Video summary
The video introduces a mixed media art journal project featuring both the creation of a vibrant cover and the design of the first interior page using a 6x6 journal from the Stamperia Signature collection. For the cover, the artist begins by adhering thin collage paper from the Art by Marlene collection with rice paper glue, ensuring a flat application to prevent bubbles while protecting the surface for future work. After trimming the excess paper and sanding the edges for a seamless blend, she applies acrylic paint using dry brushing techniques to tone down the busy background without adding bulk, which is important since the journal will be stored on a bookshelf. The design process continues with stamping patterns using permanent ink to ensure durability against water and paint, followed by doodling with white gel pens and black markers within stamped squares to create flat, detailed interest.
Moving to the interior page, the artist establishes a contrasting core background using two shades of oxide inks applied with large brushes to cover the surface quickly. She employs a unique technique where she uses baby wipes over stenciled areas to lift the ink, creating an abstract effect without the mess of cleaning up tools. Various stamping designs are layered onto this background using both the previously used oxide inks and permanent black ink, carefully restricted to specific areas like borders and corners to avoid overwhelming the page. The artist also demonstrates how pigment white ink can be used over the oxide base for a subtle blending effect, though she notes that acrylic markers might be needed later to maintain vibrancy if the background smudges.
The focal point of the page is constructed by stamping and coloring a girl figure and a bird friend using Spectrum Noir Triblend alcohol markers, which allow for quick coloring with three shades in one marker. To streamline the process, the artist modifies her stamped images by cutting off details like hats or dress patterns to stamp directly onto the page, ensuring all elements remain flat and secure. She assembles these cutouts using Nuvo Deluxe Glue applied only to the backs of the pieces to prevent smudging the oxide background, adding a quote made from black and white alphabet stamps that can be colored or left monochrome. Finishing touches include outlining quotes with fine markers, adding white contour liner dots, and applying white splattering with calligraphy ink to highlight areas while protecting the faces of the stamped characters.
Throughout the project, the artist emphasizes the importance of material compatibility, particularly noting that oxide inks are not permanent and can smear if liquid is applied directly on top, necessitating careful gluing techniques. She shares practical tips such as using pink painter's tape for clean removal, testing ink splatters outside the project first, and choosing dye inks when planning to use alcohol markers later. The final result is a colorful, flat-surfaced journal that balances artistic expression with structural integrity, demonstrating how to create a personalized cover and engaging interior pages while maintaining a manageable workflow suitable for ongoing mixed media projects.
Read the full video transcript
Welcome back to another mixed media
Tuesday, and today I'm starting a new
art journal. So, this is the 6x6 art
journal from my Stamperia
signature collection. This has thick
watercolor paper, and I will be selling
today a page, but also I'm going to do
the cover.
So, for the cover I decided to go with
collage paper, and I have here the new
collection by Art by Marlene. So, I will
be playing with this one for today.
I chose one of the collage papers, and
I'm just going to stick it down with my
mixed media glue. Actually, this
glue that I'm working with is the rice
paper glue by Stamperia.
I'm going to working on the front cover,
but you can definitely repeat the same
process for the back. I am applying a
generous amount of this glue. I'm going
to apply the collage paper on top. This
is very thin, so it's going to
be applied nice and flat without
bubbles. And then at the top I'm going
to apply a generous amount of
mixed media glue again, just because
this is going to seal it down, and it's
going to protect my cover
as I will be working on the journal for
a while. I'm making sure that this glue
is completely dry, and then I'm going to
cut out the excess with my scissors.
And I will be using a sanding block all
along the edges just because I like the
look that it gives. It kind of blends
that rice paper with the edges.
And I'm going to do that all around.
Now, I want to make this background my
own somehow, so I will be working a
little bit on top of it. I'm not going
to add any real texture, only acrylic
paint, which is going to lay flat just
because I like to store my journals on a
bookshelf, I don't want them to be bulky
on the outside. So, that's why I try to
keep everything flat. I'm just doing dry
brushing here. I like to have lighter
areas and for my style, this background
is kind of busy. So, I want to tone it
down somehow. I'm not going to do any
crazy work on it.
All I want to do is to just add a coat
on top and I will be done. Now, I do
have some extra acrylic on my glass, but
so I'm going to dilute it with water and
do some splattering. The main reason why
I chose to design this art journal book
with a white cover is to allow for you
to make it your own. So, you can use
your acrylic pens, you can use collage
paper like I did today.
And now I'm going to work a little bit
on
my cover. This time I'm going to do some
stamping. Again, it adds some interest.
I'm going to make it my own, but at the
same time it is going to be a completely
flat detail. So, I'm going to stamp with
permanent ink. Again, making sure that
everything I add on this cover is
permanent and waterproof because as I
will be working on this journal, the
cover might suffer with water, paint,
sprays, and stuff.
Now, I did some stamping randomly here
and there.
I like to do the stamping with my
fingers because I end up having more
control on how I stamp and where I
stamp. I'm going to switch to another
stamp. And by the way, this is a new
stamp set, background stamp set by Art
by Marlene. Absolutely love it because
you get all those patterns
which I love
for my backgrounds. You know that I love
doing stamping on my backgrounds and I
can mix and match different ones here.
I'm using those squares here to create
kind of a border. I'm not going to go
all over, but I like to do it on the
corners on or on different sides.
And once I'm happy with the stamping, I
am going to have some fun with doodling.
Here I'm using my white gel pen, and I'm
just coloring inside those squares. You
can use your acrylic markers for that
and add different colors. Again, lovely
details, but they do remain flat.
And you can do lots of markings here
with your markers. I'm using my black
marker now to color inside those stamped
squares. I'm also going to draw some
lines around the border.
And then I always like to add a quote.
So, I will be using this new sticker
booklet from the new collection by Art
by Marlene, but I usually like to
combine smaller with bigger fonts, and
I'm going to show you a really fun
product. This is a pack of black and
white alphabet letters. They are already
cut out for you. You can definitely
color them, but I like how black and
white they are because they're going to
stand great on top of a colored
background. Now, there is a stamp set
available with the same idea, and it
give you smaller letters. I will be
using it on my page, so you can see that
in action. And also there is another
pack available with these letters, but
colorful. So, you can just choose
whichever is best for you.
So, I used the pack with the black and
white alphabet, and
so I used the pack with the black and
white letters to put together the word
create, and then I'm using a sticker to
complete my phrase. Now, I am using my
black marker to do some sketchy lines
all around and I want to add a little
heart since it is included in the pack,
but I don't like how it has that
square all around. So, I'm just going to
cut it out
and then stick it in place. So, I'm
going to finish it off. This is going to
be the final touch for my project. I
absolutely love how it looks. I think it
is the perfect cover and before I move
on to share the first page of my agenda,
here are some close-up photos on the
cover.
I absolutely love it. Nice and flat,
perfect for my bookshelf. So, let's
start working on the first page and of
course since I do have on my desk the
latest collection by Art by Marlene,
that's what I'm going to do. This is the
focal point that I'm planning to use and
I will go with um uh two shades of uh
oxide inks. I chose those two shades
because I want to have a contrasting
core background color. I was thinking I
might use um
a red and pink and maybe orange for her
dress. So, I wanted to use a completely
different colors for the background. Uh
and that's exactly how I chose them.
I'm applying the ink with my background
brushes. These are by Waffle Flower.
They are a little bit pricey, but I'm
having so much fun with them. I just
love how big they are and they cover
real estate really quickly. One of the
things that I love about using oxide
inks is that they react with water. So,
that's a technique I'm going for. I'm
using one uh stencil and I'm just going
to use baby wipe over different areas.
And you can see how it lifts color.
Absolutely love this technique. Really
quick and simple and
without a mess at all. So, no stencil to
clean up, no spatula to clean up, no
paste all over the place.
Now, for my next technique, I'm going to
do some stamping. Again, I'm going to
use this background stamp set and I'm
going to choose a few of those designs.
I chose one that uh gives you kind of a
grid and I want to have a subtle look uh
with this one. So, I'm using the two
oxide inks that I have already used on
my background. Just randomly here and
there. At this stage, I know that I want
to use the girl as my focal point, but I
have no idea of how the composition is
going to look or where I'm going to
stick here. I'm just having fun with the
layer and
once I'm happy with it, then I can go
ahead and start thinking of where she's
going to live.
Now, I switch to another one of those
stamps from the same stamp set. At this
time, I'm trying to see how pigment
white pigment ink is working over
oxide inks. Now, it's not going to look
too vibrant because it kind of blends
with what is underneath. However, I
found that it is a nice effect that it
gives. It's not going to completely
disappear later on.
But, you can definitely do some markings
with
um acrylic marker
if you want to make sure that this is
going to stay nice and vibrant.
Now, I'm also switching to another
background stamp set that has more
geometric shapes and this time I'm going
with a permanent black ink. I'm just
going to stamp this beautiful design in
in
various areas here and there, but I
don't want to overwhelm my page with
black. So, I'm not going to overdo it.
I'm [laughter] trying to restrict myself
from just going all over the place,
which is sometimes really difficult, but
anyway. By the way, I'm using this pink
painter's tape. I find that it is way
better than the blue one
as it peels off with no peeling off the
paper at all. So, that's what I'm lately
using to protect my other pages. Anyway,
you will see that later on I will lift
it with no issues at all. Now again, I'm
switching to another stamp and this time
I'm going to go only on the edges. I'm
going to use those wiggly lines as part
of a border. You know, I don't like to
do the borders all over all around. I
just choose to do it on a few areas here
and there.
But, I'm loving the stamps that are
included in these background stamp set.
And just like always, down below the
description, I will have a linked
everything that I'm using, but also I
make sure to include coupon codes. I do
have some exclusive coupon codes just
for my audience.
And I also include any other coupons
that I find are valid
at the time that I'm linking everything.
So, always make sure to check that out.
Now, I'm using black liquid ink to do
some black splattering. A good tip that
I can give you to avoid big blobs is
always do the first few taps outside of
your project, just like I did here.
And of course, I control the splatters
by using different brushes. A smaller
brush is going to give me finer
splattering.
Now, I'm going to gather all the stamps
that I need to create my cluster. So, I
want to use the girl, but I want to give
her a friend. I'm going to use one of
the birds from here.
And probably I will use this shape. I
can use it at the background of the girl
to kind of ground here somehow as a
frame. So, I'm going to bring in my
stamping platform. Of course, you don't
need to have a stamping platform to do
that, but since I do have it, I can
stamp all the images at once.
I am going to use black dye ink for
doing the stamping because these ink,
the dye ink, is compatible with alcohol
markers. Now, it really depends on what
medium I'm choosing to use every time to
color my images. For example, if I go
with watercolor, I need to use permanent
ink. If I go with
alcohol markers, I need to use dye ink.
So, anyway, it has to do with the
attributes of each coloring medium.
So, here I'm coloring the girl. I'm not
going to show the whole process of
coloring because you're definitely going
to get bored. Plus, I'm not the perfect
colorer. I just do it really quickly. I
like to use my Triblends. These are
markers by Spectrum Noir, alcohol
markers, and they have all three shades
in one
marker. You see they have three barrels
in one.
So, they make my life really easy as I
don't want to spend too much time
coloring. You can also go outside the
lines because
you can definitely use your scissors to
cut it out. I'm not going to leave any
white border around. I'm going just
where that black line is. And uh
fun part is that the girl is very easy
to color. You can definitely use a
pattern paper to dress him up. You can
stamp her dress on pattern paper, cut it
out, and stick it on top of her.
And uh make your life easy, I just
chopped off his uh hat. There was a hat
that he was wearing, the bird I mean.
And uh here for example, I'm just going
to chop off all that detail. Instead,
I'm just going to stamp it directly on
top of my page to get all the detail.
Another tip that I like to do and uh I
can give you is to always use a black
marker along uh the perimeter of your
cutout pieces. This way you cover up any
mistakes. It really makes a difference,
this one.
And uh I'm just using a black alcohol
marker for that.
And now I'm going to use my black ink
and stamp that uh frame that shape on
top of my background directly.
So that I end up having all that
beautiful uh detail around the main
shape.
And now I can glue everything and create
my focal point. Now, one thing that I
need to make sure is uh to keep in mind
that uh my background is not permanent.
I did use oxide ink, and uh that means
that if I add something liquid on top,
it's going to smudge and smear.
So, it really uh is important to use
glue only at the back of the elements
and then stick them on top. You don't
want to go with uh brush and uh mixed
media and slap [laughter] it directly on
top of your background. It's going to
make a mess.
So, uh I am uh really careful about
that.
Uh other than that, I placed the bird on
top of her head, and I uh draw a couple
of legs. And then I'm uh going to add a
quote, which I always love. And this
time I'm going with the alphabet stamp
set. I'm just going to put together the
word play.
And for that, I'm just stamping with
black ink on white cardstock. But think
of all the different possibilities. You
can use colored cardstock. You can use
your markers and color in all those uh
alphabet squares.
It's such a versatile stamp and perfect
for art journaling, because you can put
together any phrase that you want.
And of course, it's super easy to cut
around them.
Uh just don't try to cut out straight
lines. The wonkier, the better.
So, I'm sticking everything down, and uh
I'm using my Nuvo Deluxe Glue for that.
Again, you can use any glue that you
like, as long as you don't end up
smudging and smearing the background.
Now, from the little sticker booklet,
I'm going to use one phrase, and uh I
like to cut out the bigger phrases into
smaller ones.
I'm trying to see what looks balanced,
and uh that's what I'm going to do for
this one. Just uh chop it in half.
And I always like to add a dab of glue
underneath my uh stickers, just because
I have oxide ink, and it is kind of
chalky in finish. It's not going to
stick as well. I always want to make
sure that this is going to stay put.
And now, it's all about finishing
touches. I'm using a fine black marker
to outline my uh quote. I'm also going
to use my white contour liner, and I'm
going to add the dots around that frame.
This is going to ensure that these are
going to stay nice and uh vibrant. They
are not going to blend in with the oxide
color that is underneath.
So, I need to make sure that I don't
close up my journal for a while. This
takes about 10 minutes to dry to the
touch, but usually I leave it overnight
before I close the journal.
I'm also going to use my white gel pen
and add some highlights here and there.
This is going to blend in with what is
underneath. It's not going to turn uh to
disappear completely. It is going to
give a lighter shade, but it's not going
to stay as vibrant as it is at the
moment.
Pros and cons of using oxides as your
background, but I absolutely love the
effect that they give, so I don't mind
if they blend with my whites later on.
If you want to avoid this issue
completely, you can definitely go with
permanent coloring for the background,
just like acrylic paint.
So, that's it. I'm going to call this
page done and add my finishing touch,
which is always white splattering. Here,
I'm using white calligraphy ink.
Uh this is not going to blend in with
the oxide underneath. It kind of stays
nice and vibrant, and you will see that
in the photos at the end. I made sure
that I covered my bird and the face of
my girl. I didn't want to have any
uh crazy splattering all over their
faces.
And I'm super happy with how this looks.
Let me remove those, so you can see it.
Absolutely happy, a really fun,
colorful, and here is the cover.
So, here are some close-up photos on the
project that I made for today. I hope
that you had fun, that you got inspired,
and just like always, you can find links
to everything I used down below in the
description.