Showing posts with label Dina Wakley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dina Wakley. Show all posts

Art Journal Courage: Fearless Mixed Media Techniques for Journaling Bravely by Dina Wakley (2014)

, 18 Jun 2022

This is another great book for beginners by art journalist extraordinaire Dina Wakley. It's packed with very easy to follow (and well photographed) tutorials, encouragement to start or continue with your art journey, and plenty of mixed-media techniques, like creating your own stencils, just to mention one that I loved.

Each chapter tries to motivate us to leave fears aside and start creating and the advice given is simple and sound:
-- Fear: I don’t know what to write! And I don’t like my handwriting. Courage: Writing takes practice! Plus, the only person who doesn’t like your handwriting is you.

-- Fear: I can’t draw. Courage: You can draw once you know the formula. And once you commit to practice!

-- Fear: I don’t want to, or know how to, include my image in my work. Courage: Examining yourself is a time-honored artistic tradition that helps you learn and grow as an artist.

-- Fear: Layering is hard. I don’t know what to do next. Courage: Breaking down the layering process into tools and methods will help you layer with confidence.

-- Fear: You don’t have the newest, trendiest art supplies so you can’t make good art. Courage: You can use supplies in unexpected ways to keep your artwork fresh and exciting!

-- Fear: I have to have everything planned in my head before I work. Courage: By working organically and intuitively, you can create interesting art and push yourself to see more.

-- Fear: Working in my journal is comfortable, but I’m afraid to move on to other projects. Courage: Moving your art from the journal page to other substrates and mixed-media projects is satisfying and exciting!
 
The language used in the book is simple and effective, no technicalities. Even if you don't  follow the tutorials to the letter or not at all, you'll still learn a lot of stuff that will improve your artwork.

The table at the end of the book with the properties, uses and downfalls of each media type is excellent.   
 
Wakley, who has a huge range of mixed media products for sale in the craft market, doesn't promote them in the book at all, so that's really refreshing. 

 
KINDLE EDITION
The Kindle edition is really good and the images have good resolution. Besides, the pages can be bookmarked and annotated easily, unlike other art books on Kindle.



DOWNSIDES 
> The initial chapter on tools and materials is a copy-and-paste of Wakley's previous book Art Journal Freedom.
> Chapter Six starts with a big statement about the fact that we don't need expensive supplies to art journal or paint. Yet, in the tutorials included in this chapter include the use of very expensive PanPastels and Caran D'Ache Neocolors.
> I would have wanted a bit of more guidance on face shading because the book barely provides guidance on this subject.  



TYPOS
Bold is missing from the words 'fear' and 'courage' at the start of chapter 6.

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Art Journal Freedom: How to Journal Creatively With Color & Composition by Dina Wakley (2013)

, 14 Jun 2022

Without a good composition, images simply don't work.

I'm a fan of Wakley's art products so I thought I'd give this book a try. This is a short enjoyable read, great to understand basic rules of composition and colour. Everything is explained in a very simple effective way, in a language that has no technicalities or complexity. Wakley also shows how to break the rules and when to do it. By the end of the book, one gets to understand why some images work and others not. Subjects discussed in the book are:  symmetry/asymmetry, white space, continuance, closure, proximity, dominance, repetition, colour basics, contrast with colour, and colour as composition tool. 


THINGS I LOVE
> The book is a workshop on its own.
> Good for anyone wanting to start painting not just art journaling.
> The summaries at the end of each book with taglines about the major points discussed.
> Everything Wakley says is exemplified by images coming from her own artwork, so it is not just theoretical talk.
> Each chapter has a tutorial, simple but beautiful, really well explained and photographed.
> Each page has prompts to put some of the points discussed in practice.
> Although the book is for beginners, it has plenty of value for intermediate artists.
> Great Kindle edition and quality images. 

 
I DIDN'T LIKE
> The fact that a sewing machine is one of the tools needed. I don't have one, and I don't think this is really necessary. Some of the things Wakley does with the machine can easily be achieved with a marker or pen, so why not providing this alternative?
> Although I love Wakley's artwork, I would have loved having visual examples from other artists exemplifying what she says. 


MIND
> This is a book thought for beginners, so take it as such.
> This is a book about mixed media not drawing or painting per se.

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