Welcome to The Creative Spirit

WELCOME.....to The Creative Spirit....my own little creative nook, filled with simple little projects, grand ideas, and anything suggested by my Creative Muse........

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Week Three Prompts

Prompt #7 Singles Main Idea: Focal Point For this page think about a photo of a SINGLE plant or flower or bud. Now is a good time to look for single "perfect buds" to photograph. Our Redbud tree is looking pretty so I plan to snap a photo of a bud from that!
  • Snap "singles" photos and create a page using several of them OR enlarge a particularly good one and use it as a focal point on your page
  • Journal about individuality
  • Use the number one somewhere in your layout
Prompt # 8 Groupings Main Idea: Multiple images For this page you are going to use multiple images...either different shots of different plants or different angles and views of the same plant or garden.
  • Try one of the kalediscope layouts using mirror images of the same photo
  • Create a mosiac layout using different views of the same flower, plant, or bed.
  • Create a layout that looks like the old film strips
  • Journal about different views, different perspectives, and different approaches to gardening
Prompt # 9 Non-Flowering Main Idea: The Beauty of Leaves: Examining shapes
  • This page is about non flowering plants. Try to use three to four different photos, sketches, that features the many different shapes available naturally courtsey of Mother Nature.
  • Journal about your favorrite non flowering plants...do you adore ferns, ornamental grasses or some other? Write about the beauty of simple green!
  • Try using different shades of green on this page
Okay I must admit...I am yet to get Prompts...3-6 done!!! But hey we have all summer to complete the garden journal...the prompts will stay up...so if you are like me...just keep plugging away! I will try to get up some new photos this week...maybe that will inspire us!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Week Two Prompts

Lots of cute pages coming from Week One...so we are continuing on with ideas to explore for Week Two:

Prompt Four: Memories of Gardening Main Idea: Using black and white photos or a heritage look
  • Journal on this page about your memories of gardening from your childhood...Vegetable garden or flowers? What sights do you remember? The people you associate with gardening? The smells and the sounds of the gardens from your childhood
  • Consider a then and now theme...with a two page layout...one of you from childhood and a more recent one. Keep with the garden them by using outside photo
Prompt Five: Dreams of Gardening: Your perfect garden Main Idea: Bring Your Dreams to life
  • Journal about the elements you would like in your perfect garden. Use sentences, a list, or just words to paint a picture of the perfect garden you envision.
  • For this pages "art"...use muted colors or blurred images to create a dream like image.
  • Or create a collage of images from your "perfect garden". Search magazines or online for ideas and images.
Prompt Six: One New Thing This Year Main Idea: Plan a new garden idea/ Use a new type of embellishment
  • Journal about something new you would like to try this year in your garden. A new plant? A new bed design?
  • In the process of creating the page try a new embellishment...one that is new to you. Buttons, ribbon, embossing, or anything. Stretch your creativity. Explore!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Prompt Two Page

Well...here's a photo from Prompt Two: Garden Plans/Layouts


HPIM6348.jpg Journal Prompt Two picture by gschenck



And a closer up photo of the Fairy Garden Plans: HPIM6345.jpg Fairy Garden Page picture by gschenck

Friday, April 16, 2010

Prompt One Pages

I'm going to start adding Prompt One pages from myself and others.... favorite_color.jpg GardenArt Journal Colors (basket) picture by gschenck

By Basket: For more pictures...check out her site: HERE

DSC05591.jpg Whimiscal Moms Prompt 1 picture by gschenck

Whimsical Mom's....Check out her blog for step by step photos: HERE

HPIM6343.jpg Ginger's Page 1 picture by gschenck

Ginger's Page....sorry for the poor angle....I used chalk on my page...the bottom was created using a wheel from Stamp in Up and colored pencils with blender pens. I'll add either more photos or the links to more Prompt One photos as they become available.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Garden Art Journal Week One

Okay...you have had four weeks to get your journal, gather your supplies and get yourself psyched up for the class. Now the moment you have been waiting for. Your first set of prompts. Please remember that you can change or alter the prompts at any time to suit you. The techniques, questions, and things to include on the page are just suggestions. You may do the prompts for the week in any order, single or double page layouts. Also note...if you can not keep up the pace of three pages a week...do two or one...whatever suits you and your lifestyle BUT the goal is to get something done in the journal every week! Another key point: This is an ART JOURNAL so experiment with art techniques and try new creative things. AND be sure and write something, express yourself with poems, your own notes, or journal entries.

Prompt One: Favorite Flowers/Colors Main Idea: Experiment with Color
  • Create a page about your favorite colors in the plant world. Are you in love with roses or do you drool over Gerber Daisies? Do you like sunshine yellow or deep red?
  • What colors, shapes, and sizes catch your eye the most? You may use clippings from magazines or seed catalogues. You can sketch or use water colors. You can use paper to cut or tear your flowers. Or try creating one from ribbon.
  • Use actual photos if you like or leave a space to add one later.
  • Write or find a poem about your favorite plant and use it as your journaling.
  • Use color swatches instead of actual plant pictures...detailing the colors you love most!
REMINDER: These are just ideas to get you thinking...use one or two of them...or pick something of your own! I have my page almost done and hope to get a photo up later tonight!!

Prompt Two: The Palette of My Garden Main Idea: Examine Visual Appeal Create a page of the layout of your beds or pick just one bed to feature on this page.
  • Sketch, use ribbon, or other materials to represent the flowers and bed.
  • If you have pictures of your beds in full bloom include them or leave spaces for photos taken later in the season.
  • For ideas about bed design: Flower Garden Design Tips or The Kitchen Flower Bed
  • Journal about the kinds of layouts you like....all one kind of flower, mixed, sizes etc.
Prompt Three: Mary Mary Quite Contrary How Does Your Garden Grow? Main Idea: Journal About Your Experiences This page will focus on a success or failure in gardening. that wheel barrow full of dead plants that never got in the ground or that award winning rose bush. Your choice but this page needs to contain the story of the success or failure...either in words, pictures, or both.
  • This might be a good two page layout...one side a success....the other a failure!
  • As an added challenge...find words or a sentence in a magazine to include in your layout.
  • OR use the nursery rhyme Mary Mary and reword it to make a statement about a success or failure!
Okay...that's it for week one...but check back in because I will be adding photos throughout the week.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Pre-Class Assignment

Okay to get your creative juices flowing here is a little pre class assignment....
 
 
Decorate the cover of your art journal...one word of caution....if you are going use a lot of embellishments or bulky items to decorate the cover....you may want to save this assignment until the very end instead of doing it ahead of time.

Date pieces: Have you decided if you are going to have one item that you use for the date on every page? Like a metal tag...punched flower....or little plant stakes cut from paper? No matter what you want to use...make a bunch of them up this week...you may not be able to add the date itself since you won't know exactly the days you will be working on your pages but you can make the embellishment and then add the date as you make the pages. I'll try to get back in a couple days and post pictures of my cover and my date items...