Art Journal Freedom: How to Journal Creatively With Color & Composition

by Dina Wakley

Art Journal Color! Art Journal Composition! Art Journal Freedom!Color is all around us and we often find ourselves drawn to particular combinations or arrangements. But how can you effectively and artistically capture those eye-catching compositions in your art journal?

It's true, art journaling has no "rules" and is a safe place for free expression of your one-of-a-kind life. But knowledge is power and knowing the "rules" of color and composition gives you the freedom to use and break them willfully to create the effects you want. Dina shares these principles in a fun and approachable way with dozens upon dozens of unique journal pages to show you just some of the many possibilities.

Inside You Will Lessons and tips about composition and color including dominance and repetition, symmetry, contrast and the power of black and white.10 step-by-step technique demonstrations.Dozens of color and design tips and page challenges.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, Journaling, Creative, Ebooks

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2013

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. If you're new to art journaling, or if you just want to make your pages stronger, this is a terrific resource. You'll learn about composition, color, layout, and you'll get lots of great ideas for putting together beautiful and therapeutic pages. Tons of inspiration on every page. I can highly recommend this book.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good overview of basic artistic principles such as color theory, contrast, and composition in the context of art journaling. Although I'm not a fan of aspects of the author's style, I do like how she puts together backgrounds.

[Electric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great mixed media art book for the artist who doesn't necessarily have formal art training or background as it covers ideas and concepts that will improve your work and help you grow. Dina's colorful and whimsical pieces are very inspiring and she offers prompts and challenges to further your art journal. I'll be adding this to my art library!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dina Wakley's style may not be for everyone, but her book certainly is. She explains design principles, challenges the reader to explore each one, and shows a step-by-step technique to explain them. It is a very fun, accessible art journaling book for both beginners and the more seasoned one. I love it and keep it out so I can refer to it often.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

So completely not my style of pages. But it is very well written. I plan to complete one of the pages using my own style to see how it turns out.

I do love the page that explains colors and their meanings. And I was also interested to learn

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting more from this book. I was expecting fresh and creative ideas, not an art appreciation or art 101 book. The book has great ideas for beginners or individuals who want a refreshers on the basics. I wish I had checked the book out from the library instead of buying it.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The rule of thirds is related to the rule of threes. In its simplest form, the rule of threes means that the human eye tends to prefer seeing odd numbers of things, particularly three things. For example, if you are using circles on a page, the eye tends to prefer seeing three instead of two or four. If you're creating a page and something seems off, check to see if the rule of thirds and the rule of threes can help your composition.

When you use three elements on the page, your eyes look at each one and connect them together to form a visual triangle. Our eyes like visual triangles! A visual triangle adds stability and flow to a composition." Chapter 2 - Symmetry and Asymmetry - pgs. 14-15

This is another user-friendly and well-conceived book by Dina! With 10 Chapters providing information on such areas as, White Space, Continuance and Closure; Dominance and Repetition; Color As A Composition Tool, the reader is given an all-inclusive Art Workshop. Every method covered has photos with ordered written descriptions, as well as, highlighted tips & tricks. A welcome addition to the burgeoning world of Mixed Media Art.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone who is new to art journaling. True to its title, I appreciate the time the author spent on color and composition. Personally, the examples are not my style, but the exercises demonstrate the limitless mixed media possibilities. I do wish the author commented a bit more on cost of supplies and alternatives. For example, one exercise uses pan pastels for creating a colorful background. Pan pastels are quite expensive. It would have been good to have some less expensive alternatives suggested, such as gelatos or oil pastels, which probably would achieve similar results. If you want a crash course on color and like trying lots of different mediums, this is the book for you. It’s a good reference and will likely spark inspiration.

[B.C. Deeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you give this book to a child, a friend or keep it for yourself, Art Journal Freedom by Dina Wakley is an excellent primer on how to art journal. It contains the fundamentals of creating a successful art page, explained in clear concise language with a sample of a colourful art journal page by the author to illustrate. I borrowed this book from the library but now that I've read through it, I'm sure that it is one for my keeper shelf so I will be off to the bookstore shortly to pick up my own reference copy. I wonder what gems of art journal wisdom Dina has added in her second book, Art Journal Courage?

[Melissa Shmish · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad this was a library borrow! I do not think this is worth the surprisingly exorbitant price ($18 kindle, $27 paperback for a 128 page book!). One of the best aspects of art journaling and what makes it so approachable for so many people is that there are No Rules--it's all play and free expression, and supposed to be more about the process, not the result. The author acknowledges this, then proceeds to outline numerous rules, making this feel more like a beginner's guide to art, rather than a book about art journaling.

[Elle C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I’m just tired. I’ve checked out more than 5 books from the library over the last several months on art journaling and/or mixed media. So perhaps it’s all been too much reading and not enough experimenting. This book had decent structure and examples but it felt like the actual journal pages were very much the same…. Some reviewers called it a “style” but the journal pages seemed monotonous to me… maybe I’m just tired.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When not reading, I'm most likely to be found covered in paint and ink and other such messy stuff.

While Dina's style of journalling doesn't really appeal to me, the book itself is full of great and inspiring tips and ideas that can easily be incorporated into your own style.

Learnt loads from this!

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a lot of art books that cover the basics: color theory, composition, tools and materials, etc., but I found this one a cut above the rest. Wakley is speaking to art journaling, but the profuse use of her own art journal pages as examples of different art principles and the inclusion of different techniques made this a really productive read. . . and visually beautiful.

[Julia Vazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winderful and inspiring book. Lots of information on supplies and techniques. A must read for mixed media artist.

[Marylou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource

The book covers the basic principles of color and composition. She includes many examples. Each chapter includes a step by step exercise.

[Bryna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned some valuable composition theories that will be helpful in my journal.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites! Simple, easy to follow. Great for non-artsy types.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard and basic but at printing it was more unusual. Easy methods to get a beginner started. I do find myself wanting to try more spray inks though!

[Lizzytish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good tips. I won’t use them all. It’s also a good for inspiration during a dry spell. Great photos.

[Barbara K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course reading an art how-to book as an e-book on a monochrome e-reader isn't the full experience. But it's a great way to decide whether you want the paper book, and I borrowed it via Kindle Unlimited, so the price was right. I recommend this for anyone who wants to do a little art journaling or other painting/collage type of art and needs a primer or refresher on materials, composition, color and so forth. As a very basic art book it's good, mainly because it's simple and straightforward and takes you through a few fun exercises. I found it inspiring, and I've been trying to inspire my art dabbling, which I haven't done much of lately. It would have been nice to see the color images, and I would recommend the paper edition. But even in black and white the images were inspiring. I liked the author's use of a variety of materials and techniques. I learned from this book, and that's what matters.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book nicely combines composition and art techniques. While I don't necessary love all the elements or all the aesthetics of this author, there were very interesting designs and techniques to were clearly illustrated and explained. She also has challenges listed so that it isn't just a how to book but also motivational to some extent. It is definitely a nice survey book which gives you a nice smathering lessons handling different arts and crafts supplies as well as different compositional elements.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book, which is well written and inspiring. For someone who has studied art formally, it might not be as informative, but since I have no art training, there were a number of "aha" moments. I think the author's work and the project prompts would be inspiring and fun for many more experienced artists as well.

[Chantelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find the title to be a bit of a misnomer: when I read art journal "freedom," I didn't expect quite so many rules. Don't get me wrong: I found the information interesting and educating, but I thought Dina would expand a bit more on her process. I did pick up some decent tips, though. Glad I borrowed it from the library before buying it!

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written, well-thought-through book on color theory and page composition. It's packed with Dina's style--which I always like, because you get a good view of her strengths in art journaling. A full review of the book is on my blog, here: http://wp.me/p2H1i-2NM

[Kaye Dewar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for art journaling enthusiasts !

[Elizabeth A · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am always looking for creative inspiration, and while I did not love this book, did get some good ideas that I will try out in my journal.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good ideas.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, it gives you some of the rules of art, composition and colour which helps to explain why some art journal pages work

[Terrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new here.

[Tracyfromthemermaidcove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her and everything about the book!