As part of my quest to get my creative mojo back, I’m going to participate in the #InkTober challenge this October. You can read all about it here. The point is to draw something everyday with ink.
I decided to draw mandalas since they are a favorite of mine. I find them very relaxing to create and they will be a big push in being more creative everyday. Instead of using an already existing journal, I made one especially for the challenge using a few of the new stencils and cardstock that I received from The Crafter’s Workshop for being a part of their design team.
I started off by cutting five pieces of 12×12 Bazzill® cardstock into 6×12 strips. The colors I used were Straw, Avalanche, Springtime, Patina and Black. I then folded the strips in half using a bone folder to form my 6×6 pages. I didn’t use all the strips…just enough to give me 36 blanks squares to work with.
Because mandalas can be time consuming to create and facing a blank page on a busy day to keep up with the challenge can be daunting, I thought I would use some of the round stencils to lend a hand. I randomly chose pages to add the stencil designs onto with sprays and let them all dry. The stencils I used include: 6×6 Triangle Sunburst, 6×6 Spiderweb, Atomic Circle Bits, Scribbled Rose Bits, Ice Flake Bits, 6×6 Spiral Staircase, 6×6 Stone Rings, 12×12 Screenprint.
Now, if I’m drawing a blank as to how to start a mandala for that day, I can turn to one of the stenciled pages to get started! Some of the stencils were not perfect circles but I love the look of an asymmetrical mandala!
I also added a few black pages so that I can work on white mandalas using one of my favorite tools, the Signo Uni-ball white gel pen.
To put the art journal together, I stacked three pages together and ran them through my sewing machine using black thread and a straight stitch. I did this two more times to create three signatures for the journal. My cover was made from a leftover file folder that I cut down to about 12.75″x6.5″. I added a piece of Washi tape to the spine for extra support. I tied all of the signatures into the file folder cover with Sari ribbon. The ribbon is running down the center of the signature, around the outside spine and tied at the top of the book.
I decorated the cover of my mandala art journal with the 6×6 Joyful Sunflower stencil and acrylic paints. I used a Sharpie pen to add lots of doodling and finished it off with sticker letters.
I’m all set to start the challenge on October 1st! Have you ever participated in this challenge? If not, why don’t you join me? I’ll be posting my pictures on my Instagram account everyday but I’ll be sure to share the mandalas here as well.
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