Quick Lesson: Art Journal Angels

When I don't feel like drawing but I want a face or a figure in my finished artwork, I will look to old books or magazines for  a little help.  I make my messy background as usual, layering my favorite art materials: spray ink, oil pastel, watercolor, collage and paint pens (mostly in that order).

 When the page is dry, I'll cut out an image in a magazine or old book and glue it to the page, adding washi tape to begin blending it into the background .  

Often, I'll go over the image with  collage, paint pens and oil pastel marks to blend it in better with the background.  I'll add wings with the stabilo pencil and color it in with white oil pastel, letting the layers of oil pastel blend with it to make a kind of translucent look.  

I'll continue to add layers to the background, making sure to overlap the image a little so that it doesn't just sit on the surface and begins to feel like a part of the whole page. I use a white-out or white paint pen to add fun details to the darker areas of the background or to the image itself as well as adding journaling or words/phrases to the background.

So easy and so fun!  I could fill a whole journal with these lovelies. :)