Art Journalling
Welcome to our new series of blogs geared to introduce you to a specific type of creative self care. We are huge fans of art journalling so here is a feature on one of our favourite journalling artists, Terri Dudash.
Terri is an Interior Designer, Artist and amateur entomologist hailing from Cincinnati Ohio, where she lives with her partner Alecia. Terri has a natural ability to take an empty space and make it beautiful, whether that is a room, a house or a page in one of her journals. One of the many interesting things about Terri is her interest in Entomology, which is the study of insects. Her work often features winged friends, who are such a wonderful source of inspiration and a big part of her self care routine.
“As a child, I would collect almost every insect I could find and place them in boxes in my room. I didn’t tend to collect spiders or super long centipedes though, too many legs! Had I known this could be an actual career, I think it is probably what I would have done with my life.
Being creative is literally my life. I think that drawing has been like meditation for me. It improves my mood and has helped me cope with some difficult changes in life. I find it very soothing to put pen, pencil and paint to paper.”
The creative process
Terri uses different approaches to her art depending on the project. Some journal art is intuitive and develops organically. She does this by “jumping in” and adding in different ideas until the pages are finished. This approach has a lot of freedom and is great for creative explorations and ‘accidental art’.
“Journalling is very much a habit. It is part of me and it is something I do every night. I would rather draw, write and paint beyond any other thing I do. I used to do more of the day to day journalling, chronicling our life and the things we did. I kept wrappers, receipts, dried leaves and anything I could easily glue in or fit in my journal.”
Another project Terri is working on has been planned out in advance. Pieces of me is a 60 page book where each page has a set theme based on all of the things that make Terri who she is. Terri has written out the ideas for the content she plans to include and will use her intuitive approach for each section.
“I have included each person in my family, places I love to go and the food I like to eat. I have reserved the back page for my mother- in-law as she makes the most spectacular spaghetti sauce and was the person that brought my girl into the world, so I have a lot to thank her for. She will get the best ‘ad’ page for her spaghetti sauce, though I will not be sharing the recipe, it’s a well kept family secret.”
On finding an ‘art style’
“It has taken me a long time to develop a style. When I was a new artist, I couldn't understand that concept and the time it takes to develop a personal style. I would feel frustrated like I was not moving forward in my art the way I thought I should be. Style isn't something you can force. It is a thing that just kind of happens over time. I think my style developed a lot during the pandemic. Art was the thing I turned to while I was happily locked in our apartment.”
“If you are new to journaling just know that it takes time. You will develop a way you enjoy working and your style will show up in time. You will find the supplies you love and ones you truly do not.”
Terri’s favourite materials
Pens: “My favorite art supplies are Gelly Roll Pens. I use these to write most of my pages as they are bold, roll nicely and are inexpensive. I use them last in my process as they will run if they are wet.”
Paint: “I use Sennilier Watercolors as they are high in pigment and blend so nicely. The pallet is compact and they last forever! I have recently discovered Acrylic ink which is a little like using watercolor but it is permanent and more opaque. This took some practice!”
Pencils: “I use Caran D'Ache colored pencils on top to add dimension. They are delicious in ways other colored pencils are not. They lay down and blend nicely, very smooth & creamy.”
Stamps: “I add postage stamps to almost all of my work as the ones that I have are generally ones that my Grandparents had in their home in a huge collection. I love adding them into each piece and I am sure my Grandparents would really love knowing I add them to my creations.”
On Self Care
“The things that I do for self care would be drawing, hiking, bug hunting & keeping our home beautiful. A clean house is a big deal for me. If it’s cluttered it takes my peace away. We keep everything in a good order and spend our time doing things that we love.“
Despite Terri’s busy lifestyle, she and Alecia still find time to pursue her hobby of Entomology with regular hikes into the woods to find and photograph their insect friends. Some of these insects find a place in her journals as a piece of art.
Terri’s travels have taken her to many interesting places including the desert and the Great Smoky Mountains. Terri and Alecia don’t mark their hikes with distances as most people do, their hikes are measured by how many bugs they find.. which is usually a lot!
If you’d like to have a go at art journalling yourself don’t forget to share your adventures with the Thortify community: #selfcarescrapbook #theartofselfcare #thortify
