Paint & Clay Fun
Painted Dream Journal Project
Perfect for art, writing, or collage!
By Chris Dunmire
The Painted Dream Journal is a fun project to create for yourself, an artful
gift to give away, or an item to use as Found Art. Simply start with a blank
book, apply paint
and polymer
clay accents to the cover, and the journal becomes an inspirational outlet
for artistic expression, aspirations, dreams, writing, and collage. Learn how
I
made my Dream Journals by following the illustrated step-by-step instructions
below.
NOTE: You can find blank books
at educational stores and places that sell teaching supplies (such
as Let's Learn). Also, you can use other non-painting techniques (markers,
graphic pens, etc.) on the book covers instead of paint. You can even incorporate
my suggestions into collage or altered book art. This project is just a starting
point for the endless possibilities that exist between you and your imagination.
Materials:
- Blank Book
- Acrylic Paint
- Cotton Pads / Sponge / Paint Brush
- Polymer Clay
- Glue
- Curling Ribbon
- Scissors
Instructions:
1. Paint the book. The
first step is to paint the cover of your book. Be creative
in your design and technique! Make it abstract or representational. Make it
dreamy!
To preserve the clean pages inside the book, I kept
the book closed and painted one side at a time in a sponge-like
fashion,
alternating between drying times. If you're careful, you can paint the whole
cover at once by opening the book up and laying it down flat. Be sure the paint
dries completely before adding your clay accents in step 2.
TIP: The book cover will warp if you apply too much wet
layered paint. If this happens, you can gently encourage (slightly bend)
the book
cover
inward after the paint dries completely.
2. Make
clay accents. If you wish, you can create clay accents and decorations
to glue to the cover of the book (this project focuses on clay, but the
possibilities are open). Be sure to make and bake the clay according
to the package directions before
adding
it
to your
work
of art.
I made simple heart decorations to glue to my covers, making sure the
side to be glued was completely flat before baking.
3. Glue clay accents on. After your accents
bake and cool, position and glue them on your book covers. Be sure to let
them dry before adding finishing touches.
4. Finishing touches. Finish off your Dream
Journal by securing it with colored curling ribbon. This classy
touch not only looks nice, but it will keep the journal closed and the
pages clean until you give it to that special someone! • © 2004 Chris
Dunmire. All rights reserved.
 We hope you enjoyed this feature, which is copyright © Chris Dunmire and not available for reprint on your Web site, blog, or publication. Please respect the creator's copyright by not duplicating this material elsewhere.
About the Author
Chris Dunmire is engaged creatively in life as an author, artist, humorist, creativity coach, and workshop facilitator. She's authored dozens of creative projects and playbooks including the famous Dollar Bill Origami Money Plant project book to encourage creative exploration and expression in people of all ages. Learn more about Chris's fun printable e-playbooks at CreativeSlush.com.
More Related Projects & Resources:
Altered Board Book
Tutorial
Collage Cubies Tutorial
How-to
Collage for Beginners
Altered
Books
Collage
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