ArtJournalEveryDayLogo-150If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here.  All of the previous posts can be found archived here.  There is a flickr group for sharing right here.  Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day!  No need to finish anything or even like it.  If you've done some art journaling this week and you've blogged about it, or put it on flickr, please leave a link in the linky list at the end of this post.  Thanks!

I often use the photos of models in fashion magazines as reference images for creating faces in my art journal.  My goal is not to recreate the face exactly.  Rather, it's a helpful guideline for me to look at and make choices from.  Here are three art journal pages that were all created based on the same image:

BalzerArtJournal-wm
BalzerArtJournal-wm
BalzerArtJournal-wm
BalzerArtJournal-wm
JulieFeiFanBalzer-wm
JulieFeiFanBalzer-wm
JulieFeiFanBalzer-wm
JulieFeiFanBalzer-wm

SameFace2014-wm
SameFace2014-wm

As you can see, each is the same, but different.  The first one feels dark and powerful, the second one sort of goofy and the third…well, I find it rather impassive and without a lot of personality.  It's interesting for me to think about why each of the drawings feels as they do and to analyze what I did to create those moods.

I don't think that you have to reinvent the wheel every time you open your journal.  For me, the point is to have fun and do something creative.  I do a lof of repeating in my journals.  Do you?

Here is this week's linky list:

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Based outside of Boston, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a painter, printmaker, and collage artist who constructs vibrant compositions. Her artwork investigates the interplay of identity and perception, inviting viewers to take a longer look. Julie works in layers, both physically and metaphorically, exploring what is visible and what is concealed. Passionate about connecting with and inspiring other artists, she shares her expertise through in-person workshops and her online classroom at MyArtPractice.com. Julie's achievements include high-profile clients, multiple publications - including her book, “Carve Stamp Play” - and exhibits in New York City and throughout Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Brown University.

30 thoughts on “Art Journal Every Day: Same Girl

  • Love your use of bold strokes for drawing the faces. Beautiful. Powerful.

    Reply
  • Love your use of bold strokes for drawing the faces. Beautiful. Powerful.

    Reply
  • Love your use of bold strokes for drawing the faces. Beautiful. Powerful.

    Reply
  • Love your use of bold strokes for drawing the faces. Beautiful. Powerful.

    Reply
  • Love your use of bold strokes for drawing the faces. Beautiful. Powerful.

    Reply
  • Julie, you have no idea how much you have helped me with just this one blog entry. It was a breakthrough for me. Or, rather, the final step in an on-going process of breaking through a major art journaling barrier. By showing how you used the same face for 3 different paintings was amazing. But, for some reason, you saying, “I don’t think that you have to reinvent the wheel every time you open your journal. For me, the point is to have fun and do something creative.” was what finally did it! Because I am constantly reinventing the wheel and making art journaling more difficult than it should be. I know that when I just relax and have fun, my pages reflect that. They also reflect when I’ve really “worked” at it and not had as much fun.
    So, thank you so much for putting this together and helping push me through that block!

    Reply
  • Julie, you have no idea how much you have helped me with just this one blog entry. It was a breakthrough for me. Or, rather, the final step in an on-going process of breaking through a major art journaling barrier. By showing how you used the same face for 3 different paintings was amazing. But, for some reason, you saying, “I don’t think that you have to reinvent the wheel every time you open your journal. For me, the point is to have fun and do something creative.” was what finally did it! Because I am constantly reinventing the wheel and making art journaling more difficult than it should be. I know that when I just relax and have fun, my pages reflect that. They also reflect when I’ve really “worked” at it and not had as much fun.
    So, thank you so much for putting this together and helping push me through that block!

    Reply
  • Julie, you have no idea how much you have helped me with just this one blog entry. It was a breakthrough for me. Or, rather, the final step in an on-going process of breaking through a major art journaling barrier. By showing how you used the same face for 3 different paintings was amazing. But, for some reason, you saying, “I don’t think that you have to reinvent the wheel every time you open your journal. For me, the point is to have fun and do something creative.” was what finally did it! Because I am constantly reinventing the wheel and making art journaling more difficult than it should be. I know that when I just relax and have fun, my pages reflect that. They also reflect when I’ve really “worked” at it and not had as much fun.
    So, thank you so much for putting this together and helping push me through that block!

    Reply
  • Julie, you have no idea how much you have helped me with just this one blog entry. It was a breakthrough for me. Or, rather, the final step in an on-going process of breaking through a major art journaling barrier. By showing how you used the same face for 3 different paintings was amazing. But, for some reason, you saying, “I don’t think that you have to reinvent the wheel every time you open your journal. For me, the point is to have fun and do something creative.” was what finally did it! Because I am constantly reinventing the wheel and making art journaling more difficult than it should be. I know that when I just relax and have fun, my pages reflect that. They also reflect when I’ve really “worked” at it and not had as much fun.
    So, thank you so much for putting this together and helping push me through that block!

    Reply
  • Julie, you have no idea how much you have helped me with just this one blog entry. It was a breakthrough for me. Or, rather, the final step in an on-going process of breaking through a major art journaling barrier. By showing how you used the same face for 3 different paintings was amazing. But, for some reason, you saying, “I don’t think that you have to reinvent the wheel every time you open your journal. For me, the point is to have fun and do something creative.” was what finally did it! Because I am constantly reinventing the wheel and making art journaling more difficult than it should be. I know that when I just relax and have fun, my pages reflect that. They also reflect when I’ve really “worked” at it and not had as much fun.
    So, thank you so much for putting this together and helping push me through that block!

    Reply
  • In the pinkish one, could you explain, briefly, how you painted the strips? Do you mask each side and then stencil? I assume that’s it, but maybe there is a trick. By the way, each time my Nordstrom’s catalogs arrive now, I rip and tear faces and bodies for inspiration. Such fun. Now if only I had more color sense.

    Reply
  • In the pinkish one, could you explain, briefly, how you painted the strips? Do you mask each side and then stencil? I assume that’s it, but maybe there is a trick. By the way, each time my Nordstrom’s catalogs arrive now, I rip and tear faces and bodies for inspiration. Such fun. Now if only I had more color sense.

    Reply
  • In the pinkish one, could you explain, briefly, how you painted the strips? Do you mask each side and then stencil? I assume that’s it, but maybe there is a trick. By the way, each time my Nordstrom’s catalogs arrive now, I rip and tear faces and bodies for inspiration. Such fun. Now if only I had more color sense.

    Reply
  • In the pinkish one, could you explain, briefly, how you painted the strips? Do you mask each side and then stencil? I assume that’s it, but maybe there is a trick. By the way, each time my Nordstrom’s catalogs arrive now, I rip and tear faces and bodies for inspiration. Such fun. Now if only I had more color sense.

    Reply
  • In the pinkish one, could you explain, briefly, how you painted the strips? Do you mask each side and then stencil? I assume that’s it, but maybe there is a trick. By the way, each time my Nordstrom’s catalogs arrive now, I rip and tear faces and bodies for inspiration. Such fun. Now if only I had more color sense.

    Reply
  • Just beautiful! I need to challenge myself so am going to try your Art Journal Every Day Challenges. I got to play around a bit in my journal this weekend but love the idea of prompts. I love your work Julie and hope to find some motivation here to create more!

    Reply
  • Just beautiful! I need to challenge myself so am going to try your Art Journal Every Day Challenges. I got to play around a bit in my journal this weekend but love the idea of prompts. I love your work Julie and hope to find some motivation here to create more!

    Reply
  • Just beautiful! I need to challenge myself so am going to try your Art Journal Every Day Challenges. I got to play around a bit in my journal this weekend but love the idea of prompts. I love your work Julie and hope to find some motivation here to create more!

    Reply
  • Just beautiful! I need to challenge myself so am going to try your Art Journal Every Day Challenges. I got to play around a bit in my journal this weekend but love the idea of prompts. I love your work Julie and hope to find some motivation here to create more!

    Reply
  • Just beautiful! I need to challenge myself so am going to try your Art Journal Every Day Challenges. I got to play around a bit in my journal this weekend but love the idea of prompts. I love your work Julie and hope to find some motivation here to create more!

    Reply

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