Friday Fun at John's

My friend John invited me for lunch and art time at his home last Friday.  It was a spectacularly fun day.  John suggested that we play the "prompt game" that he has used before with other art journal friends.  John would give us each a prompt to do in our journal and set a time limit for working.  Then I would come up with something and a time limit.  Back and forth we went.  By the end I was using a list of prompts that John has compiled as I ran out of ideas.  It was great fun and very freeing to work that way and with a time limit.  I felt free to try things I would not ordinarily do.  John, as always, did a wonderful spread, which he didn't think he'd finished when we finally decided to stop.

It was surprisingly tiring, this having all this fun!  By 4 PM I was done in (and I'm sure John was more than ready to get rid of me!).  I like what I've done in my journal.  I think it's finished....but maybe not.

Partial List of Prompts:

1. add gesso and use a roller with a design carved into it to make texture on the page (I used black gesso) on a page I had previously preprinted yellow
2. write in black Sharpie on your spread---either just words of a haiku (5/7/5)
3. stencil a border around the spread
4. use metal tape (the sort used in heating ducts---I have no idea what it's called but it is adhesive backed and you can get it at your local hardware store)---and tear out shapes to use on your page, then use black paint to antique them
5. use a credit card to spread two colors on your spread
6. use fiber paste on one side in three places, then fold your spread in half so the fiber paste spreads onto both sides of the spread---when dry, sand and then color with a spray ink
7. find three photos or three words, or a combination of both, from a magazine and paste onto your spread
8. stamp a repetitive design with a stamp or your fingers onto your spread
9. use an image of an animal
10. tear shapes from wallpaper and use
11. thin gesso and then pour onto the spread, turn the spread and allow the gesso to drip---do this in more than one place
12. use graphite pencil 
13. use a white pen to follow shapes
14. use a postage stamp
15. add something to be the focal point(s) to the spread

I highly recommend trying this to free yourself to trying new methods in your journal or sketchbook. I learned a lot by doing this (and watching John work!).  

Thanks, John!  I had a wonderful time.