaningful toΒ YOU.

And by the way, your art journal quote does NOT have to relate to your ”background”. If it does, great, otherwise, it’s cool too (it’s YOUR journal, don’t forget!).


Covered in Paint | Inspiring quotes from the sunny side of life | mimibondi.com

BUT, WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRING AND MEANINGFUL (TO YOU) ART JOURNAL QUOTES?

If you are really not feeling creative and nothing much is coming to you, then the next step would be to search outside of your head for a meaningful art journal quote ?. Let’s say I decided to use the word β€˜gratitude’ as the main theme of my quote.

1) RESEARCH ON GOOGLE

I would type the words β€˜gratitude’ or β€˜grateful’ and β€˜quote’ and, to avoid having to read through millions of results, I would select the β€˜images’ search results:Art journal quote: why use one, how to create and find one for your art journal! Mimi BondiThis will bring up TONS of easy to read quotes that I can quickly scan through!

Art journal quote: why use one, how to create and find one for your art journal! Mimi Bondi

If one of them feels good to me. and right for my page, I’ll grab it as β€˜my inspiration’ ?. But if I haven’t found inspiration yet, I will keep on searching and…

2) BROWSE THROUGH PINTEREST

I would again type the words β€˜gratitude’ and β€˜quote’ in the search box and get rewarded with lots more ideas (some may crossover from Google obviously!)

Art journal quote: why use one, how to create and find one for your art journal! Mimi BondiThe cool thing here though is that you can refine the results by clicking the keywords at the top. For example, you can click on β€˜funny’ for a light-hearted gratitude quote or β€˜bible’ for a religious feel…Art journal quote: why use one, how to create and find one for your art journal! Mimi Bondi

I also collect quotes that speak to me on my own Pinterest board ”Inspiring Words” – I have already have used a few of these quotes in my journal! Check it out here:Inspiring Words Pinterest Board by Mimi Bondi


 

BY NOW I AM CERTAIN YOU HAVE FOUND AN ART JOURNAL QUOTE TO SUIT YOUR PAGES!

If not, maybe you’re not in the right mood so just leave your pages for another day and come back to them with ”fresh eyes” πŸ˜‰ Well… There you go! That is everything I know in regards to using an art journal quote, from my own learning and experience… Please do let me know in the comments below if you have found this post helpful and if it has given you a little inspiration or what your process is to find inspiration for an art journal quote πŸ™‚ To finish things off, here are some of my free art journal tutorials where I have used an art journal quote (some with my own words, some from researching):

Studio Time 18 - free mixed media art journal tutorial with handmade stamps - Mimi Bondi Studio Time 11 - free mixed media art journal tutorial with Mimi Bondi Beginner-tutorial,-full-thought-process-with-Acrylics,-Gelatos,-Pan-Pastels,-Mimi-Bondi-ST6


Watch them to get your creative juices flowing!

And if that’s not enough,Β here a few more tutorials for youΒ πŸ˜‰Β Mimi Bondi.

8 Comments

  1. I love your site, thank you for the inspiration!

    Reply
    • mimibondi

      Thanks so much Maayan ? Hope you subscribe to the newsletter to keep in touch with everything! xx mimi

  2. So helpful. I never know how to finish those pages that just keep yelling at me that they are not done. I did this and it worked- a much more finished look to those pages and I think it helped me with a little closure as well. Who knew? Thank you for taking the time to write this – it makes a difference!!

    Reply
    • mimibondi

      Hi Tracy, I am so happy to hear you found my art journal quote post helpful! It took me a while to write it but it was worth it πŸ™‚ Thank you so much for your support xx mimi

  3. This is really useful Mimi!!! I struggle with words in my journal, and I don’t actually look at my work until it’s finished. Maybe I should stand back and look at it to get some wordy inspiration !!!

    And I love your quote about full days!!!

    Thanks for sharing X

    Reply
    • mimibondi

      Thank you Cheryl!! Just keep it simple, not everything has to be poetry πŸ˜‰ And pages don’t have to be completed in one go, sometimes I finish mine days later, or longer! xx

  4. Really useful information, thank you!

    Reply
    • mimibondi

      Glad you found it useful Jay πŸ™‚

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Mimi Bondi, Mixed media artist, author, illustrator and teacher

Hi there, I'm Mimi!

Mixed Media Artist * Author * Designer * Lover of Life
My style is abstract, whimsical, expressive, full of energy… and my creativity has no bounds!
From layering to collaging, throwing ink around to painting with my fingers, I hope to share with you the joy and peace I experience when creating πŸ™‚

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