Hope – Art Journalling

I spent yesterday at the kitchen table with Miss B with lots of paints and stencils out. As usual I had no idea of where to start as I’m not a natural “player” but after a few false starts we decided to do our rainbows for the front window. If you’ve not heard of it, the idea is to create rainbows out of anything and everything and put them where people can see them as they walk past your house. It’s a symbol of hope (after the rain comes sun) and also gives little ones something to look for on their daily one slot of exercise if they are out walking. And if you are reading this from the future, this was during the Covid-19 lock down in the UK!

Miss B created her rainbow on 12×12 cardstock to go in the window and I started making a rainbow in my art journal with some Dylusions paints and a wet wipe to help them blend a bit. I knew I wanted to create HOPE in black to go over the top and I stenciled some hearts to go underneath the letters too because it was all looking a bit plain.

I was inspired by a combination of Dyan Reaveley & Miss B, to use a black figure outline with the intention of doodling inside. Then I thought about Dina Wakley too and how she scribbles her journalling in and around silhouettes so I went with that instead. I ended up filling the black figure with all the negative things I was feeling, which didn’t feel very hopeful at all! So in a change from the plan, I then scribbled lots of encouraging feelings and positive things that I still am right now in all of the rainbow spaces.

Yes it looks like something a child might do but actually it really made me feel so much better about things. Maybe I might get into art journalling after all!