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Not Every Page is a Winner: My Struggle with Purple

The quote "Growth is not linear. It's a beautiful, messy place." describes this page I am sharing today perfectly! This art journal page definitely wasn't a "straight line" success for me and being transparent with everyone, was one that I struggled to complete.

While you don't always have to share a finished art journal page, as a creative who does share her work, I think it's important to show the 'naff' alongside the good!

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Embracing new things?

I struggle with the colour purple but every now and then I tell myself to put on "my big girl knickers" and create using it. Not sure why I do especially as blue is one of my favourite colours. It's the background and the amount of colour I laid down and no amount of water or masking could take away how much it stood out!

I thought I would take away from the over powering inkiness by stamping over the mass of colour keeping to the same colours - seedless preserves & villainous potion oxide ink. Whilst it worked it also didn't - well to me it didn't. That meant adding even more stamping but this time with Versafine Clair Nocturne.

On a separate piece of mixed media card, I stamped out the Blooming Circles main image and some other smaller elements. I cut these out and arranged them on the page but too much of the background could be seen. I always do a "dry run" before sticking in place.

I decided to use the solid circle stamp from Oh So Circular, again using the same oxide ink colours to make some circular backgrounds. I cut these out and placed behind the other stamped images. Now it felt more cohesive. Adding a shadow with wild honey oxide helped lift the page and define the different features but to make sure, I used pencils to add more depth in colour.

You'll find all the specific supplies I used for this page listed at the very bottom of the post.

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Why the quote works (for me)?

Not linear - the background was "too inky" and "too overpowering" and that says to me that creative growth does not follow the proverbial "straight line" however much our brain and hands think it should!

Messy dance - oh it definitely was that at the beginning. It was a real challenge to make all the different elements work together. Things looked chaotic and not balanced. It took walking away from the page several times to finally see their was beauty in the process & page.

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What I have learned?

I do not like purple! I just cannot create the way I would like to using this colour, however I am pleased that I did try even though the page still doesn’t ‘sing’ to me. I do like the overall composition but not the page. It will be a while before I use purple again as a focus colour but am rather chuffed that I didn't just stop when I felt the design slipping away from me.

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Do you have a colour that whatever you make, it never looks right when you have finished? Would love to know what colour that is for you. Drop it in the comments — I’d love to hear I’m not the only one who struggles with certain shades!

Until next time, take care,

Lou
xxx

Supplies:








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