transform a composition notebook into an art journal

If there is one things I get asked most, it is why and how I use cheap composition notebooks as art journals. I am hoping this videos sheds some light on my process!

Looking for more art and inspiration-

[kathyduer]

My 10yr. Old granddaughter does this. She used to just draw on loose paper now she displays them in a notebook. Plus she can get away with drawing in school on the sly. Pretty sneaky of her.

[ricanmim]

i have been using Compositions for years. i am supper big on using them for junk journals. i just started learning about all the other more expensive paper this year. honestly its a bit intimidating to work with. i still preferer to use composition. i also go to goodwill or other thrift stores and i buy old planners and i use those to make my collages. I had and still do get creative because i dont have money to spend on art supply's. and i didnt want that to be the reason why i dont get to do art. Art plays a big roll in my life. its therapeutic to me and helps me with my homeless situation. thank you for showing that its okay to use compositions books and that getting creative is okay!!! thank you

[carmenortiz]

Loved this video. I have tons of art supplies, but also this terrible thing about ruining my journals and art paper, which keeps me doing NOTHING MUCH. Great idea to use very cheap composition notebooks. That is something I can't possible see as wasting since I see it as waste paper to begin with (until now). Love, also, the idea of filling the page with paint because how could I possibly ruin it by adding more paint. Maybe this is the turning point I have been wishing for in many decades. I actually turned 74 today. Not even remotely planning on dying in the next couple of decades.

[rizzart]

I purchase a cheap, blank book at a thrift store. I thought it was 100% blank. When I got home I discovered several drawings. Stuff that is not really my style - fantasy, fairies and castles and such. I've decided to keep them and make a story around them. So thrift stores are another thought.

[luciladealejandro]

I got a ten pack of graph lined composition books for my children’s math assignments during COVID. They don’t need them anymore. I have been using them for Morning Pages but don’t like all the lines. It makes it hard to see what I’ve written. Had planned to get rid of them but now I’m inspired! I’ll go back over my Morning Pages and I’ll start making layouts in the blank ones! Thank you!

[serenityjewel]

OMG! Thank you so much for saying this! Please keep spreading the word. I just said this on another YouTuber’s channel. He actually told people they would want to use better watercolor paint to give a painting to someone as a gift. A free gift! I’m so over it. 99% of all art is going to end up in the landfill. Telling people they can’t create art unless they buy expensive supplies is just privileged gatekeeping.

[sometimesiwander]

Wow! Total game changer! I’m disabled so I live on a pretty small budget to begin with, but this has really opened up the playing field for me. I can’t wait to get started now. Thanks for sharing ur knowledge!

[jessatlife]

This principle is applicable to so many practices, not just art. I constantly have to remind myself of this, because it’s so easy to fall for the FOMO and to procrastinate on starting a new hobby, craft, or project. I love how you explained it here. Thank you so much!

[madhattersoriginal]

I use those books or even junk mail books for any extra paint on my brush/ palette before changing colors in the washing water. If I am Gelli printing I use a page for brayer cleaning. You paint a free page for later use... suits my frugal spirit 😂 Kate

[SAVEDS]

WOW!!!! I accidentally came across this video & am sooo pleased I did. It's great to see a real down to earth artist who is practical re: what we can use as supplies. I'm a newbie & have spent way more than I ever thought I needed to on art supplies, BUT I have used books glues 2 or 3 pages together to make them thicker & used them. My face is a $12 hard cover sketch book which I glue 2 pages together & that seems to be working well so far. Having watched yr vid I really don't think I even really need to glue these pages together as they are pretty thick. I have subscribed to yr channel & will be looking thru all yr vids. So glad to have found you & again a great big thankyou from the land down under. 😆

[kaitlinmeadows]

Love your encouragement and demystifying...the message...”just go make art, have fun, play, enjoy, allow your critic the day off” makes the whole process so much less stressful! Thanks for being such an inspiration!

[candiwelsh]

Thanks so much. You are just delightful! This info was so good to hear. I’m excited to try this out. I know nothing about art but really want to try and see what an old lady in her 70’s might be able to do😁. GOD bless you my dear. Great job ❤️👍

[MichaelWVagg]

This one weird art trick makes 46 year old woman look 30! Love this principle. Have been buying unused, second hand everything and it's so freeing.

[susanjane]

Early 1980s, one of those oldies here, my love of art was enough to revel in any art supply. But I did do several things to slowly experience more expensive supplies. Back then Michaels and the rest were small town, hole in the wall, art stores that usually had one or two sales a year. Mine did a 50% off for 4 hours once a year. I'd take inventory, draw up a shopping list, and beeline to the seconds and dents/scratches table. One year I was able to afford expensive watercolor brushes for $7 each instead of $30! My other art store was the hardware store who had a sale bucket that might offer a cheap treasure like house paint sample cans, masking tape, etc. These days the trends fads, glitter, and glitz are huge sales jobs. That stuff is always over-priced, sometimes insanely over-priced. One stupidly over-blown craft personality was selling cheap paint for the same price per ounce as professional Golden Acrylics. Being a smart consumer is vital. One year in the early 2000s it was harlequin diamond pattern rubber stamps. The flaming hot trend popped out months after the crazy buy-buy-buy started. Why? The pattern was impossible to use, it was just too loud and busy, even tone-on-tone. People were embarrassed that they spent $10-$30 on a dust collector. While that was going on I went out and bought 4 single NeoColor II crayons. After working with them I went and bought a few more to fill out the spectrum. The price for full sets was beyond my means but I never stopped looking. One year Amazon had their black Friday sale and I found a 64 color set in a metal tin for a miracle price. I *Love* my NeoColors. A year later my local art store had a modest set of semi-professional watercolors that someone returned -- the store manager knew me and my budget. I've since swapped that set and celebrated my 60th birthday with a set of handmade, natural-pigment watercolors. I did the same thing I had done so long ago. The creator sold single half pans in the most used colors. $$$.$$ later I have grungy watercolors in the pallet I prefer instead of the factory-made ones. The only supply that I'm absolutely fanatic about is a single type of Fiskar scissors. I buy two or three a year and have them professionally sharpened once. Part of my art making is being smart about my supplies. I hate composition books. I save for months to buy my favorite watercolor art journals -- I fill one a year.

[sherrydibble]

New here.
I also only use composition notebooks. I paint pages to. I do it right before bed. If I get to much paint. I place bubble wrap on top and smash it into the paint.
During the day I work on another jornal.
Thanks for more ideas about painting

[mollypitts]

Skip introduction - demo starts at about 11:05 mark

[sharonboone]

Yes! Thank you for encouraging creativity with various supplies especially cheaper supplies. I am inspired by your use of "budget" supplies.

[johnestock]

Can’t wait to explore this on my own
Thanks for sharing

[NelaDunato]

I use the same techniques to transform old planners/to-do list journals into art journals :) (I made a video on that too.) I hate throwing paper or cardboard away if there's a possibility of reusing it in some way. The writing underneath can sometimes still be visible in the final page and that gives it a kind of visual texture, similar to composition notebook lines. I've actually spent a lot more time during the past year working in my recycled journal than in my fancy sketchbooks because I can allow myself to make "bad" art.

[ediewilson]

Your explanations are so clear and precise. You have a very pleasant voice and presentation style. I am guilty of buying supplies instead of using them. I am going to try your suggestion and just do it. Thanks for sharing❣️