A Week of Doodle & Zine Craziness, Studio Revamp and Gesso Mess

It's been a while since I journaled in a doodle style, but yesterday I just couldn't seem to get enough of doodlin'.

Posties over zine titles because they're just TOO good, will have to wait till they're printed & published :)

In fact by the time I doodled this page (1am-ish) I bizarrely didn't much feel like doodlin' any more, but it was like it was against my will, like I had caught a bug!? See I didn't want to sneeze any more...I just couldn't help it!! So this page was done very doodle-lazy (if that is not a contradiction in terms?!) due to the 'all doodled-outness' (medical term!) I had suffered from earlier in the day.


The culprit of the 'all doodled-outness' is ZINES!!! If you're a journaler but haven't brought (or traded) any zines you have NO idea what you are missing out on! Zines are a self published magazine basically, they started with Fanzines I believe, when photocopying became cheap & easy - much like pamphlets that sprung up everywhere on every topic when the Printing Press was invented [insert sigh & 'here goes the history nerd again' grumble here] lol

Just a few of my zines (or stories), all these ones purchased from Etsy

They can be on any topic - writing, comics, politics, fiction, crafts, you! etc etc etc though usually they are made by 'arty/illustrating' kinda folk that turn any subject they like into (almost) an awesome journal! I don't really understand why zines are not more popular, but in a way it's kinda nice that there is secret zine culture going on; on the other hand though I seriously want more people making, and shouting about, zines! THEY RULE! So I've mainly been crazy about buying, and making my own, zines since my last post.

New, but old skool stylee, technique

But I have had some time for a little art, and the above I also made a video tutorial on, to show an easy peasy technique I found while playing with Gesso:

I also uploaded another video showing what's in my sketchbooks, as it was requested on another video:

Think that's all the videos I've made since my last post...but to be honest though I'm making so many that I can't really tell you what day of the week is it! Like my other creative outlets it's on a whirlwind at the moment! One thing non-art journey related that's been going on this week (though I confess not entirely unrelated) is a studio revamp:

Poor old & battered computer armoire

This is what the area of my room that I don't usually show looked like, well minus lotsa stuff which I'd already cleared away before this pic. I usually show my 'pretty' side with multicoloured boxes and hanging artwork, not the side covered in computer and printers.  But after a trip to Ikea (in which I got a pretty good haul of art supplies too I'll have you know - pretty paper napkins, paint brushes, funky binder clips, prints for collage etc...okay now we're back on art again.....me = innocent whistling and sideways glancing around!! lol) I found a cool corner desk that helps the awkward angles of my teeny-weeny room:

Whoop!! Computers and Printer fit in perfectly :)

And that's about my week in a round-up, though I dare say I've forgotten lots of things....hmmmm but then if I had a better memory I guess there'd be less reason for me to journal! (Yes, my mind works some great excuses sometimes). How's your week been??? Much love and arty vibes, Jennibellie xxx