Art Journaling with God - Over the Moon

My life has changed so much since I moved to New York. I feel content with life and my career path. However, ‘contentment with life’ for me is not a good thing - it depletes me to the point of incompetence and boredom. New York is a great city to fill your life with leisure after a week of battling people who lack the vision to do good for the company or for each other. Leisure is the greatest tragedy for a person who wants to leave a legacy for the next generation. Leisure brings death to productivity and creativity. For some reason, with all that New York has to offer, I still feel insignificant and fruitless the minute I walk into my apartment.

Lately, God has placed on my heart to stop planning, stop surfing the net to see what other creative people are producing and to start doing. God gave me enough skills (talents) to belong in this world. That was all I wanted – to serve and pay for my space here on earth. To be a part of something bigger than the Children Ministry teacher at Sunday School. Don’t get me wrong, I love the kids and what I offer them, but it is not enough. I am not using all of the talents God has instructed me. In the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14–30, you will need to read it in the Bible, but this is verse 29, “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”  This message is for everyone. If we do not use the talents God gave us, He will take it away.

This morning, my neighbors in the apartment complex could hear “Your Presence Lord” by Kari Jobe blasting from my living room. I want to blast the spirit of depression, lethargy, anything and everything that is not of God out of my home. Tears poured from my eyes and my heart filled with the Holy Spirit once again.  I sang, “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus, God. Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.” I repented and sat down to do some art journaling with God. Here is a snippet of my conversation with Him.

Me:  Father God, help me to not use work as an excuse to go into my trance and push negative emotions aside. I feel that I am only starting to adjust to the change of moving here to New York, and adjusting the lack of a loving community that I had in California. I feel my life isn’t enough.

Father God: Daughter, the move is not the reason for your depression and change. The veracity is that you have lost touched with Me and the Holy Spirit. Yes, your relationship with Jesus is still there, but We miss you. We miss the time spent talking and creating art together.

Me: I am sorry, Father. I didn’t realize that marriage really does take up a lot of your time. As much as I need to build my relationship with my husband, I need to continue to build my relationship with You. Stay with me and help guide me to keep You with me at all times…

Using the SoulCollage® method, I created this image. “I am the one who will jump over the moon –over and over again – and bring color where there is darkness.”  This image represents me overcoming obstacles and achieving what is hard to reach even when it is dark all around.

I do not plan on losing my connection with God again. Join me on my walk. I am hoping to post one art journal with God each week.  

Matthew 25:14-30New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Gratefulness

This is our last Art Journaling for this season. Unfortunately, after 9 attempts to download the video, it failed. I will try again, but in the meantime, here is my final product. Also, your prompt is to write about an important person in your life whom you would like to acknowledge today.

 Happy Holidays!

Winner for the 24 Set Crayon is Amanda B. She shared a private photo and writing on how Art Journaling helped her get over certain things.  It was beautiful.

Thank the Goodness

This is supposed to be our last week, but I did not get a chance to do the project. I was sick for three days this week and haven’t gotten back to 100%.  I did try to find other YouTube video to help you see some new techniques. This is a pretty good one with how to use gesso and watery ink to create texture and runny strips.  It’s a video by Sheri Whitfield.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnoaSMhp_U8

Instead of using tea pots, use the magazine clippings that represent your family or goodness, and create a Thanksgiving picture.  Add at least 6 things you are thankful for this year.

Next week will be our last week and I will announce the winner for the oil pastel crayons.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Color Me Beautiful –continues

Today, I want you to continue to practice with your color theory, but this time, use an adult coloring book. Choose 3 analogous colors (colors that are next to each other) and 1 complementary color using the 70/30 ratios.  You can use color markers or color pencils. Whatever you choose, but once you’ve mastered your colors, you will learn to make exciting art journals.

Here are a few websites where you can download free coloring pages:

http://freeprintableadultcoloringpages.com/birds-and-animals

I like this Alice in Wonderland page:

http://www.onlycoloringpages.com/trippy-alice-in-wonderland-coloring-pages/4280.html

Here is my finished product. I used color pencils, but color markers might have been better. I used blue, purple, red and my pop is yellow. Cut your colored page and glue it to your journal. Your prompt is: If you were stuck in Wonderland, which character would you be and why?

Make sure to share your work on the FB Secret Page or send me an email.   A new winner for the 24-set of Portfolio Series Oil Pastels will be announced in December.  

https://www.amazon.com/Water-Soluble-Pastels-Portfolio-Crayola/dp/B00HKYGBOI/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1477888922&sr=8-16&keywords=portfolio+series+oil+pastels

For next week, please find a picture of a turkey, or a baked turkey and photos of family or something that represents family to you. We will work on being thankful for Thanksgiving. Find as many magazine pictures of things that can represent what you are grateful for.

Color Me Beautiful

Today, we are learning about colors and a simple way to understand how they work.

What you need is a color wheel. If you don’t have one, you can use this color wheel I found on Google.

Okay, to make it easy, the acronym may not seem appropriate, but it will help you remember.  The easiest way to remember the 4 basics in color is by thinking –SH*TT. 

S for Shade= is when you add black to your color (Hue)

H for Hue= is just any color on the color wheel.

·      There are 3 primary colors: red, blue, and yellow.

·      When you combine two primary colors, you get the secondary colors.

·      And when you combine the secondary colors together, you get the tertiary colors.

T for Tint= is when you add white to the color.

T for Tone= is when you add gray (a combination of black & white) to the color.

Color schemes you should know:

Complementary Colors are colors on the exact opposite of each other. If you mix these two colors, you will make brown. However, if they are placed next to each other, they will pop.

Monochromatic Colors are various shades using only one color (hue).  The easiest way is to add white, gray and black to one color. This is easy on the eyes and calming, but can be boring.

Analogous Colors are 3 to 4 colors next to each other on the color wheel.  This is pleasing to the eye, but adds a little more interests. Most people use this scheme because it’s harmonious and you can’t create mud (brown) when you blend the colors.

The best way to make your artwork pop is by having 70-75% of your artwork in the analogous scheme with a 25-30% of complementary color.

Your homework is to:

1.     Pick 3 colors next to each other and one opposite color. For example: Green, Blue-green, Blue and Red-orange.  OR Red-violet, Violet, Blue-Violet, and Yellow-green.

2.     Color in your journal with the analogous colors.

3.     Use stencils to add the complementary color.

4.     Write down the best conversation you had the last few months and why.